I have been an elementary school teacher for 33 years and as a result I can’t help but to notice sound teaching techniques in every instructional video I view. You, sir, have done a masterful job of putting yourself into the head-space of the learner, and you have managed to create the clearest lesson on this subject that I have yet seen on RU-vid. You chose your words carefully, you were methodical, you used visual aids, and you “thought out loud” as you worked your way through the process of adjusting your compass. Thanks to you I am far more likely to use my compass correctly the next time I am scrambling around in the mountains. You are putting RU-vid to its most noble use. My hat is off to you.
I agree completely. One video I watched the commentator talked over a big knees heads. Kinda like a high school teacher explaining algebra to a third grade class. This guy did a good job explaining delineation of north n true north. Makes all the difference for a beginner.
It's been 55 years since I was a young Marine Infantry Officer running patrols in the mountains along the border with Laos in I Corps. I don't get out in the bush any more but i was driven to rehash my map and compass technique and I vaguely remembered the techniques taught by this former Marine. Anyone thinking about hiking in the woods should watch this video. This stuff saved my life in the Ashau Valley when i ran patrols back in "69". Semper Fi !
This is probably one of the most easily-understood presentations of this that I’ve seen. Well done. I don’t *think* I’m a dummy, but declination has just been one of those things that I repeatedly have to refresh myself on every so often, but I think this discussion will stick a little better than it has in the past for me.
FINALLY, Someone who gets how to educate an audience! Great job and thank you. Even the compass manufacturers can’t explain it without giving the audience a STROKE!
For you power users who want a thorough explanation of declination, this video is terrific. For more casual users, who may have watched the whole video and are still confused, just go buy a compass with adjustable declination. This is discussed in the video starting at 5:29. The presenter mentions adjustable declination compasses, and then states: "the reason I don't like them is because if you move to a new area, you need to reset your declination." This is not a valid argument against this style of compass. When you move to new area, you need to account for your new declination anyway, so when I take 15 seconds and reset your compass?
i've watched three videos explaining declination and this is the best one because it links the concepts of declination with the map and explains the direction you want to travel, instead of just telling you, "turn the compass here.....ok now you're good" without showing any of the geographic concepts
This video was a big eye opener for me. What you shared I couldn't find on websites or other youtube videos, at least not in such great detail. What you explained starting at 4:00 really helped me to understand the concept rather than just memorizing east is least, west is best.
Great explanation. One observation on marking maps is that the declination changes so the lines go out of date. Over a few years the change, could get you significantly off your route. The longer the route section distance, the further off. Here also enters the importance of paying attention to map features (terrain/summits/woodland/rivers/buildings/...) as navigation aid to staying on the right track. ATB.
I don't know how many people I've asked to explain "declaration" to me with regards to using my compass accurately. I've asked skippers of boats, hikers, science teachers, friends, and so on. All of their explanations left me more confused than I was before. Very few informed people have the gift of how to explain clearly complex concepts. YOU have that art, that genius! Thank you!! Now I know that my problem was not one of being "stupid".
Great in-depth explanation that is easy to follow. Personally I find that the easiest way to deal with declination when on a trail is to use the orientation markings on a base plate compass to align the map with magnetic north. No need to worry about any addition or subtraction. So long as map and compass north both point in exactly the same direction whenever you are working with them you can't go wrong.
That is the first I’ve ever seen the isogonic chart/map. Also I appreciate the concise definition of declination as the variance between true north and magnetic north. That’s such a great explanation.
Hi, but just to inform you this guy is not right about magnetic declination i just had a conversation with him about it and he told me how to calibrate my compass improperly www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/calculators/help/declinationHelp.html#interpretingresults please read the bit about declination under interpreting results if you don't want to get lost. for a declination of 10W you would actually align your compass and rotate the bezel clockwise so magnetic north is left or West of true north, he will say the opposite and I told him it's not about my way or your way it's about doing things the right way so we can all stay safe.
