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  1. #1
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    Jan 2017
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    Motorguide Xi3 course lock help

    I have a bow-mounted Xi3 on my kayak. The spot lock works great but when I have the motor in course lock mode it wants to wander slightly off course. For example, if I am running down a straight bank and set course lock to keep me about 20 feet from shore, it won't be long until I am heading closer or further away from the shore. It doesn't matter if it's dead calm it just doesn't want to keep straight. Anyone else have this issue? I don't know if I need to re-calibrate something or if this is considered normal variance. Since the spot lock works fine, I wouldn't think it would be an issue with the GPS receiver. Any ideas?

  2. Member
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    Apr 2008
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    #2
    More than likely there is a compass in the head to follow the direction you set. There may be a calibration for the compass, but I would guess you have to adjust the direction now and then as the shore is not usually perfectly straight. JMO Bob
    Tell me where has a slow movin' once quick draw outlaw got to go

  3. Member
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    #3
    Quote Originally Posted by bobcoy View Post
    More than likely there is a compass in the head to follow the direction you set. There may be a calibration for the compass, but I would guess you have to adjust the direction now and then as the shore is not usually perfectly straight. JMO Bob
    Bob, thanks for your input. I'll have to look, but I think you do a compass calibration when you do the spot lock calibration. I don't have a problem with adjusting the direction based on the shoreline not being perfectly straight (just used that in my example), but when I point the motor towards a specific point and it starts veering me to the right or left of that target, it kind of defeats the point of the course lock. I'm just not sure why it's doing this and I'd like to be able to correct it if possible. Maybe I'll just reset everything and re-calibrate to see if that fixes it.

  4. Member
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    Jan 2019
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    Edina, MN
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    #4
    Recalibrate it. It sounds like it what it thinks is straight ahead on course of off from what the boat thinks or how it behaves. Since there is no visual or degrees of correction definition like on an Ultrex or Ulterra, it can be hard to get it right and it can over time adjust a little, especially if there are any changes in the boat (weight distribution being a big cause). My Xi did the same thing and I found I needed to recalibrate it 1-2 times a year. Easy enough to do, as you know, takes about 2-3 minutes.