SPX5 Smartpilot Erratic Control

[wchoffman]

I have installed an SPX5 Smartpilot onto my Catalina 34 using a P70 Control. The unit begins to swing the boat wildly once the Auto feature is engaged. The compass is aligned within 10 degrees, but once Auto is selected, the autopilot holds steady for a few seconds then begins to swing the boat around, bringing us to a Gibe without immediate intervention. This unit has never worked and I am looking for help. The initial controller was returned and ultimately repaired due to hardware fault. Upon return, I could never get it to control the boat. Any ideas on how to solve this issue??

[Chuck - Raymarine - Moderator]

Welcome to the Raymarine Forum wchoffman,

The reported issue may be resulting from a failure within the autopilot's fluxgate compass, the autopilot's rudder reference transducer, or the autopilot course computer itself. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing how to test the autopilot's fluxgate compass. Should the autopilot's compass be found to pass testing, then it would be recommended that an Autopilot Factory Reset be commanded, the Dockside Wizard executed again, and then seatrial calibration performed to determine the maximum deviation sensed by the autopilot and align the compass. Should the maximum detected deviation be greater than 9 degrees, then it would be recommended that a better location for the fluxgate compass be identified and that the fluxgate compass be relocated. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing this subject.

Should the items listed above have been addressed, and should the problem persist and, no rudder reference have been installed, then it would be recommended that the rudder reference transducer supplied with the autopilot course computer be installed and that rudder bar displayed on the autopilot's control head be viewed to verify that the rudder bar correctly indicates the direction of the rudder. Should the items listed above have been addressed, and should the problem persist, and a rudder reference transducer have been installed, then it would be recommended that the rudder reference transducer be tested. Please click here to view a FAQ addressing how to test the autopilot's rudder reference transducer.