B&G H1000 Autopilot - Manual (Page 59)

calibration
h1000 pilot
Page 58
compass calibration
The Compass Calibration Menu sets the heading offset, damping, and swing parameters for the
h1000 fluxgate compass.
compass offset
The compass offset electronically compensates for fixed errors (misalignment) between the fluxgate
sensor and the direction of the boat. These errors will occur since the compass can be mounted in
any orientation within the boat.
To accurately enter a compass offset, the boat’s actual heading must be known, for example:
reference the h1000 fluxgate against a calibrated bowl compass, or follow a known transit referenced
from a chart.
To enter the compass offset value, highlight Compass from the Compass Calibration Menu and
press ENTER. Adjust the value using the UP/DOWN and ENTER keys. The value entered should be
between +180
q and -180q.
Example:
x Boat’s actual heading is 076 q
x h1000 display shows 092 q
x The compass offset entered should be -016 q
To facilitate this procedure, live heading is shown on the screen so that the effects of the offset can
immediately be seen.
compass damping
Compass damping allows you to slow down the response of compass readings in rougher weather by
adjusting the damping value from 0 to 9. For minimum damping, set the value to 0. Increase the
damping value if the readings are too unstable in rough weather.
compass swing
The swing procedure allows the compass to learn the effects of any magnetic deviation errors that
are unique to your boat. The swing should be performed out in open water, on a calm day, with
minimal wind and waves, and away from traffic, which may require the procedure to be aborted.
The swing procedure requires the boat to be turned through a complete 360 q turn, at a speed of less
than 5 knots, at about 2 q per second. The entire process should take about three minutes to
complete.
To swing the compass, highlight Swing and press ENTER. The Compass Swing page will now be
displayed with start highlighted. With the boat settled on its turn, press the ENTER key to start the
swing.
The display will now show two bargraphs. The first is the Progress bar, which will fill completely after
the boat has been turned through 360
q. The second is the Turn rate bar, which, for optimum results,
should not be allowed to fill completely.
After completion of the swing, the message passed or failed will be shown. At any stage during the
swing, the procedure can be aborted by selecting abort and pressing the ENTER key.