Navigational Question

S

smorgan345

Joined
Mar 8, 2007
Messages
242
I've been practicing with map and compass in unfamiliar territory. I suppose I could just buy a GPS but this way is more interesting. I have found that in my area (mountains of north Georgia) the most difficult part seems to be determining and maintaining an accurate idea of ones location on the map. I have tried triangulation but it is difficult in this type of terrain and tree cover. I wish I could have a watch or simple device that could just give me my latitude and longitude so I could double check myself for practice. Does anyone know if something like this exists? Thanks for any input.
 
there are watches that have compasses in them as well as altimeters. the altimeter will at least get you on the approximate contour line of your topo map
 
tanknwoods-1.jpg



A little story regarding map reading-

As you can see from the photo, having a compass in this situation was not much help. While I considered my map reading skills to be excellent, when smashing through the jungles of Tay Ninh Province back in 1966, map reading was a problem. Sometimes you could see the sky - but you could never see terrain features. Plus, you were in a 110,000 pound metal vehicle, (think Magnetic) and there was that annoying factor of people trying to kill us all the time. So we adapted. I would pick a grid intersection nearby, (hopefully not overhead) and then radio my local artillery battery. I'd request a 200m height of burst WP (White Phosphorous) round at that grid location. After the air-burst we would all try to located the smoke cloud (under which the deadly WP was falling to earth and burning through everything) before it drifted too far. From the cloud location I shot a back azimuth with my trusty compass, estimated the distance and kept on smashing ahead. Close enough for government work. I relay this routine procedure to my son (an army officer) and other young military guys who came of age with GPS and they can't believe we did that. Brings new meaning to the term "dead reckoning". ;) Map reading is a good, even if outdated, skill to learn. I taught all my grandchildren the basics and gave them all a compass.
 
Goldtanker said:
tanknwoods-1.jpg



A little story regarding map reading-

As you can see from the photo, having a compass in this situation was not much help. While I considered my map reading skills to be excellent, when smashing through the jungles of Tay Ninh Province back in 1966, map reading was a problem. Sometimes you could see the sky - but you could never see terrain features. Plus, you were in a 110,000 pound metal vehicle, (think Magnetic) and there was that annoying factor of people trying to kill us all the time. So we adapted. I would pick a grid intersection nearby, (hopefully not overhead) and then radio my local artillery battery. I'd request a 200m height of burst WP (White Phosphorous) round at that grid location. After the air-burst we would all try to located the smoke cloud (under which the deadly WP was falling to earth and burning through everything) before it drifted too far. From the cloud location I shot a back azimuth with my trusty compass, estimated the distance and kept on smashing ahead. Close enough for government work. I relay this routine procedure to my son (an army officer) and other young military guys who came of age with GPS and they can't believe we did that. Brings new meaning to the term "dead reckoning". ;) Map reading is a good, even if outdated, skill to learn. I taught all my grandchildren the basics and gave them all a compass.
Click to expand...

Very cool!
 
Goldtanker said:
tanknwoods-1.jpg



A little story regarding map reading-

As you can see from the photo, having a compass in this situation was not much help. While I considered my map reading skills to be excellent, when smashing through the jungles of Tay Ninh Province back in 1966, map reading was a problem. Sometimes you could see the sky - but you could never see terrain features. Plus, you were in a 110,000 pound metal vehicle, (think Magnetic) and there was that annoying factor of people trying to kill us all the time. So we adapted. I would pick a grid intersection nearby, (hopefully not overhead) and then radio my local artillery battery. I'd request a 200m height of burst WP (White Phosphorous) round at that grid location. After the air-burst we would all try to located the smoke cloud (under which the deadly WP was falling to earth and burning through everything) before it drifted too far. From the cloud location I shot a back azimuth with my trusty compass, estimated the distance and kept on smashing ahead. Close enough for government work. I relay this routine procedure to my son (an army officer) and other young military guys who came of age with GPS and they can't believe we did that. Brings new meaning to the term "dead reckoning". ;) Map reading is a good, even if outdated, skill to learn. I taught all my grandchildren the basics and gave them all a compass.
Click to expand...

