I am about to fit a Garmin 3006 to my boat, and I suddenly noted that the Installation instructions say that the minimum distance between the compass and the plotter should be 12".
My plotter would be about 2 " from the compass.
Is this a big deal, or could the compass compensation correct for this?
The Panbo Forum
Return to Panbo Forum main page »
There is a simple test. Place the plotter where you want it, and turn it on and off. If the compass moves as a result, don't mount it there. To be more thorough, try it with the boat on different headings.
There are many things in a boat that can affect the accuracy of a magnetic compass, and they change over time, and under different conditions and situations.
Since litigation is one of the blessings of Western civilization, manufacturers with deeper pockets need to cover their @sses more rgorously, hence the warning.
HOWEVER, since Garmin thinks they are covered, they turned around and put a high power magnet on the door over the memory slot on newer series chart plotters. Then they said you had to keep the compass more than three feet away.
Yeah. That works. Sure.
Hi,
I should have made myself a bit clearer. I don't yet have the chartplotter in my grubby hands.
An added caution: There is a major hurdle in updating the charts for the 2000 and 3000 series Garmin Chart plotters. Garmin will not sell unlock codes for their BlueChart 2008.5 and earlier Chart CD's and they recalled most of the existing G2 CD's. If the unit you are buying doesn't have recent chart cartridges ("data cards") for the area you sail in, you will have a real problem getting them.