how to orient a map using a lensatic compass

When you point your compass towards true north, the needle will point a bit to the west. 5. Whenever the luminous magnetic arrow lines up with the luminous short line, you're following your intended azimuth. Now its time to use the lens. 9-4. Step 2: line the compass up with the map. 4. Identify where you are on the map and place the compass edge over this location. You notice another mountain peak out in the distance, but you dont know what its called. First, use your compass to get a bearing on a peak of Saddle Mountain. 2. But heres the catch: depending on where you are on the planet, the angle of declination varies. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. The angle between true north and magnetic north is declination. Were headed to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma for this example. When you point your compass towards true north, your compass needle is going to point a little to the west. 2. Huzzah! Read the azimuth: Lastly, ensuring the dial is floating, look down on it and read the azimuth. Step 4: Walk along the path and make sure your compass always points North. As long as youre lined up with your direction of travel arrow (keeping that north arrow visible for reference), you need to look through the sighting line and pick a landmark ahead of you. c. There are two methods of holding the lensatic compass and sighting. The cover is used to protect the compass and also incorporates the sighting wirewhich helps you determine direction. The instructions on this page might make orienting a map seem a highly technical thing. Declination is the angle formed by true north and magnetic north. Holding the compass up to your face, angle the rear sight so that you can read the compass dial clearly through the lens while peering through the sighting slot and lining your distant target (the water tower, in this case) up with the sighting wire. slide 1 to 3 of 3. Most lensatic compasses are designed to withstand moisture to a certain extent, but nobody makes them perfect. An "azimuth" is pretty much the same as a "bearing." You discover that it has a bearing of 176. Finally, before setting off, be sure to do a quick check by looking around you to see that all features represented on your map are where they should be in the terrain. The back bearing is 50. Look through the lens and sighting line. Orient the map to the terrain. Doing that with a lensatic compass is much like doing that with any other compass. Brunton TruArc 8010 Classic Map Luminous Compass Brunton TruArc 8010 Classic Map Luminous Compass Item # WX2- 715075 / Mfg. The rear bearing is at a 50-degree angle. But its important to understand the different types of navigational toolsincluding a lensatic compass. The Lensatic compass also has a large number of drawbacks, including the use of a large case that can make this a cumbersome and heavy option. Using your protractor or other straight edge, you draw a line from your current position in the direction of where you want to go. Holding any compass in a slack and half-a**ed (that's an old military term) manner can cause you to go off in the wrong direction. Read your compass (Figures 5-25 and 5-26). Advnture is part of Future US Inc, an international media group and leading digital publisher. Method #1. 3. (Note: if you have a compass with an adjustable declination the adjustment needs to be set to zero). Set your compass dial to 000 degrees. Youve orientated the map. This is a hard and fast guide on how to use your lensatic compass with a map, which is what it was designed for. When you return from using your lensatic compass, take it apart as much as possible to detect any moisture. Line up the meridian lines (the parallel lines inside the bezel) with a north/south grid line on the map. You can see that the mountain is 24 degrees away from you. Lastly, the reading lens also helps cover the compass and folds out; this is where the term lensatic comes from. 2. Make sure the travel direction arrow is pointed in the direction you want to go. Get my Land Navigation coursehere. 3. navigation and combat. The how to orient a map using a compass is a skill that can be used in the outdoors. This is because it is prepped to point instead to magnetic north once its lined up with your compass needle. 2. 2. 1. Everything on your map will be reversed if youre looking south and holding the map right side up. (They are oriented to Grid North, which is not necessarily the same as . On your map, place your compass. Once you know that you're facing north, rotate the compass so that the luminous line is over the 170-degree mark. Its 230 degrees in reference to your position, as you can see. The techniques employed when using the lensatic compass are as follows: a. Find the magnetic declination on your map. US $10.58 orient yourself to a map and follow a course over land The lensatic compass is used to set course bearings Instructions for Lensatic compass Open the lensatic compass so that the cover is at a 90 degree angle and the lens bracket is at a 30 degree angle to the case Lensatic Compass. When you have a line