True North or Magnetic North?

[+Pack of wild Pugs]

I use my IPhone to geocache with. On the compass setting it has two options, True North or Magnetic North. Which one should I use?

[+narcissa]

Depends entirely on what you're doing. Just remember which one you've set to.

 

Where I live, there's a good 13 or 14 degree difference between the two, so any geocache that uses bearings will specify True or Magnetic.

[+DENelson83]

Unless a cache tells me to use magnetic north or I'm caching by airplane, I always set it to true.

[+edscott]

I use my IPhone to geocache with. On the compass setting it has two options, True North or Magnetic North. Which one should I use?

 

If you are using a map, set it the same way the map is oriented. If you are just using it as a general guide it doesn't really matter as long as you know how it is set. It's always good to know the approximate declination where you are hiking.

[+Markwell]

http://www.markwell.us/geofaq.htm#truemag

[+Titus1919]

For Salem OR the magnetic variation is 17E or -17Deg.

[GermanSailor]

I use my IPhone to geocache with. On the compass setting it has two options, True North or Magnetic North. Which one should I use?

I don't have an Iphone. But my GPSr is set to true north. Here in Germany it doesn't make a difference (var is 1-2°).

 

True north has the advantage that it shows the numbers, which I can use directly on a chart. Magnetic north is good, if you use them for a compass.

 

You can check you local variation (declination if you want) here.

 

GermanSailor

[+Tequila]

If you are navigating to a cache, it doesn't matter. Lat / Long is a position not a direction.

 

If you are doing a multi or puzzle cache that requires waypoint projection, the listing should tell you whether they are using True or Magnetic.

[+DragonsWest]

We of the True North Brigade will only ever acknowledge the point where the meridians meet. We tolerate non-believers, though remain watchful of their endeavours.