You can use it to find your bearings in any direction you need to go. How to Use a Lensatic Compass: Guide for Hikers For this task, the lensatic compass really shines. When you face true north, magnetic north is going to be left, or west, of you by about 14. Check the declination of your local location on your map or on a website. Copyright 2013-2019 Collingwood Publications LLC, It's important to hold your compass stable, squarely in front of you, and level. Housing lines should be parallel to the vertical grid lines on the map. Shoot the reverse bearing you got with your compass from the top of Saddle Mountain on your map. 5. Step 1 Orient the map. Your email address will not be published. PDF Lensatic Compass or Military Compass Basic Use. - Survival Primer What if youre not on a route and just have a broad idea of where you are? Were headed to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma for this example. 1. It's important to hold your compass stable, squarely in front of you, and level. There's another way to orientate a map using a compass that starts slightly differently to what was explained above. Lets go back to our Muir Woods example. A Beginners Guide. On the map, you are where the line connects with the highway. Fog or dense forest may mean you cant see but a few feet around you in any direction. Your action from here depends on the value and direction of your declinationeast or west. The map is now oriented to the terrain. Half the activity of their sport is keeping their map oriented so they can navigate faster and with more accuracy. Make sure the degrees of the dial are readable. Because this method of orienting your map requires having visuals on features or landmarks in the terrain, good visibility is a must. Double-check by making sure the map title or legend text is the correct way up, or find the maps north arrow. A power point class to Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass or $0.99 - Purchase Checkout Added to cart or $4.99 - Monthly Subscription Checkout Added to cart Billed once per month until cancelled or $14.99 - Annual Subscription Checkout Added to cart Billed once per year until cancelled or $9.99 - Protected: VIP Subscription Checkout Added to cart Billed once per year until cancelled . Then turn the map until the position of the landmarks on the map corresponds to the real-world features in the terrain, then cross-check your position with additional features to ensure you have oriented correctly. Yeah, book is the most effective tool that can be made use of for affecting your life. First, use your compass to get a bearing on a peak of Saddle Mountain. Throughout this procedure, were not utilizing it at all.). Its not an issue. To prevent this issue, well tweak our compass to account for declination. Wrap your middle, ring and pinky finger around your thumb for support. You see that its 310 in relation to you. ), Set Your Compass for Your Intended Azimuth. Land Navigation Flashcards | Quizlet Finally, before setting off, be sure to do a quick check by looking around you to see that all features represented on your map are where they should be in the terrain. Let's have a look at the sources that constantly give favorable points. Its a subtle difference, but its a roundabout way of saying lensatic compasses are less prone to interference than others. 5. 3. We know were someplace south of Saddle Mountain on HW 115. Flip up the small magnifying glass. a. Compass: Definitions and Examples - Club Z! Tutoring How to Orient a Map - land navigation Its declination is recorded as 14E. So in this episode, well go through the abilities youll need. This can be done either by (1) rotating the map the requisite number of degrees east or west or (2) holding the baseplate firmly, rotate the compass housing to the correct number of degrees west or east to account for the declination. Place your compass base plate on your map so the edge of the compass is aligned with the north-south meridian lines. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & More: A Manual On Food Storage and Survival: 2nd Edition Revised and Updated. PDF Landmark Compass Manual Land Navigation: How to Orient With a Map & Compass This involves trying to orient a map using only topographical features and your own eyesight. Use the lens to look through the sighting line to find another landmark, and repeat until you reach your destination. Stand so that you can see where the north arrow is pointing, and where your direction of travel arrow is pointing. Come to think of it, I dont even know if he had a compass. functional from -50F to 150F. You can figure this out with a little compass work. In this guide, we will be covering the following: The first step to successful navigation with a map and compass in the backcountry is correctly orienting your map. There are two ways of doing this. You should notice that the direction of travel arrow should be pointing at the top of the map, and the black orienteering lines should also be parallel to the north-south gridlines on the map. With solid land-navigation skills, you'll be more confident and "at home" in the wilderness. The lensatic compass is used by the U.S. Military. My 159-page, fully illustrated book is yours for the asking. Were going to figure out where we are on that line now. Hold your compass in the two-hand hold, steady and level in front of you. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. 5. Get Free Compass Reading Study Guide - opus.soton.ac.uk We may then use our compass to begin going in the direction we need to go in order to reach our destination. 3. Map & Compass: Adjust for declination & orient the map - Andrew Skurka Influences can be the factors of how the people life runs. Magnetic North is 15 East. With our compass adjusted for local declination, were now ready to start orienting ourselves. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass 071-329-1011 Conditions: Standards: Orient the map to the ground using a compass. