NavList:

   

Reply

A practical but incomplete solution is found in some higher-end autopilots 
(which i haven't used myself). But Sally Lindsay and Stan Honey won their 
division in
the Pacific Cup with the Cal 40 Illusion, using a below-deck tiller pilot 
(Robertson, IIRC) Sally said they could adjust rate-of-change damping 
separately from first-
order sensitivity. By retarding the rate response they kept the autopilot 
working under spinnaker for the 3,000 nm trip.

I think this is making the autopilot use its compass in a longer time-constant 
averaging mode, which is of course what a human helmsman tries to do.

But, George is absolutely right that you can't separate signals at the same frequency.

On Fri, 1 Feb 2002 15:47:03 +0000, George Huxtable wrote:

>This isn't too serious if the compass is simply being used to
>measure the average course, as long as there are landmarks around us which
>we can watch to maintain a short-term heading. The problems occur when we
>want to feed the compass information immediately back to the steering to
>try to maintain a steady course.
>


Rodney Myrvaagnes                   J36 Gjo/a

"A balanced diet is a cookie in each hand."

   

Reply