THIS is how to use a compass: (very) simplified

When you start hiking in the hills and mountains, e

very

one you meet will tell you that you should carry a

compass

and a map. So you go to your local store and choose which one you want. Then you buy your new Compass. What happens then? How do you actually use a

compass

with a map? Well, the good news is that it really doesn't take long to master using your new compass and map. It will also make going out into the mountains much safer and more enjoyable. Today I want to go over the two most common things compasses are used for: how to know where you are and also how to plan a route and then follow it.

Before I begin, I should mention that practically e

very

where there is always a difference between the direction to some place if you follow the map and the direction to the same place if you follow the compass. This difference is called magnetic declination. Later in

this

video, I'll explain how we make adjustments so that we can use our map and compass together, regardless of the amount of magnetic declination. I am asked quite often what type of map and compass I would recommend to someone who is learning to navigate with maps. This is very simple. I would suggest getting a map with a scale of around 1 to 25,000 or 1 to 24,000 as they contain a lot of information.

With compasses it is not so simple since there are many different types. The best advice I can give you is that if

this

is your first compass, you should get a simple baseplate compass from your local store and, most importantly, don't spend too much. These are the two compasses I will be using today. The first is the “Silva Expedition 4”, which is this one here, and we also have the “Suunto M3”. Both are quite similar. The main difference is how they are used to deal with magnetic declination, which I will explain in a moment. They are called base plate compasses because they have this clear acrylic plastic plate that is really useful because you can see through it when you use the compass with a map.

Most types of compasses have a magnifying area so you can see small details on a map, and they also have a ruler that runs along the edge, so you can measure distances between two places on a map. The main point we want to highlight today is firstly the direction arrow that you use to point your direction or something you are heading from. At the top of the dial there is a small mark called the index dot, on the Suunto it is just a small indentation at the top of the dial and on the Silva it is a small line integrated into the dial.

The index point is where you read your heading. Then we have the bezel which is the rotating section with the numbers around the edge. The numbers are your orientation. Inside the dial are red lines called bearing lines and they are used to make sure the compass is pointing in the correct direction when on a map. In the center of the bearing lines is a large red arrow called the bearing arrow which is used both when taking a bearing from a map or terrain feature and when taking or following a bearing. There is also a magnetic needle that rotates inside the dial.

Whichever direction the compass points, the red end of the needle always points toward magnetic North. So those are the five things we need to worry about today. There are many other things in the compass, but for now we will limit ourselves to these five things. The direction arrow. The index point. Numbers on the rotating bezel. Guidance lines and arrow and magnetic needle. Those are the parts of the compass we are going to use today. Now we come to the main section, how do we actually use our compass to navigate? The first thing we must do is orient ourselves on a map to be able to follow it.

To do this, let's take a closer look at your compass. As you can see, there are numbers from 0 to 359 around the circular bezel. These numbers on a compass are called bearings, or some people call them azimuth. You can imagine yourself standing in the center of the bezel or in the center of the dial and if you walk towards one of these numbers, you will be walking on that heading. As an example, if you are walking with a heading of 1 2 3, you would go from the center of the bezel towards the number 1 2 3, so you would go in this direction.

If you walk with a heading of 3 4 5, you will head in this direction. A heading can also be used to describe someone's direction. As an example of this current crossing here, which you can see on your screen, up to this point at Location 3 4 7, we will walk on a bearing of 3 3 9. Bearings are also useful because someone can tell you the heading they would like you to take. follow to know exactly which direction you will walk. To take a bearing from a map, what you do is place your compass on your map and in this case I want to go from the junction of the wall here to Grouse Butts, so I make sure my direction arrow is pointing in the direction I am in.

