how to orient a map using a lensatic compass

In this case, it would be 204 (24+180). Map and compass skills are essential when navigating the great outdoors, Abrupt topography, like mountain peaks, should be easy to identify thanks to their contours on the map, Magnetic declination guidance on a standard topographical map, Having adjusted the compass housing to correspond with magnetic north, line your compass up with the map's gridlines, Red is in the shed: the compass needle is lined up with the orientating arrow, Ski towns are full: why we cant all just move to the mountains, Berghaus MTN Guide MW Hoody review: a performance mid-layer for the mountains, Rangers warn National Park graffiti could throw hikers off the trail. You notice another mountain peak out in the distance, but you dont know what its called. Navigation has taken on many forms over the years. Ebook Free , by June Fleming ~ docilecovenanter If you want to navigate and explore like a Navy SEAL, its high time you learn how to use one of these stellar compasses. Land Navigation Flashcards | Quizlet 3. To determine the direction, or bearing, from one point to another, you need a. compass as well as a map. How to Use a Lensatic Compass: A Guide for Hikers Check the declination of your local location on your map or on a website. Determine your position on the map and set the compass edge over it. Hed just line his map up with the features of the lake we were currently on to find our portage to the next lake. Oriented the map. The base is the compass dial, bezel, and the thumb loopthe thumb loop is used for stability to garner a more accurate reading. Orienting the Map with aLensatic Compass. The fact that they glow in the dark (especially, if they're the tritium kind which will glow for years without having to be exposed to light) means you can use your compass without a light for night navigation. As previously stated, orientating your map using visual features is only as good as the visibility on any given day. You discover that it has a bearing of 176. You cant shoot a bearing on the end point in your terrain since you cant see it. $7.20. The techniques employed when using the lensatic compass are as follows: a. Line it up with that. Pull the lens holder up so that it is at a 90-degree angle to the base of the compass. 3. The red end of the needle must be pointing to the top of the map. Were not using it at all during this entire process.). Make sure the travel direction arrow is pointed in the direction you want to go. Magnetic North is 15 East. So, if youre at Muir Woods and your compass reads 180 degrees, subtract 14 degrees. Of course, ignore all of this if youre hiking through the Netherlands or Florida, where hills and, by extension, contour lines are somewhat rare. When you have a line location, you know youre on a maps recognizable line (trail, ridge line, etc. My 159-page, fully illustrated book is yours for the asking. Orient you compass with the bearing, and draw the bearing line. Your article very useful for me and it helps me understand more about compass. At this point, your map is almost oriented. In my. You can use it to find your bearings in any direction you need to go. You are missing your point location. Youll want to turn it until that black arrow outline is lined up with the 4E hash mark. Move the lens holder: Slightly push forward the lens holder. 3. Large Ball Compass - Easy to read ball compass shows two readings. There was a problem. How to Pack a Backpack Are You Doing it Right? This is because technology is fallible, batteries run out, cold kills gadgets and theres always the possibility of dropping a device down a steep slope or into a rushing river. Take a bearing to a visible landmark using your compass. It would be 204 (24+180) in this situation. A: To rotate a map in Beat Saber, you can hit the trigger button on your controller. How to use the Lunatic Compass Map Orientation by compass Magnetic Azimuth A magnetic azimuth of any object is the compass reading of a direct line across the center of the compass to the object. Announcement: My online Land Navigation course includes four hours of video instruction, and two downloadable PDF books, all for about the same price as a typical paperback book. Turn the compass cover more or less perpendicular to the base. How to Use a Lensatic Compass - Carnegie Museum of Natural History When this happens, its time to orientate using a compass. You learn that it has a 176 bearing. As mentioned in Part I, true north and magnetic north arent the same. My magnetic declination is 4E, so Ill be moving the black arrow outline towards the red hash marks that are going towards E DECL.. There are step-by-step to use a compass. Half the activity of their sport is keeping their map oriented so they can navigate faster and with more accuracy. For bearings of one to 179 degrees, rotate the bezel counter-clockwise. Aligned the side of the compass with one of the north-south grid lines. SPC Presentation - ORIENTING A MAP USING A LENSATIC COMPASS PART 1 Basic Land Navigation. Place your compass on your map with the edge of the baseplate parallel to the north-south meridians on the map. We just dont know where we are. FM 3-25.26: Map Reading and Land Navigation. (Note: Ignore the magnetic compass needle. Ensure that the compass bezel is set to 0 degrees