Before GPS - Map and Compass

[Martinjmpr]

I always have maps. Even the best GPS doesn't show all the data a map will. There's also something beneficial about being able to see a large area at a glance instead of having to "scroll around."

Like many others here, I learned land nav in the military in the pre-GPS days.

I do a lot of terrain association to find my position, primarily based on the countours of the road and any other obvious landmarks. There's also modified resection which IMO is the best way to find your exact location quickly. Since most of my travel is on roads or tracks that do show up on a map, modified resection is a great way to find my exact location.

Modified resection is pretty easy: You have to be located along a "linear" terrain feature like a road, a set of RR tracks, a river, a boundary line, or some other feature that will show up on a map (Obviously, you have to be confident that you've chosen the correct linear feature or it's all wasted effort.)

Once you've found that, you have to pick a landmark that's also on the map. Take an azimuth to that object. Convert for declination (map should show what the declination is) and then either add or subtract 180 degrees for the back azimuth. Now draw a line from the landmark to the linear feature along the back azimuth and where it interesects with the linear feature is your location. Too easy.

 

[tremors834]

And I don't let them 'demagnitize' the package, at least with the compass in it. I was teaching a basic SAR class where several students went to a local store (Sport Chalet) and purchased their compasses...and most were ruined (no magnetism) after the theft-control tags were deactivated.

Thank you, that is great information. Something that I would never have thought of. :Wow1: That would suck to get to the trail, rip open the new compass, and find out that.........

It's good to hear that many SAR teams (which I know nothing about) are trained with a map and compass and do not just rely on technology.
Myself, I love GPS. But still use a compass and map many times.
I agree with the many of you who said nothing beats a good topo map. Mater of fact, I tend to reference a good topo map while setting up a GPS for an outing.

 

[SunTzuNephew]

Thank you, that is great information. Something that I would never have thought of. :Wow1: That would suck to get to the trail, rip open the new compass, and find out that.........

It's good to hear that many SAR teams (which I know nothing about) are trained with a map and compass and do not just rely on technology.
Myself, I love GPS. But still use a compass and map many times.
I agree with the many of you who said nothing beats a good topo map. Mater of fact, I tend to reference a good topo map while setting up a GPS for an outing.

We teach and qualify SAR folk and they can't even HAVE electronic devices with them while they're being certified....which doesn't mean they don't start using them as soon as they're certified

 

[Rallyroo]

I don't even own a GPS. I'm still using paper maps and compass.

 

[DaveInDenver]

I don't even own a GPS. I'm still using paper maps and compass.

Yeah, another luddite!

 

[Mamontof]

Yes off coos Yes De Lorma Map still the best (if Google Satelite not in screen on PC )

Compass well seat some where in the car but newer use so far .

http://www.fotothing.com/photos/d3b/d3b490515a0565c9295e47037d6e3c34_571.jpg

Map and ones again map when no Sky availability

Hay accurate my GPS plus minus 15 feet maximum

 

[nwoods]

Another map guy here. I always have one or more paper maps on board of where I am going, and usually end up buying a few more when I'm there

I have a decent compass and have been trained on basic orienteering, but I have never really needed it. I keep the compass (with saftey whistle on a lanyard) in my recovery bag in my rig. I have a pretty good sense of direction, I very seldom can't tell which way north is or where my point of origin is. I'm one of those kinds of guys who get frustrated when people randomly point south and say "so I was traveling up north..."

We recently explored a pretty decently long mud cave in Anza, with lots of twists and turns, and when we emerged from the exit point, most of our group had no idea where the vehicles were, but i just "knew" they were over there >>>

Trying to teach this now to my kids. Not in any technical way, but by letting them find their way back to the campsite after a short hike. I give them FRS radios and point out the land features around them, and send them on their way. It's a work in progress.

 

[paulj]

Here's something map/compass can't do - locate a lost sled dog team
http://www.alaskadispatch.com/projects/iditarod-2010/4510-dog-team-found-thanks-to-gps
A mush fell off his sled, and had to use the onboard gps 'beacon' and a handheld unit to locate it

As Willomitzer and Seavey got closer to the precise location detected by the GPS, they were able to see into the trenches created by the wind-blown snow drifts. And as soon as they were within twenty feet of the sled-tracker's coordinates, there it was: an overturned sled, illuminating the curved depression, and in the light, Willomitzer's perfectly positioned dog team, asleep.

 

[Momrocks]

I enjoy (simple) map and compass orienteering. I am fascinated with the skill and practical application of mathematics. I continue to use my beloved, USAF issued Cammenga Lensatic compass. I am of near average skill but cannot nav at night. I rely too heavily on visual references. This can be a problem in NW Florida. The terrain is table top level and when slogging through a pine forest there aren’t too many features visible. I have become relatively good at using back azimuth through necessity.

I am like most and enjoy the ease of using GPS. I wouldn't want to be without it and will never knock it but I do get excited to unroll a USGS map and break out the protractor and compass. I admire folks who can rapidly and accurately navigate with maps and tools. It makes you appreciate the pioneers, explorers and sea farers of the past who could end up at their destinations all the while accurately calculating mileage and ground speeds.

