Using Bluetooth i-Pilot (2017-2023)

Updated January 02, 2025 16:23

i-Pilot is a fully featured GPS Trolling Motor System that delivers speed, steering, Spot-Lock, and the ability to record and retrace paths on the water, all at your fingertips. i-Pilot also includes AutoPilot and Cruise Control, Bluetooth technology (2017-2023) and a mobile app (2017-2023). i-Pilot GPS trolling motor system operates independently of the fish finder. This self contained system provides features such as Spot-Lock, Record a Track, AutoPilot and more.

*Note - A transducer connected to the fish finder is not necessary for the GPS features to work.

Jump to:

Spot Lock
Spot Lock Jog
- Jog
- Using Jog with the i-Pilot Remote
Go To Spot Lock
- Go To
Cruise Control
AutoPilot
Engaging High Speed Bypass
Disengaging High Speed Bypass
Using iTracks
Manuals
- i-Pilot Owner's Manual
- i-Pilot Quick Reference Guide

Spot Lock

Spot-Lock is based on the location of the motor, not on the location or direction of the boat. Outside forces such as wind and current will cause the boat to move. Spot-Lock will navigate to maintain the motor on the Spot-Lock location regardless of the position of the boat.

Spot Lock is engaged using your remote, foot pedal (the PowerDrive foot pedal does not work with i-Pilot and the 2016 and earlier Legacy Terrova Foot Pedal does not have a Spot Lock function), or i-Pilot mobile app. Bluetooth i-Pilot has 16 Spot-Lock memory locations. If a Spot-Lock is already saved to a Spot-Lock memory location, it will automatically overwrite previously saved data for that memory location when you select Save. Once a new Spot-Lock is saved into memory, the previous Spot-Lock cannot be recalled. When Spot-Lock is activated from the foot pedal it will always utilize position “A” on the remote.

Engaging Spot Lock

If the Spot-Lock button is accidentally pressed, press the Spot-Lock button again or press the Right Softkey to select Cancel from the menu to escape Spot-Lock.

Press the Spot-Lock button on the remote.
The information for the temporary Spot-Lock location will show up on the display screen. Use the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to find the Save softkey label at the bottom of the display screen. To save the Spot-Lock, press the Left Softkey to open the Save menu.
The Save menu brings up a list of Spot-Locks. Use the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to select one of the Spot-Lock memory locations.
Press the Left Softkey to Save the Spot-Lock into the selected menu location. Press the Right Softkey to go Back to the previous screen.

Disengaging Spot Lock

If your motor is equipped with a foot pedal (Terrova, Ulterra and Ultrex only), pressing any motor control button on the foot pedal will disengage Spot-Lock.

When Spot-Lock is engaged, press the Spot-Lock button to disengage Spot-Lock, or use the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to find the Cancel softkey label at the bottom of the display screen.
Use the Right Softkey to select Cancel.

Engaging and Disengaging Spot Lock Using the Foot Pedal (Ultrex)

The Spot-Lock button is located on the right side of the foot pedal and is labeled with an anchor symbol. When the Spot-Lock button is pressed, the location of the motor is recorded to memory. The yellow light next to the Spot-Lock icon on the Indicator Panel is illuminated when Spot-Lock is engaged. To engage Spot-Lock press the Spot-Lock button, to disengage, press the Spot-Lock button again. When engaging Spot-Lock, a tone will be emitted. When disengaging Spot-Lock with the Spot-Lock button, no tone will be emitted. Steering the motor with the Foot Pedal or adjusting the speed using the Speed Knob will cancel Spot-Lock and a High-Low, High-Low, High-Low tone will be emitted. Spot-Lock can also be controlled with the remote.

Engaging and Disengaging Spot Lock Using the Foot Pedal (Ulterra)

The Spot-Lock button is located on the bottom, right side of the Foot Pedal and is labeled with an anchor symbol. When the Spot-Lock button is pressed, the location of the motor is recorded to a temporary Spot-Lock location. The blue light next to the Spot-Lock label on the Indicator Panel is illuminated when Spot-Lock is engaged. To engage Spot-Lock press the Spot-Lock button, to disengage, press the Spot-Lock button again. When engaging Spot-Lock, a tone will be emitted. When disengaging Spot-Lock with the Spot-Lock button, no tone will be emitted. Steering the motor with the Foot Pedal or adjusting the speed using the Speed Knob will cancel Spot-Lock and a High-Low, High-Low, High-Low tone will be emitted. Spot-Lock can be engaged in Normal and Ulterra Modes. Spot-Lock can also be controlled with the remote.

