A compass is used for navigation, for determining the direction of the relative magnetic poles on Earth. It has a magnetized pointer, which always points at the north side, so that it is free to align itself to the magnetic field of Earth. The compass improves the efficiency and safety of traveling. A compass can be used for calculating the heading, along with a sextant for calculating the latitude. It has greatly improved the navigational capacity. The face of compass will highlight the all the cardinal points of east, west, north and south.
All the compasses are built with a stand alone needle and sealed instrument with the magnetized needle pivoting freely to point at the south or north direction. There has been a recent development in compasses, that is electronic or fiber optic gyrocompass, which can easily detect the magnetic directions without moving fallible parts. This system is often used in the subsystem of optical built-in GPS receivers. However, magnetic compass remains the most popular one, especially because it works in remote areas, is cheap, durable and needs no electrical power to work.
Compass has helped many explorers find their way across the world. If you want to travel, even when you have GPS device to guide you through, it is always better to learn how to read a compass. You never know when the batteries of your GPS might exhaust or it may happen that you don’t get connectivity.
Here are some simple steps that will teach you how to read compass.
Steps:
- If you want to spend some time in the wilderness, your skills in reading compass will come handy as it will assist you to navigate in the unfamiliar terrain. The compass has a magnetic needle, which will always be pointed to the north side.
- While reading compass always remember that you have to find your bearing to help you navigate in the course. There are two ways to find the bearing in the map or in the field.
- In the field: The first thing you must do when you read compass is to hold the compass in straight direction in a flat way. Now, point the compass in the direction where you want to travel. Rotate the compass so that it aligns itself with the north direction. The bearing will be still on the index line. Start following the arrow to the nearby landmark and this will be usually in a straight line. Keep on repeating this process until you reach the desired location.
- On a map: Depending on which area you are on the field, you should know where your destination is. That is the point when measuring the bearing on the map will be useful. Place the compass on the map pointing to the direction where you want to travel line of your destination. Keep rotating until the meridian lines are perfectly aligned with the north-south lines. Always remember that you have to get the ‘N’ on the top side of the map. Hold the compass level constant and turn it until you see the red side of the needle is completely over the red part of the north arrow. Now read the bearing, and you can easily follow the arrow towards your objective. Go to the nearest landmark and keep on repeating this process until you reach the desired location.
- Cardinal points on compass: Always keep in mind that when you are using the compass to locate the direction, you never use the terms left, right, back or forward. Instead you follow all the four cardinal points that are unchanging. The cardinal points are north, south, east and west.
- Knowing how to read compass will help you even if you want to call for a help, as you can give your coordinates your location.
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