Location of fluxgate compass -Bav 38 Ocean 1998 ??

[Jeffatoms]

Our Raymarine/Autohelm ST5000+ circa 1999 seems to have recently lost its mind.  This past spring it wandered aimlessly off course at random.  In  early July we cruised the US San Juan islands putting down a couple hundred miles and it was mostly dependable but during the past couple of outings it has reported a new "DRIVESTOP" error.

Our hope is that the core problem is the rudder angle indicator because we have no idea where the fluxgate is located.  I suppose we could chase down the wires but we are more hopeful that someone knows where the standard installation location was for these boats.

Equally we are curious if the navigation package was installed at the factory or at the dealer (Yachts West of Vancouver CAN).

Thanks in advance

[Salty]

You need to find where that flux gate compass is located, because if you store something anywhere near it that might have a magnetic influence upon the compass, then the consequence is exactly what you have experienced. Tools like screwdrivers often have a magnetised tip to the blade, elsewhere in another thread somebody stored an under wired item of clothing next to the flux gate compass, and the compass lost its directional cool. So find the flux gate and make sure nothing is located near enough to create a magnetic influence on it.

As for the fitting of the system, it is most likely that this was done by, or at the request of, the local Bavaria distributor when the boat was new.

[Yngmar]

Ours is installed in the aft cabin, inside the starboard side hanging locker. It's easily distracted by any nearby metal objects, including those not obviously magnetic. We once found a looking glass stored nearby had a metal frame that was for some strange reason magnetized and made us go in circles. We only discovered what it was after checking every nearby object with a handbearing compass (the quick fix was to remove the whole box with stored items from the proximity of the compass and chuck it on the bed).

DRIVESTOP error isn't related to the fluxgate compass though, that's either your drive not working or the RPS, or a wiring fault between those and the brain box.

[avelzian]

We have a 2000 Bav38 Ocean. Ours is installed in the aft cabin, left hand port side locker, high up on the Right hand side, ie between the shelves and the hanging locker.
Needs to be as far away as possible from metal.

[Rampage]

Once you’ve found the thing, it’d be a good idea to check over its wiring to the course computer.  We found that it was all too easy to disrupt the connections where the compass was linked to the wiring to the computer.  Took us in circles until sorted.

[Salty]

Hi Jeff, did you find the reason for that DRIVESTOP error? It would be a useful piece of information for the rest of us to know and be aware of.

[Jeffatoms]

Hi Salty,

No we have not.  The autopilot has been a know problem for quite awhile, but getting worse this summer. Since I posted this, we have experienced a failure with the saildrive transmission which has become our top priority to address. 

I suspect DRIVESTOP is related to the rudder angle indicator which I intend to replace just to see.  I'll let you know.

All my best,
Jeff