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A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Bowditch long term almanac
From: Geoffrey Kolbe
Date: 2012 May 20, 10:06 +0100
From: Geoffrey Kolbe
Date: 2012 May 20, 10:06 +0100
Hello Oerjan Ha! It was actually the sight reduction tables that I compiled first, back in the mid '80s. I thought it would be neat to publish them, but figured they would be much more useful if some sort of Long Term Almanac was included, so I compiled the LTA to go with the tables. I later discovered that my sight reduction tables were actually a form of Ageton's tables, but I have to agree with you that in my opinion they are "nice" and I still enjoy using them. David Burch of Starpath Publications persuaded me that a second edition of the LTA would be worth putting together, but with the NAO sight reduction tables instead of my tables as the NAO tables were what is (was) being used in the Power Squadron navigation classes as a means of sight reduction and people would therefore be familiar with them. So actually, the raison d'etre of the original LTA (my sight reduction tables) was no longer there in the second (Starpath) edition! The NAO tables do seem to be deeply unpopular. I think it is a combination of too many rules, which means a workform is pretty much essential to use the NAO tables, and a very poor explanation of the rules in the NA which makes the tables almost impenetrable without determined application on the part of the reader. I still have some of the old hardback first edition LTAs in stock for anyone who prefers that presentation.... Geoffrey Kolbe At 09:07 20/05/2012, you wrote: >I can certainly vouch for your Almanac Geoffrey, I have had and used >one for several years purchased from pisces press, to be correct I >have purchased two from there and two from local bookstore, as I >have an open boat I tend to be very hard on books of any kind. >Sadly this last is far less useful to me as it has lost that nice >Sight reduction table and replaced it with something I find much >less userfriendly, I now have a reduced (size) version of Henning >Umlands smaller table in my kit. > >one place (of several) to purchase Geoffrey Kolbe's Long term almanac. >http://www.celestaire.com/vmchk/Learning-Celestial-Navigation/Long-Term-Almanac/vmj_estore.tpl.html > >Henning Umland's table with resolution of 1' >http://www.celnav.de/compact.zip > >Henning Umland's table with higher resolution 0,2' >http://www.celnav.de/tables.zip >---------------------------------------------------------------- >NavList message boards and member settings: www.fer3.com/NavList >Members may optionally receive posts by email. >To cancel email delivery, send a message to NoMail[at]fer3.com >----------------------------------------------------------------