Timetoprepare.net is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program and Other Programs, an affiliate advertising programs designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to the Partners. The how to orient a map using a compass is a skill that can be used in the outdoors. When you point your compass towards true north, your compass needle is going to point a little to the west. For this example, were going to go to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma. Youll line up your needle with the tape arrow instead of the arrow on your compass. You want to go cross country directly to Devil's Wash Basin, a deep and beautiful lake you've heard a lot about. Any kinds of magnets whatsoever. Taking each features relative shape, height and distance away into consideration, you should be able to start to match them to the contour features on the map. 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. Fill & Sign Online, Print, Email, Fax, or Download The red end of the needle must be pointing to the top of the map. The plotted line cuts through Mt. Making sure you don't move to change directions, turn the glass compass housing until the short luminous line is directly lined up with the luminous magnetic arrow. The number one destroyer of compasses and any enclosed items like these is moisture. To orient a map means to line it up with the terrain, so that North on the map is pointing to North on the terrain. Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass 071-329-1011 Conditions: Standards: Orient the map to the ground using a compass. Line up your map with what you see around you. 3. This makes it easier to relate what you see on the map with what you see on the ground. I guess the military needs the extra accuracy now and then say, for example, to precisely place artillery fire. The housing is marked with cardinal points, typically north, south, east, and west, which . Read the number at the index line. Identify where you are on the map and place the compass edge over this location. 2. You don't want to hold it crooked, cockeyed, or off level. Now it's time to take out the map. My 159-page, fully illustrated book is yours for the asking. Now its time to store your compass. Procedures. The U.S. military M-1950 lensatic compass shown in this video is still in use today. Want a free ebook on Land Navigation? 2. Youve orientated the map. Lensatic compasses aremade upof three parts: cover, base, and reading lens. When we dont know where our point is, we have to rely on less precise kinds of orientation based on line or area position: Position of the line. Plus, as a web site visitor, you get a 50% discount off the regular price, meaning you get the whole course for $10. The term lensatic comes from the fact that there is a lens on the rear side of the compass that aids in the orienteering process. SPECS dimensions:4.1" x 2.4" x 0.6" |10.4 x 6.2 Read More. 4. Now, hold the compass level and squarely in front of you. When you have a line position, you know that youre on some identifiable line on the map (trail, ridge line, etc. Plot a line on the map using the back bearing from that mountain. Want a free ebook on Land Navigation? Your map is now aligned to magnetic north. For bearings of one to 179 degrees, rotate the bezel counter-clockwise. Where the second line intersects with the first is where youre at on the map, more or less. 1. west is 270). Using the rotating bezel, turn it until the direction of travel arrow lines up with the north arrow. So, don't sweat too much the minute details of getting your map finely oriented to the last degree with your compass. Place your compass base plate on your map so the edge of the compass is aligned with the north-south meridian lines. As we can see, the area Im in has a declination of 4E. Battle tested - shock, water, sand proof, and. Its declination would be written as 14E. As magnetic north changes depending on where you are in the world, you have to ensure you adjust your compass accordingly. Overview. $7.20. 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. Not a problem. Regardless, let's break it down into several steps: Open the compass cover at a 90-degree angle and then set the lens bracket at a 30-degree angle. to orient the map to find your position. First, use your compass to get a bearing on a peak of Saddle Mountain. Welcome back to the Land Navigation Manual for the Art of Manliness. Center-hold. Holding any compass in a slack and half-a**ed (that's an old military term. Magnetic North is 15 East. They could be your saving grace during a SHTF situation. 4. So there you have it. 4. The fact that they glow in the dark (especially, if they're the tritium kind which will glow for years without having to be exposed to light) means you can use your compass without a light for night navigation. It typically consists of a magnetized needle that is mounted on a pivot and placed inside a circular housing. Use your thumb to pull the thumb ring back about halfway. Turn the compass and the map as a unit until you box the needlei.e., Put Red Fred in the shed. Whether or not you participate in orienteering, I'm confident you'll find that a properly oriented map is a huge help in finding your way. $8.77. Tilt it forwards until you can see your sighting arrow. 