thats awesome... map reading is becoming extinct it seems with the younger folks.. he wanted to know where a town was and asked to borrow my gps. i said no and gave him a compass and a map. a dang road map too! how easy can you get?? he is 17 and he looked at me like WTH is this?".. scary... my kids are going to learn maps and compasses.
 
use a good lensatic compass, record your magnetic line of travel to the farthest visible point of reference, and Ranger beads to determine distance... record your dead reckon position in small segments to a transparent overlay with a grease pencil...correct your overlay when you are able to identify a topographical point.. as said a barometer/altimeter wristwatch function will help to identify contour lines
 
Land Nav is an art not a skill. Guys I trained with could get within a few feet of an ammo can in the dark. I am lucky if I can find north, lol. Naw, I can find my way around fine, but real pinpoint accuracy is a lost art. Some folks like me that came up with map and compass, but was here when GPS hit its stride, I like map an compass myself. No batteries and no Lost signal, map and compass is the analog GPS. I have a watch that has a built in compass, yeah, I carry a silva, suunto and a brunton button with me when I'm out. Its also good to make sure your maps are up to date and current also. I get new ones every year. Good luck, land nav is tough to master, but easy to learn. Moose
 
Les Snyder said:
use a good lensatic compass, record your magnetic line of travel to the farthest visible point of reference, and Ranger beads to determine distance... record your dead reckon position in small segments to a transparent overlay with a grease pencil...correct your overlay when you are able to identify a topographical point.. as said a barometer/altimeter wristwatch function will help to identify contour lines
Click to expand...
:thumbup:+1
dead reckoning,and awareness.
 
Goldtanker,

That's a cool story, not available to everyone but cool none-the-less.

So... how did you light fires?

Mac
 
regarding instruments to give you the contour...

Does anybody know the typical altitude precision of a gps unit? I mean, are we talking 1ft? 10ft? 50ft?

I would guess that the error in the unit itself (esp. with limited satellites) could be enough to throw you off if you're not careful.
 
chopchop said:
regarding instruments to give you the contour...

Does anybody know the typical altitude precision of a gps unit? I mean, are we talking 1ft? 10ft? 50ft?

I would guess that the error in the unit itself (esp. with limited satellites) could be enough to throw you off if you're not careful.
Click to expand...

My older Garmin jumps 50 to 100+ feet in elevation while I'm standing still. Since it also tells me my lat/long (in the open to within about a 10 foot circle, and about a 50 foot circle under the trees), I'm not too worried about finding my position on a contour map to within a few feet.
 
Les Snyder said:
use a good lensatic compass, record your magnetic line of travel to the farthest visible point of reference, and Ranger beads to determine distance... record your dead reckon position in small segments to a transparent overlay with a grease pencil...correct your overlay when you are able to identify a topographical point.. as said a barometer/altimeter wristwatch function will help to identify contour lines
Click to expand...

I recently learned about and started using the Ranger beads. Big help for sure. I will try the overlay, that would definitely help because after I've marked my map all up I start to lose track of old marks vs newer ones and it adds to the confusion. thanks
 
hung-solo said:
thats awesome... map reading is becoming extinct it seems with the younger folks.. he wanted to know where a town was and asked to borrow my gps. i said no and gave him a compass and a map. a dang road map too! how easy can you get?? he is 17 and he looked at me like WTH is this?".. scary... my kids are going to learn maps and compasses.
Click to expand...

wow..i graduated a few years ago...they taught us orienteering in high school.
 
Smorgan345...do you use two compasses?...its a whole lot easier to DR plot with a flat base orienteering compass, and use a good lensatic compass to find line of bearing on a visible point of reference
 
Orienteering (land navigation) is a great skill to learn. GPS units can fail, batteries can die and if a little space debris hits a satellite, the whole GPS grid will be gone anyway! It is always good to know how to operate low tech as a backup if no other reason.

I use a GPS everyday in my car but I also keep a paper map just in case.....

There are generally orienteering courses or clubs around that are good resources for information or training.

You might find it easier than learning to use a hand held GPS for the first time....
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top