Interface Raymarine chartplotter to Autopilot

[tilmonday]

Has anyone interfaced there Raymarine Chartplotter to their Autopilot? I have the RL80CRC chartplotter/GPS and the ST6000 autopilot. I believe it is possible to interface the two, if so what is involved?

Thanks for your help

Dave

[hellosailor]

Dave, a toll-free call to Raytheon/Raymarine tech support should get you the real answer. Since they make both parts, they probably know.

[Rick]

Having delivered a few yachts that had the autopilot interfaced with a desired chartplotter waypoints is that the REAL problem is that in order to make the system work a GPS input is required to "tell" the system just where you are thought to be. The usual systems only have a response time of a second (at best) or worst, especially if your chart "plotter" info is delivered from a windows based laptop or computer.

Even with a reliable chart plotter (translation: no windows based system involved) the apparent response time of the autopilot to the "system" becomes encumbered and, therefore, seems to be sluggish or downright wrong. If you are in heavy seas you will need to defeat such inputs to the autopilot and just give it the desired heading, piecemeal if you will, without a GPS input and you will have much better chance of not falling off course causing a broach going downwind or downseas. Sorry, yet that is the state of things as they are now.

[S/V Elusive]

TilMonday - Both units have the RayMarine propriatary bus (SeaTalk) - hook them together with their special cable (there should be two connections on each unit and you 'daisy-chain' them - if not, you can also purchase a junction box). Both units have an extensive menu system; you'll find an 'enabling' selection burried in there (if it doesn't automatically figure it out).

[tilmonday]

Thanks for all your help, I was able to get the 2 communicating.