5. 2. Copyright 2013-2019 Collingwood Publications LLC, Some of the best land navigators around are orienteers--those who participate in the cross-country running/map reading sport of orienteering. He climbs when he should be writing, writes when he should be sleeping, has fun always. Identify your approximate location on your map. This is also known as triangulation. Find out more atwww.alexfoxfield.com (opens in new tab). Here at Brunton, we manufacture a variety of different compasses for varying needs in the field. For bearings of 181 to 359 degrees, rotate the bezel clockwise. True north is at the very top of the earth, while magnetic north is currently off the coast of Greenland. Or maybe using the sun to help put your map somewhat the right way around. How Should I Set My GPS and Compass? Hold your compass in the two-hand hold, steady and level in front of you. Come on in and save lots of money! ","acceptedAnswer":{"@type":"Answer","text":"A: In order to orient and read a map, you have to have spatial awareness. There's another way to orientate a map using a compass that starts slightly differently to what was explained above. Shoot a bearing with your compass at the peak of Saddle Mountain. Position in the area. You can use this feature to set your compass in the dark. Simply look for distinguishable landmarks that are marked on the map, and turn so that both you and the map are facing this object. Lastly, the reading lens also helps cover the compass and folds out; this is where the term lensatic comes from. We may then use our compass to begin going in the direction we need to go in order to reach our destination. The Art of Manliness participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links. Flip up the small magnifying glass. A map so lined up is easier to interpret and follow than a map spread out haphazardly. 2. B. No declination exists and you dont have to adjust your compass. Lay the compass on the map, using the straight edge to create a line from your starting point to your destination. As mentioned in Part I, true north and magnetic north arent the same. You see that its 230 in relation to your location. Well say the declination value is 10 degrees. To obtain a heading from our map, we may use our compass as a protractor. Suunto M-3 Compass. You see that the mountain is 24 in relation to you. Line your lensatic compasss base plate up with the maps north-south lines. The lensatic compass is used by the U.S. Military. Without getting over-complicated, a standard compass is different from a lensatic compass. Your action from here depends on the value and direction of your declinationeast or west. The basics of orienting yourself with a map and compass. He did this for ten days, taking us across numerous waterways and lakes. My 159-page, fully illustrated book is yours for the asking. Sight: Now peek through the rear sight slot, aligning the sighting wire or the front sight to the desired direction or object. You discover that it has a bearing of 176. This step comes after aligning our map and compass needle to magnetic north if using a compass that doesnt have a declination adjustment key. But not to you, I trust. This visualization has been approved for public release.Storyboard developed from the STP 21-1 Soldier's Manual of Common Tasks Warrior Skills Level 1, September 2017Approved by the Center for Initial Military Training (CIMT) G-3/5/7, Initial Entry Training, Fort Eustis Virginia. Note: This procedure places the fixed black index line of the compass parallel to north-south grid lines of the map. 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. Place the compass on the map with one long edge of the baseplate running between the two points of interest. From the compass, to GPS, to now even your mobile devicetheres no shortage of navigational tools. Program, Strengthen Your Tribe: A Report on the Atomic Athlete Vanguard, The Best Riddles for Kids (With Answers! Remember how we spoke about declination in Part 1? Triangulate your position. Flip your compass upside down. Timetoprepare.net. If the contour interval is 10 meters, then what is the change in elevation of each intermediate contour . Now were going to find out where exactly we are on that line. You will not be using it for the center-hold technique. 3 . Position of the point. The reason contours are king is that they are fixed, at least in the timescales were talking about here. A visualization depicting the Soldier's Manual of Common Tasks (STP 21-1-SMCT) task Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass (071-COM-1011). 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. When youre on this line and are facing true north, magnetic north lines up perfectly, too. Step 2. The method is to align the edge of the compass along the Magnetic North (MN) line, and then move the map and compass together until the compass needle points north. Place your map in such a way that the terrain features line up with your maps features. Turn your entire body as a unit until your predetermined azimuth falls under the fixed black index line. In such orientation we use a lensatic scale. 2. (Note: The magnetic compass needle should be ignored.) Youre somewhere on that line, so you know have a line position. 