Here are a few useful settings for configuring your B&G Zeus Chart plotter. In no particular order:

Chart Look Ahead

View a chart – then select the Options menu – More Options – and select Look Ahead. This positions your boat so that the majority of the chart displays information in front of your boat – rather than the default showing your boat in the center of the display.

Align your Radar

Settings – Radar – Installation – Adjust Bearing Alignment. Ideal to do this when you have a few AIS targets nearby – so you position the radar image directly over the AIS target.

Chart Extension Lines

Settings – Chart – Extension Lines. If I am cruising I like to have my boats extension lines set to 30min – and same for other vessels. I also like to display both Heading and Course over Ground. The difference between the end points of Heading and COG is the speed and direction of the current.

Set Autopilot to continue current course when engaged

The default setting for the B&G Autopilot is to “Center” the steering when the Autopilot is engaged. This can be pretty annoying as often this changes your current course by 10 to 15 degrees. I always change this setting to “Actual” which keeps the current course.

Setting is Main Menu – Settings – Autopilot – Steering – then the setting is under both Low Speed and High Speed – Init Rudder.

Other Items

Its really worth calibrating both the Heading and Speed Log. These settings are found under Main Menu – Settings – Network – Calibration. I have a separate post on calibrating boat speed which can be found here https://copelands.blog/2023/03/11/calibrating-boat-speed/ .

I’d also encourage everyone to read the article on syncing a route from the Navionics App on a phone or iPad to a B&G Chartplotter. I plan all my routes using the Navionics App then sync it each morning prior to heading off. https://copelands.blog/2020/10/19/send-a-navionics-route-to-a-bg-zeus-chartplotter/