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Position of badges on uniform                Camping Equipment List Compass Use    Pioneering Page 1 Pioneering Page 2      Tent pitching           Hiking                       Pack a Rucsac         Route planning

The compass and its parts :

Compass needle: Points towards magnetic North.
Compass housing: The housing is marked with North, South, East, West, and the numbers from 0 to 360.
Orienteering arrow: Rotates with the compass housing. When using a map, this arrow needs to be aligned with the map's North (true North). When following a bearing, this arrow needs to be aligned with the compass needle.
Direction of travel arrow: Points in the direction that you want to travel.
Bearing: Direction, especially angular direction measured from one position to another using geographical or celestial reference lines.

Simple navigation without a map:

The compass housing is marked with the numbers 0 to 360. These numbers represent direction in degrees (°). North is considered to be at 0° (or 360°), East is at 90°, and so on.

Let's say you would like to go in a certain direction, East for example. Turn the compass housing so that the 90° number (or the E) lines up with the direction of travel arrow. Next, hold the compass out in front of you, with the direction of travel arrow pointing straight ahead (away from you). Now, turn yourself until the North end of the compass needle is lined up with (or on top of) the orienteering arrow. Look where the compass's direction of travel arrow is pointing. This is where you want to go! Finally, just walk in a straight line following your compass's direction of travel arrow. You are walking East (magnetic East that is)! Your direction of travel (East or 90°) is also called your bearing.

True North versus Magnetic North

Web site built by Craig Humpleby                                            
Last up dated 05/09/06