3. North is always at the topof any map. While this doesnt technically register as an electronic, were going to treat it like one. slide 1 to 3 of 3. 4. Make sure the direction of travel arrow is pointing to the spot that youre trying to get to. One advantage is it's probably more accurate when it comes to "shooting azimuths," meaning the act of determining the specific compass direction to a spot on the earth. Thats your bearing from point A to point B. Performance Steps 1. Place your compass on your map with the edge of the baseplate parallel to the north-south meridians on the map. Its 310 degrees in reference to you, as you can see. 3. Orienting your map means aligning it so that north on the map corresponds to north in the terrain and the maps topography correlates to the real-world topography in front of you. Orienting, or aligning, the map is really easy with just 3 steps: Lay your map out on a relatively flat, smooth surface. {"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"FAQPage","mainEntity":[{"@type":"Question","name":"How do you orient and read a map? Well, we can use our compass as a protractor to take a bearing from our map. Compass (For Dummies) Beginner guide to map and compass - Survival Saturday Ep. Conversely, the black end of the compass needle should be pointing south. Then tilt the mirror until you can see straight down into the bezel. 1 color. The degrees are in red, and are the ring's inner measurements. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS & More: A Manual On Food Storage and Survival: 2nd Edition Revised and Updated. The variation between magnetic north and true north is currently so minor that this can generally be ignored. Take your compass and line up the edges with the north-south gridlines on your map. You see that its 310 in relation to you. Lets break down the individual parts of a lensatic compass so you can understand every element behind how it works. Some of the best land navigators around are orienteers--those who participate in the cross-country running/map reading sport of orienteering. Lay your map out in front of you on a relatively flat and smooth (and dry!) Place the three remaining fingers below as if you are holding a gun. Contours are king. At least, I never saw him with one. There is no declination, and you do not need to adjust your compass. Place compass on top of map. For this, they use a lensatic compass, among other navigation equipment and techniques. Check the declination of your local location on your map or on a website. Next month, well wrap off our series with a final briefing on how to navigate using MGRS coordinates, exactly like the military. Put that hand up to the compass, steadying the compass by placing your index finger along the compass's side, and wrapping your thumb between the bezel ring and the rear sight. Making sure you don't move to change directions, turn the glass compass housing until the short luminous line is directly lined up with the luminous magnetic arrow. durability, and its hyper-accuracy in land. SMCT Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass. Get my Land Navigation coursehere. 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. Required fields are marked *. Your email address will not be published. A visualization depicting the Soldiers Manual of Common Tasks (STP 21-1-SMCT) task Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass (071-COM-1011). You can figure this out with a little compass work. To orientate the map, rotate both the map and compass together until the red compass needle and the red orientating arrow match up. Make an "L" shape with the index finger and thumb of your other hand. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); MyOpenCountry is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. Orient a map using a lensatic compass With the thumb loop all the way down under the compass, put the thumb of one hand all the way inside the loop, and place the index finger of that same hand along one side of the compass. A lensatic compass is often referred to as a military compass, and is typically used by the U.S. Military. As a result, its declination would be 14 degrees west. My magnetic declination is 4E, so Ill be moving the black arrow outline towards the red hash marks that are going towards E DECL.. Reserve! 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. Sounds like a lot more than a regular compass, doesnt it? Your email address will not be published. The edge of the compass baseplate is now pointing in the direction of the visible landmark from which you took your bearing. 1. number of degrees in a circle (360: north is 0 or 360, east is 90, south is 180, and. In Part I, we covered how to properly use a compass, how to shootyour bearings, and the best map for navigating: the topo map. To find the tower's bearing with your lensatic compass: 1. 2. Using your protractor or other straight edge, you draw a line from your current position in the direction of where you want to go. Leave your orientating arrow in line with the index line and the direction of travel arrow, as it will already be primed to point magnetic north. Map Reading and Land Navigation: FM 3-25.26. 