Requesting OpenCPN support for the new Sailtimer Wind Instrument

[mhasting2004]

Out of curiosity Skipperearly is your unit the original style that is in a clear tube and uses a standard looking vane and cups? If it is then it is vastly different in form and function to the more recent models which may be why I'm confused about some of your comments.

Cheers
Mark.

[skipperearly]

Originally Posted by mhasting2004

Out of curiosity Skipperearly is your unit the original style that is in a clear tube and uses a standard looking vane and cups? If it is then it is vastly different in form and function to the more recent models which may be why I'm confused about some of your comments.

Cheers
Mark.

yes it is. I am not too sure about your assessment that it is vastly different in function. Form - yes - and i don't even think this is an improvement as the "old style" gives good service even under heavy heeling. Will be interested in your views on the new (heavier) design under real sailing conditions (waves, heeling etc)

Have you seem the calypso instruments wind reader? Sounds great but unfortunately rather expensive

[mhasting2004]

Yep I agree the unit is pretty chunky and have the same reservations about effects from mast acceleration due to waves.

I have seen the Calypso unit... but wow very expensive and I doubt that tiny solar panel will do much.

I was under the impression the first units were WiFi not BLE and needed the reciever box to function. Also the vanes and cups were sourced from another manufacturer so unlikely the compass was in the vane. Hence the need (possibly) to calibrate as mounting direction would make a difference.

FWIW I've been chatting to the Sailtimer guys to get all the Android developer kit and also asked if they have an API or method to interface to a Windows app. Keep you guys posted.

Cheers

PS I'm a multihuller,we don't heel ;P but waterproof is a handy feature LOL

[skipperearly]

@mhasting2004: did you receive you vane and what's your experience so far?

Sent from my D5803 using Cruisers Sailing Forum mobile app

[mhasting2004]

Not receive it yet, probably near end of month would be my guess but was able to organize a demo unit for DSR to play with, not sure if that has arrived yet either.

[bdbcat]

Mark...

Got the demo unit. Works fine using SailTimer API and their own Android apps. Now working to implement support for OCPN Android.

Dave

[mhasting2004]

FYI still waiting on deliver of unit.... getting a bit long now even with my level of patience...

keep you posted

[RhythmDoctor]

I waited over a year to receive mine, and it finally arrived a couple months ago. Unfortunately, during the long wait I bought a new boat that already had a wind instrument that was integrated into the boat's electronics, so my Sailtimer sits in the box unused (aside from a brief test to confirm that it works).

For anyone out there who has gotten tired of waiting for theirs, mine is available at a competitive price. You can cancel your order with them and get a refund, then I'll ship mine right away. Send me a message if interested.

Mark - I know that you passed on this offer a couple months ago, but I'm putting it out there for others, or in case you've lost patience.

[rgleason]

RDr, I know someone who might like one of those a lot.. Sean. Don't know how it could be arranged.

[RhythmDoctor]

Please have him contact me. What is the complication?

[mhasting2004]

Hi guys and gals

I said I'd give a bit more in depth review once I had the unit and had a chance to play a bit.

So far I've only been out sailing with it 3 times so these are just my initial thoughts....

I'm still working thru issues of accuracy in heading as the ability to calibrate is only in the iOS at this point and I use Android gear exclusively this is in delevlopment by ST so expect that soonish. Also the ap of choice for me at the moment is SailRacer am working thru issues with getting correct TWA TWS with that developer too. (may be related issue to first point)

Data seems to be Ok in OpenCPN dashboard but have not had a lot of true testing there other than walking around the backyard.

The unit itself is well made and function pretty much straight out of the box. The cups are stiff plastic and I wish that they wre a more pliable material as it doesn't survive a 1 meter drop...ask me how I know ... this is an expensive mistake if you live a long way away like Australia as the shipping more than doubles the cost.. Not ST fault but something to remember.. ie originally the unit cost me ~$500 Australian and the replacement cups with shipping was an additional ~$100 ... makes for a lot of swearing.

One of the drawbacks I see with the size and weight of the unit is that it has a lot more inertia/momentum than a light weight windex. This means in shifty conditions or light wind it can oscillate much more. Sailracer app has the ability to average data imputs so this may not be such a real life drama but don't expect it to be as sensitive as a bit of wool.

I'm still on the fence about if the unit is delivering on everything I hoped it could do but having said that the next option would cost a lot more (ie at least double) and would not be wireless and deal with a rotating mast etc etc.

I'm still working on creating a polar for the boat I race on and this will help with more of the things that I hope to test the unit / Apps of choice with.

Note I have not tried Sailtimers App and as the features that I am interested in are only available in iOS it is unlikely I will.... plus it is not really a racing orientated app IMHO.

I'd give the unit 5/10 at the moment as it functions but s/w support is a bit sketchy at the moment and concerns about AWA accuracy. I'd also not rate it very highly in very low wind (sub 5 knots) but I would not rate any gadget over some old cassette tape streamers in those conditions.

Cheers

[Kielzorg]

Hi All ,
I m new to this forum and also new in using the sailtimer windvane.
I got mine a month ago(which is out of the season in holland). but that buys me time to play around.
I am now trying to get it working on openCPN on a rapsberry pi(3)
I am using open plotter on the pi but the first issue i am running into is to connect the sailtimer windvane to the Pi's bleutooth.
Is there anybody with succes already?

BTW the best option for me should be that NAVIONICS should suppot the ST windvane, but that seems far away...

[mhasting2004]

Hi Kielzorg

Can't help you with the raspberry but I assume you know that it is already supported in the Android version of OpenCPN... might be worth a post on that forum too. Don't know how the app does it but do know you need Sailtimer API (android version in your case?) to be able to get a communication link happening.

Cheers
Mark

[mattyc]

Hi mhastin2004, Just wondering how you are getting along with your SAILTIMER, specifically how it works in conjunction with the rotating mast? What kind of boat do you have and what is the length of your mast? Any issues transmitting data from the masthead down to the navigation station? The product sounds great, but I haven't come across any overly positive reviews and none dealing with rotating rigs. Would love to hear some more real world info before I invest my hard earned sailing dollars.

[mhasting2004]

Hi Matty

The boat is a Farrier F85sr and the mast is 12.6m off the deck.

I've only done limited testing with the unit as its my mates boat (my unit) and it was always during racing so had little time to really sus out the issues.

Rotating mast is a non issue as the unit relies on the internal compass for AWD and then derives TWA from your COG as measure by GPS (inside phone or tablet). This is where it can get messy and I want to do more testing to ensure accuracy.

Unfortunately my unit developed an issue which halted testing before I could spend more time with it on my boat (TrailerTri 720 fixed mast). This is being sorted by Sailtimer under warranty.

There also seems to be more support under iOS than Android with some features like fine tuning of the compass only available in the former (Android version is being worked on I'm told) which is a bit of a pain for me as I run Android.

The main app I was using was SailRacer as wind direction and speed are very handy when calculating Polars and VMG etc. This is a debatable subject and one that Sailtimers' app developers contend can be misleading. (all depends on your definition of VMG in my books)

So I can't give a resounding endorsement as I have not used the unit enough. I also can't say I regret my decision to buy it for the same reason. So for me it 5/10 still.


Hopefully my boat will be back in the water in the next couple of weeks and I can play a bit more with it.