We will be traveling. If he went from Grouse towards the wall junction, then the direction arrow would point in the opposite direction. But in this case I go from there to there, so I check the direction arrow which is really important. There are many errors caused by this simple error. It's a very common mistake. What I do is set the edge of the compass so that it touches my starting point and also touches my destination. Then I rotate the bezel, 157 00:06:04,919 -- 00:06:11,820 I rotate the bezel until the orientation arrow points directly north on the map. I can verify that this is correct by looking at the orientation lines and comparing them to the vertical lines on the map.

Here is vertical line number 64. As you can see, the orientation lines run exactly parallel. I then read my heading from the index point and in this case the heading is 112 degrees. Raise your compass, making sure not to adjust the heading, so it should still be at 112 degrees in this case. Then, holding it firmly with both hands, simply rotate your entire body until the magnetic needle is directly over the orientation arrow. Now I'm looking along my course. My heading is 112 degrees and then I will walk towards something I can see that is along my heading. When I get there I'll do it again and walk to something else.

Don't be tempted to look along your compass and see something on the horizon because that will never work because you will always start walking in a curved arc. Keep it that way and find something you can walk to. Then go to that. This is how to orient yourself on a map. Here's a quick reminder. Place the compass on your map so that the edge of the compass touches both your starting point and your destination. Rotate the bezel until the orientation arrow points up on the map. You can check that you are doing this accurately by using the vertical lines on the map and comparing them to the bearing lines on the inside of the compass dial.

Then grab your compass and you can read the bearing at the top of the bezel. On a Suunto compass it will be right next to the index mark and on a Silva compass it will be the number above the line. Then, holding the compass directly in front of you, at about chest height, keep the compass level and rotate your entire body until the magnetic needle is directly over the orienteering arrow. Now you are looking along your course. Then walk towards something you can see and then do it again and continue like this until you reach your destination.

Now know how to orient yourself on a map. But what happens if instead of reading your heading on the map someone tells you a heading? They may say: go to the wall junction and follow a heading of 70 degrees. In this case, turn the dial to 70 degrees and then it's exactly the same as if you had taken it off a map, just turn until the magnetic needle is over the orientation arrow and then follow the direction arrow, obviously, so you can To Getting your bearings on a map requires knowing your starting point and destination, but sometimes you may not be quite sure where exactly you are.

You are not lost. You meet on this mountain or on this slope. You know roughly where you are, but you're not exactly sure of your precise location, so you don't have a starting point, and if you don't have a starting point you can't orient yourself, so what do you need? What you need to do is know where you are on the map. The method we use is to look around the area and find something you can see on the ground and also on the map. In that direction I can see Rivington Pike, which is a very notable feature in this part of the world, and I point my compass that way.

I'm looking at it and pointing the direction arrow directly at Rivington Pike and turning the bezel until the direction arrow is directly under the magnetic needle. I then read the bearing below the index mark. I can see that Rivington Pike is on a bearing of 2 3 8. I look further and in the distance I can see Noon Hill Slack which is a Neolithic burial mound, so I once again point my compass towards the keep of Noon Hill Slack. As solid as I can, as I look along the direction arrow pointing directly at it and I have a bearing of 2 9 8, so I have 2 3 8 and 2 9 8.

Now I can use those bearings on the map to know my location. I know I'm somewhere on this hillside and I can see Noon Hill loosely and I can see Rivington Pike, so I know that from my location, wherever I am, Rivington Pike is bearing 238. I simply turn the bezel until it sets 2 3 8 on the dial there and then I place my compass on the map so that the edge of the compass is touching Rivington Pike and then, while keeping it touching Rivington Pike, I rotate the entire compass until the orienting arrow is pointing directly up on the map.

Once again I check that it is correct using the guidance lines. Then I can draw a line on the map. I know I'm somewhere along these lines. The other thing I could see was the Noon Hill slack and it was at 298 so I set my compass to 298. I'll put this in front of the camera so you can see it. That's now set to 298 once again, there's Noon Hill Slack, so I set the edge of the compass to hit Noon Hill Slack, which is there. Then I rotate the entire compass until the orienting arrow points up on the map again.

