Where to start looking for the Autopilot Compass on a 43 DC?

[bostonhatteras]

Looking at this navico navistation manual shows that the instruments are stud or screw mounted from behind the panel. Also the manual states that corus equipment was capable of being daisy chained so that your compass could be anywhere along the line. Is the autopilot installed as a stand alone instrument or was it installed as one part of the corus network? This manual may help too. http://www.simrad-yachting.com/Root...dYachting/English/Navico_C900-User-Manual.pdf

 

[Vincentc]

The autopilot includes a Corus network, leaving as stated a multitude of location options.

The cover plate for the control panel snapped off without damage, I removed the panel and looked at two cable connections to the control panel. One connects to the computer and the other to the fly bridge outlet for the ap remote control. That leaves unresolved the location of the compass. There remains a network cable leading from the computer to the rabbit hole and going who knows where.

The good news is, when I unplugged the cable from the control panel to the remote outlet, the compass heading reappeared on the control panel screen, and remained there when I reconnected the cable. However, for some reason, although the boat is pointed South, the compass heading is 357.

Unless otherwise inspired, I will probably put the search on hold, take the boat for a ride Saturday and see if the pilot works.

Thanks,

 

[bostonhatteras]

One thing that the navistation manual appeared to say was possible is that the autopilot when part of a network with GPS signal can steer the boat independent of the rate compass because it is working off the chartplotter. If it works that way at least you'd have it half operational. Stand alone operation is where the rate compass will be utilized. Good luck with it.

 

[Vincentc]

I finally found the AP compass. One of the cables coming off of the AP computer led to a 12v terminal and I assumed it was only a power cable. A close inspection revealed that there were also signal wires which branched off and led forward through the engine room bulkhead. I traced that cable over to the port side and back aft through the bulkhead. I found the compass in the storage bin under the port side locker just aft of the bulkhead. This was about 8" below the shelf where I keep the tool boxes.

I did read and react to the post advising of finding their compass in the space around the muffler. However I only looked on the stbd side, since I thought all the ap wires ran to stbd.

Locating the compass did reveal why the ap show a 357 degree heading at all directions.