Conference wahoo::fishing

< Note 660.0 by TOOK::SWEET "Capt. Codfish...Jeffries Ledge or Bust" >
                       -< Help with my APELCO DXL6100!! >-

    Bruce
	Don't know if your problem is the same but a friend 
bought the same unit last year and he had to send iyt in to the 
factory for an update because it would not work correctly. They 
said some units got out with bad firmware in them. Maybe it is 
worth a call to them.
norm

    Hi bruce.
    I hope its note genitic, I just bought a Raynav 570 for Rainbow
    Chaser. I won't have the boat in the water till around the 24th
    and I have to Run it up to Newburyport from Old Saybrook.
    
    If I get lost I'll let you know. But thats why they make compasses.
    
    Did you get any fish Fri? Where did you go?
    
                                                         Walt
    

    I called apelco and they said my unit does have old rom's but they
    could not say for sure that was what my problem was. Sooooo...I
    am sending it back UPS next day air and hope to have it back in about
    two weeks. I will let you know what happens next. As far as the
    570 goes, when I got my unit they had preliminary documentation
    and in some places they had not changed all the 570's to 6100's
    (Sorry Walt). Also see my note in the Jigging for Cod note to
    see how we did (18 keepers).
    
    Capt. No_Loran_for_a_couple_weeks_Codfish

    My fishing partner and I each bought the 570 last Spring and have had
    excellent results.  The units show excellent repeatability and
    accurately place us with data that is inputted.  We did our own
    installations and that went well also.
    
    The only feature that we have had problems with is the chain of
    points or routing feature.  We have never been able to get that
    to work as it should.  I think that the directions are impossible
    to follow.
    
    The 570 is a smaller unit which makes it ideal if space is a problem.
    
    My vote is for bad firmware on your system.

re .2
    
    Walt,
    My boat is down in Niantic, Ct., about 10 miles east of Saybrook.
    How are you getting your boat up to Newburyport?  The reason I'm
    asking is that I've got to bring my boat up to Danvers Port about
    the same time.  I hadn't decided completely whether to trailer it
    up or to drive it up.  If your driving it up here, maybe we could
    get together for the ride.  Give me a call. 
    
    Joe A.
    

    re: .4
    
    In addition to my basic routing problem I have tryed the sequence
    of routing way points and had no luck with that. I had previously
    chalked that up to pilot error, but now I would have second thoughts.
    I sent the unit to apelco next day air so they should have it this
    morning. When I get it back I will try out all the route features
    out and see if they work. I am encouraged that your unit can at
    least take you back to a previuos way point on its own.
    
    
    Hopefully it will work as adverised because it is packed with useful
    features. So far the best feature may be the 2 year warrenty!
    
    Bruce

    My 570 worked good last summer. The only thing I don't like about
    the unit is the way the numbers some times bounce or update slowly.
    This can be a real pain when your trying to stay on a piece of bottom
    that shoots up from 300 ft. to 240 ft. and the top is only 100 ft.
    wide. 
    
    Steve

    Steve, did you get the sequencing to work properly?  

    I've never tried the auto sequencing. If I'm in the fog and running
    from wp to wp, I'd rather check and enter each wp manually. I'll
    try it if I get a chance this weekend.
    
    Steve

    Steve,
    
     Just to make sure...when you use the rte screen (go to RTE, punch
    in # waypoint enter) your loran does in fact take you to that way
    point within the accuracy that you have your arrival alarm set?
    Also did you ever put in a home port correction factor, or do
    you use the ASF?
    
    Where are you going to be fishing in the near future?
    
    Bruce
         

    I use ASF. 
    If I remember correctly, to recall and enter a wp into the computer,
    you go to the wp screen, type in the wp memory # (0-99), then hit
    enter. The computer will now determine a course and distance to
    that wp. I wouldn't use the rte screen for entering one wp. This
    is from memory, sorry if I'm wrong. It's been a long winter.  
    I fish any ledge within 40 mile of Hampton N.H.
    
    Steve

    Well...I got my Loran back from Apelco, exellent turn around time,
    I sent it last tues next day air and got it back on monday. Basically
    they updated the ROMs. I tryed it out in the drive way last night,
    (it took me a while to get it to figure out it was back at the 9960
    GRI not down in Florida) and it seems to work so far. I did a simple
    test of storing my current position and then programming a route
    to that waypoint. The unit took 30 seconds or so to do the math
    and then set off the arrival alarm saying I was there. So far so
    good! Hopefully the weather will cooperate this weekend and I
    can give it a real test.
    
    Bruce

    Bruce.
    Wher are you going for Cod this weekend, I'm going out of the merrimack
    proberly to the ledge on the south of the mouth, If nothing there
    I might try off salsibury/hampton. Have you heard of ahy catches
    or are the gill nets preventing the fish from coming in.
    
    Do you have locations of nets?
                             
    I won't have my boat this weekend so I'll be fishing with others.
                                             Walt
    

    Walt,
    
        If the weather cooperates I will either fish out of Rye around
    Isle of Shoals or around Salem as I did on the last run out. The
    was a gill net on every bottom I wanted to fish on that trip. I
    think Joe and counted at least 20 of them. My guess is that the
    commercial guys leave their nets in close until the weather gets
    better and then move them out to the banks. I have heard of some
    cod off newburyport. I had a real good trip to isle of shoals
    in october so I know there will be fish there (if the nets have
    not sucked them all up). I should have a plan by friday so
    if you want to try to work together we can. If the weather is really
    good I won't stop until I am out on Jeffries or Stellewagon.
    
