Compass Opinions Navigation Help

[leghog]

I have a Brunton pocket transit that my boss gave me 40 years ago. It was an old one at the time and he wanted a new one. Still works perfect after all these years. The mirror is cracked. Otherwise it is in perfect condition.

I've often used a Brunton pocket transit since my days studying Geology at university and later in the Army. The main cause of cracked mirrors on pocket transits is from placing the mirrored part of the closed transit toward the outside of the case nearest the case's snap and snapping the case closed. Ensure the mirrored portion of the closed transit is placed opposite of the snap in the case and the mirror will likely never crack.

 

[leghog]

For what it's worth ---- Silva USA is a Johnson Outdoors Gear company and their baseplate compasses are made in China. Brunton's baseplate compasses are all now made in the USA. A few years ago Brunton ceased Chinese manufacture of their baseplate compasses and started manufacturing all of their baseplate compasses in a new plant in Riverton, Wyoming plant.

 

[22-rimfire]

I've often used a Brunton pocket transit since my days studying Geology at university and later in the Army. The main cause of cracked mirrors on pocket transits is from placing the mirrored part of the closed transit toward the outside of the case nearest the case's snap and snapping the case closed. Ensure the mirrored portion of the closed transit is placed opposite of the snap in the case and the mirror will likely never crack.

My mirror was cracked when I got it. I always hesitated to have Brunton repair it since it has a company name on it. The company no longer exists as such and was merged with another one before I even received it. I don't want to loose it.

Interesting about Brunton and Riverton WY. I certainly like to keep the manufacturing here if possible. The Brunton compass that I use in the woods says "Made in USA" on it.

Leghog, sorry for pushing my question earlier. I just wanted you to answer in a way that I and many others would understand.

 

[Thomas Linton]

My Brunton 8099 is from 1999. Made in U.S.A. by Brunton, a subsidiary of Silva.

 

[leghog]

Everyone should own their own copy of Be Expert with Map and Compass by Bjorn Kjellstrom. It's recognized worldwide as the treatise.

Gunnar Tillander, Alvar Kjellström, and Björn Kjellström founded Silva four years after Tillander invented the orienteering baseplate compass. Their Silva System of land navigation/orienteering has set the standard since. Bjorn Kjellstrom was also largely responsible for orienteering to become a worldwide event and competition. He was particularly responsible for bringing it to the USA and growing it here.

I highly recommend everyone, regardless of their level of expertise, pick up a copy of Be Expert with Map and Compass. It will be a few bucks spent that'll pay off for a lifetime.

 

[Mistwalker]

Mistwalker here is an update on the K&R Sherpa with that thermo-elastic capsule that is "supposed" to not get bubbles. On a recent backpacking trip into some fine wilderness, a trip that didn't take me over 7000', and temps that were mild at night, not colder than 45 degrees, my K&R Sherpa did this;

Notice the rather large bubble at the place where you read the bearing. Here is a clear view of that bubble;

It stayed like that for the whole trip no matter how warm the day became. When I got back home it went away completely. I contacted K&R support and they said since it went away that is was not a warranty issue (as long as the bubble is bouncing around when you really need the compass doesn't count! ...as long as it goes away when you are sitting at home and don't need it.)

My Brunton developed a permanent bubble that is huge and never goes away. My Suunto gets a bubble that interferes with needle action every time I go near 7000' and Silvas these days get bubbles if you look sideways at them. My Cammenga can 't get a bubble but it is way heavier than it needs to be and if you drop it you can hook the bearing needle and affect the accuracy since it is dry and does not take impacts like a drop. Run over it with a tank and it will be fine though.

Hundreds of years of compass use and we still can't get one that does not have major issues...and now I doubt there is much R&D with all the Smartphone GPS new wave tech, even if it does die on you when the batteries run down...

Thanks for the info! I guess I will just stick with induction dampened and get the pocket transit....

 

[Herlock]

Compasses aren't "adjusted" for northern and southern hemispheres. The are made to balance the needle in either the northern or southern hemispheres and designed to handle the magnetic dip without the needle dragging across multiple magnetic zones (aka global needle).

Hi Leghog! Yes, poor choice of word from my side, bad English . This is what I meant:

http://www.suunto.com/en-us/support/compasses-feature-index/understanding-balancing-zones

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/travel/t...etal-pipes-shows-hikers-locate-mountains.html

Here's a good project for Herlock and others !! Navigation and engineering !

Now, that’s really cool :thumbup:. Well, maybe not from a "landscaping" point of view (steel pipes clusters on mountain trails aren’t my favorite ) but the idea is really cool!

Great infos and pics here, thanks!

 

[scout1sg]

I'm still using an old school military green lensatic model, combined with a standard military protractor and go to the USGS site and download my maps. Believe on the ESSE forum they put together a pretty solid lesson plan just as we received in our military days and would work well as a refresher for ya.

 

[TOMBSTONE]

I'm still using an old school military green lensatic model, combined with a standard military protractor and go to the USGS site and download my maps. Believe on the ESSE forum they put together a pretty solid lesson plan just as we received in our military days and would work well as a refresher for ya.

Cool. Thanks!!