Compass reads wrong!?

[+rscotth]

I have my daughter interested in the whole Geocache thing now and with a newly aquired Yellow Garmin for her I felt it would be a good idea to educate her on the basics such as compass reading. I bought what looked like the better of three different compasses at the local Walmart. This compass is made by Ozark Trail and is liquid filled with a sighting piece for distant degree aquisitions. Anyway the compass reads totally backwards. North indication is actually south and west is east and so forth? What gives? Can anyone else recommend a decent compass? Thanks.

RSH

[+Berjr1]

Try one of these, http://www.silvausa.com/index.html

[heckle]

Anyway the compass reads totally backwards. North indication is actually south and west is east and so forth? What gives?

 

Perhaps you got one that was marked 180 out. Another answer is that somehow you got a "master" compass. Not sure of the correct name but that is what we called them. When I was in the Army, there was a compass that read 180 out and it was used to "backcheck" electronic compass readings. But these were military ones and instead of the regular OD Green, they were red.

 

Now, if *I* ever got one like that from Wal-Mart, I would hold onto it as a novelty!!

[+fizzymagic]

Anyway the compass reads totally backwards. North indication is actually south and west is east and so forth? What gives?

Don't waste your money on a new compass; just get a magnet and re-magnetize the needle with the correct polarity. The stronger the magnet, the better it will work. Run the magnet along the compass needle; if it still reads backwards, flip the magnet and do it again.

 

All compasses are subject to polarity inversion when exposed to strong magnetic fields; doesn't matter how much you spend on them!

Edited September 15, 2006 by fizzymagic

[+Prime Suspect]

I have my daughter interested in the whole Geocache thing now and with a newly aquired Yellow Garmin for her I felt it would be a good idea to educate her on the basics such as compass reading. I bought what looked like the better of three different compasses at the local Walmart. This compass is made by Ozark Trail and is liquid filled with a sighting piece for distant degree aquisitions. Anyway the compass reads totally backwards. North indication is actually south and west is east and so forth? What gives? Can anyone else recommend a decent compass? Thanks.

RSH

Are you sure you're using it properly? With a sighting compass, you usually dial in the degree you want, line up North to the 0 degree mark, then use whatever sighting mechanism it has to find your destination.

[+Confucius' Cat]

The Silva system is indeed the best for this type of application. It is simple and easy to use. Got em at wallyworld for typically ten bucks. Not pinpoint accurate, but easy to use with a map. Get one. Aloha

[+briansnat]

Silva, Brunton and Suunto make good compasses. You shouldn't have to spend more that around $15. A simple baseplate model should do.

[dunderhead]

I have a Garmin 60CS and if I had to rely on the compass feature, I'd still be out in the boonies. I was totally bewildered by it's contradictions..and I calibrated it.

My $10, no name got me out..but please take note of my avatar.

[+Bundyrumandcoke]

Its not a Prismatic compass is it? Its the comment about the sighting piece for distant aquisitions that has me wondering. Prismatics have a len or similar that you look into as you hold the compass up to your eye. You then simply look up through the sighting piece to see what object you are looking at in the distance. In this case, the bearing you are reading is closest to you, on the opposite side of the dial from the directing you are looking at, so, if you mistakenly tried to use it like a normal compass, a Silva for example, all the bearings, markings, ect would be back to front. Cheers

Bundy

Edited September 15, 2006 by Bundyrumandcoke

[+Vinny & Sue Team]

Anyway the compass reads totally backwards. North indication is actually south and west is east and so forth? What gives?

Don't waste your money on a new compass; just get a magnet and re-magnetize the needle with the correct polarity. The stronger the magnet, the better it will work. Run the magnet along the compass needle; if it still reads backwards, flip the magnet and do it again.

 

All compasses are subject to polarity inversion when exposed to strong magnetic fields; doesn't matter how much you spend on them!

True! All true!

[+rscotth]

Hey, thanks for the replies. This is a prismatic type compass or I refer to them as a linsatic or engineer compass (sort of a lower version of an M2 military type for artillary). I was expecting some magnetic inclination but totally backward? That would sure make it tough to shoot an azimuth. Anyway I took your advise and re-magnitized for the correct polarity and I was totally amazed! Works great-and free!!! Thank you so much for the help.

RSH

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

Interesting thread!

 

So if he magnetized the needle to reverse polarity that makes it work like a 'regular' compass, right? Does that then defeat the 'lensatic' feature?

 

I had one of these WalMart lensatic engineer compasses and never did figure it out; it's now traveling the world as TB "Where am I"!

