711 no wind mode ?

I used to be able to use the wind mode on the NavPilot but this season it is not working. I try the STBY-AUTO sequence from AUTO but the only thing is the countdown to shutdown. I'm puzzled because the wind indicator is working. The only change i have made to the configuration from the last time i have used the wind mode is the addition of an MFD8 (slave) to the MFD12. Is there something i have forgot to do because it was working before ? :sail

Adding a slave unit wouldn't change your existing NMEA 2000 wiring or how the NavNet talks to the pilot. You might go through the pilot setup and verify your settings.

Johny do you mean redoing the complete installation ? I'm puzzled because i really changed nothing since 4 years in the autopilot area, i have the wind parameters set on the 711 and i can see all the data and sensors including the wind sensor.

I'm looking at the installation manual and should i understand that you recommand redoing the complete installation sequence or going to the Ship Characteristic and checking if it is sailboat ? (which i bet my montly pay it is)

Thanks
:sail

Well if the pilot software is four years old, I would recommend you upgrade your pilot software and then setup the pilot. There have been many improvements for sail boats in the software since you purchased the pilot. The software and instructions are posted on our web site under the pilot product page - Software tab. You will also find a video showing how it is upgraded.

Hello i've been trying to install the upgrade but i can't even pass the first step which is getting the INF file to be loaded so that the USB cable permit the communication between the PC and the Navpilot. First the instruction and the video are for Windows 7, a now legacy operating system. Second i suspect the driver is made for 32 bits. In the documentation there are no requirement on operating system version or architecture (32 or 64 bit)

I'm running Windows 10 64 bit on my MaxSea Explorer PC.

Please advise as i'm blocked in the upgrade.

The drivers are for 32 bit only.
If you can't find a suitable PC, you can always send in your display and processor in for service, to have it updated.

I'm currently doing the upgrade, don't know how but the PC is communicating with the NavPilot. In fact in the INF file (i have opened it) it is written NTAMD64 so someone has updated the code for it to work on 64 bits, but the INF package is not well written and it has a strange behavior, i ended up doing it manually.

The video is incorrect, there are no UPBOOT file in the latest version, i guess all is now done with a single UP file. Can you confirm ? The video says XP and W7 but doesn't tell about the 32 or 64 bit so i guess the real problem is not the architecture of the PC its rather to have W7 so that the INF works like described in the video and document. But the extrat UPBOOT step is not required (file is not there).

I'm now running 1.23 and 1.14 do i need to redo the setup of the Navpilot because as is the Wind mode is still not working ??

UPBOOT is only needed when you are doing an older version of software. If you are updating a pilot that was updated over the last four years, with current software you can skip that file. I doubt they will reshoot the entire video but I will ensure that the written instructions have a comment, if they don't already. If you wind mode isn't working and you have all relevant sensors working; then it sounds like the pilot setup isn't right. I would suggest going through your settings and verify each one. Sometimes this is best done by resetting the pilot and starting from scratch so you don't miss anything.

Hi Johny,

Well i'm puzzled. This morning i remade the installation (dock side setup) for the new version installed. After all this, checking PGNs, verifying sensors, i tried to invoke Wind mode in vain. Of course i'm following the book and the operators book says:
1-Direct the heading to the desired direction and trim the sail to keep the wind direction in the AUTO mode.
2- Press the AUTO key while holding the STBY key down to activate the WIND mode.

But this not correct !!! :huh

As i found myself trying to push all keys like a mad mondey, the only way to activate the wind mode is by being initially in the STBY mode. This is why i failed in the first place because i opened the Operator book and followed the documentation.

The documentation should rather say:

1-Direct the heading to the desired direction and trim the sail to keep the wind direction in the AUTO mode. (since it may take some time and you may not be at the helm)
2- Rapidly switch back to STBY mode and then push simultaneously on STBY and AUTO.

I will put stickers everywhere on the boat to remind that ! I'm puzzled that nobody reported that before... :sorry

Now a happy sailor :sail

cheers

I will look at how the manual reads. Normally you steer your helm manually towards the direction (with pilot in stby).

Glad you got it working.