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How do you orient a map to ground? (They are oriented to Grid North, which is not necessarily the same as . How you can Read an Engineer Compass - Physics | ScienceBriefss.com When you face true north, magnetic north is roughly 14 degrees to the left, or west, of you. Picture 1: Map Declination. Looking at the map is an easy way of finding which direction north or east are relative to your current position. Well, we can use our compass as a protractor to take a bearing from our map. So there you have it. 2. The floating dial is used to determine the direction in which you are pointing your compass. PART 1 Basic Land Navigation. On your map, place your compass. Hey, it happens! Using the rotating bezel, turn it until the direction of travel arrow lines up with the north arrow. 3. Whenever the luminous magnetic arrow lines up with the luminous short line, you're following your intended azimuth. As a result, your real bearing is 166. Heres our step-by-step guide to the most straightforward. Lensatic compasses are made up of three parts: cover, base, and reading lens. They could be your saving grace during a SHTF situation. The plotted line cuts through Mt. Lets say youve hiked the peak of Camels Hump in Vermont. 4. This visualization has been approved for public release.Storyboard developed from the STP 21-1 Soldier's Manual of Common Tasks Warrior Skills Level 1, September 2017Approved by the Center for Initial Military Training (CIMT) G-3/5/7, Initial Entry Training, Fort Eustis Virginia. 5. All you have to do now is take a bearing towards the unnamed mountain. Oncein pre-GPS dayswhile on a canoe trip through the chain of lakes in Canadas Quetico Provincial park, our professional guide expertly got us through about 100 miles of wilderness, without ever using a compass. Designate your starting and ending points on the map. With the map in a horizontal position, take the straightedge on the left side of the compass and place it alongside the north-south grid line with the cover of the compass pointing toward the top . Without getting over-complicated, a standard compass is different from a lensatic compass. If your local declination is east of the agonic line, youll need to add the declination to your compass bearing; if its west of the agonic line, youll need to remove the declination from your compass bearing. The degrees are in red, and are the ring's inner measurements. For this, they use a lensatic compass, among other navigation equipment and techniques. This video shows how to orient a map with a compass and briefly discusses magnetic declination. In this case, it 15 degrees positive (east). Magnetic north would be around 14 degrees to your right, or east. Check the index line to find out the bearing you just have taken. From this diagram, we can see that our compass would point to magnetic north a little over 13 degrees to the right of "straight up" on the map (grid north). The obvious drawback here is that such an approach is impossible in poor visibility. Say your azimuth was 170 degrees. Fill in the empty areas; concerned parties names, places of residence and phone numbers etc. For instance, line up roads, mountains, water towersany terrain features that stand out enough to make orienting the map possible. How To Use A Compass: The Ultimate Guide To Navigation By Ethan Shaw The courses of streams change, field boundaries move, new hedgerows are built, walls are plundered for buildings, glaciers melt, roads and bridges are washed away by floods, houses are knocked down and rebuilt somewhere else. Welcome back to the Art of ManlinessLand Navigation Manual. 2. Great article! ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A: You can use the arrow keys, or you can hold down shift and move in any direction to rotate a map around its axis. These other objects can interfere with compasses, and no matter how miniscule the differences may seem, it can leave an impact. Step One: Take a Compass Bearing on the Ground. Also known as setting the map, orientating helps to relate your position and the landscape around you to the map, therefore making onward navigation more straightforward. surface. If the magnetic declinationin your area were zero, you'd proceed in the direction of 062 degrees. You cant see the end point in your terrain, so you cant shoot a bearing on it. Open the compass all the way so that the cover locks into position against the base, forming a straightedge along the left side. 4. Step 2: Line up your lensatic compass with the North Star and make sure the index mark is on the star. This way you can see the object and the bezel at the same time. Plot a line on the map using the back bearing from that mountain. In Part I, we covered how to properly use a compass, how to shootyour bearings, and the best map for navigating: the topo map. How To Get Your Map and Compass To Face the Same Direction. Now, hold the compass level and squarely in front of you. You then see where the line you drew intersects with the protractor's numbers, in this case 062 degrees. Set Up Your Compass Faster & More Accurately With A Map Protractor 3 Navigation: Compass Basics Read, Understand, and Remember! 