 

Ed

Edited September 15, 2006 by TheAlabamaRambler

[+Jhwk]

I bought ... at the local Walmart. This compass is made by Ozark Trail ...

RSH

Well there's yer problem right there.

[terrible2u]

get the magnet all at the end of this page: http://www.supermagnete.ch/magnets.php?group=blocks_big

 

holds only about a hundred of kilos, just stay away from harddrives, cardiac pacemaker and the like. in german its called the "todesmagnet" which means "death-magnet".. killer, strongest magnet in the world..

[+rscotth]

What "linsatic" feature would you be refering to? If you break off the sights it would be a regular compass. The linsatic compass needs to be pointing to magnetic north to be able to shoot an azimuth. This will become quite apparent when the compass utilizes a floating dial (with the tick numbers and degrees are on this as one unit) and not a needle. Below is a link to a basic linsatic compass from starlink so you can see the difference between a floating needle and a floating dial.

RSH

 

http://www.starlink-dss.com/compass.htm

[+wsgaskins]

I had one of these WalMart lensatic engineer compasses and never did figure it out; it's now traveling the world as TB "Where am I"!

 

Ed

 

I couldn't find your TB in a quick search, but I just recently launched one of the same... I picked up this compass at a craft store, and found that it pointed south exclusively, thus was born my "Southpoint Compass"

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?tracker=TB14JWK

 

It's only made one hop, but so far it's going in the right direction, at least.

 

[+The Jester]

I had one of these WalMart lensatic engineer compasses and never did figure it out; it's now traveling the world as TB "Where am I"!

 

Ed

 

I couldn't find your TB in a quick search, but I just recently launched one of the same... I picked up this compass at a craft store, and found that it pointed south exclusively, thus was born my "Southpoint Compass"

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?tracker=TB14JWK

 

It's only made one hop, but so far it's going in the right direction, at least.

 

The technical name of this type of compass is a "Tate's" compass - as in "He who has a Tate's is lost!"

[+KBI]

The technical name of this type of compass is a "Tate's" compass - as in "He who has a Tate's is lost!"

That's pretty funny.

[+Tyedyeskycrew]

Maybe you stepped into the twilight zone!

[+edscott]

Anyway the compass reads totally backwards. North indication is actually south and west is east and so forth? What gives?

Don't waste your money on a new compass; just get a magnet and re-magnetize the needle with the correct polarity. The stronger the magnet, the better it will work. Run the magnet along the compass needle; if it still reads backwards, flip the magnet and do it again.

 

All compasses are subject to polarity inversion when exposed to strong magnetic fields; doesn't matter how much you spend on them!

 

right.. ... and if you want to buy a new one go with a baseplate not a sighting compass. As was said above they work best with a map. Silva, Suunto, whatever.. as long as it is a liquid filled housing. Actually if you can find them, a Moscow compass is the best as the liquid has a higher viscosity and thus the needle is more stable as you walk.

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

I had one of these WalMart lensatic engineer compasses and never did figure it out; it's now traveling the world as TB "Where am I"!

 

Ed

 

I couldn't find your TB in a quick search, but I just recently launched one of the same... I picked up this compass at a craft store, and found that it pointed south exclusively, thus was born my "Southpoint Compass"

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?tracker=TB14JWK

 

It's only made one hop, but so far it's going in the right direction, at least.

 

 

Travelertags.com TT# TED6F

 

Evidently no one else can figure it out either, as no one accepted the challenge set forth in its mission statement! The last finder returned it to me, I will make a Groundspeak TB out of it soon.

 

Ed

[dunderhead]

I have my daughter interested in the whole Geocache thing now and with a newly aquired Yellow Garmin for her I felt it would be a good idea to educate her on the basics such as compass reading. I bought what looked like the better of three different compasses at the local Walmart. This compass is made by Ozark Trail and is liquid filled with a sighting piece for distant degree aquisitions. Anyway the compass reads totally backwards. North indication is actually south and west is east and so forth? What gives? Can anyone else recommend a decent compass? Thanks.

RSH

 

Wait..the earth's magnetic pole reverses every gazillion years, you might qualify for a Nobel Prize

[+disenchanted]

What "linsatic" feature would you be refering to? If you break off the sights it would be a regular compass. The linsatic compass needs to be pointing to magnetic north to be able to shoot an azimuth. This will become quite apparent when the compass utilizes a floating dial (with the tick numbers and degrees are on this as one unit) and not a needle. Below is a link to a basic linsatic compass from starlink so you can see the difference between a floating needle and a floating dial.

RSH

 

http://www.starlink-dss.com/compass.htm

 

It's all German to me.