Off Course Alarm
The gyrocompass may sometimes wander. This could be caused by faults in the system or by fluctuation/interruption in the electric supply. The ship would then follow the erratic course of the gyrocompass, undetected by the autopilot or the course recorder, both of which are solely dependent on the gyrocompass. To call attention to gyro wander, a 'Magnetic Compass Off Course Alarm' is included, on many ships, as part of the autopilot.
An off-course-off heading alarm serves for the purpose of notifying the operator if there is any difference in the set course and the actual heading of the vessel. The user can manually set the required amount of degrees, after which an alarm will sound to notify the user that the set degree of difference has exceeded.
29 апр 2022