1. Step 1: Find the North Star. Read the number at the index line. pointsnorth, east, south, and westbut some are marked additionally with the. How to Use a Compass and Map - My Open Country Turn your entire body as a unit until your predetermined azimuth falls under the fixed black index line. 2. Contours are king. The U.S. military M-1950 lensatic compass shown in this video is still in use today. Some of the components' terms are used in the explanations below. In such orientation we use a lensatic scale. Were going to move that to take into account declination on our compass. Rotate the compass until the north on the bezel points to the top of the map and the compass housing orienting lines are parallel to the maps vertical grid lines, using your position as a pivot. Turn the map and compass until the needle on the compass aligns with the north-south grid lines on the map. A: You can use the arrow keys, or you can hold down shift and move in any direction to rotate a map around its axis. Compass (For Dummies) Beginner guide to map and compass - Survival Saturday Ep. The following 30-minute U.S. Army training video from 1966 shows how to find your direction, orientation, and location with a mil-spec lensatic compass. Remember declination from Part I? Pull the lens holder up so that it is at a 90-degree angle to the base of the compass. It will be clearer why we need to compensate for declination in the first place. Finally, read the number on the rim of the compass. Look directly down on the top (smaller card) of compass to view general orientation cardinal points. 4. 1. It typically consists of a magnetized needle that is mounted on a pivot and placed inside a circular housing. Put your compass on your map. Photo: Wikipedia. Once you reach your landmark, align yourself again to make sure youre on the right path. That can make a huge difference! When the actual lens gets damaged, it unnecessarily impairs simple operation. Required fields are marked *. The instances navigation needs to be most spot-on are when visibility is compromised. Finding Your Way With Map and Compass | U.S. Geological Survey In actual practice, orienting your map is something you'll often do "on the run" and can be as simple as glancing at your compass needle and turning the map more or less accordingly. [10] 4. Using the Centerhold Technique. Brunton TruArc 8010 Classic Map Luminous Compass Brunton TruArc 8010 Classic Map Luminous Compass Item # WX2- 715075 / Mfg. The Lensatic compass also has a large number of drawbacks, including the use of a large case that can make this a cumbersome and heavy option. Once you master using a lensatic compass, it becomes the only way youll ever navigate around the wilderness moving forward. Turn the compass and the map as a unit until you box the needlei.e., Put Red Fred in the shed. to orient the map to find your position. Its 310 degrees in reference to you, as you can see. 2. Kieran has taught mountaineering, ice climbing, and single-pitch and multi-pitch rock climbing in a variety of contexts over the years and has led trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Alps, Rockies, and UK. Keep in mind that maps are drawn with north at the top. Turn your entire body as a unit until 066 (062 + 004) degrees falls under your compass's fixed black index line. PART 1 Basic Land Navigation USING THE MILITARY LENSATIC COMPASS Module 6 Map Information. So your true bearing would be 166. Want to start taking action on the content you read on AoM? My 159-page, fully illustrated book is yours for the asking. Determine the correct magnetic azimuth to the designated point within 3 degrees using the compass-to-cheek method, or within 10 degrees using the center-hold method. With the map level, place the compass . My magnetic declination is 4E, so Ill be moving the black arrow outline towards the red hash marks that are going towards E DECL.. Old-School Navigation: How to Use a Map and Compass If you don't, visit the page just hyperlinked. When this happens, its time to orientate using a compass. Use your index finger to steady the front of the compass. How to Use a Military Compass - MilitaryPerson.com Simply look for distinguishable landmarks that are marked on the map, and turn so that both you and the map are facing this object. Using your protractor or other straight edge, you draw a line from your current position in the direction of where you want to go. It. Experience is the best way to learn and wed highly recommend booking a navigation course to really hone your skills. Heres how it works. Your compass is now set. The big idea normally is to have your map more or less line up with the terrain so you can make sense of where things are around you. Any kinds of magnets whatsoever. 2. Title: USING THE MILITARY LENSATIC COMPASS 1 USING THE MILITARY LENSATIC COMPASS PART 2 Intermediate Land Navigation Module 14 Travel Distance Estimation 2 . (1) Compass-to-cheek method (figure C-21). Turn the compass cover more or less perpendicular to the base. You dont have your point position. To use this method (a) Open the cover to a 90-degree angle to the base. This is because it is prepped to point instead to magnetic north once its lined up with your compass needle. Youll want to stick to areas that are cool and dry, and dont offer any immediate threats to technological devices. 2 a. Orient the map using the first technique. Because most of the components are housed in a casing, moisture can wreak havoc once its in there. Determining a Bearing, or "Shooting an Azimuth", Using Your Compass Sights to "Shoot an Azimuth". Determine a Magnetic Azimuth Using a Lensatic Compass Leave your orientating arrow in line with the index line and the direction of travel arrow, as it will already be primed to point magnetic north. Magnetic north would be slightly to your right, or east, by about 14. This latter option is a cheat since grid lines have their own declination value. This is commonly known as puttingthe red in the shed. Place the compass flat on the map with the travel arrow pointed in the general direction of north and one of the base plate's long edges linking your location and your destination; you may need a straight-edge to make the connection, depending on the map's scale and the distance to be covered. Doing this quick visual sense check by examining the surrounding terrain is to triple-check that your readings arent out by 180 degrees and to make sure the map is always aligned with your compasss north-pointing (and usually red) magnetic arrow i.e. The bezel clicks as it moves--three degrees for every click. Place the compass on the map with one long edge of the baseplate running between the two points of interest. (Be