Bearing vs. Course

[+ems_nut]

Ok. The instruction book really isn't that helpful with this thing. I was reading about the bearing and course pointers. I was playing with the GPS and was switching between the bearing and course pointer in the compass while navigating to a location I set outside my house and then walked around looking at the pointer and data windows I have set up. I am navagating using the "Off Road" (gets me where I am going now. Thanks to all that helped me with that one.) And I really can't see anything different with the pointers. Seems like both of them are pointing me in the direction of the location I set a route to.

 

Is there a difference between the two when navigating in "Off Road" since it is basiclly in a stright line route? I could see if I was navagating a route that had turns in it. Like if I was using "On Road".

[+ems_nut]

Ok. The instruction book really isn't that helpful with this thing. I was reading about the bearing and course pointers. I was playing with the GPS and was switching between the bearing and course pointer in the compass while navigating to a location I set outside my house and then walked around looking at the pointer and data windows I have set up. I am navagating using the "Off Road" (gets me where I am going now. Thanks to all that helped me with that one.) And I really can't see anything different with the pointers. Seems like both of them are pointing me in the direction of the location I set a route to.

 

Is there a difference between the two when navigating in "Off Road" since it is basiclly in a stright line route? I could see if I was navagating a route that had turns in it. Like if I was using "On Road".

 

Oh and this is on a Vista HCx. Sorry didn't think to put what GPS I was using due to all the other questions I have posted about this unit. Really wish the instructions were a little more help.

[+apersson850]

Assuming you are going to a single waypoint (not a multi-point route), then the bearing is towards your destination.

The course is pointing in the direction you originally should go to pass your destination.

 

Do this experiment:

Disable the magnetic compass.

Go to some open field.

Set a waypoint where you are (001).

Go 200 meters in an arbitrary direction.

Set a waypoint there too (002).

Do a GoTo to the point 001.

Open the compass page, set to show the bearing.

Now go to point 001, but deliberately miss it by 50 meters as well as continue 100 meters beyond it. Watch the bearing pointer as you do this.

Cancel the navigation, set the unit to GoTo 002, but now use the course pointer on the compass page.

Go towards point 002, but miss and overshoot that one in the same way as before. Watch the pointer as you go.

 

This will quickly make you familiar with the difference between bearing and course.

 

Once you've done this, enable and calibrate the magnetic compass, then do the same thing, paying attention to that you hold the unit properly levelled when you check your bearings, so that the magnetic compass works properly.

[+ems_nut]

Assuming you are going to a single waypoint (not a multi-point route), then the bearing is towards your destination.

The course is pointing in the direction you originally should go to pass your destination.

 

Do this experiment:

Disable the magnetic compass.

Go to some open field.

Set a waypoint where you are (001).

Go 200 meters in an arbitrary direction.

Set a waypoint there too (002).

Do a GoTo to the point 001.

Open the compass page, set to show the bearing.

Now go to point 001, but deliberately miss it by 50 meters as well as continue 100 meters beyond it. Watch the bearing pointer as you do this.

Cancel the navigation, set the unit to GoTo 002, but now use the course pointer on the compass page.

Go towards point 002, but miss and overshoot that one in the same way as before. Watch the pointer as you go.

 

Thank you I will give this a try when the sun comes up....

This will quickly make you familiar with the difference between bearing and course.

 

Once you've done this, enable and calibrate the magnetic compass, then do the same thing, paying attention to that you hold the unit properly levelled when you check your bearings, so that the magnetic compass works properly.

[+apersson850]

First, there's no need to quote the message right above your reply. The relation is obvious.

Second, it makes even less sense when you don't reply.

[+ems_nut]

Sorry about that. Don't know what happen there. I swore I typed something in responce to the post. Oh well life goes on. Any way I will give that a try and see what the differance is. Thanks for the post.

[+Walts Hunting]

A course is more useful on the water. It stays pointed along the original azimuth to the waypoint and shows how far left or right you are of the original course. This is important if you are doing something like taking a boat along a channel where slipping right or left leaves you aground. You just keep the marker along the line.

[+apersson850]

Now I see that you added something inside the quote. When you type your answers, keep them outside the (quote) (/quote) delimiters, or it will be very difficult to tell what you added. The delimiters really are within [], but I can't write that, as then it will be a quote...

 

Did you try the exercise?

[+ems_nut]

I sure did. This morning when I got up. Grabbed the GPS and went outside to play with it for awhile. Now I see what the difference is. Thank you very much. That really helped with what I was trying to figure out.

 

Again thanks to all that help on the forums. With me being new at this it really helps. I dispatch for a local air ambulance service so I use distance and headings alot. But it is really easy when you have the software to give you all that information. This is really helping me understand what the pilots go through in order to get to where I send them.