> There's a fairly well known method for finding north using an analog wrist > watch. ... The technique can be in error by up to 30 degrees because of seasonal changes in > daylight hours. > ??? Around here in NJ we think more in terms of finding South (for us) with an annual error of 6 degrees. Still good enough for rough navigation. > Start off by calculating the time of day midway between sun rise and sunset (T1 in > 24 hour format). Then calculate T2 (12 hr format) = (Time of day [24 hr > format] - 12 - T1). Then orient the watch so that T1 faces the sun and > bisect the angle between T1 and T2. Yes, this will work BUT!!! If you have the foresight to be carrying an almanac with the required information, then why the hell aren't you carrying a compass? A propos of the survival situation wherein you don't have a compass and your watch doesn't work; How about the stick and string method? Sometime before noon put a stick in the ground and note the shadow of the tip. From there with a string trace an arc around for some distance. Mark it again when the tip shadow hits that line again some time after noon. Measure the distance between the two crossings with the string leaving a straight line between the two points, put the folded-in-half string back on that straight line, then draw a line between that point and the base of the stick. That should be your N-S line (or noon line) pretty closely. Joe P. *************************************************************************** PaddleWise Paddling Mailing List - Any opinions or suggestions expressed here are solely those of the writer(s). You must assume the entire responsibility for reliance upon them. All postings copyright the author. Submissions: PaddleWise_at_PaddleWise.net Subscriptions: PaddleWise-request_at_PaddleWise.net Website: http://www.paddlewise.net/ ***************************************************************************Received on Mon Nov 27 2006 - 08:55:55 PST
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