sure you understand magnetic declination. Sounds like a lot more than a regular compass, doesnt it? Making sure you don't move to change directions, turn the glass compass housing until the short luminous line is directly lined up with the luminous magnetic arrow. ), Podcast #858: The Affectionate, Ambiguous, and Surprisingly Ambivalent Relationship Between Siblings, How to Fight Entitlement and Develop Gratitude in Your Kids, How and Why to Hold a Weekly Marriage Meeting, You Dont Have to Be Your Dad: How to Become Your Familys Transitional Character, Podcast #810: How to Turn a Boy Into a Man, Sunday Firesides: Climb the Ladder of Love, Podcast #865: How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century, Podcast #863: Key Insights From the Longest Study on Happiness, Podcast #875: Authority Is More Important Than Social Skills, Podcast #874: Throw a 2-Hour Cocktail Party That Can Change Your Life, 9 Mental Distortions That Are Sabotaging Your Social Life, How to Make the Perfect Snowball: An Illustrated Guide, Podcast #869: The Survival Myths That Can Get You Killed, Skill of the Week: Survive Falling Through Ice, Podcast #848: The 5 Priorities of Short-Term Survival, we covered how to properly use a compass, how to shootyour bearings, and the best map for navigating: the topo map, Land Navigation Manual: How to Use the Military Grid Reference System, Land Navigation Manual: Finding Your Bearings & Topo Maps, More Than Just Finding North: Understanding the Compass, Podcast #534: How Navigation Makes Us Human. Learn Land Navigation Now. To orient the map, first: Line up the edge of the compass with the edge of the map, or. The lanyard hole that can be used by the orienteering compass user can limit access to the compass if not enough space is available to move the compass across your map. The Lensatic compass is used to determine 'azimuths' or 'compass bearings' (horizontal angles). The first step of orienting with our map and compass is to make sure north on the map lines up with north in our terrain. To use your lensatic compass to find the direction of your intended azimuth (which you probably got from your map, using your protractor): 1. Next, without changing the orientation of you map, move your compass so that the point you are plotting to/from is under the sighting wire, and the compass dial reading matches your bearing. Home / Educational Resources / Math Resources / Compass: Definitions and Examples. Imagine that you want to hold it as if it were firmly mounted in that position. number of degrees in a circle (360: north is 0 or 360, east is 90, south is 180, and. 4. PDF 071-329-1011 Conditions: Standards - PBworks If everything is matching up, youre onto a winner. Well, that is, unless you're doing something silly like holding the compass backwards. When we dont know where our point is, we have to rely on less precise kinds of orientation based on line or area position: Position of the line. Now, read the degree marking under the fixed black index line. Kieran James Cunningham is a climber, mountaineer, and author who divides his time between the Italian Alps, the US, and his native Scotland. Turn the compass dial so that the bearing intersects the index line (2). Learn to navigate using a topographic map and a compass. Steady the compass by allowing the hand holding the compass to rest in the cupped palm of your other hand. We guide you on how to orientate a map with or without your compass so that you can navigate your way through the backcountry. Lets break down the individual parts of a lensatic compass so you can understand every element behind how it works. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); MyOpenCountry is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Place your map in such a way that the terrain features line up with your maps features. Ethan Allan, the peak you observed, is cut through by the plotted line. 3 . You learn that it has a 176 bearing. You cant shoot a bearing on the end point in your terrain since you cant see it. However, we should be able to figure it out rather quickly. At that point, leave it out in a spot where it can really dry overnight until you know the internal components are no longer moist. Take your compass and turn the compass housing (bezel) until the red orientating arrow is in line with the direction of travel arrow. So its declination would be 14W. As we can see, the area Im in has a declination of 4E. Its not as easy to get lost on land without a map and compass. You can see that the mountain is 24 degrees away from you. What is the preferred method of using a lensatic compass when reading magnetic azimuths. At the summit of Saddle Mountain, take a bearing using your compass. 3. Let's say you see a water tower off in the distance. Dont worry that your red orientating arrow doesnt point exactly map north. He is currently the President of the London Mountaineering Club, training to become a Winter Mountain Leader, looking to finally finish bagging all the Wainwright fells of the Lake District and hoping to scale more Alpine 4000ers when circumstances allow. From the compass, to GPS, to now even your mobile devicetheres no shortage of navigational tools. For bearings of 181 to 359 degrees, rotate the bezel clockwise. We need to compensate for the compass now that weve placed it on the map so that we can appropriately orient and travel. Sight an azimuth to any visible terrain feature that appears on the map. Orient you compass with the bearing, and draw the bearing line. Holding the compass up to your face, angle the rear sight so that you can read the compass dial clearly through the lens while peering through the sighting slot and lining your distant target (the water tower, in this case) up with the sighting wire. Lets say youre out hiking. One advantage is it's probably more accurate when it comes to "shooting azimuths," meaning the act of determining the specific compass direction to a spot on the earth.