I am experienced and have read a couple of books on the subject and looked at a few videos on RU-vid. This video is excellent and covers all the subjects I think are important. A beginner may have to watch the video a few times to get it all, but it is well worth it. Thanks for putting out such an awesome presentation.
Probably seen a dozen compass navigation videos on RU-vid and this one is by far the most informative and useful. Thank you for taking the time to make this :)
It's been a long time since I used my navigation skills from the army and a brush up on skills is needed. Your presentation is uncluttered and to the point. Well done .
Well made video. I have been browsing many others and stop half way through because of the poor quality. Yours is spot on. Thank you for taking the time to make this.
Hey brother, VERY well done video. There are literally thousands of orienteering videos on RU-vid, and nearly all of them are terrible. You did a fantastic job with every part of this. You used effective visuals, both photographically and digitally in post. You wrote extremely concise copy, and stuck to it in your delivery (might want to slow your speaking speed down 15-20 percent). You picked the RIGHT topics for a beginner's "orientation to orienteering." And you did a great job editing. Bravo sir, seriously. This has already got some polish on it, and I can tell you're serious about trying to get this channel off to the right start, so I'm subscribing and liking just to support. Keep up the good work!
One of the best tutorials I've seen. Well done. I especially like the last bit about purposely aiming to the side so that no matter the margin of error you can always know that you'd turn left ( in the case of the example) to reach the proper destination. Smart!
Excellent clear ＆ thorough explanations of several useful techniques. I think one need not always know epreciesly where they are at all times, ( if you're being a slave to your map & compass you're doing it wrong ) only know approximately where they are. The greatest utility of a compass is in being able to determine where you are when you're ready to call it a day and want to find the correct direction to head back to your stating location or to a place of safety if needed. Some of the techniques demonstrated covered that, nicely. The only thing missing was an alternate way to account for mag declination with a compass that only has a fixed mag declination scale or with a compass that even lacks that feature. Which is quite simple but seldom explained. If mag declination is 8 degrees west, turn your compass bezel an extra 8 degrees CCW. (so that the N on the bezel moves to the west by 8 degrees) For mag declination of 7 degrees east, turn the bezel an extra 7 degrees CW. [when taking a map measured azimuth to the magnetic azimuth to be set on the compass]. The same idea is done a little differently on a lensatic compass such as the Cammenga compass. On which the N is always at the tip of the north pointing arrow because it has a rotating compass card. But you still turn the compass bezel in the same direction. So that the short luminous line moves to where the N on the compass card should point. Anyway, overall one of the best and most complete compass navigation videos I've seen on RU-vid. A good first video for beginners or for those whose compass skills haven't been used for awhile, and could use a quick review.
I like the way you explained how to use the compass and finding your destination using both the map and compass. While in the military we was taught about using the compass, but it was only once and I forgot that information. Thanks so much for sharing this information and I appreciate it so much.
An old video but well informative. Having been a city person and then deciding to wander the vast gold fields of western Australia. gold detecting. we took both GPS and maps with compass. At first it was a bit unnerving as you are walking with your head down and due to the flat low bushes non landmark country it's easy to get disoriented..BTW. don't put your map on a METAL bonnet of a vehicle. The compass will be rather confused..We BOTH (including my wife) carried a GPS with always spare batteries. CHEERS.
Wow this was fantastic. You made it so easy to follow and I have NEVER used a compass before. I have always loved maps and now I see how a compass can really bring them to life for me. Thank you so much. You have a subscriber and a fan! Keep posting videos!
I'm a complete beginner to orienteering and navigation. I must say, this is one of the better, if not the best basic compass tutorial I've seen on RU-vid. Would it be more complete if the method of setting the declination directly from the map was also included, in case one cannot go online for it for whatever reason, but has a current map with them? Thank you so much.
Very nice video. One suggestion: To instantly find the correct magnetic declination for any point on earth, just go to magnetic-declination.com. One click on the Google map and you have a nice pop up box that gives you the correct value. No reason to try to do the math with what may or may not be visible on the map margin.
