compass reccomendation?

Ausseknifeknut

Ausseknifeknut

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Thinking of adding a compass to my survival gear and learning how to use it , what's a good starter compass? I don't mind paying for a really good one
 
Cammenga tritium lensatic is the one I use and was trained with. that with a good topographic map of the area and some practice and you can find anything. Add a protractor for maps and a pace counting bead set to help you learn your distances.
 
Ausseknifeknut said:
Thinking of adding a compass to my survival gear and learning how to use it , what's a good starter compass? I don't mind paying for a really good one
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If in Australia make sure you get one meant for the Southern Hemisphere. That said, Suunto A-10. You won't need a separate protractor. Just a map sheets with a declination diagram or know what the magnetic declination is.

Joplin%2520Quad%2520and%2520Suunto%2520A10.JPG
 
I have been map reading in open ground situations for over 46 years, so this is what I suggest

A Suunto or a Silva with a Sighting mirror and an adjustable Declination
Do not bother with a starter compass
Buy well, buy once

The baseplate and sighting mirror is the easiest map to terrain and terrain to map compass
Sight from the terrain then transfer to the map
Take a bearing from the map then transfer to the Terrain

Three norths, Magnetic, true and grid
See image in post above
The compass needle point to magnetic north and the lines and squares on the map is grid north
There can be a -3 to +14 degree difference depending on where you are in Australia
http://www.ga.gov.au/oracle/geomag/images/agrf2015declination.jpg
So you must take this difference in to consideration

An adjustable Declination means you shift the base plate for this difference so there is never a need in the field to make the calculation
Vital when in stress or hypodermic conditions

A compass like this will cost about $50 US and will last a life time
If you want suggestion of model #s ask
I do not know about southern hemisphere stuff sorry
 
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After 20 years in the Army and 45 in the woods, I'll tell you you really don't need a sighting mirror or a compass with adjustable declination. A good basic baseplate compass is really all you need to navigate with map and compass. Land navigation is a game of the mind little improved with gadgetry. Truly you only need a basic compass (and a map and the declination) as long as the needle accurately points north. Accurate maps are MUCH more important than the compass. You'll reference the map much more than the compass. If you had to choose between the compass or the map. Ditch the compass but keep the map. Those winning orienteering events are using thumb compasses - can't get much more basic than those. You can get a basic base plate compass for $10 or less, and it truly is all you need. Just ensure the one you buy is intended for the southern hemisphere if you are in Australia.


Declination:

1. If there is currently (it changes by locale and over time) magnetic declination, it is either easterly or westerly. The declination diagram on the map above shows magnetic north being west of grid north so that depicts westerly declination.

2. Now memorize EMGA
E Easterly declination: to convert a M magnetic azimuth to a G grid azimuth, A add the declination.

3. So if EMGA,
then EGMS (S=subtract),
and WMGS,
and WGMA.

Just remember EMGA and you can sort out the rest from it.

4. In the declination diagram on the map above, the declination is a westerly declination of 10 degrees, so if you plot an azimuth of 245 degrees grid on the map and want to convert to a magnetic bearing on the ground, you add the declination (WGMA). The map plot shows 245 degrees, but you follow a 255 degree bearing on the compass (WGMA).

You are on the ground and site a compass bearing to a prominent landmark or specific terrain feature and your compass shows that to be a magnetic azimuth of 170 degrees to that landmark. On the map above you would plot that bearing as 160 degrees grid (WMGS).

If your map does not include a declination diagram, you can contact NOAA and find out the current declination for the locale.

http://maps.ngdc.noaa.gov/viewers/historical_declination/

Just ensure the year is correct and zoom in on the locale.


http://www.armystudyguide.com/content/SMCT_CTT_Tasks/Skill_Level_1/land-nav-task-9-convert-a.shtml
 
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Test question. If you have house centered in the south pole, where do the corners of the point?
 