This is the best explanation so far I have watched about Declination.Thanks to you Sir,I finally got it.I was having headaches with other guys until you showed up and taught this brilliantly.
The best, clear, precise and objective explanation of the true north and the northern magnetism for those who start in how to handle their compass. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. sincerely.
I learned it LARS (left add, right subtract) which I'm sure your familiar with being a Marine, thanks for your service by the way. While LARS works, like many other things, it really does help to see "why" and "how" behind the method laid out mechanically and explained. This is laid out so nicely for people with brains like mine that I'll be passing this on whenever I go over declination with people. The ruler idea for simplifying it on the map itself is handy too so long as you keep up to date with the shift of earths magnetic fields...which have been less than helpful over the last couple decades in their shift rate.
John, thank you for so clearly explaining declination, that has been so confusing for me because others would leave out crucial information but you have excellently filled in those holes and now I understand, what a great video. Thanks, John ( Thumbs up and Subscribed)
By far the best explanation of a subject that can easily get confusing, you my friend have taken this and given it clarity and in the simplest way I have ever seen it done. Pretty much you removed yourself from being a master of it and put yourself in the minds of first time learners. You done this with no ego in the way and demonstrated communication very well. I personally thank you because after watching several videos I nearly gave up furthering skills in understanding declination until I stumbled on your video.
Out of the dozens of explanation videos of adjusting a compass for declination, your video made it all come together and make sense without using mneumonics and memory aids that have a tendency to be forgotten. Thanks for putting together an amazing learner centered video about the subject.
This is honestly the BEST video about magnetic declination and compass! I've watched several videos on this topic and all left me more confused than when I started. Thanks so much for taking the time to demystify this topic!
My man!!!! I have worked as outdoor guide (climbing, rafting, mountaineering) for a great portion of my life. Even worked for one of those bigger outfits that rhym's with POLES!! :-) And I've rarely seen this subject matter explained so well. Bravo sir! Got yourself a new subscriber.
I taught alot of kids in navigation and I found a cool system with a tennis ball needles and strings. You place a needle a random place (map north), you place a needle close to it (true north). Then you can place a needle where ever on the tennis ball and then connecting the needles with a string, it's a easy way to explain the importance of declanation. You can go even more advanced and use a golbe, tape and strings, this metode will acutely show how much you will miss on longer distances with out declanation. I start with a visual and interactive explanation on the compas and , what makes it easy for me, I'm always on a ship so the lesson is on deck and the kids can one by one identify landmarks along the coast line, cross reference it on the map, figure out where we are and then we confirm it for them with a GPS. Followed up with a visual and interactive lesson, where the kids learn about declanation, mostly using a tennis ball where we start with them 2 and 2 together draw the world as they see it (there is no wrong or rigth here, it will be as they see it), on the tennis ball, and then we do the needle/string thing. We end up the whole lesson taking the kids out in a dingy and stop random place at the coastline and they one by one get the chance to find random landmarks the map and try to find our location on a coastline/seamap, again confirmed on a GPS. It's always an succes, and more or less all the kids end up being able to use a compass, we are talking about kids between 6 and 10. And hey of course we don't end out like that, the kids gets to swim and jump from our ship and mast, and under supervision they get to clime our main mast, they can reach 15 meters in a safe manner, and when they are up there they can swing of the mast while I slowly lower them by robe, most of them are convinced they are pirates when they head back home!
Thank you! My dyslexic mind was giving me a whole lot of trouble in comprehending the whole declination mapping issues. You made it completely understandable. And that huge compass is badass.
