Distance Log data with iTC5 and no i50

[TKP62]

I am replacing my ST60's with two i70s units and an iTC5. I will have no i50 units in the system. I also have an ST60 repeater and Wireless smart controller that will remain in the system via the ST1 to STNG converter.
Since the total cumulative distance log data resides in the original ST60 speed display, I have some questions about how a total log can be kept going forward.

1) does the iTC5 have any capability of storing total log data since the transducer would be connected to it instead of a dedicated speed display?

2) if I must retain the original ST60 speed unit in the system, I can do so via the STNG converter fairly easily, however;
a) do I have to keep the transducer connected to the ST60 in order for it to accumulate log distance, or
b) with the transducer connected to the iTC5, in that configuration would the ST60 still accumulate log distance through the Seatalk bus?

My goal is to retain the accumulated distance the ST60 kept over the life of the boat, and to be able to continue to log total distance. If the iTC5 cannot retain a total log, I would like to suggest a future enhancement so that it would be capable of doing so with no i50 speed unit in the system. Taking it a step further, it would be nice to be able to program in a distance so owners could "transfer in" log data from old instruments and be able to retain (and accumulate) a total distance log of the boat.

IMO, the i70/i70s units have made the i50 units somewhat obsolete; for about the same cost, one can get more capability out of a single display (i70) than an i50 that only displays speed or depth functions. This is the exact reason I went with two i70s units to replace my ST60's.

Thanks!

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum TKP62

Q1) does the iTC5 have any capability of storing total log data since the transducer would be connected to it instead of a dedicated speed display?
A1) The iTC-5 will save logged distance only as long as it has a speed transducer interfaced to it and an i70/i70S MFID or ST70 MFID also connected to the SeaTalkng backbone and which has configured the iTC-5 to be the Speed source for the system. The iTC-5's log will not include any distance logged by an ST40/60 or i50 speed sensing instrument, or fishfinding product which has been interfaced to the system.

Q2) if I must retain the original ST60 speed unit in the system, I can do so via the STNG converter fairly easily, however;
a) do I have to keep the transducer connected to the ST60 in order for it to accumulate log distance, or
b) with the transducer connected to the iTC5, in that configuration would the ST60 still accumulate log distance through the Seatalk bus?
A2) if seeking to have the log include distance which has been previously logged by the ST60 instrument, the speed transducer must remain interfaced to the ST60 instrument and it must continue to act as the Master source for speed data.

[TKP62]

Thank you for the quick reply Chuck!

Looks like the iTC-5 will do what I want (log and store total distance) since I have an i70 in the system. Is there any way to "trick" the iTC-5 into logging distance without the boat actually moving, so that I could "add" the 3400 miles my ST60 has logged into the new system? I could do it manually by setting up some sort of air blast over the paddle wheel but that might take awhile! I'm thinking electronically tricking it to think it's going 100 knots (or whatever) for whatever time it takes to artificially add the 3400 miles. Seems silly but it would be nice to know the total distance the boat has traveled in its life without having to add the 3400 miles on paper.

Thanks again!

Tim

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Tim,

While it should be technically possible, to duplicate the pulse that speed transducer's hall effect sensor would generate to stimulate the iTC-5 for an extended period of time to add distance to the log which it calculates, providing the details of how to do so is beyond the scope of support which we may provide. It would seem to be far easier to simply relocate the ST60 to another location onboard the vessel such that it would essentially function as a black box (in much the way that the iTC-5 functions) to supply the system with speed data. That said, when a speed transducer is interfaced to an iTC-5, then the i70 MFID within the system would support multi-point speed calibration, whereas the ST60/ST60+ speed sensing instruments only support single point speed calibration.