position, you know that youre on some identifiable line on the map (trail, ridge line, etc. Open the cover completely and pull back the rear sight. This involves trying to orient a map using only topographical features and your own eyesight. FM 3-25.26: Map Reading and Land Navigation. Basically, the compass needle will point someplace east of true north in locations west of the agonic line, whereas it will point somewhere west of true north in areas east of the agonic line. Lay the compass on the map, using the straight edge to create a line from your starting point to your destination. Sight: Now peek through the rear sight slot, aligning the sighting wire or the front sight to the desired direction or object. Also known as setting the map, orientating helps to relate your position and the landscape around you to the map, therefore making onward navigation more straightforward. The edge of the compass baseplate is now pointing in the direction of the visible landmark from which you took your bearing. With the map in a horizontal position, take the straightedge on the left side of the compass and place it alongside the north-south grid line with the cover of the compass pointing toward the top . Well, that is, unless you're doing something silly like holding the compass backwards. A good temperature of 65F to 78 should keep the humidity down and help preserve the structural integrity of the compass. Alex is a qualified Mountain Leader, adventure writer and content creator with an insatiable passion for the mountains. UK readers, youre in luck. Youve got your dependable compass and a map of the region, but youre not sure where you are in respect to the map. You learn that it has a 176 bearing. Travel to that landmark. Lets say you know youre southeast of Saddle Mountain and northeast of some smaller mountains. 1. 1. If you don't, visit the page just hyperlinked. OEC G&V. Download. Here's an example from an older map of the Grand Canyon. Now hold the compass on the map and rotate yourself and the map/compass together until the orienting arrow and the compass needle are aligned to magnetic north. Your compass is now set. Welcome back to the Art of ManlinessLand Navigation Manual. Mt. If your map already has a line to show magnetic declination, you can take your compass and line its edges up along this. You can look through a small window of the top (thats the lens), and navigate smoothly from there. Line your orienteering compasss base plate up with the maps north-south lines. Future US, Inc. Full 7th Floor, 130 West 42nd Street, Your email address will not be published. There was a problem. We just dont know where exactly. Point position. Lets break down the individual parts of a lensatic compass so you can understand every element behind how it works. With the map level, place the compass . 3 . Note: This procedure places the fixed black index line of the compass parallel to north-south grid lines of the map. Lay your compass on the map and line up its edge with a known landmark. Though GPS and smartphonesare reliable, its still vital to carry a compass, and know how to use it, as a backup or lifesaving form of navigation. Conversely, the black end of the compass needle should be pointing south. If your local declination is east of the agonic line, youll need to add the declination to the bearing on your compass; if your local declination is west of the agonic line, youll subtract the declination from the bearing on your compass. In the daytime, you'll normally find something in the distance on your azimuth and walk to it, so you don't have to keep staring at the compass. What if you dont have access to a compass that can compensate for declination? Using the rotating bezel, turn it until the direction of travel arrow lines up with the north arrow. Place your compass base plate on your map so the edge of the compass is aligned with the north-south meridian lines. Now $7.56. 2. Pull the lens holder up so that it is at a 90-degree angle to the base of the compass. The easiest way to orientate a map is to relate the features in front of you to the features on the map. There you go. It is the bread and butter of navigation and a good habit to get into every time you set off in any given direction. Step 1 Orient the map. Oncein pre-GPS dayswhile on a canoe trip through the chain of lakes in Canadas Quetico Provincial park, our professional guide expertly got us through about 100 miles of wilderness, without ever using a compass. What if youre not on a trail, but you just know the general area youre in? Kierans bookClimbing the Wallsan exploration of the mental health benefits of climbing, mountaineering, and the great outdoorsis scheduled for release by Simon & Schuster in April 2021. Place your map on a horizontal surface and then place the compass on the map so that the orienting arrow points to true north on the map. Basically, in areas west of the agonic line, the compass needle will point somewhere to the east of true north; in areas east of the agonic line, the compass needle will point somewhere west of true north. Related Tags. Make sure the direction of travel arrow is pointing to the spot that youre trying to get to. Thats your bearing from point A to point B. As magnetic north changes depending on where you are in the world, you have to ensure you adjust your compass accordingly. Rotate the compass until the north on the bezel points to the top of the map and the compass housing orienting lines are parallel to the maps vertical grid lines, using your position as a pivot. 