i.e. Assume youve climbed to the top of Camels Hump in Vermont. You will receive a verification email shortly. In this situation, you can use your compass to work out which direction magnetic north is and orientate from there. From the compass, to GPS, to now even your mobile devicetheres no shortage of navigational tools. When moisture seeps into the lens case of your lensatic compass, it causes major problems. You see that its 310 in relation to you. How to use a compass and map: a simple guide | Atlas & Boots Click heretolearn about the three different types of compasses. Welcome back to the Land Navigation Manual for the Art of Manliness. A lightweight, well-engineered orienteering compass from the Finnish company that helped set the gold standard in navigation. Imagine that you want to hold it as if it were firmly mounted in that position. How to Orient a Map: Navigation 101 - My Open Country 2. So, don't sweat too much the minute details of getting your map finely oriented to the last degree with your compass. Triangulate your position. Orient a map using a lensatic compass by Jessica Lanier Another trick for declination when your compass cant adjust for it is to create your own declination arrow out of masking tape and tape it beneath your compass under the correct declination degree hash (This will only work if your compass has a clear base). Because this method of orienting your map requires having visuals on features or landmarks in the terrain, good visibility is a must. Kierans bookClimbing the Wallsan exploration of the mental health benefits of climbing, mountaineering, and the great outdoorsis scheduled for release by Simon & Schuster in April 2021. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Shoot a bearing with your compass at the peak of Saddle Mountain. Lensatic compasses aremade upof three parts: cover, base, and reading lens. navigation and combat. 6. This is also known as triangulation. Some of the components' terms are used in the explanations below. Video: How to Use a Lensatic Compass (U.S. Army, 1966) Draw a line on the map at 130 degrees from Saddle Mountain. What happens if you dont compensate for declination with your compass? You want to go cross country directly to Devil's Wash Basin, a deep and beautiful lake you've heard a lot about. What if youre not on a route and just have a broad idea of where you are? PDF Lensatic Compass or Military Compass Basic Use. - Survival Primer Were going to use the back bearing of that to plot a line from Saddle Mountain towards our general direction on the map. Method #1. With the thumb loop all the way down under the compass, put the thumb of one hand all the way inside the loop, and place the index finger of that same hand along one side of the compass. Come on in and save lots of money! The basics of orienting yourself with a map and compass. The angle between true north and magnetic north is declination. How to Use a Lensatic Compass - Brunton Simply look for distinguishable landmarks that are marked on the map, and turn so that both you and the map are facing this object. Put that hand up to the compass, steadying the compass by placing your index finger along the compass's side, and wrapping your thumb between the bezel ring and the rear sight. As long as youre lined up with your direction of travel arrow (keeping that north arrow visible for reference), you need to look through the sighting line and pick a landmark ahead of you. To do so accurately, however, we must first adjust our compass for magnetic declination so the reading taken from the compass arrow . Lensatic compasses are made up of three parts: cover, base, and reading lens. But not to you, I trust. Start with contour features, such as what the ground is doing in front of you and around you, what happens to the terrain in the middle distance and then whats going on in terms of distant mountain peaks, ridges, hills and escarpments. Map and Compass Orientation You want to line up your view so the direction of travel arrow is straight ahead. USING THE MILITARY LENSATIC COMPASS - PowerShow No declination exists and you dont have to adjust your compass. Huzzah! Corrected the orientations of the map when the G-M angle exceeded 3 degrees (50 mils) using one of the following: a. relation to a map. True north is at the very top of the earth, while magnetic north is currently off the coast of Greenland. He did this for ten days, taking us across numerous waterways and lakes. 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. Turn your map so that north on the map, points in the same direction as the needle. Plus, as a web site visitor, you get a 50% discount off the regular price, meaning you get the whole course for $10. You have your point location when you know precisely where you are in reference to your map. 3. Thats right Contours are king. Where the line intersects with the highway is where you are on the map. How Should I Set My GPS and Compass? Well, youre going to have to do some math with all your bearings to make sure you get a true bearing. My 159-page, fully illustrated book is yours for the asking. But its important to understand the different types of navigational toolsincluding a lensatic compass. Contours are king. 3. Turn the compass and the map as a unit until you box the needlei.e., Put Red Fred in the shed. Now it's time to