Issues with ST70 AP

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum dhays ,

Before getting into the performance issue described, Raymarine does not recommend use of autopilots within areas of restricted maneuverability or close proximity to hazards to navigation.

Q1. When using the track function, the AP makes very wide excursions before settling down on a heading. Once it does settle down, it performs great. This makes the track function unsafe to initiate if in any type of restricted waterway or near shore. My prior RM AP (ST8001) on my sailboat never had this problem. I have tried adjusting sensitivity which has no effect on this behavior.
A1. With respect to the issue of settling onto a course line associated with a track, it is recommended that any SPX autopilot course computers and ST70 autopilot control heads be updated with the latest available Raymarine product software updates, as changes were introduced within the final software release to reduce the symptoms described. It is further recommended that when initially commanding track mode, that the vessel be operated at slow speed until it has joined the course line.

Q2. The ST70 will only display Magnetic heading. I have changed the units to "True" on the ST70 but it still only display magnetic.
A2. Bearing Mode within a Raymarine system is designed to be consistent among the networked products. Should the system feature a Raymarine MFD, then Bearing Mode should be configured via the MFD's user interface.