4. [10] 4. The following 30-minute U.S. Army training video from 1966 shows how to find your direction, orientation, and location with a mil-spec lensatic compass. Read the number at the index line. Its 310 degrees in reference to you, as you can see. Isnt that a little black arrow outline? 2. Lets go back to our Muir Woods example. Ensure that the compass bezel is set to 0 degrees i.e. From this diagram, we can see that our compass would point to magnetic north a little over 13 degrees to the right of "straight up" on the map (grid north). The North-seeking arrow of the compass must fall within 3 degrees (50 mils) of the angle shown in the grid-magnetic (G-M) angle on the map's declination diagram. Assume youre going on a short trek from one location to another. Next, without changing the orientation of you map, move your compass so that its edge is touching the point you are plotting to/from and the compass dial reading matches your bearing. My magnetic declination is 4E, so Ill be moving the black arrow outline towards the red hash marks that are going towards E DECL.. If we didnt adjust for declination and were getting bearings for our destination from our map, well find ourselves off by 14 or more when we start walking. Well, that is, unless you're doing something silly like holding the compass backwards. Now, rotate the map and compass baseplatetogetheruntil the compass needle is boxed in the red orienting arrow (or direction-of-travel lines) on the compass. Lay the compass down on your map. This was developed. Execute your docs in minutes using our simple step-by-step instructions: Get the How To Use A Lensatic Compass you need. In this guide, we will be covering the following: The first step to successful navigation with a map and compass in the backcountry is correctly orienting your map. A: You can use the arrow keys, or you can hold down shift and move in any direction to rotate a map around its axis. Step 3: Find a path that leads to the horizon. The big bang. You just need one more piece of information to figure out exactly where you are on the map. Well adjust it to account for the declination of our compass. When we dont have our point position, we have to use less exact forms of orientation based on line or area position to find it: Line Position. The U.S. military M-1950 lensatic compass shown in this video is still in use today. Set your compass dial to 000 degrees. Heres how it works. If we dont account for declination and use our map to acquire directions to our destination, well be wrong by 14 or more when we start walking. We know were somewhere along HW 115 and south of Saddle Mountain. Knowing how to orientate a map is just one facet of the wider skill of knowing how to read a map. Turn your entire body as a unit until your predetermined azimuth falls under the fixed black index line. So, if youre in Muir Woods and your compass has a bearing of 180, youll want to subtract 14. All you have to do is shoot a bearing towards the unidentified peak. For instance, line up roads, mountains, water towersany terrain features that stand out enough to make orienting the map possible. With that bearing, we can use our compass to start traveling in the direction we need to go in order to get to our endpoint. You should then be able to roughly work out which way is north, east south or west using your maps gridlines. 3. What wildlife can you see at Yellowstone National Park? What if youre not on a route and just have a broad idea of where you are? Youre in the right place! Weve compiled a detailed guide on how to adjust for magnetic declination, but at its most basic level it goes like this: Your map should state what the magnetic declination is in degrees for the region you are in. In your case, however, your declination is 004 degrees West, meaning you'll have to add 004 degrees before you set your compass. On your map, though, you can see the two spots. Dont worry that your red orientating arrow doesnt point exactly map north. For this, they use a lensatic compass, among other navigation equipment and techniques. Shoot the reverse bearing you got with your compass from the top of Saddle Mountain on your map. A lensatic compass features a small pop-out area for your thumb, and a lid on top of the main compass body. Return from Lensatic Compass to How to Use a Compass. A map and compass are useless unless you know how to use them properly. Aligned the side of the compass with one of the north-south grid lines. When orienting a map, our aim is to position it so that the north-south grid lines on the map (eastings) are aligned north-south. There's another way to orientate a map using a compass that starts slightly differently to what was explained above. If youre in the