Awesome! Not only is Magnetic and True North and the concept of Declination explained in a clear and concise way with proper terminology, how to compensate for declination is made clear. The video is not intimidating and keeps our interest. Your visual aids "aid" (pun intended) our understanding of how to use a decent compass. And you offer an "in through the out door" solution to quick declination compensation. Thank you. Old School is cool and it's effective. More importantly learning how to compensate for declination makes it possible to use any map as a method of navigation. That way if you end up with a basic compass that doesn't have an adjustable declination you can still find your way out of the forest! Kind of like calculators, eh? Everyone can use one but do people actually know the math? Even more importantly what happens when a calculator is not available...same for maps and compasses. If you know how to use a basic compass and map and understand the concept of declination you can get yourself out of the valley without having to rely on an adjustable declination compass. Not that it isn't fun to have a compass with adjustable declination...but it's more important to KNOW HOW to compensate for declination with or without the extra feature than to just say..."use the adjustable declination feature" not to knock @johngo6283 he offers a valuable tool as well...but why do it in such a flippant manner? I think he misses the point of this tutorial...it is a video on demystifying declination not a lesson on how to take a short cut. And demystify declination this video did indeed! BRAVO!
Been watching a couple of explanation videos and I have to say I like yours the best. No blabla, no stuttering, the info is to the point. Thank you for sharing!
Been searching for the bridge that closed the gap between every video I have found explaining Magnetic Declination, and THIS was the hammer that drove the nail home!!! Many thanks!!
Great job all around! I loved the video. I'm a retired Scoutmaster and the Boy Scout Fieldbook is a good resource for how to use a compass as well, and teaches the "mark the map" method. The book is written at a level most adults could understand.
Yes you did, and actually you are one in a few that explained that to people because everybody is adjusting the compass for declination and it is a real pain. I use the same method and find it extremely easy and no more declination adjusting or worries. It also makes it easier if you go to another location you may end up to forget to adjust you declination to the new area and actually commit navigation errors. Great video man, congrats.
I agree! I will be taking a map reading exam (for a job as an emergency dispatcher) and have had a difficult time finding this information online. I do so appreciate his explanation about this specific topic, and I am enjoying reading all of the comments. I, too, am a bit older. Best of luck to you in all of your future adventures.
My goodness.. Just what I needed. I'm a student pilot and I'm working on my cross country planning. We have to know about the Isogonic lines to correct for our heading. Throughout my training, I've learned to just know which one to add and subtract but I never truly understood it. I need to understand the "why" of EVERYTHING and sometimes it can drive me crazy. You've explained the why perfectly. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this. It is truly appreciated!!
WOW. Thank you very much. I've been searching for a straight answer and, finally, you just nailed it for me! I'll be using my Brunton without a map, initially, so I don't even need to worry about declination! I can get to where I want/need to go by shooting a visual bearing and repeating that process. Record all the bearing shoots and I've got the back azimuth, if I wish to return to the point of origin. I think I've got that right! Also, I'll heed your advice about a long rule and adjust the maps (when I do start to practice that approach as well), to the declination legend on maps. Man, you made that all as simple as it can get, I think. You and the wife keep safe, and sound, and warm out in the bush...and thanks a 100,000,000!!!!
I was so impressed with your explanation on declination. What a great idea, adjusting the map for declination. I so wished I would have found this out years ago. Thank you so much. I will be marking all my maps.
So much easier without all the math, right. I'm X Army and they did it the hard way. To much math in all the other videos. It's crazy. I just adjust my map to the proper declination to the terrain and then use magnetic north on everything else.
I am happy to agree with the other comments, that this is the best declination tutorial. I'd forgotten what I had learned about this in the army years ago, and I have been a bit slow in relearning it, until I watched your RU-vid video. Thank you sir 👍
Great video. Many years since I have worked with compass and maps. Re-discovering this in my retirement. Excellent resources in your website. Many thanks!
WELL DONE !!!! I like the way you said when only using a map it is needed. To much math in all the other videos. It's crazy. I just adjust my map to the proper declination to the terrain and then use magnetic north on everything else. Very well done John.
Thanks for sharing your knowledge in a straight forward way. By the way this video was made 9 years ago and I sincerely hope you are well and still teaching.
