REALTIME CONTROL
Audio Pilot
(OUT OF STOCK)
The Audio Pilot helps a helmsman steer a
steady course despite vision or visibility limitations.
It is a battery powered, pocket sized box of electronics which reads
course over
ground
(COG) from a GPS receiver.
Like its audio compass predecessors, it
beeps to indicate
when, which way and how much to correct to
keep a yacht or boat on
course.
The Audio Pilot must be connected to the NMEA
0183 port of a GPS which delivers standard GPRMC
sentences at 4800 or 9600 baud.
A handheld GPS, an Audio Pilot and an earpiece together form a
portable, self-contained audio GPS system.
When switched on the Audio Pilot first sounds
from
one to eight clicks in the earpiece. The number of clicks indicates the
battery charge state in
eighths. For example, four clicks means the batteries are half full.
It then locks on to the first COG it receives from the GPS, and briefly
sounds six alternating high
and low beeps in the earpiece.
Thereafter it beeps to indicate the steering corrections required to
maintain that COG.
Low pitched beeps mean the helmsman should correct to the
left, and high pitched beeps mean the helmsman should correct
to the right. The faster the beeping, the more the correction
required. Beeps occur at ten second intervals when one degree off
course, one second intervals when ten degrees off course, and
blend together into an almost continuous tone when 180 degrees off
course.
If the Audio Pilot is not receiving COG from a GPS it sounds a short
ascending-pitched beep each four seconds.
The Audio Pilot's dimensions are approximately 1" x 2" x 3" (2.5 cm x 5
cm x 8 cm).
Two AAA alkaline batteries last 500 hours.
The Audio Pilot is simple to set up and use.
- Fit the batteries.
- Connect the grey wire to the GPS NMEA+, and the grey and white wire
to
the GPS NMEA-.
- If necessary, enable the GPS's NMEA 0183 output.
- When the vessel is on course, switch on the Audio Pilot.
- Steer according to the beeps.
Realtime Control no longer manufactures Audio Pilots. However, there is
sufficient information on these pages that others with some electronic
skills and the ability to program PIC microcontrollers can build them.
Warnings
Photos
Technical Info
REALTIME
CONTROL
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