How do you take accurate bearings with a baseplate compass

And if you can remember when the wind is blowing in a full storm and you are cold and wet and slightly hypodermic, or overheated from a sandstorm
Now memorize EMGA
E Easterly declination: to convert a M magnetic azimuth to a G grid azimuth, A add the declination.
3. So if EMGA,
then EGMS (S=subtract),
and WMGS,
and WGMA.
Just remember EMGA and you can sort out the rest from it.
Click to expand...
Yes if you are fully trained and practiced
So all you really need is a base plate

But it is so much easier with a sighting mirror and a pre-calculated magnetic declination
 
neeman said:
A compass like this will cost about $50 US and will last a life time
Click to expand...
It may last a life time. Depends on what the needle is made of and how it is magnetized. Once it is off, if it ever becomes off, the compass needs to be replaced.
 
My compasses. Upper left. Old Siva Type 5 I've had for 40+ years. The compass with which I learned to properly use a map and compass.

Just below the watch is a current Silva 1-2-3/Silva Starter and a Brunton TruArc 3 with global needle (cheapest compass currently sold with a global needle).

Below the Silva and Brunton is a Suunto A-10. The military compass is a Cammenga lenstatic. I used to have an old Swede made Silva Ranger with sighting mirror, adjustable declination, and clinometer that an old Army boss and mentor gave me in 1988. After that, I used it in the Army instead of the lensatic, but I haven't seen it in years. Haven't looked for it either.

Other than the Silva Type 5 (no longer made) and the Cammenga, you can get each of these compasses for around $10-$15 US. I paid less than $10 for the Silva Starter and Brunton TruArc3 and about $13 for the Suunto A-10. You truly don't need to spend more than that.

The Suunto A-10 stays in my day bag in the map bag with whatever map I'm taking. It's the one that almost always goes with me, but I'd be fine with any of them. When I travel internationally, I take the Brunton.


Compasses.JPG
 
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i like one with a sighting mirror because it can double as a signaling device and as a mirror - as in checking for debris in my eyes or putting my contacts on in the morning (i can do it without but it's slower).

if you want one of the best ($60'sh) then checkout a suunto mc-2g. adjustable declination so set it once and don't need to constantly recalculate and global needle so it works anywhere.
 
neeman said:
How do you take accurate bearings with a baseplate compass

And if you can remember when the wind is blowing in a full storm and you are cold and wet and slightly hypodermic, or overheated from a sandstorm Yes if you are fully trained and practiced
So all you really need is a base plate

But it is so much easier with a sighting mirror and a pre-calculated magnetic declination
Click to expand...

If you are hypothermic or hyperthermic you have bigger problems to worry about than declination. Land navigation ain't rocket science. Millions of people have been doing it for millennia. Was just made easier with accurate maps and compasses. Adding and subtracting a one or two digit number to a one two or three digit number just ain't all that difficult. Good map sheets even depict it on the map in the declination diagram. You truly make it sound more difficult than it is. There's a reason the vast majority of compasses sold for use with maps do not have adjustable declinations. It really isn't needed. Must of use can add or subtract small numbers easily. The most important use of a compass is to orient the map anyway if you cant sort out that without a compass.

Being fully trained to properly use a map/topo sheet and compass is easily attained. I learned when I was barely into my teen years. Practice is easy too. Like I said, it ain't rocket science.
 
JV3 said:
i like one with a sighting mirror because it can double as a signaling device and as a mirror - as in checking for debris in my eyes or putting my contacts on in the morning (i can do it without but it's slower).

if you want one of the best ($60'sh) then checkout a suunto mc-2g. adjustable declination so set it once and don't need to constantly recalculate and global needle so it works anywhere.
Click to expand...

The Brunton TruArc3 above has adjustable declination (and tool-less adjustable declination at that) and a global needle. I paid less than $8 USD for it on sale last Spring. It is from what is now the last USA compass factory. Seriously, there's no reason to spend 60 bucks on a good compass unless you just want to do so. The OP asked about a good starter compass. I'm one of those who will tell you a good starter compass is all you ever need if you learn to use it properly (but learning to use it properly goes for any compass).
 