`

 

[bobcat charlie]

Compass recommendation

Compass recommendation:

SUUNTO DP 65 GLOBAL

This is an updated version of the Silva Prospector that I have had since 1970. Both the Silva and the Suunto are vastly superior to the U.S. Military lensatic compass, of which I have several.

The SUUNTO DP 65 GLOBAL is ¾” X 1 ¾” X 2 ¾” match box that pulls open to release a sighting mirror and extend the sight radius to ~ 5”. Allows for setting declination. Weighs next to nothing. No reason not to have one in your pocket!

 

[irish_11]

I pretty much always have a map and compass with me when I'm in the backcountry, and particularly while on foot I often use the map instead of the GPS. Old habits die hard I guess. Very good point about not being totally reliant on the GPS.QUOTE]

I always have a map of the area Im backpacking in and carry a compass. I love my GPS and I was the first one in my wheeling group to mount mine in the rig (Garmin Rino 130), but I still use maps/ topo software to figure out all the details prior to the trip

 

[HopLite]

Orienteering

My 2 cents:
Being that I am under 30yrs old...I have never really used GPS. I have spent countless hours with USGS maps and compass. One of my hobbies is adventure racing, of which I am usually the primary navigator. We are not allowed to use any electronic means of navigation (we do carry a cell phone but use it only in emergencies and are DQ'd if we use it...further restricting its use to only true emergencies). Though it is vitally important in adventure racing to have a good navigator, it is one of multiple skills needed be competitive. "Orienteering" or "Rogaine" (not the hair stuff) is another similar sport in which the only skill is navigation. These people are experts at a topo map and compass. I have a lot of respect for their nav skills. For some great info on how to navigate, search "orienteering" or "rogaine navigation."

*story time*
I was once in a 48hr orienteering race in which some local yokels cut down and stole several of our point markers. There was a team of Russians that found a check point that no one else could locate... because the flag was previously stolen. These Russians actually found the string that was used to suspend the marker hanging from the tree. Mind you, they did this using a compass, a topo map, and headlamps as it was in the middle of the night when they found the string from the tree in the middle of the state park. It wasn't like this string was hanging from a light post. It was hanging from a tree surrounded by other trees in the middle of a bunch more trees. They hands down won the race. Some called it luck, but they had an amazing navigator (and no...they didn't steal the flag...it was gone well before they got there).
*end story time*

A few links of interest:
http://www.coloradofrog.com/skills/otips.html
http://www.us.orienteering.org/Docs/rogaine_top_ten.pdf
http://www.map-reading.com/intro.php

By the way, Sunnto, Silva, and Brunton seem to be the top brands for compasses that I see at my races (just because something is military...don't assume it is top notch...remember their gear is made by the lowest bidder). My primary and back-up are both Brunton. I have a clip-on Sunnto globe on my pack shoulder strap for quick reference. All three have served me very well. One differentiator between compasses (not just manufacturers but different models of the same manufacturer) is to see how quickly the needle settles on north and how sensitive it is to holding the compass body a bit off-level. I know my primary compass centers fast but is more sensitive to how level I hold the compass body. My back-up centers a bit more slowly so I have to take a bit more time to acquire an accurate bearing.

My primary compass:
http://www.rei.com/product/638694
(still kicking after multiple bike wrecks, swimming in brackish water, being caked with mud and sand, dropped in canoes and kayaks, and being packed with snow on multiple occasions)

Like most of the gear carried on an expedition...if it is worth it for you to carry the weight, then it is worth it to buy the highest quality you can afford. A compass is no exception (plus you don't have to carry batteries for it!).

 

[Fish]

Not for nothing, but the USGS is no longer printing paper 7.5 minute topo maps. They're available now by download, but I'm guessing that not too many of us have large plotters or any printer that can print as well as a topo.

On fires, we print our own and we do have plotters (sometimes), but the quality is nothing like a USGS printed map. If I had time, I'd still use hand drawn symbology on a USGS map.

 

[SunTzuNephew]

Not for nothing, but the USGS is no longer printing paper 7.5 minute topo maps. They're available now by download, but I'm guessing that not too many of us have large plotters or any printer that can print as well as a topo.

On fires, we print our own and we do have plotters (sometimes), but the quality is nothing like a USGS printed map. If I had time, I'd still use hand drawn symbology on a USGS map.

No?


http://store.usgs.gov/b2c_usgs/b2c/...rea=2&ctype=areaDetails&carea=0000000452)/.do

OTOH, if you download and print a map at (say) REI, it's printed on tyvek which is way more durable than paper. At least the ones I got of the house here were.

 

[paulj]

Here's a segment from Oregon Field Guide about forest surveyors, old and new.

http://www.opb.org/programs/ofg/segments/view/1740

The new surveyors are finding the benchmarks placed by the old. The new are using GPS to check the position of benchmarks that were placed with the aid of solar compasses and more traditional surveying methods.