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
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 One observation on marking maps is that the declination changes so the lines go out of date.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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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)
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!
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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!!
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 👍
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.
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.
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!
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 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.
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.
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.
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
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.
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!
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.
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.
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
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.
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
John, excellent video. I enjoyed it greatly. Cleared up a lot for me regarding declination. Look forward to sharing your knowledge with my grandson who we purchased a compass for for Christmas.
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
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.
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.
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!
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
Thanks for sharing your knowledge in this video, I'm learning how to read a map and navigate, this subject was confusing to me. You explained it very well and now I understand it a lot better now. Thank you
Very good video. I liked the idea of adjusting the map itself for declination; however, declination shifts every year by about 0.35° so you will have to get a new map every so often because the lines you drew will be off. Your video is the best video I have seen so far though.
Great practical video. Glad I happened upon your explanation. I am just starting out to learn map/compass reading and navigation and this really helps. THANKS.
For myself, I find object orientation a lot easier than using and adjusting for declination, and it's easier to triangulate my position on the map. Of course with the GPS technology that's now available, It's damn near impossible to get lost or be off by more that a few feet from you destination. Anyway, great informative video bro! Semper FI
Great video! I used this video to demystify magnetic declination for a geomatics class I am taking in engineering school. Now I feel a lot more confident if I do decide to take a long trek in the field. Thanks!
I read many opinions on how to set your compass and everyone has a valid point and like John said perhaps it is best to invest in a good compass to avoid many of these memorization. sometimes people will do wired things under stress...overall I loved your video thank you very much for taking the time to go through these details it was super informative and educational too. God bless you.
very helpful vid. I am the novice of all novices when it comes to this topic. however after watching this video twice I really got an understanding of compass declination
Thanks John - Great video and your method eliminates the addition and subtraction possibility of mistakes. No math makes it easier as 5 out of 4 people have problems with math!
You've already been told, but one more kudos for great job explaining. All others on youtube was terrible in their explanation. Not really smart on stuff like this, but didn't think I had to be a genius either! Thanks for the simple clear explanation.
I applaud you sir very well explained you were very informative and literally demystified the whole confusion of declanation. And I thank you for your service in the military. I am a beginner compass user.
I too believe in looking at the compass rose on the map to keep my head straight on whether to add or subtract. You might want to improve your accuracy when drawing the magnetic lines on the map. The protractor will give you a better baseline to line up the ruler for the first line. Then to eliminate the multiple errors that you incur,each time you re-aline that straight edge,use a set of parallel rulers. This way you won't have to mark up the whole map. Just "walk" your parallel up to the area of interest and lay down a set of lines. Perhaps it's an investment most people wouldn't want to make but for a map maven,the extra accuracy would be appreciated.
Hi, thanks for the great video. I had to watch it twice but think I have it now. I had read this about adjusting in different directions if you take a reading from a map or the compass (this was a very confusing concept). I can can just about understand why now and will make it a rule of thumb to follow. Of all the stuff I have looked at yours was the best so well done and thanks you again :)
This is incredibly helpful John, thank you, it opens worlds for me for deer hunting on public land, and not have to be depending on an electronic GPS. The map adjustment trick is an invaluable help. Now I need to get a circular compass.
Devil Dog my compliments, great lesson. I am reviewing my old Land Navigation MCI from 1980 something-early and brushing up on my skills. I have a hundred acres of hills and trees here in the Ozarks and I want to walk my boundaries via topo map and compass and I needed a refresher on proper understanding of declination and your lesson was good. As it looks, where I am here in southern Missouri I am but one degree to the west of the agonic line so I think that it's effect is negligible for me. Although, like Craig brought up in the earlier comment, that the declination of a map will change over the years and must be adjusted for and it is that which I don't recall how to deal with but there is a method or a formula. The map I have for my property is dated 1999 (23 years ago) so the lines have changed and I don't recall how to adjust. But I think it will still be negligible for me. Oorah, thanks for the lesson.
