Lost Tach Error Message on the Reactor 40 Kicker Pilot

When the Reactor™ 40 Kicker autopilot receives the “Lost Tach” warning, there are a few things that should be checked and settings changed to resolve the issue. 

For Tach as speed source  

• Check that the tach antenna wire is installed correctly

• Change the Minimum RPM setting to 1000

• Check if the throttle goes up/down when autopilot is engaged

• Check the cables

• Sometimes the autopilot is getting a confusing signal at low RPM, it detects a very low number. This may cause a jittery rudder at low idle. Try lowering the Minimum RPM as low as it can go.  If lowering the Minimum RPM does clear the message, the autopilot can be left at this lower setting.  If the rudder is still jittery, try moving the tach antenna wire to another spark plug. Or, switch from Tach as the speed source to GPS as the speed source

For GPS as speed source 

• Use Max speed of 10 mph.  This is the max speed of boat under kicker power, not main engine power

• After changing to GPS as the speed source perform the autotune. Likewise, if changing from GPS to Tach run through the autotune

• When using GPS as the speed source at very slow speeds, the water current or the wind can cause the GPS SOG to display a very different speed thru the water. Using GPS as the speed source is not recommended for boats that navigate rivers due to elements that affect the readings

Here is a link to the Reactor 40 Configuration Guide.  Review the sections titled Enabling Dealer Configuration on the Helm Control and Detailed Configuration Settings. In order to make changes to the setting the autopilot will need to be put into dealer-mode, then into the Speed Source Settings menu.