Navigation Tutorial
Lesson 2 - Compass Skills
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2008. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission.
Navigation Tutorial Lesson 2 - Compass Skills
All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2008. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. |
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Figure 7.1 shows a compass of the type that is normally used in bush navigation.
Fig 7.1: Parts of a compass.
Take a look at Figure 7.1 in which the parts of a compass are labelled. Here is a description for each of the parts of the compass:
| Floating magnetic needle | When the compass is held level and away from metal objects or magnetic fields, then the red end of this needle points to magnetic north. |
| Movable dial | This dial can be rotated. You use this to set your bearing. You will learn how to use this later. |
| Orienting arrow | This is fixed to the dial so it rotates with the dial when you move it. |
| Directional arrow | Use this to follow your bearing. See later. |
| Neck cord | Hang your compass around your neck so you don't lose it. |
Wear the compass around your neck using the neck cord. This will help ensure you don't lose it. Your compass is an essential tool and once out in a remote area you are sometimes completely dependent on it to prevent yourself from getting lost so don't lose it!
Ensure the neck cord is long enough so that the compass can be held out at arms length without taking it off.
When you are using the compass hold it horizontally so that the magnetic needle floats easily and does not rest on the surface of the dial that it is suspended in.
When reading the compass, ensure that it is held away from metal objects or possible sources of interfering magnetic fields such as other compasses, mobile phones, digital cameras, etc.
A bearing is simply a direction of travel. ie: whenever you are walking in a straight line, you are following a bearing. We normally quote bearings as an angle relative to magnetic north or grid north:
A magnetic bearing is the direction of travel as an angle relative to magnetic north.
A grid bearing is the direction of travel as an angle relative to grid north.
The angle that bearings are quoted in is a number between 0 and 360 degrees that refers to the angle to the east (clockwise) of north. So a magnetic bearing of 0° means you are heading towards magnetic north. A bearing of 90° is due east, 180° is due south, 270° is due west, and so on. It will always be a number between 0 and 360. 45° is north east and so on.
Navigation is about using your map and compass to determine the magnetic bearing that corresponds to the direction that you want to walk in. You set the compass so that it points along this bearing and then you use it to guide you in walking in that direction.
You will now learn how to do this by a series of steps. Click here to continue.
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Web page created 12 Jul 2008, last updated 12 Jul 2008. All content copyright © Ashley Burke 2008. Not to be copied, duplicated or used for any purpose without permission. |
