Odd issue with boat direction sideways

[FishThe603]

We have a HDS-12 Live at the bow, HDS-9 Live at the Console, Live Target (HDS's and Live Target ethernet networked), and a Point - 1 connected to everyone via NEMA. It worked great for the first few months we had it in. Now when traveling at speed the console HDS-9 Live will show the boat sideways. Recalibrated the Point 1 just in case and validated its selected under Settings > Network > Datasources > GPS, no joy. Any ideas on what we can do here ? There are two listings, one says (Auto) next to it, the other just the Point 1 with its number. Selected the Auto one.

[Marc Marcantonio]

In most cases you do not want to select "Auto". That tells the unit to use whichever signal happens to be the strongest at that moment, so you could be switching automatically between the internal antenna and the Point-1 depending on which one has the clearest view of the satellites at that moment. This will screw up your waypoint location consistency.

But it is more likely your problem with your HDS 9 is one of two things:
1. You are getting electromagnetic interference at speed with either your Point-1 location or your internal antenna (you won't know which one since you are on Auto). First change your selection to just the Point-1. Bet that fixes your problem. If not, did you move anything that is magnetic next to the Point-1, or move the Point-1 closer to your outboard, or install something else like a powerpole pump near the Point-1?
2. Make sure your HDS-9 is set for "heading up" and not "north-up".

[FishThe603]

In most cases you do not want to select "Auto". That tells the unit to use whichever signal happens to be the strongest at that moment, so you could be switching automatically between the internal antenna and the Point-1 depending on which one has the clearest view of the satellites at that moment. This will screw up your waypoint location consistency.

But it is more likely your problem with your HDS 9 is one of two things:
1. You are getting electromagnetic interference at speed with either your Point-1 location or your internal antenna (you won't know which one since you are on Auto). First change your selection to just the Point-1. Bet that fixes your problem. If not, did you move anything that is magnetic next to the Point-1, or move the Point-1 closer to your outboard, or install something else like a powerpole pump near the Point-1?
2. Make sure your HDS-9 is set for "heading up" and not "north-up".

Thanks! I can check the first one easily. It would be weird for interference to develop suddenly without a change but I suppose it’s possible.

[ss]

What trolling motor do yo have? If you have a spot lock trolling motor, your lowrance may be connecting to the gps in the motor. When I installed my motorguide tour pro, I had the boat icon sideways because the lowrance was using the trolling motor gps. The boat icon was sideways because the motor was stowed on its side. Once I figured it out and set it to use the lowrance gps, everything is normal now.

[FishThe603]

What trolling motor do yo have? If you have a spot lock trolling motor, your lowrance may be connecting to the gps in the motor. When I installed my motorguide tour pro, I had the boat icon sideways because the lowrance was using the trolling motor gps. The boat icon was sideways because the motor was stowed on its side. Once I figured it out and set it to use the lowrance gps, everything is normal now.

Plain old Fortrex. Adding a ghost in the near future though.

[Scuirus]

Your Point-1 is turned 90 degrees off or a 90 degree offset is set for Point-1. There is an arrow on top of Point-1 which should point forwards. If you go to Settings, Network, Device list, Point-1, Configuration you can change the offset.

Calibrating Point-1 won't fix an offset problem.

[FishThe603]

Your Point-1 is turned 90 degrees off or a 90 degree offset is set for Point-1. There is an arrow on top of Point-1 which should point forwards. If you go to Settings, Network, Device list, Point-1, Configuration you can change the offset.

Calibrating Point-1 won't fix an offset problem.

It’s already pointed forward. Like I said originally this was all working fine prior to a few days ago. Also, only seems to act strange at speed.

[Fishton]

Any cables nearby under the deck?

[Marc Marcantonio]

Thanks! I can check the first one easily. It would be weird for interference to develop suddenly without a change but I suppose it’s possible.