take out the map. My 159-page, fully illustrated book is yours for the asking. Once you've got the bearing you can transfer it to the map. Your email address will not be published. We'll start from the beginning, and go through everything you need to know to find your way over the terrain. To orientate the map, rotate both the map and compass together until the red compass needle and the red orientating arrow match up. Open the cover completely and pull back the rear sight. You should be able to turn the map so that if you were to imagine jumping into it, the features would lie in the same direction both on the map and in your surroundings. Land Nav Task 10 - Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass Make sure the degrees of the dial are readable. pointsnorth, east, south, and westbut some are marked additionally with the. Lets move to the opposite coast of the U.S. Lets say youre in the Adirondacks of New York. Check the index line to find out the bearing you just have taken. The degrees are in red, and are the ring's inner measurements. If youre in the Adirondacks, youll want to add 14 so your true bearing would be 194. When you have a line position, you know that youre on some identifiable line on the map (trail, ridge line, etc. How to Use a Compass: 15 Steps (with Pictures) - wikiHow 2. When you face true north, magnetic north is going to be left, or west, of you by about 14. Double-check by making sure the map title or legend text is the correct way up, or find the maps north arrow. You dont have your point position. This latter option is a cheat since grid lines have their own declination value. Place your map in such a way that the terrain features line up with your maps features. slide 1 to 3 of 3. This step comes after aligning our map and compass needle to magnetic north if using a compass that doesnt have a declination adjustment key. See that little black outline of an arrow? Fortunately, orienting your map is simple. These other objects can interfere with compasses, and no matter how miniscule the differences may seem, it can leave an impact. Pull your elbows firmly into your sides; this will place the compass between your chin and your belt. Point position. Lensatic Compass Military Camping Hiking Army Style Survival Marching NEW Last update on 2023-03-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. Once you master using a lensatic compass, it becomes the only way youll ever navigate around the wilderness moving forward. Line your lensatic compasss base plate up with the maps north-south lines. Finding Your Way With Map and Compass | U.S. Geological Survey Your map (and yourself) are now be orientated north. You then see where the line you drew intersects with the protractor's numbers, in this case 062 degrees. The housing is marked with cardinal points, typically north, south, east, and west, which . This was developed. 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. Well, we can use our compass as a protractor to take a bearing from our map. Basically, the compass needle will point someplace east of true north in locations west of the agonic line, whereas it will point somewhere west of true north in areas east of the agonic line. 2. What are 2 ways to orient a map? In this case, it 15 degrees positive (east). The bezel clicks as it moves--three degrees for every click. Youll want to rotate it till the black arrow outline matches the 4E hash mark. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); MyOpenCountry is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Lay the compass on the map, using the straight edge to create a line from your starting point to your destination. Get your own customized topographical maps, built according to your specifications. Because my magnetic declination is 4E, Ill move the black arrow outline to the red hash marks next to E DECL.. We need to compensate for the compass now that weve placed it on the map so that we can appropriately orient and travel. To prevent this issue, well tweak our compass to account for declination. 4. Lay the compass down on your map. You just need one more piece of information to figure out exactly where you are on the map. Travel to that landmark. 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. 1. Well, that is, unless you're doing something silly like holding the compass backwards. 3. Flip your compass upside down. The two basic techniques for using the lensatic compass . It has its advantages and disadvantages over the orienteering compass. More or less, where the second line meets the first is where you are on the map. Because most of the components are housed in a casing, moisture can wreak havoc once its in there. Just follow these lensatic compass instructions: Open the compass: Let the cover and the base form a 90-degree angle. Were headed to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma for this example. When orienting a map, our aim is to position it so that the north-south grid lines on the map (eastings) are aligned north-south. Find out more atwww.alexfoxfield.com (opens in new tab). 