How to take a compass bearing with Steve Backshall and Ordnance Survey 

Some compasses have 2 degree markings, some have 5, some have 1 etc.

2 degrees out walking across a field are you joking.what you intending to do navigate a plane across the Atlantic.this is so simple a 5 year old could do it.

@@johnbryant6572 You're missing the point. If someone uses this video to understand navigation, but gets it wrong due to have not knowing this point, then they could be totally lost.

Thank you just tried this with my phone and it made a significant difference when held close to my compass.

Gosh! 😮

Yeah

Sadly

Aye hahaha

Gang gang

Yep

Terry. While we would not recommend a compass by itself, if you were in a situation with no option it still could be of use. If you were in an area where you were lost but you knew there was a feature (say coastline or river) east of your location, the compass could help to locate this. Additionally, it would also reduce the ‘going in circles’ problem a lot of lost people can experience. Hope this helps!

@@ordnancesurvey YES, this does help me a lot. It makes sense what you say. Simple and logical. THANK YOU SO VERY much. Appreciated.

If you have a paper map, the magnetic variation at the time of its publication is shown in the legend, at the bottom of the ‘General Information’ section. If you don’t have one or want the latest figures, try the British Geological Survey’s website: www.geomag.bgs.ac.uk/data_service/models_compass/gma_calc.html. Hope this helps!

Mostly to make it clearer for the film! You do have to pay attention to the spacing of the marks on the compass. Many use 2 degrees per mark, some use one degree per mark, and some small ones use 5 degrees per mark.

It’s a complex answer since it depends on the direction being travelled and what accuracy is being aimed for. We suggest a look at our blog on magnetic north - www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/blog/2019/03/magnetic-north-continues-its-march-to-the-east/. Currently across the country the declination is quite small. On a line roughly from Glasgow to Bath the declination is currently almost zero. Lines of equal declination have a north-south trend and even way over in the East (Norwich) the declination is only about 2 degrees at the moment. Given that most standard hiking compasses are likely to only have a precision of 2 degrees and in reality it would be quite difficult to take and follow a bearing to the same degree of accuracy, then the current declination is insignificant for a lot of users. To attempt maximum change of declination on a line the journey would have to be in an east-west direction. Also, given the precision of a standard compass and the likely accuracy that it could be used to, we can assume a change of declination of 2 degrees is the smallest one that can be significant. Using estimates from the table in the blog I think you would need to go approximately 300km before the declination changed by about 2 degrees. E.g. Plymouth to London. Hope this helps!

I had the same problem but then I remembered - it's RU-vid! So I rewound and watched it 3 or 4 times. 🙂

It means 1 degree 13 minutes, or 1 and 13/60ths of a degree. Basically add a degree on.

+paul ready Good Question...! I would like to know the answer to that as well.

Hi Paul. Basically, you find two or more distinctive features that you can see, such as a hill, church spire or similar then find them on the map. Use the compass to work out the direction they are from you, and then draw those lines on your map - you are where the lines meet! Of course, this can be tricky when there are few features visible, which is why most people check position regularly, as it makes it easier.

Ordnance---its called Triangulation so Paul can google it. But I've heard this question before. The fact is if you're lost in the wilderness for example, and have no idea where you are, a map and compass will not tell you. It's not magic. You need a KNOWN point A in order to go to another point. That's what the basic use of map and compass is. You have to know where you basically are all the time as you travel!

Hi Bixbybixby. Even if you are totally lost, there are a few techniques that can help you locate your position (assuming you have a map). Have a look here: www.ordnancesurvey.co.uk/getoutside/guides/navigation-pinpointing-your-location/ for some more advice

Your link of course talks about Triangulation. There's 2 point and 1 point triangulation. I just called it by name since you didn't in your first comment. Your link also simply talks about being on a KNOWN feature on the map, in this case a track, and using visual features in the field in a line to bisect where you are on this track. It's basically 1 point VISUAL triangulation on a known linear line. You are not 'totally lost' if you are on a known linear line on the map (a track for ex.). That's an oxymoron. Totally lost would mean you have NO KNOWN points, features, or landmarks, linear or otherwise, identifiable around you on the map or in the field.

Surely this wouldn't be the first video you would watch then

you can easily google the "lingo"