Make sure that, always, the edge of the compass is actually on Noon Hill Slack. , That is now correct and I draw another line on my map. My location is where the lines intersect. From here I can now walk towards this pedestrian bridge because I know that this is now my starting point. What I have to do now is put the edge of the compass on the starting point and the edge of the compass on the Walkway which is where I'm heading. From my location my heading is 226 to the walkway. A quick reminder: look for two points that you can see on the map and that you can also see on the ground.

Point your compass at the feature and rotate the bezel until the magnetic needle is directly over the orienting arrow. That will give you your first direction. Do the same thing again with the second feature, then place the edge of the compass on your map with the heading set and rotate the entire compass and then draw a line, draw another line. You are where the lines cross. At the beginning of this video I said that in virtually every area there is a difference in the direction somewhere if you follow your map and if you follow your compass.

This difference is called magnetic declination. The reason for this is that everything on your map is aligned to a system called the North grid, this is where the vertical lines on your map point, it is near the top of the Earth but your compass usually points towards the magnetic North Pole. , which is a slow but constantly moving point, currently located in mid-2023, somewhere between Canada and Siberia. Because the lines on your map that you use to steer by pointing with the orienteering arrow and your compass point in different directions, we must make an adjustment to compensate for the declination in your area.

We can't change the printed map so we have to adjust our compass and how this is done depends on the type of compass you have. Some compasses have a fixed declination scale and others have a semi-permanent adjustment scale. You can very easily tell what type of compass you have by simply looking inside the dial, where you will see a series of numbers and markings running along the edge of the inside of the dial compasses. With fixed scales, the numbers are at the north end of the dial and semi-permanent scales are at the south end of the dial.

Let's take a quick look at how we adjust both types. We'll start with the compass with a fixed declination scale like this Silva Expedition 4. For example, if you've taken a bearing on a map and it's 220 degrees, the index mark is at 220 and the needle is directly over the bearing arrow to adjust . For declination it is necessary to rotate the entire compass until the magnetic needle points to the declination marked on the scale. For example, let's say your declination in your area is 10 degrees west, rotate the entire compass until 10 degrees west on the scale is below the needle like this, then rotate the bezel until the orienting arrow is below it again. of the needle.

If your declination was 10 degrees East, you would rotate the compass until the needle is above the 10 degrees East mark and then rotate the bezel again until the orienting arrow is again below the needle. Your compassIt has now been adjusted and to follow the heading, lift the compass and holding it again at chest level, turn your whole body until you are facing your heading and then follow the direction of the direction arrow on the compass. Next we will look at compasses with a semi-permanent declination scale. Each compass manufacturer has a different system for changing the declination of their compasses.

For example, Silva compasses have a small screw at the top of the dial that is turned to adjust the declination. Brunton compasses have tool-less adjustment and you simply squeeze the dial and then turn it. But today we use the Suunto M3. Turn the compass over and you will see a small screw at the base of the dial. Use the screwdriver that comes with the compass, I hope you haven't lost it, use the screwdriver to rotate the orienting arrow until the south end of the orienting arrow points to your declination like this. For example, if your declination was 10 degrees west, then you would turn the screw until the south end of The Arrow points 10 degrees west.

If your declination is 10 degrees east, then turn the screw until the south end of the arrow points at 10 degrees east. Now you can take your compass and follow your course. Just a quick note: If you want to take a new bearing on a map, since you've just changed the way the direction arrow points, you won't be able to use it to take a bearing on your map in the normal way. In this case, to take a bearing from a map instead of pointing the bearing arrow north on the map, you will need to rely on the bearing lines to do so.

These are the basics of how to use the compass and map together. If you're just starting to learn how to sail, now is the time to get out into the hills and give it a try. I would suggest that for your first few days in the hills you go somewhere familiar, this way it will give you a feeling of confidence and security. If you have any comments on the video, please put it in the comment box and thanks for watching.