Garmin MFD and Raytheon 650 Autopilot

[bbrinks]

2000 510DA. I’m a newbie and trying to figure out my Garmin 7215 MFD and original Raytheon 650 autopilot. First, I don’t know if they are connected but here’s my problem: the boat icon on my MFD is always off by say 30 degrees. The navigation track (bread crumbs) is accurate but that little icon is always dog legging. I also noticed the heading on my autopilot is off about 30 degrees. Basically identical to the direction that boat icon is off. I read the Raytheon 650 manual and it has a calibration setting. My question is, if they are connected (not sure if there is a good way to determine this without looking for wires I don’t understand in the first place), do I calibrate the auto pilot or is there a calibration on the MFD? I did a 20 hour trip in April to bring the boat back to its new home and it was great on that trip. This issue just began a few weeks ago. Thank you in advance for any wisdom you can share.

 

[alnav]

View attachment 107029 2000 510DA. I’m a newbie and trying to figure out my Garmin 7215 MFD and original Raytheon 650 autopilot. First, I don’t know if they are connected but here’s my problem: the boat icon on my MFD is always off by say 30 degrees. The navigation track (bread crumbs) is accurate but that little icon is always dog legging. I also noticed the heading on my autopilot is off about 30 degrees. Basically identical to the direction that boat icon is off. I read the Raytheon 650 manual and it has a calibration setting. My question is, if they are connected (not sure if there is a good way to determine this without looking for wires I don’t understand in the first place), do I calibrate the auto pilot or is there a calibration on the MFD? I did a 20 hour trip in April to bring the boat back to its new home and it was great on that trip. This issue just began a few weeks ago. Thank you in advance for any wisdom you can share.

Since the MFD and the autopilot are showing the same heading, I'd say it's almost certain they are connected. The autopilot is probably getting its heading from a fluxgate compass and then passing that to the MFD. So, yes, calibrating the autopilot would be the right thing to do. Then the AP should send the corrected heading to your MFD. You might find some Garmin autopilot calibration settings but those should only work with an attached Garmin autopilot. You probably do want to find the location of your fluxgate compass, the older Raymarine versions were known for failing after a while. If calibration doesn't fix the problem, you may be looking at replacement but that is not all that challenging.

 

[bbrinks]

Since the MFD and the autopilot are showing the same heading, I'd say it's almost certain they are connected. The autopilot is probably getting its heading from a fluxgate compass and then passing that to the MFD. So, yes, calibrating the autopilot would be the right thing to do. Then the AP should send the corrected heading to your MFD. You might find some Garmin autopilot calibration settings but those should only work with an attached Garmin autopilot. You probably do want to find the location of your fluxgate compass, the older Raymarine versions were known for failing after a while. If calibration doesn't fix the problem, you may be looking at replacement but that is not all that challenging.

Thanks for your reply.

 

[RollerCoastr]

I agree - calibrate the AP. You can confirm two-way communication by activating a route on the Garmin. Waypoint data will appear on the 650.

If they’re properly connected, you can engage Nav mode instead of just Auto mode. (flowing a course instead of a single heading). We used to say, “Let Ann drive”: press Auto, Nav, Nav.

The calibration routine involves makes slow 360° rotations, so a calm quiet bay or space in a marina is ideal. (choosing the wrong time/place can make passengers queezy...!) Ahem.