Hey my man, you did a nice job with this. I am a boater, and we use this a little differently and I think it works for land navigation as well. On a marine chart, it has a compose rose that has true and magnetic north. In marine navigation we refer to it as variation. On a marine compose rose in my area, it is 10 degrees W difference. So, the first thing that we mariners do is find our current position A/K/A a fix. We then draw a line a straight line to our destination. We then use parallel dividers to "walk" over to the compass rose and create a magnetic course line to the destination. We then follow that course using the compass on the boat to reach the destination. You can also do the same thing using GPS. However, best practice is to chart a magnetic course and then use the compass to verify the accuracy of the GPS. So in our case we are adjusting the chart as you say. I would be uncomfortable turning the compass dial. Most importantly, you are teaching an art that we as humans need to understand especially in an emergency. I enjoyed your video.
Thank you so much good sir,you have made me a lot more confident in my compass n map reading skills,my respects go out to all you military personnel in the USA,thanx again dude!
I give this video 5 stars. Excellent explanation. I also had not seen an isogonic chart/map until I watched this video. Magnetic declination truly demystified!
I am only starting to learn about navigation and had been browsing the internet and YT for about a week to learn the basics. Had I found this video day one I would self myself a lot frustration 😂 how no other video on YT mentions that the map can be so easily adjusted??? this is perfect!
Thank you, Sir, for this great video. Of course, you helped me to demystify the magnetic declinations. The Eastern and Western (03:59) declinations were not clear to me, not anymore. The ruler (15:54) is a great tip. Very well explained. Much appreciated.
I just love it. Thank you for taking the time to make this video. You have made this so easy to understand. I always had questions but just changing your map to declination north is so simple. Peace, Reese
I was in the military (USMC) and fully understand the declination diagram, land nav, etc. But, I have marked my hunting maps just as you explained at the end of this video and now I can just use my compass just the way it is without having to worry about adjustments, etc.
Thank you , very well done good explanation and a lot of help to people who don't know or don't use a compass very much, very helpful to me. Learning all the time. Thank you.
Very well done explanation.....however, the declination markings on most of these old topographic maps are outdated and the agonic line will have changed over the years. It has been pretty steadily moving from east to west over the last few decades. That information is readily available from various places on the web and once you have that updated figure in hand, remarking the map with the corrected information is very easily done with your map protractor.
Great video. I first searched underwater navigation using a compass for SCUBA purposes and saw comments about surface navigation being different. Out of curiosity, I watched surface navigation videos too. This video was easy to follow as far as explaining the effects of declination and ways to compensate.
Absolutely great video, spot on. If I could add one thing, you need to tell people that declination does move overtime, and if you permanently mark your map. And tried to use it 20 years later you might be in trouble.
I ran across your video channel gathering navigation info. Very well instructed information which is very crucial in the field. After all, maps are flat and the earth is not. I have found your idea very helpful and doing my maps today. Thank you
Your technique for adjusting the map by adding in meridian lines matching the declination diagram's legend is exceedingly helpful. Having been trained as an army officer in the 70's this would have made much of the instruction there a lot easier to follow, although, with extensive study of the army's navigation manual I was able to accurately lead troops to targets on the ground as well as my armor platoon.
Ahhh ok, in the middle of your video you mention you only need to worry about declination if you're using a map. That's definitely key and I don't recall anyone else saying that (they probably assume you're using a map!). So that was nice to hear. Thank you for explaining everything, I think I finally got it lmao
Thank you!! Excellent job teaching my brain to understand and remember how to deal with and understand declination. Now I want to understand North star vs magnetic north.
Good video, sir. You presented the subject in an easily understandable way, the board was a great illustration in showing what & how it looks & works. It brings back old memories from my days as an Army Cannon Fire Direction Specialist (13E). By the way, I have purchased several items from you, and I would like to say that they are of good quality and I will purchase more in the future. Thank you for your service, sir
The great killer of officer candidates and later as new lieutenants in their OBC (Officer Basic Course) was of course Map Reading/Land Navigation. Even assigned to their units the ones who passed would get their platoons lost, or call artillery on top of their own heads. Not me. Ain't pretty and can't dance, but had a knack for compasses and land nav; came in first on every 10-kilometer, 10-point course I was ever on. After you first figure out that North ain't really North on a compass (unless you happen to be on a straight line with True and Magnetic Norths), the real fatal error is getting the compass or map turned 180-degrees and going/at exactly opposite where you think you are going/at. Easy to do --- just fail to subtract/add 180-degrees when doing intersection/resection map work. Been 48-years since I was a new lieutenant, but I guarantee ya I can pick up a map, protractor and compass today and know exactly where I'm at and how to get where I want to go. Well, I can tell you which way to go; I'm not able to do the walking anymore.
