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Is it true that once a bubble develops in a compass ********************* they are no good. I bought a Silva compass and it ended up getting a bubble in it.
Can any of you recommed a good book for learing to use a compass. I have not been able to find any classes on using one around my area?
There are any number of great threads on here about compasses and even how to use them in navigation. Here are a couple to start with.
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ight=compasses
http://www.wilderness-survival.net/f...ight=compasses
The bubble is cosmetic only usually formed by high altitude or cold weather. It's a vacuum bubble not an air bubble. Try setting it in a window sill in direct sunlight. As it warms the liquid inside, usually mineral spirits or similar, will expand and the bubble will be gone. Even is it doesn't, the liquid only serves to dampen the needle. It has no affect on accuracy. That is between the needle and mother earth.
I just love when spammers come back and edit their posts to spam the site.
I have thought about useing a military compass? The if they are a little to high in price for you . Eyeskey has a couple military style compass’s . Also have very good accuracy .
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The type of compass is less important than understanding how to use it. Understanding declination and how it impacts the use of a compass for example. That said, I am not minimizing the quality of a good compass.
My Silva Ranger has never failed me in 40 years.
I rely on my internal compass. Is programmed to send me in a circle so that I always come back to where I started.
In where I hunt and fish, regardless of the size of the pasture, walk until you get to a fence or a road and follow it to where you need to go. On the bay I do use the compass on the boat but only for general direction.
The only time when a compass would have been better than dead reckoning would have been in my younger days when I would walk around in the swamps at night. It was very dark, very limited view of the stars/sky, and the moss grew all the way around the trees. In those days my kit consisted of a knife, shotgun and shells. Mosquito repellant was more important than a compass.
Alan
I feel this is the time to reveal my fool-proof land navigation system:
To start, you just put your left arm out in front of you. Then, put your right arm out to your right side, And ..... wait for it ..... where they meet is exactly where you are, every time.
My pocket Garmin GPS is great for what I need. I change the batteries out every 6 months or so, depending how much I use it. I need to get some rechargeable AA batteries so when they wear down or need a little charging, I can take out my Craftsman AM/FM radio with solar and a crank to charge them back up.. It's got a micro usb port on it to run a cable to whatever you need to charge. That Craftsman radio was an awesome find a a yard sale and went right into my Get Home Bag...
Actually, I've not seen a better book on orienteering than the 1965 Boy Scout Handbook.
I have several apps that double as compasses and my favorite magnetic compass is a surveyors compass that you can find in just about any surplus supply store.
The problem with magnetic compasses is that, within 200 feet of commercial electricity, they're probably not giving you a true reading. The problem with the apps is that, if you get separated from a working phone, they're no good.
If you know how to read the sun, it will give you your directions, and more accurately since you don't have to apply a geomagnetic correction that you have to look up.
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Since the subject is compasses, if I were you I'd start with a moral compass.
One of my compass stories.
We were camping at Long Key down in the FL keys. It cooled a little in the afternoon and I convinced Kelly to go do a night spearfishing/fishing run out to Alligator Reef (I think. Been a long time.). About half way there as the sun was going down Kelly asked if I remembered the compass. Crap. But I young and full of myself and said, "Honey there's a big tall cell tower on the island that burns a red light all night. We can follow that right to camp."
Fast forward a few hours. It's dark. We pull anchor and motor up to get back to shore. BUT! There were red lights on the horizon for as long as you could see. We slept in the bottom of a 16' boat in shrimp guts.
The only smart thing I did was stop before I ran out of gas.
These women love us....despite us.
I don't actually have a compass, and could probably use lessons on how to use one lol. I always just use the sun and the stars and my wrist watch as my compass. I'm weird lol. 🤪Quote:
Originally Posted by Fabiscald
...I think my smartphone has a compass on it though. ...Not to mention maps and GPS and an interactive robotic assistant named Siri. She sang a piece of Queen's Bohemian Rhapsody to me once. ...Scary as hell lol. 😅