I pilot anchor lock problem

[tugger]

feklar

You pointed out "the motor overcompensates and runs you past the spot, then spins all the way around and pushes backwards"

You must be talking about no wind condition right? Because if you were in wind and at 0mph when you hit spot lock the motor wouldn't start to work until the wind pushed the boat DOWNwind. If you are marking the spot in light wind and while still moving forward (even at .3mph) the motor will do as you say and try to take you back to your spot if you overshot it.

If your motor is infact overshooting the spot heading upwind then something must be wrong with it as mine has never overshot heading back to the spot as the motor slows as it gets closer to the spot and the wind is aiding in keeping you from overshooting. The only time I have overshot is in very calm (basically NO wind) conditions. In this low or no wind condition the whole process is a little quirky, I'll agree on that. IMO its a lot smoother operation when there is a little wind or current.

[Just One More Cast]

1st you have to accept the way GPS works.

If it's cloudy, raining, hills, trees, power lines or in a place where the satellites aren't available it's not going to work. You need to contact at least 3 of them for the anchor lock to work.

Minn-Kota does not own the satellites.

Use a portable GPS & look at your satellite reception. (Or some locators like my 1198c si have a screen for that).
Once you can tell the repair center which and how many satellites you are connecting with THEN they can troubleshoot it.
The posts with the tips are right on but sometimes it just doesn't work the same on all lakes.
The new iPilot link will have access to over 3 times as many satellites & will make a huge difference.

Oh, and one more fact....check the government control over GPS accuracy. They can change how accurate it's going to be with the push of a button depending on their perception of a Threat!

[TomP.]

Originally Posted by Just One More Cast

1st you have to accept the way GPS works.

If it's cloudy, raining, hills, trees, power lines or in a place where the satellites aren't available it's not going to work. You need to contact at least 3 of them for the anchor lock to work.

Minn-Kota does not own the satellites.

Use a portable GPS & look at your satellite reception. (Or some locators like my 1198c si have a screen for that).
Once you can tell the repair center which and how many satellites you are connecting with THEN they can troubleshoot it.
The posts with the tips are right on but sometimes it just doesn't work the same on all lakes.
The new iPilot link will have access to over 3 times as many satellites & will make a huge difference.

Oh, and one more fact....check the government control over GPS accuracy. They can change how accurate it's going to be with the push of a button depending on their perception of a Threat!

I believe this sums up a lot of issues for different people, and as said if there is no wind or current it is an entirely different animal.

[Juls]

Originally Posted by jeffbilodeau

So...everyone please chime in on how accurate you Spot-Lock is on your rig....both in calm and windy conditions.

calm=0-2 feet
windy=5 feet at most

Terrova 101 on a 621

I find it works best when you stop the boat completely and turn it into the wind before hitting the anchor button.

I LOVE mine.

Juls

[point12]

I have replaced my ipilot under warrenty once and it is still the same. Not even beginning to be close enough for me to call it a "spot" lock. I guess it is just a matter of what your definition of spot is. It may be a great name for marketing, but my boat drifts around a lot and will even slowly "creep" its way down the lake when it is dead calm with no current. I had high expectations in the claim of this feature, but in time I realize it is definately not worth complaining about, it is just not the ipilot's best feature. But it is certainly not something to brag about how well it works either.

In have experimented with all the above recommendations in this thread over the past couple of years in all conditions. The best I can call it is a "general area" lock.

I love the rest of my ipilot. Increadibly useful and worth every penny. I would buy one again in a heartbeat - until something really better comes out.

Al

[BGunn]

20' boat with Terrova 80.... 10' off at most.
Holds tight all day, I like mine a lot too...
I limit out on perch very often with mine on "spot lock" with a pretty good wind, and it also works great as an autopilot with my 9.9 kicker against 3 footers easily...
I don't remember ever being out on Erie in dead calm conditions with it, but I could see where it could circle on a dead calm day.

[brown1317]

I run an 80lb terrova on an 1850 Tyee I/O and the spot lock will keep me with-in inches of the initial GPS lock. Love it.

[tugger]

Originally Posted by brown1317

I run an 80lb terrova on an 1850 Tyee I/O and the spot lock will keep me with-in inches of the initial GPS lock. Love it.

Brown

Within inches . Come on man....we are trying to be somewhat accurate here. You are not a used car salesman are you?? Just having fun man don't LOL

[DW]

I found my ipilot is usually within 15 feet of a spot. Consider the advertised accuracy of more conventional gps devices, and 15 feet is within the limits of accuracy of most gps devices. I don't think a gps based system can be made to improve on this.

Compared to an anchor, the ipilot stays much closer to a point because a boat swings a lot on an anchor line. The deeper the anchor, the greater the amount of swing. The best method I have used to stay at a point is to use an anchor, and run my electric headed in the opposite direction of the anchor line. Fine adjustments can be made by adjusting the length of the anchor, and the direction of the motor.

Another consideration to improve ipilot anchor lock performance is resetting the point after time. All gps devices are initially locked in when only 3 signals are received and triangular calculation of location is possible. When only 3 satellite signals are connected, the device experiences the greatest amount of error. The ipilot display is not very sophisticated, but I assume that the device picks up more than 3 signals over time, and as more signals are picked up, the accuracy improves. Consequently, a point might be set right after start up, but the point moves as the device establishes greater accuracy over time. After using the ipilot for awhile at a spot, it is probably effective to reset the spot on the device.

[brown1317]

Originally Posted by tugger

Brown

Within inches . Come on man....we are trying to be somewhat accurate here. You are not a used car salesman are you?? Just having fun man don't LOL

In mostly calm water, no kidding..I through a buoy out to mark the spot, then I anchored with the motor and never wavered more than 5-6 inches from the buoy. The back end would drift around but the bow stayed put.