How To Use An Orienteering Compass

Place your compass on the map with the direction of travel arrow pointing toward the top of the map Rotate the bezel so that N (north) is lined up with the direction of travel arrow Slide the baseplate until one of its straight edges aligns with either the left or right edge of your map

How do you use an orienteering compass with a mirror?

Dial your intended azimuth (ie compass direction) into the compass Angle the mirror so that you can plainly see the compass dial in the mirror Holding the compass squarely in front of your face, turn your body as a unit until you’ve boxed the needle, that is, until Red Fred is in the Shed

Which side of a compass should you use?

The most important part on the compass is the magnetic needle It swings around the compass as you move, but the red end will always point in the direction of north and the white (or sometimes black) end will always point in the direction of south

What are the 2 types of compasses used in orienteering?

Two main types of the compass are magnetic compass and gyro compass First one has a magnetic element (needle or a card) that aligns itself with magnetic lines of Earth’s magnetic field to point to the magnetic poles of the Earth

How is orienteering played?

Orienteering involves competitive navigation along a course, using a map and compass Competitors find their way from checkpoint to checkpoint (called controls) in the shortest time possible So they must decide on the best route and then make it there without getting lost

How do you read a compass degree and minutes?

Degrees, minutes and seconds are denoted by the symbols °, ‘, “ eg 10° 33’ 19” means an angle of 10 degrees, 33 minutes and 19 seconds A degree is divided into 60 minutes (of arc), and each minute is divided into 60 seconds (of arc)

How do you use a lensatic compass?

Pick an object, rotate your entire body (not just the compass), and align the object with the sight wire Look through the magnifying glass and find the green line that we matched to the sight wire Locate the number on the inner dial You will also see the directions North, South, East, and West

How do you read an orienteering compass?

Turn the housing on the compass so that N (north) lines up with the direction arrow Hold the compass level in the palm of your hand, chest high, with the direction arrow facing away from your body Turn your whole body, including your feet, until the red magnetic needle lines up with the orienting arrow on the dial

What do orienteering compasses have?

A good orienteering compass has these features: Clear base plate that allows you to see the map underneath Straight sides for aligning two points or for drawing lines Liquid-filled needle housing that keeps the magnetic needle relatively steady when taking readings

What is the main purpose of the orienteering lines on a compass?

4 Orienting lines fixed within the compass housing and designed to be aligned with the vertical grid lines on a map Half the lines are coloured red to indicate north

How do you use the map in orienteering?

Orienteers often run with a map in hand, keeping a thumb planted on the map near their current location The technique is simple: As you hike or run through the landscape, move your thumb to the new place on the page to represent your current position

How do you use control flag and punches in orienteering?

On the ground, a control flag marks the location that the orienteer must visit To verify a visit, the orienteer uses a punch hanging next to the flag to mark his or her control card Different punches make different patterns of holes in the paper

How do I prepare for orienteering?

Top 10 Tips When Starting Out In Orienteering Get tips from the orienteering experts Attend an orienteering training day or weekend Practice your orienteering navigation Ignore other orienteering competitors Relocation training Train properly for orienteering Plan your orienteering race Nutrition for orienteers

What is 240 degrees on a compass?

The points of the compass are an evenly spaced set of horizontal directions (or azimuths) used in navigation and geographyChinese compass points Point Ordinal Name Angle 坤 kūn southwest 225° 申 shēn 240° 庚 gēng 255° 酉 yǒu west 270°

What direction is 220 degrees?

If your orientation had been 220 degrees, you would read it as 5 degrees South-Southwest

What cardinal direction is 270 degrees?

An azimuth circle consists of 360 degrees Ninety degrees corresponds to east, 180 degrees is south, 270 degrees is west, and 360 degrees and 0 degrees mark north The word “bearing” is sometimes used interchangeably with azimuth to mean the direction (the degree reading) from one object to another

How does an Oriental compass work?

Chinese Compass Navigation These compasses were made by floating a magnetized needle in water The needle could move freely in the water and point to the earth’s magnetic poles no matter the movement from the ship or boat

Which Way Is East in DayZ?

Method 4 Use your watch or your vision to tell if the sun is rising or setting The sun rises in the East and sets in the West If the sun is in the East at the time, look at the sun (you are looking East) and North will be to your left

How do you calibrate a lensatic compass?

Keep the compass in place and then rotate the map until the compass needle is pointing north in sequence with the magnetic north line The compass and map will now be calibrated and aligned with a true north direction

How do you use an orienteering compass and map?

Hold your map horizontally Place the compass flat on the map Rotate the map until the “north lines” on the map (a series of evenly spaced parallel lines drawn across the map, all pointing to magnetic north) are aligned with the compass needle The map should now be oriented to the terrain

What is the rule of thumb for reading maps?

When you first start Orienteering, one way to simplify scale is to use your thumb to measure the distance between two easy to find points, like the start and end of a parking lot This gives you an easy way to “eyeball” the relative distance on your map GAOC maps use a common scale of either 1:15,000 or 1:10,000

How does one navigate using the map and compass?

Place your compass on the map with the direction of travel arrow pointing toward the top of the map Rotate the bezel so that N (north) is lined up with the direction of travel arrow Slide the baseplate until one of its straight edges aligns with either the left or right edge of your map

What 2 arrows should a good orienteering compass have?

Two arrows: A direction-of-travel arrow, painted on the base plate, is used to point the compass at your destination An orienting arrow, located in the needle housing, is used to orient your compass to your map

How do you use a compass in Australia?

With the compass horizontal, rotate the bezel until the specified magnetic bearing angle is over the bearing line (with the arrow) Now turn yourself around slowly until the north end of the compass needle ends up between the two luminescent dots or lines or pointing at the N on the bezel

What orienteering means?

Definition of orienteering : a competitive or noncompetitive recreational activity in which participants use a map and compass to navigate between checkpoints along an unfamiliar course (as in the woods)