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You are going to have to hunt a bit. couple of problems that you face, most of the no-name brand compasses at places like BCF are crap, but they over-charge for the Silva ones. That being said, you only get warranty though the retailer. If you can track down one of the Brunton TruArc line without spending an arm and a leg shipping it, go for it. Otherwise buy a silva in store from someone. Online a lot of the retailers are risky as in, they don't know which ones to send, or if its one of the many drop-shipper stores, you might end up with a north american one. I don't remember where I got mine, probably spent my birthday money at BCF, because I needed one. Features are cool, but here you will be spending well over double US retail for one of good ones.

When I moved I thought I'd just easily find one here, no trouble. Turns out that since only three people here actually walk anywhere most of the time, compasses are not that easy to find, unless you are looking for a dash mount one!
 
JV3 said:
by the way, here's a nice land nav article from esee: http://jungletraining.com/map-compass.pdf.
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Problem with that site is that there is no mention of declination until page 56, but the instruction packet has the student plotting a grid azimuth then following it magnetically at the very beginning (page 5) with no mention of adjusting for declination. Best to include the instruction for adjusting for declination simultaneously with instruction on plotting a grid azimuth and following that plot magnetically.
 
gadgetgeek said:
You are going to have to hunt a bit. couple of problems that you face, most of the no-name brand compasses at places like BCF are crap, but they over-charge for the Silva ones. That being said, you only get warranty though the retailer. If you can track down one of the Brunton TruArc line without spending an arm and a leg shipping it, go for it. Otherwise buy a silva in store from someone. Online a lot of the retailers are risky as in, they don't know which ones to send, or if its one of the many drop-shipper stores, you might end up with a north american one. I don't remember where I got mine, probably spent my birthday money at BCF, because I needed one. Features are cool, but here you will be spending well over double US retail for one of good ones.

When I moved I thought I'd just easily find one here, no trouble. Turns out that since only three people here actually walk anywhere most of the time, compasses are not that easy to find, unless you are looking for a dash mount one!
Click to expand...

If Aussieknifenut wants a compass he can't get inexpensively in Australia, I'll pick one up here in the USA and ship it to him IF I can find one less expensively with a Southern Hemisphere or global needle. Like I posted earlier the Brunton TruArc 3 is not only inexpensive here, it has a global needle to account for magnetic dip.

Aussieknifenut, just let me know what compass(es) you are considering when you know, and we'll go from there.

Global needle and dip:

https://www.suunto.com/Support/Compasses-feature-index/Understanding-balancing-zones/

http://www.mapworld.co.nz/global.html
 
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I've been a forest technologist for 3 years now. +1 on the suunto mc2-g. I've been using my suunto mc2-d (the northern hemisphere version) for the past three years every day, and it's still going strong. They're about $50CAD, but the IMHO they're the absolute best quality/price balance. They're very durable (it took -25C to break a chip off the base when my mitt got pinched in between the mirror and the base, and I've fallen and smashed mine into trees a lot, but no other major damage). There's a reason 90+% of my coworkers use a suunto compass. The adjustable declination and sighting mirrors aren't necessities, but huge helpers in the bush. Land nav up here in British Columbia is an 18deg declination adjustment (and so is New Brunswick, where I used to work), so it can make a big difference over long distance nav if it isn't being accounted for. As for the mirror, it's entirely worth the extra cost. Sighting without a mirror decreases accuracy, and the extra weight/bulk/price are off balanced by the increased sighting accuracy, signal device, and help when removing eye debris (mine gets used for that a lot).

I did a quick google search and found this: https://www.prospectors.com.au/p-3348-suunto-mc-2-compass.aspx for $80 already in australia, most other sources I checked were over $100 in AU.
 
Suunto MC-2 Global sighting compass. The best you can buy local in Australia short of spending AUD $250 on a silva expedition 54
I paid AUD $60 for mine
 
Thanks for the recommendations , I'll be shopping for one around the middle of July. I don't actually need one ATM , but it's a good skill to learn and something great to add to my gear. I also want to learn how to sew , and do my first aid course again , as I haven't done it since high school .
 
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