NavList:

Thank you all. You have collectively pointed me in the right direction. The seconds did have a decimal component and I gave the time in UT because I thought that the simplest way to convey the information. I now know that the approach I took using MICA is valid, in spite of my poor technique. I expected that it was after I averaged several observations. The bad form has only one excuse--ignorance. The bad technique may improve with practice. It occurs to me that the solar filter I adapted for the theodolite might be loose enough to move and diffract differently between sightings. It would be nice to be able to blame the equipment rather than myself!

It is curious that the program I wrote for the HP50 works for all of Karl's examples and fails here. I used algorithms from USNO.NAVY.Mill which were simple enough to implement. The notion was to be able to reduce sights without reference to paper. Karl, as you probably know, presents the St Hilaire method of sun sites to fix one's location. It seems, from the reaction here, that that is not universally acclaimed as a good method.

In any case, I do now know that my program doesn't always work and I will look into it.

Thank you, again.
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