Engaging and Disengaging Spot Lock Using the Foot Pedal (Terrova)

The Spot-Lock button is located on the bottom, right side of the Foot Pedal and is labeled with an anchor symbol. When the Spot-Lock button is pressed, the location of the motor is recorded to a temporary memory location. The blue light next to the Spot-Lock label on the Indicator Panel is illuminated when Spot-Lock is engaged. To engage Spot-Lock press the Spot-Lock button, to disengage, press the Spot-Lock button again. When engaging Spot-Lock, a tone will be emitted. When disengaging Spot-Lock with the Spot-Lock button, no tone will be emitted. Steering the motor with the Foot Pedal or adjusting the speed using the Speed Knob will cancel Spot-Lock and a High-Low, High-Low, High-Low tone will be emitted. Spot-Lock can also be controlled with the remote.

Engaging and Disengaging Spot Lock Using the Mobile App (Android and iOS)

To engage or disengage Spot Lock, tap the Spot Lock Icon on the main screen of the mobile app. Steering the motor with the Foot Pedal or adjusting the speed using the Speed Knob will cancel Spot-Lock and a High-Low, High-Low, High-Low tone will be emitted. Spot-Lock can also be controlled with the remote.

Spot Lock Jog

Jog

Jog allows you to move your boat in 5 foot increments forwards, backwards, to the right, or to the left with a single button press from the current Spot-Lock location. Jog is only available on Bluetooth i-Pilot and Bluetooth i-Pilot Link with the Heading Sensor powered and paired. Jog is operated with the i-Pilot Remote.

Using Jog with the i-Pilot Remote

To engage Spot-Lock Jog, first engage Spot-Lock. The Spot-Lock Jog icon will look like the Spot Lock icon, but will also have directional indicators. Use the Speed Down, Speed Up, Steer Left, Steer Right buttons to move the boat 5 feet in the desired direction from the original Spot-Lock.

The boat will be moved backwards for Speed Down, forward for Speed Up, left for Steer Left , and right for Steer Right, when the corresponding button is pressed in relation to the direction of the boat. Once the boat has jogged to the new location, the new location will be saved into a temporary Spot-Lock Memory and the boat will relate additional jogging with the temporary Spot-Lock location.

Go To Spot Lock

What is Go To Choose any Spot-Lock or iTrack that you want to return to, and Go To will activate your motor to take you back there automatically.

Due to safety reasons, i-Pilot will not re-engage a saved Spot-Lock location greater than a quarter mile away.

Using Go To with i-Pilot

Manually navigate the boat to within a quarter mile of the saved Spot-Lock location.
Press the GO TO button on the remote.
The Spot-Locks menu will appear on the display screen. Use the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to scroll to a saved Spot-Lock location in the menu.
Press the Ok button to select a saved Spot-Lock location.

Cruise Control

During regular operation of the i-Pilot navigational system, you can control prop speed. The controller will communicate the speed over ground to the remote and the remote will display it. The speed over ground is the speed that the boat is traveling and will vary based on environmental factors such as wind and current, even if the prop speed remains the same. Cruise Control helps to compensate for the variations in external forces that effect the speed over ground and keeps the boat traveling at an even speed. When Cruise Control is engaged, the current speed over ground becomes the Target Speed. Cruise Control works to control the prop speed either up or down to match the speed over ground to the Target Speed.

Engaging Cruise Control

Press the Cruise Control button on the remote. The Target Speed will appear on the display screen.
Press the Speed Down or Speed Up buttons to adjust the Target Speed.

Disengaging Cruise Control

When Cruise Control is engaged, press the Cruise Control button on the remote to disengage Cruise Control.