5. Once you've got the bearing you can transfer it to the map. Spread out your map. Take a bearing to a visible landmark using your compass. Orient the map to the terrain. Determine the correct magnetic azimuth to the designated point within 3 degrees using the compass-to-cheek method, or within 10 degrees using the center-hold method. PART 1 Basic Land Navigation. Lets say you know youre southeast of Saddle Mountain and northeast of some smaller mountains. Lay your compass on the map and line up its edge with a known landmark. Isnt that a little black arrow outline? These other objects can interfere with compasses, and no matter how miniscule the differences may seem, it can leave an impact. 3 Navigation: Compass Basics Read, Understand, and Remember! Nothing is permanent and contours are more permanent than pretty much everything else on a map. That can make a huge difference! Kieran has taught mountaineering, ice climbing, and single-pitch and multi-pitch rock climbing in a variety of contexts over the years and has led trekking and mountaineering expeditions in the Alps, Rockies, and UK. is also used to follow a course over the ground, orient or set a map, and determine position of objects in. He has climbed a handful of 6000ers in the Himalayas, 4000ers in the Alps, 14ers in the US, and loves nothing more than a good long-distance wander in the wilderness. At the summit of Saddle Mountain, take a bearing using your compass. Designate your starting and ending points on the map. A lensatic compass is just one of the many navigational tools we have built. 9-4. Welcome back to the Art of ManlinessLand Navigation Manual. When we know our point position, we can identify any landmark that we see in our terrain by using the map. 5. At this point, your map is almost oriented. Your map (and yourself) are now be orientated north. Youll want to turn it until that black arrow outline is lined up with the 4E hash mark. (Be sure you understand magnetic declination. The housing lines should be parallel with the maps vertical grid lines. Put the compass anywhere on top of the map. Were headed to the Wichita Mountains Wildlife Refuge in Oklahoma for this example. When you have a line location, you know youre on a maps recognizable line (trail, ridge line, etc. SEE IT. If you point your compass towards true north, your compass needle is going to point a little to the east. Were not using it at all during this entire process.). Orienting the Map with aLensatic Compass. Pull the ring underneath the compass and put your thumb through. 3. My 159-page, fully illustrated book is yours for the asking. Line up the meridian lines (the parallel lines inside the bezel) with a north/south grid line on the map. Place the compass flat on the map with the travel arrow pointed in the general direction of north and one of the base plate's long edges linking your location and your destination; you may need a straight-edge to make the connection, depending on the map's scale and the distance to be covered. That would be 130. Using the side of your compass, draw a line towards the highway that youre on. 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. 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. All Rights Reserved. Large Ball Compass - Easy to read ball compass shows two readings. You can always orient your map with a working compass. 6. Plot a line on the map using the mountains rear bearing. Last but not lease, lensatic compasses are prone to scratching. What is the preferred method of using a lensatic compass when reading magnetic azimuths. Use the lens to look through the sighting line to find another landmark, and repeat until you reach your destination. How to use the Lunatic Compass Map Orientation by compass Magnetic Azimuth A magnetic azimuth of any object is the compass reading of a direct line across the center of the compass to the object. Point position. There are step-by-step to use a compass. On the map, you are where the line connects with the highway. Last update on 2023-03-04 / Affiliate links / Images from Amazon Product Advertising API. This webpage may also be used to get current declinations. 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. ), Set Your Compass for Your Intended Azimuth. When moisture seeps into the lens case of your lensatic compass, it causes major problems. Youve got your trusty compass and a map of the area, but you dont know exactly where you are in relation to the map. Articles - Email - Linkedin - Facebook - Instagram. On your map, though, you can see the two spots. The back bearing is 50. Housing lines should be parallel to the vertical grid lines on the map. As long as you can hold the compass level and steady, the exact grip doesn't matter. This may arise when you don't know your current position but have taken a back bearing from a visible landmark (1) you can identify on the map. Well, that is, unless you're doing something silly like holding the compass backwards. With a little bit of compass work, you can figure this out. Take a compass bearing on the peak to your southwest. Used the G-M angle formed by the . To begin, use your compass to locate a peak on Saddle Mountain. Thats right Contours are king. Get your own customized topographical maps, built according to your specifications. Your cheek should be resting on the base of your thumb. Look through the sighting slot and find