Because of the coming micronova, declination is moving much farther, and much faster and so declination information is likely incorrect My up-to-date declination is 30 degrees, 15 degrees off from the official declination for my area. but there is still a way to recalibrate magnetic declination using the shadow of sticks recording the path of the sun---rotation of the earth has not yet changed. First stick will show East. Mark it with a sharp stick pushed in. After a few minutes you can mark sun shadow travel where the shadow has moved - Push another stick in to mark West. Lay a straight stick from the E mark to the W mark. Geographic north or True North is 90 degrees from the E-W line. With your compass pointing toward True North, note how far off your compass is now. That is your true up-to-date declination. More on micronova in my 2nd book, Surviving the Micronova: This Train Is on the Tracks is available now.
Great video. I'm brand new to this. So please forgive me if this is a stupid question. At one point (6:30), when you were showing us how to find where we were on the map by using a siting. You said the reservoir was diagonally to your left and in ahead of you in real life. Then you said that this meant that you were diagonally below it and to your right on the map. This made sense to me. Then you sited the place where the river forked. That made sense also. Where I got lost was on your conclusion. Your conclusion was that you were SE of the reservoir. That would make us left of the reservoir on the map [when you said we'd be on the right of it on the map previously]. Can you please help me understand this? Thank you. And than you for putting this video together.
I would disagree about one point..At the 2.40 mark when talking about declination, he states that the North on the map and the grids line face True North...This is incorrect, they face Grid North and there is a difference between True North and Grid North which varies where you are in the world, and is usually marked in the legend of the map...For land navigation as being discussed here, it is usual to just use Magnetic and Grid North....Otherwise a good video....
I've trying to do compass and map reading but it just won't sink in. You're video is very much helpful. But still I didn't get, worst of me. But, thank you for sharing this.
I dunno where am going to send my questions, so I'd rather comment in here. 1. I don't get on how to position the compass on the map. 2. I don't understand the 2-north, that's why I get confuse on how to read the grid. 3. Is it always needed to follow the position of the sun? I think this are my top basic questions that I can't understand. Thank you.
I personally found it perfect. There's a pause button for those who can't keep up and RU-vid lets you play back at slower speed too. I think you said there was a blog with all this information too?
This was a little confusing until I realized the Declination Scales were located at the South end of the bezel. Most I've seen are located at the North end. 1:00
Great info but I wish you didn't talk so fast. Make it hard for a novice to understand when they are not familiar with the terminology. Thanks for posting.
For those struggling with the speed of speech, RU-vid has an option to play back at slower speeds. He sounds a bit drunk, but at 0.75 speed it's a good pace for a beginner. I wanted a quick summary of different methods, so watched it at 1.5 speed to go through it quickly. The video is fantastically well produced by the way, perfect summary and quick recap of things I already knew, but I also learnt a lot too!
DEShark88. . . . I was not aware of that option about the speed. And you are right to point out that the video was well produced. Speed or not, it gave me valuable information.
Aquí en mexico, este tipos de brújulas presentan un fallo después de comprarla aproximadamente en 3 meses se presenta una burbuja en la capsula no permitiendo el movimiento de la ajuga o impidiendo el movimiento de esta fui al servicio técnico de aquí en mexico suunto mexico la cual no se hace responsable de este fallo y te alienta que compres otra bujula de otra marca mejor. triste pero cierto no te dejes estafar por esta marca.
Awesome, super information. But slow down a little! You speak a little like a machine, with no pauses in between points. I need to look at my compass and think a little. I'll watch again, and pause it when appropriate, but it stressed me trying to follow.
Cristi Neagu hi Cristi. Thanks for pointing that out. I presume you’re referring to lensatic compasses as the one type. What is the other one that I have missed?
You go too fast and use too many still shots in your video. I felt it was a little bit difficult to understand what you are saying by just looking at your pictures, but maybe that's just me.
I would have to sell my soul to satan to buy a suunto in the shity country where i live, sun and stars nav is my option...nice video, at least i'll grab some theory :(((