Jump To or Set a Cruise Control Preset

To jump to or set a Cruise Control Preset, first engage Cruise Control by pressing the Cruise Control button.
Use the Speed Down or Speed Up buttons to change the Target Speed. While adjusting the Target Speed, the menu at the bottom of the display screen temporarily changes to display two Preset Target Speeds.
While the Presets are showing, press either the Left Softkey or Right Softkey to jump to the corresponding Preset on the display screen.
To save the Preset to a new value, adjust the Target Speed to the desired value. While the Presets are showing in the menu at the bottom of the display screen, press and hold either the Left Softkey or Right Softkey.

NOTICE: The Left Softkey will jump to or save the Preset Target Speed displayed on the left side of the menu that appears. The Right Softkey will jump to or save the Preset Target Speed displayed on the right. Once saved, a message will flash on the screen stating "Preset Saved" and then disappear.

AutoPilot

When in AutoPilot, i-Pilot/i-Pilot Link keeps the trolling motor pointed in the direction you want to go. Each time the wind or water current moves the boat off course, AutoPilot senses the change and steers itself back to the original heading. The AutoPilot direction is set every time a steering change is made. To change direction, steer until the Control Head points to the desired course. AutoPilot will pull the bow of the boat around and correct automatically until the boat is moving in the direction you chose.

AutoPilot Modes

Two different modes of AutoPilot are available, Advanced AutoPilot and Legacy AutoPilot. Both are collectively referred to as AutoPilot. There are distinct differences between the two AutoPilot Modes and how they control your boat. Both Advanced AutoPilot and Legacy AutoPilot are valuable tools the fisherman can use for accurate and precise bait presentation. We highly recommend getting on the water and trying both Advanced AutoPilot and Legacy AutoPilot in various fishing situations and applications. With experimentation and time you will find which AutoPilot Mode works best for you in any given situation.

Legacy AutoPilot

AutoPilot uses an internal compass to provide heading lock. When Legacy AutoPilot is on, it keeps the motor pointed in the same compass direction. If a manual steering correction is made, Legacy AutoPilot locks onto the new compass heading to which the boat was steered. This method of heading tracking does not take into account external forces such as a side wind or currents, which can allow side drift.

Advanced AutoPilot

Advanced AutoPilot not only uses compass heading but also GPS data to correct for cross winds, current and other external forces to keep the boat on the intended course. When Advanced AutoPilot is turned on, it creates a course that is will follow. When the user steers to a new heading, a new course is created. Advanced AutoPilot will keep the boat on the course in most conditions. When very extreme conditions exist such as very strong winds or current, the trolling motor may not have enough power to control the boat smoothly. In these extreme cases it may be best to use Legacy AutoPilot and let the boat move with the wind or current if the motor is not powerful enough to overcome it.

Set the Default AutoPilot Mode

Please note that in order to change the AutoPilot Mode, you will need to use the full i-Pilot or i-Pilot Link Remote. The app or Micro Remote will not provide this functionality.

Press the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons until the Options Menu appears at the bottom of the display screen.
Press the Left Softkey to select the Options Menu.
Press the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to navigate to the Autopilot Mode menu option.
Press the Ok button to select the AutoPilot Mode menu.
Press the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to navigate to the AutoPilot Mode desired. Use the Ok button to select it. The circle to the right of the selected AutoPilot Mode will become solid when selected and the corresponding icon will display on the bottom of the display screen wen using AutoPilot.
Use the Right Softkey to Close the AutoPilot Mode menu and return to the home screen.

Engage Legacy AutoPilot or Advanced AutoPilot

Press the AutoPilot button on the remote.
The Legacy AutoPilot or Advanced AutoPilot icon will display on the screen.
To adjust the desired heading, manually steer the motor to the new heading. i-Pilot will automatically lock onto the new heading.

Disengage Legacy AutoPilot or Advanced AutoPilot

Press the AutoPilot button on the remote to disengage AutoPilot.

Using High Speed Bypass with Bluetooth i-Pilot

The Motor Speed with High Speed Bypass is set to 10 when engaged and returns to the previously set speed when disengaged.

Engaging High Speed Bypass

When engaging High Speed Bypass, quickly double press the High Speed Bypass button twice to engage. The remote will not recognize the press as a double press if the time between presses is too delayed. Once engaged, the Prop Speed will automatically display 10.