some target (a tree, boulder, whatever) that lines up with your sighting wire. Remember declination from Part I? This was developed. Learn to navigate using a topographic map and a compass. Improve your reading skills with the KWL Method Compass 101 - How to Use a Baseplate Compass Buying a Compass for Land Naviga-tion Basic Navigation with a Compass and a Map How to orient a map and take a . Throughout this procedure, were not utilizing it at all.). Lets move to the opposite coast of the U.S. Lets say youre in the Adirondacks of New York. To avoid that problem, lets adjust our compass to take declination into account. What happens if you dont compensate for declination with your compass? New York, Rotate the compass dial until north on the compass ring lines up with north on the map. Positioned the cover of the compass toward the top of the map. Magnetic north lines up exactly when youre on this line and facing true north. One disadvantage is, unlike the orienteering compass, it's not easy to make it double as a protractor, meaning you'll have to carry a protractor with you. And thats it! You are missing your point location. Make an "L" shape with the index finger and thumb of your other hand. It will be clearer why we need to compensate for declination in the first place. With our compass adjusted for local declination, were now ready to start orienting ourselves. Before we do that, lets take a closer look at declination. The lensatic compass is comprised of different parts compared to a baseplate compass. Check the index line to find out the bearing you just have taken. So, if youre in Muir Woods and your compass has a bearing of 180, youll want to subtract 14. You have your point location when you know precisely where you are in reference to your map. Some of the components' terms are used in the explanations below. Home / Educational Resources / Math Resources / Compass: Definitions and Examples. Fill in the empty areas; concerned parties names, places of residence and phone numbers etc. Use your index finger to steady the front of the compass. How To Get Your Map and Compass To Face the Same Direction. 2. To use this method (a) Open the cover to a 90-degree angle to the base. Take your compass and line up the edges with the north-south gridlines on your map. Open the cover completely and pull back the rear sight. The My Open Country name is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. Standard compasses use floating dials, but lensatic compasses use a damping mechanism powered by electromagnetic induction. 3.30 MB. STEPS 1.Ensure the map is on a level surface, place the compass parallel to a north-south grid line with the cover side of the compass pointing towards the top of the map. 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. Its one of the most versatile navigation tools we have available today. Look at which way the red needle is pointing. Then turn the map until the position of the landmarks on the map corresponds to the real-world features in the terrain, then cross-check your position with additional features to ensure you have oriented correctly. Now $7.56. When your compass cant adjust for declination, you may make your own declination arrow out of masking tape and attach it below your compass under the right declination degree hash (This will only work if your compass has a clear base). At night, however, or in other periods of limited visibility (fog, blizzard, etc) keeping these two luminous bits lined up will be your only remedy. 2. Take that bearing and plot it on the map using the technique explained above. The bezel clicks as it moves--three degrees for every click. The big idea normally is to have your map more or less line up with the terrain so you can make sense of where things are around you. When map reading, there are two ways to orient a mapby eye and with a compass. Another trick for declination when your compass cant adjust for it is to create your own declination arrow out of masking tape and tape it beneath your compass under the correct declination degree hash (This will only work if your compass has a clear base). 1. We know were someplace south of Saddle Mountain on HW 115. Positioned the cover of the compass toward the top of the map. The floating dial is used to determine the direction in which you are pointing your compass. We may use the map to identify any landmark we observe in our landscape once we know our point location. Aligned the side of the compass with one of the north-south grid lines. True north is represented by a star. Visit our corporate site (opens in new tab). Now that were putting compass to map, we need to adjust for it so that we can accurately orient and navigate. You can look through a small window of the top (thats the lens), and navigate smoothly from there. Determine your position on the map and set the compass edge over it. When you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission. 3. 2 a. Orient the map using the first technique. Open the compass all the way so that the cover locks into position against the base, forming a straightedge along the left side. Well, that is, unless you're doing something silly like holding the compass backwards. The instances navigation needs to be most spot-on are when visibility is compromised.