crazy compass

[Widowbender]

our decl. here is seven

[Spectre]

Here it is.

 http://tradgang.com/noncgi/ultimatebb.php?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=086096;p=1

[jhg]

I lost my fabulous Suunto m-3dl compass this late summer. The great thing about it was it took very accurate readings without you having to get the thing very level. A big deal when you are in a hurry, tired, at night or anything else that competes with your concentration. I bought a cheap starter compass that in comparison just sucks. You have to be very careful not to get a false reading when its not quite level enough for the needle to swing free. It is a Silva. I am sure their better models don't share this trait.
Anyway, yes, you have to take care to keep magnetic things away form it when taking a reading and know its quirks if it is sensitive to how you hold it.
I use mine a lot to follow contour lines. Without the compass a contour line can take you right around the mountain. Without the sun or another slope to watch to maintain perspective, you can end up heading south when you started north. The compass tells you when to start to peel off the contour line to maintain direction.
Of course, at night its like a soothing, friendly voice of calm in your ear when you need to concentrait on keeping from breaking your leg climbing over the 100th blowdown, your are bone tired, and just want to be in camp already, not worry about direction. Let the compass do that.

Joshua

[Manitoba Stickflinger]

I thought I was the only one this happened to! I was elk hunting 3 years ago and had a pack of wolves try to circle me while cow calling. Somewhere between fear and excitement I managed to put an arrow into a medium sized black wolf and backed out as it was near dark.

The next day I returned to blood trail the wolf and while searching for blood (on hands and knees) lost my bearings. I pulled out the trusty Silva and it pointed what I figured was south. The sun began to poke through the clouds and it was noon so I verified that the compass somehow reversed polarities. Placing the compass on the ground and walking away didn't make a difference. I figured it was something in the area so just used my GPS to get back to my 4 wheeler.

Upon returning to camp the compass still was off 180 degrees so I left it in camp for the remainder of the hunt. 2 years later and some google searches I couldn't figure it out so it went in the garbage.

Needless to say that day I lost a wolf and compass. The whole "wolves circling me" along with the compass wanting to draw me deeper in the woods was kinda eerie so I still just wrote it off as a bad day. Nice to that I'm not the only one.....at least not the only crazy one!

[metsastaja]

Magnetic declination varies both from place to place, and with the passage of time. As a traveller cruises the east coast of the United States, for example, the declination varies from 20 degrees west (in Maine) to zero (in Florida), to 10 degrees east (in Texas), meaning a compass adjusted at the beginning of the journey would have a true north error of over 30 degrees if not adjusted for the changing declination.

I carry 2 compasses and a gps these days and extra batteries.

Last year I had 2 silva compasses reverse polarity on m

[hvyhitter]

I check my compass pretty regular like any other piece of equipment but have only needed it a time or two here on the East coast(heavy rain/fog).....Used it alot in the mountains and deserts of so cal. and the swamps of coastal NC. I use it just to point my way back to the MSR rather than extensive point to point travel.

[Keefer]

O.K. MEN listen up!
   Always check your Compass before ever leaving to go way out in the wilderness far, far away after having a big argument with your wive's...They may accidently sneak out the night before and mess with your compass so you will never come back....     This has never happened to me YET but has entered my mind a few times...   :eek:  Especially if you tell them you are sorry and they say "GO GET LOST"