Adirondacks, add 14 degrees to get a correct bearing of 194 degrees. Turn the map and compass together until the red needle is pointing north. Great article! Adjust the compass bezel so that north on the compass corresponds to north on the map. Theyre not traditionally used for camping trips or simple navigation, but if youre serious about prepping, this is a must-have in your EDC bag and bug out bag. Best Overall. As mentioned in Part I, true north and magnetic north arent the same. Open the cover completely and pull back the rear sight. Keep it in a case, or wrapped up in a thick cloth to prevent those damages. Map and compass skills are essential when navigating the great outdoors, Abrupt topography, like mountain peaks, should be easy to identify thanks to their contours on the map, Magnetic declination guidance on a standard topographical map, Having adjusted the compass housing to correspond with magnetic north, line your compass up with the map's gridlines, Red is in the shed: the compass needle is lined up with the orientating arrow, Ski towns are full: why we cant all just move to the mountains, Berghaus MTN Guide MW Hoody review: a performance mid-layer for the mountains, Rangers warn National Park graffiti could throw hikers off the trail. We may then use our compass to begin going in the direction we need to go in order to reach our destination. All you have to do now is take a bearing towards the unnamed mountain. Looking at the map is an easy way of finding which direction north or east are relative to your current position. So there you have it. You then see where the line you drew intersects with the protractor's numbers, in this case 062 degrees. It's important to hold your compass stable, squarely in front of you, and level. This video shows how to orient a map with a compass and briefly discusses magnetic declination. ), Podcast #858: The Affectionate, Ambiguous, and Surprisingly Ambivalent Relationship Between Siblings, How to Fight Entitlement and Develop Gratitude in Your Kids, How and Why to Hold a Weekly Marriage Meeting, You Dont Have to Be Your Dad: How to Become Your Familys Transitional Character, Podcast #810: How to Turn a Boy Into a Man, Sunday Firesides: Climb the Ladder of Love, Podcast #865: How to Win Friends and Influence People in the 21st Century, Podcast #863: Key Insights From the Longest Study on Happiness, Podcast #875: Authority Is More Important Than Social Skills, Podcast #874: Throw a 2-Hour Cocktail Party That Can Change Your Life, 9 Mental Distortions That Are Sabotaging Your Social Life, How to Make the Perfect Snowball: An Illustrated Guide, Podcast #869: The Survival Myths That Can Get You Killed, Skill of the Week: Survive Falling Through Ice, Podcast #848: The 5 Priorities of Short-Term Survival, we covered how to properly use a compass, how to shootyour bearings, and the best map for navigating: the topo map, Land Navigation Manual: How to Use the Military Grid Reference System, Land Navigation Manual: Finding Your Bearings & Topo Maps, More Than Just Finding North: Understanding the Compass, Podcast #534: How Navigation Makes Us Human. No worries. In addition to 360 degrees to measure directions in a circle, the military also uses 6,400 mils. Hold the compass with your thumb fully in the thumb ring, and your index finger wrapped around and gripping the circular part of the underneath of the compass's base. This is because it is prepped to point instead to magnetic north once it's lined up with your compass needle. Using a little screwdriver or the metal piece that came with your compass lanyard, turn the small screw. It typically consists of a magnetized needle that is mounted on a pivot and placed inside a circular housing. Its not an issue. Turn the compass cover more or less perpendicular to the base. You can use this feature to set your compass in the dark. At this point, your map is almost oriented. To orientate the map, rotate both the map and compass together until the red compass needle and the red orientating arrow match up. Suunto M-3 Compass. Check the index line to find out the bearing you just have taken. We can find out easily enough, though. Lensatic compasses are used by the United States military for a reason. Draw a line on the map at 130 degrees from Saddle Mountain. This is commonly known as puttingthe red in the shed. Youll want to turn it until that black arrow outline is lined up with the 4E hash mark. These other objects can interfere with compasses, and no matter how miniscule the differences may seem, it can leave an impact. You will receive a verification email shortly. Now repeat step 3 above and youre good to go. All Rights Reserved. Open the compass: Let the cover and the base form a 90-degree angle. It will make it easier to understand why we adjust for declination in the first place. The Lensatic compass is used to determine 'azimuths' or 'compass bearings' (horizontal angles). First, open the compass to its fullest so that the cover forms a straightedge with the base. Assume youre southeast of Saddle Mountain and northeast of a few of lesser peaks.

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