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Hold it about halfway between your face and waist in a comfortable arm position with your elbow bent and compass held close to your stomache. Look down at the compass and see where the needle points. This compass is pointing due North (also 0 degrees) Turn your body while keeping the compass in front of you.
- Different Compass Units
Points; Degrees; Mils; Grads; Points: Cheap, basic compasses...
- No Compass
These methods can be used to map cardinal directions and...
- FAQ Page
If you had a compass in cement and the declination change is...
- Parts of The Compass
lets you see the compass face and distant objects at the...
- Triangulation
Triangulation is the process of pinpointing the location of...
- Declination
Meaning - when you take a compass measured bearing back to...
- Triangulation2
You do not know where along the ridge you are standing, but...
- Map Scales
12 Oct 2024 - ‘I do believe she’s alive' 10 Oct 2024 - Lost...
- Different Compass Units
- Overview
- Learning the Basics
- Using the Compass
- Finding Your Bearings When Lost
A compass is an essential tool in wilderness survival. Along with a good quality topographical map of the area you're navigating, knowing how to use a compass will ensure that you're never lost. You can learn to identify the basic components of the compass, take an accurate reading of your bearings, and start developing the necessary skills of navi...
Understand the basic layout of the compass.
While the designs of compasses are different, all compasses include a magnetized needle that orients itself to the magnetic fields in the Earth. The basic field compass, also sometimes called a baseplate compass, features the following simple components you should familiarize yourself with as soon as possible:
is the clear, plastic plate on which the compass is embedded.
is the arrow in the baseplate pointing away from the compass.
is the clear, plastic circle that houses the magnetized compass needle.
is the twistable dial surrounding the compass housing that displays all 360 degrees of the circle.
Gather your bearings to find out which direction you're headed.
When you're hiking around in the woods or in the field, it's good to periodically check your bearings to make sure you're going in the direction you intend. To do this, move the compass until the direction of travel arrow is pointing in the direction you've been traveling and will continue traveling. Unless you’re heading north, the magnetic needle will spin off to one side.
Twist the degree dial until the orienting arrow lines up with the north end of the magnetic needle. Once they're aligned, this will tell you where your direction of travel arrow is pointing.
Take off local magnetic variation by twisting the degree dial the correct number of degrees to the left or right, depending on the declination. See where the direction of travel arrow lines up with the degree dial.
Continue moving in this direction.
To do so, simply hold the compass in the proper stance, turn your body until the north end of the magnetic needle once again aligns with the orienting needle, and follow the direction of travel arrow. Check your compass as often as you need to, but be sure not to accidentally twist the degree dial from its current position.
Choose three prominent landmarks that you can both see and find them on your map.
One of the most difficult and advanced things you can do with a compass, but one of the most important, is finding out where you are when you don't know your exact location on the map. By locating distinctive landmarks you can see on your map, ideally as widely spread around your field of view as possible, you can get yourself re-oriented.
Aim the direction of travel arrow at the first landmark.
Unless the landmark is north of you, the magnetic needle will spin off to one side. Twist the degree dial until the orienting arrow lines up with the north end of the magnetic needle. Once they are aligned, this will tell you where your direction of travel arrow is pointing. Correct for declination, depending on your area.
Transpose the direction of the landmark onto your map.
Place your map on a horizontal surface and then place the compass on the map so that the orienting arrow points to true north on the map. Then, slide your compass around so that its edge passes through the landmark on the map, while the orienting arrow continues to point north.
- 12 min
- 1.6M
- Josh Goldbach
Four Main Compass Directions (Cardinal Points): North (N) – This points to the North Pole and is usually shown at the top of maps. South (S) – Opposite to north, pointing towards the South Pole. East (E) – To the right of north; it’s the direction where the sun rises. West (W) – Opposite east, to the left of north, where the sun sets.
Cardinal and ordinal directions. The four cardinal directions are N orth (N), E ast (E), S outh (S), W est (W). This can be remembered using the mnemonic N aughty E lephants S quirt W ater. The ...
32-point compass rose. The points of the compass are a set of horizontal, radially arrayed compass directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and cartography.A compass rose is primarily composed of four cardinal directions—north, east, south, and west—each separated by 90 degrees, and secondarily divided by four ordinal (intercardinal) directions—northeast, southeast, southwest, and ...
The four main compass bearings (North, East, South and West) are multiples of 90°: The advantage of three-figure bearings is that they describe any direction uniquely: Note that the last one has four figures (three in front of the decimal point and one after) but it is still a "three-figure bearing", the .4 just gives more accuracy.
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Compass Reading Learning Objectives. After completing this section you should be able to: Identify the cardinal direction points. Identify the basic parts of a compass. Identify and correct for magnetic declination. Orient a map with a compass. Take a bearing. Determine location using triangulation.