2. You can, however, see the two points on your map. . Its declination would be written as 14E. Turn your map so that north on the map corresponds to the needles orientation. The first step is to always take a compass bearing. The keys to successfully navigating the wilderness are being able to determine your position, know where youre going and understand how terrain affects your movement abilities. The plotted line cuts through Mt. 4. Hold the compass steady and level, and up to your face. From point A to point B, thats your bearing. 1. For bearings of 181 to 359 degrees, rotate the bezel clockwise. Want to start taking action on the content you read on AoM? All you have to do now is take a bearing towards the unnamed mountain. To find directions from your map, you're going to need a protractor, a special instrument used for measuring angles. number of degrees in a circle (360: north is 0 or 360, east is 90, south is 180, and. Line your orienteering compass's base plate up with the map's north-south lines. Isnt that a little black arrow outline? a. How to Use a Compass: Compass & Map Navigation Guide - Task & Purpose Youll want to stick to areas that are cool and dry, and dont offer any immediate threats to technological devices. Boom. Place the three remaining fingers below as if you are holding a gun. There is nothing better than being at the heart of your navigation as a prepper, and truly knowing where youre headed without the need for technological input. Using your location as a pivot, rotate the compass until north on the bezel is pointing to the top of the map and the compass housing orienting lines are parallel with the map's vertical grid lines. Finally, you can always triple check with human features, such as walls or towns that youd expect to be able to see in the valley. brunton classic compass 3 . Step 2: Line up your lensatic compass with the North Star and make sure the index mark is on the star. 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 . When we dont have our point position, we have to use less exact forms of orientation based on line or area position to find it: Line Position. For sighting purposes, we recommend using the compass-to-cheek method for better accuracy. Or maybe using the sun to help put your map somewhat the right way around. Fog or dense forest may mean you cant see but a few feet around you in any direction. What wildlife can you see at Yellowstone National Park? Casio's latest G-Shock watch could be a serious Garmin rival. 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. Check to see if the north directional arrow is inline with the arrow/line of the compass. Take that bearing and plot it on the map using the technique explained above. First things first. Battle tested - shock, water, sand proof, and. On your map, shoot the back bearing that you just took with your compass from the top of Saddle Mountain. If we dont account for declination and use our map to acquire directions to our destination, well be wrong by 14 or more when we start walking. 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. Sounds like a lot more than a regular compass, doesnt it? Rotate the compass dial until north on the compass ring lines up with north on the map. 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. The legend. Copyright 2013-2019 Collingwood Publications LLC, Some of the best land navigators around are orienteers--those who participate in the cross-country running/map reading sport of orienteering. Hey, it happens! 3.30 MB. As magnetic north changes depending on where you are in the world, you have to ensure you adjust your compass accordingly. We know were someplace south of Saddle Mountain on HW 115. The mils are in black, and are the outer measurements on the ring. 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. So in this installment, well go over the skills you need to do just that. But it isnt just magnets there are other culprits at play, here. Next, ensure youre happy with your judgment by matching other physical features in the landscape to the map, such as crags, glaciers, waterfalls, lakes and rivers. Looking at the map is an easy way of finding which direction north or east are relative to your current position. Quick Answer: Lensatic Compass How To Use - BikeHike How to use an Orienteering Compass - Survival Gear Book To orient a map means to line it up with the terrain, so that North on the map is pointing to North on the terrain. Please refresh the page and try again. Magnetic north would be slightly to your right, or east, by about 14. Alex is a qualified Mountain Leader, adventure writer and content creator with an insatiable passion for the mountains. Positioned the cover of the compass toward the top of the map. To make sure you receive a correct bearing, youll have to perform some arithmetic with all of your bearings. 2. The instances navigation needs to be most spot-on are when visibility is compromised. Turn your declination-adjusted compass dial so due North is at the index pointer. Youll line up your needle with the tape arrow instead of the arrow on your compass. Your compass is now set. ), Set Your Compass for Your Intended Azimuth. The how to orient a map using a compass is a skill that can be used in the outdoors. Hold your compass in the two-hand hold, steady and level in front of you. Open the cover completely and pull back the rear sight. Doing that with a lensatic compass is much like doing that with any other compass. In Part I, we covered how to properly use a compass, how to shootyour bearings, and the best map for navigating: the topo map.