You got it brother. Was not until PLDC that we got into the reality of land navigation. Our final phase test was at night during 48 hour pass/fail tests. We also had to change to grid coordinates for artillery fire. Of course it was raining during this.
I'm 75 now and when I was in the RCN (Royal Canadian Navy) at age 17, I lived in Monteal, Canada. The declination then, there, was 6.6 degrees only... now it's 13.5.
Getting back into orienteering, (it IS a perishable skill!) the marking of the declination lines ON the map prior to use is one of the best tools I have seen to date. Thank you for that info. I am absolutely doing this to my topo maps tonight!
Great vid, thanks John. I’ve been a long-time customer of yours. I just recently found out that you have a you tube channel, how cool is that. Your explanation of declination clarifies the mystery. I have what I think is an even easier method. You start by orienting your map to magnetic north by placing your compass along the magnetic north line on the diagram, and rotating the map until you line up to north. At this point, you make sure the map doesn’t move. Then you can plot your azimuth as usual, and not have to compensate for declination. The maps rotation does it for you. I hope I’ve explained this in a way that makes sense. I would also use a protractor to verify that the angle of magnetic north is drawn accurately.
Thank you for this, and for diagramming it out. I have watched so many videos and was still not getting whether I should add or subtract and what positive vs. negative meant. The convergence of the lines makes total sense, and I could have stopped there. Working with the map and having it tell us made it even easier. Thanks again.
I think you did a good job. As a kid the BSA taught us to orient the map, not the compass. Much easier. Depending on the compass you may have to make the lines on the map closer together. What really matters when not using a map is to recognize not all compasses are the same. There is a huge variance in magnetic north in cheaper compasses. That means the bearings I took with one compass, cheap or expensive, to get somewhere will not help me or you if we use another cheaper compass to follow the same bearings. Because, we will travel further away from the destination the further we go, actually starting with different bearings. There can be a 3-6 degree difference. You can use any old compass for general field nav to prevent your natural drift toward your dominant side to go in one direction. When going back, do so more or less, depending on how far you traveled, to the right or left of where you want to be on the return trip. That way when on the return trip you know when to turn right or left once either time, pace count, or major identifying terrain feature is reached. If you come 180 degrees back from the direction you went in and are a little off on the return trip following the bearing you may panic when you don't see your car or canoe. A compass is not a GPS. Some folks use a triangle or rectangle for navigating new areas.
This will be very helpful once my head stops spinning… lol in any case i will watch it a few more times to help it sink in… thank you for posting this video so us geographically challenged individuals may soon find ourselves again
Awesome! I never thought of adjusting the map itself. That could very well be a game changer for me so I am not having to mess with compass realignments. Thanks!
i told another you tuber that one could adjust map, and not bother with adjusting compass. he didn't get it.. but loved your video one of the better ones id say
Hey John, thanks for this! For years I was told that I was doing it wrong by adjusting my map and not my compass yet have never been lost when with my map and compass. Oh, I've been lost before but never with my map and compass and the system you described here is exactly the method I use. However I don't draw out the lines on the map. I just write down the degrees to north my map at down in the corner or near the declination chart. When I first began plotting courses the declination here was about 7 deg E but now we're not even 1 minute from true north so it's real easy. But I've used this same method from east to west coast with great success. Now I teach this to Cubs and Scouts and it continues to work! We always come out of the bush where we expected to. Thanks again for the video. Semper Fidelis, bro.
