Thread: Navigation

Discussion in another thread got me thinking.....
the map n compass thing is becoming a lost art,even those of us who learnt it years ago need to brush up and some do it completely differently to others
one thing Ive never got my head around is the add on 22 degree or take off 23 degree or whatever it is this year thing when pokeing a bearing from map into compass...I learnt differently and for my SIMPLE brain it just works
I place map down on flatish surface and orientate the sucker....with a compass its as simple as turning map until the "red is in the shed" the compas red end is inside the middle of dial red box or"shed " while the side of compass is placed on the 22 degree offset picture at bottom of map..map is now set up for magnetic north....
without compass you need to be able to visually see a couple or better still 3 landmarks and the ndo best you can to make map sit same way as they suggest it should be..... yo uthen put compas on map...bum of it where you think you are,top to where yo uwant to go...put the red back in the shed... stand up..again put red in the shed and walk in direction the arrow on end of compass body is pointing you.....
Ive still got 1980s mountain safety manual which has 3 pages that tell all yo uwill ever need to know to use map n compass AND its got funky cartoon pictures that make it really simple...
if wanted I can take photo of them and post it up tomorrow..I dont give a flying fcuk if the polytechs have patented the information.(dont get me started on this one).the manual I own was gifted so that information could be used by all...the mountain safety council was a great organisation for teaching people life skills.

two little jingles - never forgotten them- true virgins make dull company = true variation magnetic deviation compass - and error east compass least = so one deducts 22 degrees of variation ( or whatever it is at the time ) - some mix up variation and deviation - variation= the annual difference in the movement of the earths north pole - deviation= error in a compass due to the presence of other magnetism dont use now except for getting around bloody Auckland - keep myself lined up so I sorta know where I am

Early 80's in the military it was Grand Ma's socks and Machine Gun add (grid to magnetic subtract and magnetic to grid add)

If you're taking a bearing of the map you take off ( subtract ) the variation.
If you're putting a bearing on the map you put the variation on ( add ) to your compass before putting on map.

Hi I always taught people to remember one word "MAGNETICLESS" the magnetic bearing should always be less in NZ. So if taking a bearing off the map (doesn't need to be orientated) and putting on a compass you would take the magnetic variation off the map grid bearing e.g. using your compass as a protractor you measure a bearing of 240' G on the map, the bearing you would put on your compass to follow is 240'G-022'= 218'M. Another good tip is to use the compass dial as a slide rule, so when subtracting or adding the magnetic variation do it on your compass, ie move it 2' then two lots of 10' and the answer is on the dial and no mind bending maths to contend with especially if subtracting around the 000'/360' mark.
Cheers
Ruger7mm

Got me thinking, Variation changes with location but also changes with time so pulled out a map from twenty years ago and compared it to a recent one.
Not quite 1 degree difference. Not enough to worry about when on foot

watch and finding north - crude but does work - very rough- point 12 at the sun north is half way between 12 and hour hand - digital watch yes does work - you just need to know the time and imagine a normal watch face on it - but none of that beats time spent with a map aligned to north and work out which way the ridges rivers and streams lie- stick to that catchment for awhile until the lay of the land becomes a lot more clear and half way to not getting lost - Stewart Island and Pureora probably the two hardest hunting areas in terms of ease of becoming very confused - the biggest problem we had at Waikaremoana finding lost hunters was they persisted in keeping going - so were often miles from where their mates reckoned they would be - one guy walked 25 km and came out 3 days later on a sheep station to the south - said he was not going to be a burden to SAR - to bloody late 50 search and rescue and quite a few helicopter hours spent- but we were proud of the fact we always got our lost one even in one case a week later

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

- Stewart Island and Pureora probably the two hardest hunting areas in terms of ease of becoming very confused

I haven't hunted enough of of NZ to say which area is worse than others however I can confirm it is VERY EASY to get spun around in Pureora.

Originally Posted by Barry the hunter

watch and finding north - crude but does work - very rough- point 12 at the sun north is half way between 12 and hour hand - digital watch yes does work - you just need to know the time and imagine a normal watch face on it - but none of that beats time spent with a map aligned to north and work out which way the ridges rivers and streams lie- stick to that catchment for awhile until the lay of the land becomes a lot more clear and half way to not getting lost - Stewart Island and Pureora probably the two hardest hunting areas in terms of ease of becoming very confused - the biggest problem we had at Waikaremoana finding lost hunters was they persisted in keeping going - so were often miles from where their mates reckoned they would be - one guy walked 25 km and came out 3 days later on a sheep station to the south - said he was not going to be a burden to SAR - to bloody late 50 search and rescue and quite a few helicopter hours spent- but we were proud of the fact we always got our lost one even in one case a week later

manganuiohau ????

Originally Posted by mpf

manganuiohau ????

now how did you know that - yup more buggers lost at the lake over there than virtually any where else - the top part is easy country so hunter gets confused and heads down the valley - the one that walked 25 km was missing for a no of days over there - I think from memory 3 days - rang us from Mangataniwha station below lower Waiau Gorge - I am ( name ) I am at a sheep station - no one home used phone - okay true right - yes - bull dozer in shed - yes - stay we will get you - Andy Shaw was at Aniwaniwa with Jet Ranger - him and I flew over and got him - prick of a flight in a JR blowing and drizzle but we did it - he said did not want to be a burden to SAR- I am a member of Wellington SAR - Andy Shaw our local pilot then was sadly killed in a huey doing heavy lift in Wellington - how that hunter got thru the lower Waiau gorge beyond me on his own - I have done it as a group and its bloody nasty - we had a number of searches in the Manganuiohau for lost hunters but most would hit first clearing and stay there - the hut down in there the Otuanoa I wonder if that survived the Tuhou blietzreig - we did it up around 1990 - difficult to find but neat little bivy