NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: Irv Haworth
Date: 2010 Jul 1, 11:01 -0700
I say olde boy a bit much! What happened to freedom of thought
and expression. Historically one might say if you don’t know where you have been
it’s not too likely you will know where you are going…and now that I think
about it ,this also applies to the art of navigation.
73
Irvin F Haworth
From:
navlist-bounce@fer3.com [mailto:navlist-bounce@fer3.com] On Behalf
Of Joe Schultz
Sent: Wednesday, June 30, 2010 11:12 PM
To: NavList@fer3.com
Subject: [NavList] Re: Compass Error Corection
This is a follow-up to Master Chief Franklin's "Compass Error
Corection" series of postings of April 2010, last answered by Jeremy in
May 2010. If Master Chief has given up on this list (as do most practical
navigators) then perhaps our fearless moderator can send this to him privately.
His innovation is important to safe, real world navigation.
Master Chief: you're in the wrong place for combining innovation and
practical navigation. This list has been taken over by (mostly) dreamers and
historians, and you went right over their heads.
You are, in my opinion, applying the old "1 in 60" rule in a very
innovative way. Your method is fast and accurate enough for navigation, and
needs to be published in the marine professional publications before Navy and
merchie leaders will consider making it a standard practice. They, like the
dreamers here, believe what they see in print.
My recommendations:
1. Explain in terms of the old "1 in 60" rule, emphasizing the
strengths and weaknesses of the approximation.
2. Generate some form of a cookbook solution that ring knockers and trade
schoolers can do, even if they don't understand the simple mathematics.
3. Be careful with the numbers you use in your examples, so you don't
inadvertently confuse the reader.
4. Write for your audience. The combined underway fix and compass error can't
be done by merchies/yachties, for example, unless an athwartship range is shot
while steering another range.
Linked is a 13KB file (1_in_60.gif) which is a quickly written idea for you
to ponder. I did make a mistake in the Practice Problem: compass system
uncertainty and my position uncertainty should be +/- the given numbers.
I remember "1 in 60," in my mind, as "little over big"
fractions, then mentally solve for what I need. Distance off, required course
correction, or whatever. And now for compass error, thanks to your innovation.
For the dreamers who want to change the conditions to suit a negatively
critical argument: there's an old saying from the engineering world. "One
good thing about standards - there are many to choose from." Three minute,
six minute, and 1 in 60 rules are practical approximations for practical
navigation by real-world travelers.
Joe
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