I suspect you did have a "change"; that being changing the source for your GPS to be "Auto" instead of strictly the Point-1. The setting may have changed from doing an update. Or maybe you have been using your internal GPS and not the Point-1 originally when it was working properly, and your Point-1 installation was too close to your outboard? Or maybe the other way around, with your internal GPS antenna getting interference?

Not knowing where your Point-1 is located makes it hard to diagnose, but I would do what I suggested, and take it out of Auto. If you set it to the Point-1 and your direction arrow is still sideways, then change the GPS data source to the internal antenna. Then you will know if one source is good and one is bad.

[FishThe603]

I suspect you did have a "change"; that being changing the source for your GPS to be "Auto" instead of strictly the Point-1. The setting may have changed from doing an update. Or maybe you have been using your internal GPS and not the Point-1 originally when it was working properly, and your Point-1 installation was too close to your outboard? Or maybe the other way around, with your internal GPS antenna getting interference?

Not knowing where your Point-1 is located makes it hard to diagnose, but I would do what I suggested, and take it out of Auto. If you set it to the Point-1 and your direction arrow is still sideways, then change the GPS data source to the internal antenna. Then you will know if one source is good and one is bad.

The most recent change was we did change out the console HDS-9 Live about 3 weeks ago but it worked fine since. The point one is on the port side of the stern, as far to the edge as possible. I’ll do the change to the data source and take it out this weekend and report back. Hopefully that’s it. Thanks!

[bb45]

Try doing a auto configure under network / GPS, also make on your chart settings, it is set to heading not north up.

[FishThe603]

Update: changed the selection from the “auto”. Point 1 to the point 1 specifically. This was it, all is well now. Thanks everyone for the help.

[Marc Marcantonio]

Excellent; thanks for reporting back.

[FishThe603]

Well I thought it was fixed. Yesterday started happening again. Double checked the settings, that was still fine. It only happens at speed, if I stay below planing speed everything is fine.

Got in and checked the diagnostics on the point 1, it’s definitely sending data and communicating with NMEA network.

Was thinking back to anything else that changed and it didn’t occur to me at the time but we did change the prop out to a 13p from a 14p for higher speed. The end result was the engine now revs at 6k rpm at speed vs the 5k it was holding before.

Now the point 1 is as far away from the engine as possible (corner of the boat, port side). There is nothing near it or under the deck in that area however it’s wire to get there does run near the engine. Is it possible that the higher rpms are generating the interference ?

[BassinB]

Sorry I dont have a solution for you but mine does this as well. When I am going 40-50mph it will be pointing to about 1 oclock of where I am actually pointed. At rest it is dead on.

[FishThe603]

Sorry I dont have a solution for you but mine does this as well. When I am going 40-50mph it will be pointing to about 1 oclock of where I am actually pointed. At rest it is dead on.

That’s interesting. Well hopefully I can solve it for the both of us then. Mine points to 9 at speed and dead on at like 20 or below. I’m considering putting in a call to Lowrance and see what they say. Someone said to put an offset in but then it would be wrong at anything less lol.

[Marc Marcantonio]

It might be helpful to show us a picture of your Point-1 location with respect to the outboard. The fact that your boat icon turns at speed indicates electromagnetic interference being generated when the outboard is operating at higher rpms. Relocating the Point-1 is likely your solution. I would unscrew it and move it around; holding it down with duct tape in different locations until the icon remains forward.

[Team Colibri]

This is what the magnetic interference Marc talks about looks like (english subtitles):

[1BADAIR]

Could be interference now that the engine is turning more rpm. I assume side ways as on the heading sensor line?? If so there is no reason to use the heading sensor line on the console graph. Since the boat is moving whole at the console the coarse extension works just fine

[yupitsme]

Next time out... while the problem is active. Change the data source to the internal antenna. If this solves the problem then I'd suspect one of two things. A flaky Point 1 antenna or interference at the Point 1 location. You can also change the data source to another units internal antenna to test as well. I'm pretty sure the heading extension is not an option with the internal antenna but the boat icon should point up with a "course up" setting