    Bruce (have_loran_will_travel)

    It won't matter much where you go off the coast of NH/Mass, nets
    everywhere. There are plenty of cod around, but most are very small.
    If that storm comes up the coast this weekend, you guys won't be
    going anywhere. Yesterday is the first day in a week that the
    commercial boats have gotten out. Quite a roll running with all
    the east winds. One boat did have some nice large cod last night,
    but for 10 hours of towing, the results were pretty poor.
    
    I'll be spending Sat. morning in the repair shop. I put the boat
    in last weekend and the motor ran like ****. When I can get it running
    it stalls going in/out of gear, the distributor cap has a crack,
    and the wire from the coil to the points is shorting to GRD.
    I glad I had them do the tune-up last December so I wouldn't have
    to do it in the spring.....
    
    Steve

    Have to admit the weather does not sound promising, storm (maybe
    SNOW) friday into Saturday, I would say for those of us that have
    Monday off (Patriots Day in Mass) it may be the only hope.
    
    Bruce (who is happier every day he went out april 1st)

    I've got a new lure to try out on the cod.
    
    The other day I was splicing up some dock lines, and made baggywrinkle
    out of the scrap double braid, when I thought; Hey put a hook in
    it and soak it in fish sent.
    
    I'll let you know how it works out.
    
                                              Walt
    

    I just tried out my new Raynav 570 and I'm not sure if it has a
    problem or It's Me. Does the "Cross track indicator" come on automatic
    or do you need to call up way points to get it on screen?
    I didn't have a lot of time to fool with it as I made the boats
    maiden voyage this weekend and hit a gale with 20-25 ft waves in
    L.I. sound to Newport and the same in Cape Cod bay. I'll finish
    the northern run up to Newburyport next week weather permiting as
    I layed over in Pocassett.
    
    Any tips on the Loran would be helpful. otherwise it tracked great!
    
                                                  Rainbow Chaser
    
                                                        Walt
    

re:< Note 660.18 by AD::GIBSON >
                              -< Cross Track??? >-

   Hey Walt,

Glad you got home safely-I got a great price for the boat.
I think Capt. Codfish has the same LORAN you do maybe he will
Answer the question. On my  LORAN(not Apelco) you must have a selected 
waypoint "to" in order to have meaningful crosstrack information.
norm

    Re .17
    Walt,
    	Cross track error will not appear unless you are in the ROUTE
    mode and have selected a waypoint as a destination. Cross track
    error info is meaningless uless you are proceeding toward a selected
    waypoint. 
    	Does this help? If you need more specific info either reply
    again or send mail and I'll get more detailed.
    Paul

    Paul has it right. I use the bar graph at the top of the TD display
    to monitor my course. Keeping both midle bars lit means your are
    on course, bars lit to the port or starbord mean you are moving away
    from your best course and must compensate.
    
    Bruce
                   

    Paul.
    That makes sense, I Just didn't know if Cross track is displayed
    in L/L or T.D. mode as it shows this in the manual.
    I know that the presance of the indicator does not help if your
    not in route. But thanks. As I mentioned I spent most of the time
    just hanging on during the trip and will spend more time using the
    loran next time.  Can't beat good old Dead Reconing when all else
    fails!!
    
    I just learned of a catch in Raytheons Rebate sys. If you have a
    Raytheon employee buy your loran they can get a 20% discount; This
    only seems to apply to Apelco products and not Raynav gear.
    Would anyone care to comment on this?? I'm looking at a Raytheon
    R-20 Radar with a "SUPER" price and would like to get discounts
    if at all possible.
                                            
                                            Walt
    
    
    P.S. Thanks again Norm! See you soon.
    

I've just started reading the Fishing notes file and have recently purchased
an APELCO 6100.  I read Bruce's note about the problem approaching
waypoints and I had a similiar experience a couple weeks ago at the start
of my vacation.  I thought that it might be due to not having ASF turned on
(I found out how to do this later in spite of the error in the manual). I've 
since re-stored some of the local waypoints and have yet to get a chance to 
"return"  to them.  I'll be visiting them this weekend.

My question is: What should the software date that's in the set be?
I'll be up at the boat tonight and I'll get the date (it's part of the SF 
function I think) from my set. I'd like to compare it to yours (Perhaps I've
got to send my set back for an update too.  (I just bought it 3-4 weeks ago!)

I do like the set and got a good deal at BOAT U.S. on it to boot.

Thanks in advance,

Bill Corkum @VRO


p.s.
Isn't that manual fun?  It took a while to figure out that they printed "+" 
instead of "*" to set ASF, MAG Variation, and Auto Sequencing but after that
the set's operation isn't that difficult.  My book says a new manual is being
printed. I can't wait!

p.s.s.
I've yet to enter a Home Port or Lat/Lon Correction.  How necessary is this?

    Bill,
    
       No need to set the home port if the if the loran figured out
    where it is on its own. I will check the rev level of my unit
    and let you know what it is. I am still playing with my unit after
    almost 2 years of use and like the operation without ASF, the routes
    function seems to work better. Lately I have been relying on the
    loran alot with all the fog and it has not let me down.
    
    Good luck, you should receive the updated manual shortly.
    
    Bruce

The software date that comes up on my display is "870129".  How does this
compare with yours?


bc

As a new boat owner and contemplating getting a Loran installed before the
boat goes back in the water this Spring, I have read these notes with great
interest.  I know little about Lorans.

Is there any consensus as to what a novice Loran user should purchase, where
a good deal can be had, how easy/difficult is installation might be etc?

Inputs would be welcome.

My order of priorities are:

	1. Reliability
	2. Ease of use
	3. Cost

Thanks in advance,

Carl