tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5681840922010817231.post9156251618304709292..comments2024-01-30T22:22:22.666-08:00Comments on Getting Out Alive: Magnetic Compass ConundrumRich Johnson:http://www.blogger.com/profile/11550302398107628863noreply@blogger.comBlogger3125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5681840922010817231.post-75695809895924812922011-02-27T22:58:26.690-08:002011-02-27T22:58:26.690-08:00Land navigation is definitely a perishable skill, ...Land navigation is definitely a perishable skill, and I agree that knowing how to use a map and compass properly (and if you're really cool a protractor and an understanding of the G/M angle on high speed maps) are more important than a slight shift in magnetic north. A decent quality map that has been recently produced should be updated with the current magnetic north, and some maps even tell you how to calculate the yearly drift. But none of that really matters if you don't know how to use your tools. You can still get super lost even with a map. Not that I ever have, but there was this one time...well it looks like I'm out of room. But, yeah, practice is definitely important.Cavemanjrhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17622602048819512517noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5681840922010817231.post-71471485952547503122011-02-26T16:53:55.705-08:002011-02-26T16:53:55.705-08:00Now that I think of it, as far as I know, birds an...Now that I think of it, as far as I know, birds and butterflies do not fly all night long so maybe they depend more on visual navigation. <br /><br />Oh hell, now I'm wondering about fish.BBChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15323188240580782454noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5681840922010817231.post-56801739461609293052011-02-26T16:48:09.876-08:002011-02-26T16:48:09.876-08:00I do carry maps, and a compass, but in truth, I se...I do carry maps, and a compass, but in truth, I seldom wander so far anymore that I can't find my way back to camp. <br /><br />The battery on my new GPS is good for about four hours so if I wanted to rely on it I would set a waypoint when starting out for the day and then turn it off to save the battery. <br /><br />If I needed it later I would turn it on to point to my waypoint so I would know which general direction to travel. <br /><br />If I'm in a real brushy area I mark my trail as I go along being as my only concern anymore is getting back to camp or my boat.<br /><br />What I wonder about is how birds and butterflies figure it all out.BBChttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15323188240580782454noreply@blogger.com