Columbus had it tough

[+embra]

I came across the Columbus Navigation Page today and I don't think I'll ever complain about losing a lock under the leaves again. I found the link describing navigation by dead reckoning fascinating. I'm still checking out some of the other links on the page, but I thought some here would appreciate the site.

 

max

Just visiting this planet

[+georgeandmary]

I read this book a few months ago. An interesting history of how the Longitude problem was finally solved.

 

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0140258795/qid=1034641225/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-2870002-2508958

 

george

 

Pedal until your legs cramp up and then pedal some more.

[Kerry.]

The Longitude question took John Harrison almost all his life to solve the problem of time.

 

This outlines Harrison's time pieces known as H1, H2, H3 & H4. There is also a H5 not mentioned here.

 

http://www.rog.nmm.ac.uk/museum/harrison/h1.html

 

Cheers, Kerry.

 

I never get lost everybody keeps telling me where to go

[+Desert_Warrior]

quote:

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Originally posted by embra:

 

I found the link describing navigation by dead reckoning fascinating.

 

max

Just visiting this planet

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The military still used dead reckoning up until my retirement. Dunno anymore, guess I need to ask my son, a CAV SCOUT. You bet he knows how to navigate! There are a whole slew of tricks for when you don't have a GPS, a compass, or even a good map.

 

We were told that it was called "dead reckoning" because if you reckoned wrong, you could wind up dead! Kinda like Murphy's third law of combat: Anything you do, including nothing at all, can get you killed. After learning all of that, I was always careful to have a good map and a compass in my pack at all times. In fact, I still have a few hundred older maps in MGRS - NAD-27 format.

 

Another trick along with dead reckoning was deliberate offset. You would offset your azmuth a degree or three, then hike your distance. Once there, you were sure which way to search for your objective by reversing the off-set.

 

Lots of fun in many strange lands several years ago. Mostly good memories of good soldiers and complete missions. Now it is just fun, no matter how poorly I do. Isn't GPS neat? Wish we had a GPS when I was in.

 

Mike. KD9KC.

El Paso, Texas.

 

Citizens of this land may own guns. Not to threaten their neighbors, but to ensure themselves of liberty and freedom.

 

They are not assault weapons anymore... they are HOMELAND DEFENSE WEAPONS!