NOTICE: If the Prop is not turning, be sure to press the Prop Button to enable it. The Prop Auto On setting does not affect High Speed Bypass. If High Speed Bypass is engaged and the prop is flashing, it needs to be turned "on" in order for High Speed Bypass to work.

Disengaging High Speed Bypass

When High Speed Bypass is engaged, press the High Speed Bypass button on the remote to disengage High Speed Bypass.
NOTICE: Manually adjusting the speed below speed 10 will also disengage High Speed Bypass.

Using iTracks

The i-Pilot system can be used to record sets of points that make up an iTrack. When recording an iTrack, i-Pilot starts to record GPS position data in the form of Track Points. The very first Track Point recorded is called the Start, and the last point recorded is called the End. i-Pilot sees a recorded series of Track Points as an iTrack. iTracks can be recorded and navigated. When the GOTO Button is pressed, an iTrack can be navigated To Start or To End. i-Pilot will navigate to the nearest Track Point and then navigate to the Track Point requested. Once the nearest Track Point is reached, it will then follow the Track Points in sequence back to either the Start or End based on the selection made. Once the Start or End is reached, i-Pilot automatically transition onto the set Arrival Mode. During iTrack navigation, i-Pilot takes control over all steering functions; speed can be manually controlled or the Cruise Control function can also be used. The motor speed must be set high enough in order to stay on the track given wind, current and other external forces.

Recording an iTrack

Use the Menu Up or Menu Down buttons until the menu at the bottom of the display screen shows the Record menu.
Use the Left Softkey to select the Record menu.
The Record menu brings up a listing of iTracks. Use the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to scroll to one of the iTrack locations.
Press the Ok button to select an iTrack location. Once a location is selected, the current location of the boat becomes the To Start location of the iTrack being recorded. The Control Head will emit a beep when an iTrack location is selected.
Navigate the boat along the desired path or course
To stop recording an iTrack, use the Menu Up or Menu Down buttons until the menu at the bottom of the display screen shows the Stop option.
Use the Left Softkey to select Stop.
The recording will end automatically if the two-mile distance limit is reached for the iTrack or if the Spot Lock or GO TO button is pressed. It will also stop if the Right Softkey is used to select Discard.
- If a track is not saved, it will be deleted.
- If a track is not saved or it is discarded, it cannot be recovered.

Navigating an iTrack

Manually navigate the boat to within a quarter mile of any point on the saved iTrack.
Press the GO TO button on the remote. The remote default is to first bring up saved Spot-Locks. Press the Right Softkey to bring up saved iTracks.
Use the Menu Up or Menu Down buttons to select an iTrack to navigate.
Using the Left Softkey or Right Softkey select the menu option to either go To Start or To End. The boat will navigate to the closest point recorded in memory on the iTrack and then navigate To Start or To End depending on the selection made until it reaches that point.
The direction that the iTrack is being navigated can be reversed while the iTrack navigation is taking place. Use the Menu Up or Menu Down buttons until the menu at the bottom of the display screen shows the Reverse option. Use the Left Softkey to select Reverse.

iTrack Arrival Modes

iTrack has four Arrival Modes:

Off - Once the boat has completed navigating the iTrack, the Prop will turn off. Off is the default Arrival Mode.
Spot-Lock - After the boat has completed navigating the iTrack, the system will go into Spot-Lock at the point where the iTrack is completed.
AutoPilot - Once the boat has completed navigating the iTrack, it will continue navigating in AutoPilot in the final direction the boat was traveling to navigate the iTrack.
Auto Deploy Talon - Available as an option only when the i-Pilot System is paired with a Talon. After the boat has completed navigating the iTrack, the system will deploy the Talon. If i-Pilot is paired with two Talons paired together, the action to Auto Deploy Talon will control both Talons.

Change iTrack Arrival Mode

Press the Home button.
Use the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to find the Options menu.
Press the Left Softkey to select the Options menu.
Use the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to find the Arrival Mode menu. Press the Ok button to select Arrival Mode.
Use the Menu Up and Menu Down buttons to find the desired Arrival Mode.
Use the Ok button to select it. The circle to the right of the selected Arrival Mode will become solid when selected.
Use the Right Softkey to Close the Arrival Mode Menu or Press the Home button return to the home screen.