Sightings???

[+hathor]

HELP!!! I'm a newbie cacher...was out today and thought I'd check out a cache nearby. Something new involved...sights & azimuths. Thought I better try later! Can anyone out there help me or tell me where I might find some info on how to sight with a compass...and how the heck do I figure out an azimuth??? thx!

[+Bloencustoms]

I think, (could be wrong) that an azimuth is the numer of degrees from a given line.

To use a compass, you simply hold it in front of you, align the north arrow on the dial with the needle, and read your heading on the direction of travel line. To point yourself on a certain heading, rotate the dial until the direction of travel line reads the correct heading, and turn your body untill the needle lines up with the north arrow. To find your bearing to a distant object, point the direction of travel line at the object, and rotate the dial untill the north arrow lines up with the needle, then read the bearing on the direction of travel line.

 

Your heading (direction of travel) can remain constant while your bearing (degrees to waypoint) changes. The only way for these to remain the same is if you are travelling in a beeline to the waypoint. You can demonstrate this fact by standing facing north. Take a bearing on an object to your side, and walk north a few feet. When you take another bearing, it will have changed. If you repeat the experiment but walk directly toward the object instead of north, your bearing will not change.

 

As for the azimuth, better ask one of the many cachers with engineering backgrounds.

[+Renegade Knight]

I think, (could be wrong) that an azimuth is the numer of degrees from a given line....

This is correct. When what the line is, isn't mentioned North Azmuth is assumed. However it's always good policy to specify when you are talking about azmuth. It also runs clockwise like a compass.

[TinyMoon & The Pumpkin King]

It might run Widdershins if you're a Wiccan cacher !

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

Azimuth Sightings

 

Sightings

Edited March 18, 2004 by GEO*Trailblazer 1

[Tahosa and Sons]

An azimuth and a bearing are the same thing.

Glossary for your information.

 

How you sight depends on what type of compass you have.

And here is some more info for you.

 

To correct for declination you want the map bearing (True) and field bearing (Magnetic) to be equivalent. (10° is my declination)

Map bearing to magnetic bearing:

Map bearing - declination = Magnetic bearing.

298° - 10° = 288°

 

Magnetic bearing to map bearing:

Magnetic bearing + declination = Map bearing

103° + 10° = 113°

 

Land Navigation Links and More.

http://www.princeton.edu/~oa/manual/mapcompass.shtml

http://members.impulse.net/~mlynch/land_nav.html

http://www.learn-orienteering.org/old/

http://www.edu-observatory.org/gps/gps.html

http://www.trailsillustrated.com/skills/glossary.cfm

http://topomaps.usgs.gov/

http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/cgi-bin/seg/gmag/fldsnth1.pl (used for determining current declination)

http://education.qld.gov.au/curriculum/are...ings/coequ.html

http://www.pubplan.nau.edu/courses/alew/pl...urvey/index.htm

http://www.colorado.edu/geography/gcraft/n...coordsys_f.html

http://www.lostoutdoors.com/newmap.html

[+wolf452]

If bearings are azimuths why do we need two. Bearings are defined by a direction, NE, SE, SW and NW and run from 0° to 90°. Azimuths (in America) are nowadays from the North 0° to 359° 59' 59". One problem with Azimuths is that there are still millions of people in the USA who can't do math. Maybe AZ=330° is N30°W, but what is 329° 52' 52"?

[+wvcoalcat]

329 52' 52" = N 30 07' 08" W

[+wolf452]

alright!!!!