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Questions tagged [navigation]

This tag is for all questions about outdoor navigation with maps, compasses or mobile devices equipped with sensors for satellite based positioning systems.

3 votes
6 answers
323 views

How to find true north without compass, sun, and stars?

Is there any reliable method from nature to find north without the stars, sun, or compass? I have read a little bit on this subject, and a lot of it seems to be controversial. Let's say I am lost in ...
Arrow's user avatar
  • 318
1 vote
0 answers
95 views

Increase Accuracy of Magnetic Compass

How to increase the accuracy magnetic compass? Is there a good way using multiple ones? I searched the Internet and Philip Werner suggested at Section Hiker web: use the most current declination data ...
Cloud Cho's user avatar
  • 119
10 votes
4 answers
2k views

Are there any examples of orienteering (off-trail) route-finding software?

Route-finding software is common nowadays. For example, you can use Google Maps to navigate from one town to another. It's even possible to use apps like Gaia GPS to plan a route between two points ...
harry.kuril's user avatar
4 votes
1 answer
210 views

Free Online Text Books For Sailing

The FAA has a website to download free text books to learn all the things required to become a pilot. https://www.faa.gov/regulations_policies/handbooks_manuals/aviation/ Is there a similar website ...
John Shearing's user avatar
1 vote
0 answers
90 views

What are the slope determination criteria in the elevation profile of Google Earth? Is it based on rise over run or rise over hypotenuse? [duplicate]

I occasionally use google earth and notice that the slope percentage is never cross 100%, if slope percentage is determined by rise over run method the 100 percent value is equal to a 45-degree slope ...
Nitish's user avatar
  • 21
3 votes
3 answers
478 views

Why is nautical navigation still exclusively taught with paper charts?

I have recently read some books and courses on nautical navigation. All of these start teaching how you use paper based navigation charts, and teach the usage of protractors and such. There is even ...
Nakedible's user avatar
  • 133
4 votes
2 answers
208 views

Can you tell which way is uphill on the great plains?

The great plains are well-known for their flatness but they rise from about 200m at st Louis on the Mississippi river to almost 2000m at the "mile high city" of Denver next to the rocky ...
Kevin Kostlan's user avatar
3 votes
3 answers
248 views

Are there any affordable, dedicated (one-purpose) handheld GPS receivers with nice satellite maps?

I don't have a smartphone, or any phone, and specifically don't want to have one for many important reasons. However, I do wish that I had some sort of map where I get to see where I am currently, ...
Daman Meskell's user avatar
17 votes
5 answers
7k views

Can I record my route electronically when underground?

Portions of a hike I did recently involved me going through tunnels that had some twists and turns. How would these work with an app like AllTrails or another GPS tracker? As I understand it, assisted ...
neubert's user avatar
  • 839
4 votes
2 answers
464 views

If you have figured out one compass direction, is that always/sometimes/never enough to tell all the other three as well?

For a long time, I've been wondering for myself: if I know for sure that a certain house has this wall facing West, and I'm standing facing the wall in front of me, and I have nothing else to go by, ...
Bilbo's user avatar
  • 49
11 votes
4 answers
3k views

Should I buy a GPS to calculate elevation gain/loss?

I have minimal experience but i am considering getting certified by the ACMG (Association of Canadian Mountain Guides) in the far future. It says i need hikes with a minimum of 700 m elevation gain/...
sam's user avatar
  • 119
3 votes
2 answers
204 views

What is the local accuracy of the Garmin Oregon 750 barometric altimeter?

I want to manually create a topographical heightmap of a hillside property with the highest possible accuracy for the altitude. This will later serve as the basis for planning terraces and building ...
Olbert Daemmerer's user avatar
32 votes
5 answers
10k views

What advantage does the what3words coordinate system have over other, traditional systems?

I recently came across the what3words coordinate system in an outdoor magazine. The system divides the world into squares of 3 m x 3 m. Each square is then named with a combination of three (as far as ...
Snijderfrey's user avatar
  • 1,552
4 votes
2 answers
224 views

How to explain unexpected success following a bearing taken from an iPad

I live in northern British Columbia where the relevant declination values are currently Magnetic declination: 17° 45.30' East Grid declination (for Natural Resource Canada's NTS maps): 16° 17.04' ...
tomfumb's user avatar
  • 657
26 votes
22 answers
17k views

As of 2019, why do mountaineering courses still teach how to use a paper map?

I've been looking into learning how to mountaineer and noticed that the local mountaineering society still requires a training in navigation as part of the prerequisites for most of their basic ...
JonathanReez's user avatar
  • 3,017

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