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.
97
questions
3
votes
2
answers
832
views
What signs can I use to navigate a cave if lost?
I'm working on a story where a character gets trapped in a cave but use his knowledge as a weatherman to navigate and escape! Are the any weather-related clues you could use to escape a cave ...
- 67
6
votes
1
answer
3k
views
What are the differences between prismatic, lensatic, mirrored, and optical sighting compasses?
Background
I am looking at compasses for backpacking and camping, and have come across more compass varieties than I had ever thought possible. Four terms that often come up together are "...
- 1,875
8
votes
5
answers
1k
views
Did any lighthouses provide directional navigation signals?
Rather than shining in all directions, lighthouses usually produce a directed beam of light that continuously sweeps in a circle.
This allows:
the light to be more concentrated and so appear brighter....
- 661
12
votes
4
answers
2k
views
Garmin inReach vs. overcast sky
Garmin says about inReach that to have a two-way satellite communication "you need to have a clear view of the sky".
And what about cloud cover?.. Say it's winter and 100% overcast with angry ...
- 1,770
2
votes
3
answers
264
views
Navigation device with offline maps and GPX support
I have a subscription service from komoot for maps. Is there any GPS device that supports offline maps and GPX, preferably with android OS integration. Example scenario would be: Use an android based ...
- 21
5
votes
1
answer
105
views
Is there an app: remind me when I get back here
The basics of what I'm after is very, very simple: Push a button, it notes your location. When you reach that point again it tells you. I've looked around and I don't find anything that seems to ...
- 2,334
9
votes
2
answers
258
views
How to follow bearings while running?
I'm am amateur orienteer that does a fair chunk of races. I'm reasonably decent at navigating - using attack points, bearings, contours, catching features etc.
But I cannot follow a bearing ...
- 145
8
votes
1
answer
277
views
What is a glass artificial horizon?
On Amundsen's polar expedition they had,
Of instruments and apparatus for the sledge journeys we carried two sextants, three artificial horizons, of which two were glass horizons with dark glasses, ...
- 69.4k
56
votes
3
answers
15k
views
How do you know you have reached North or South Pole without GPS?
Having read about the recent foot traverse of Antarctica by Colin O'Brady I was wondering which means the polar explorers of former, pre-GPS times used to determine that they had reached the North or ...
- 7,542
6
votes
1
answer
466
views
How do simple compass needles remain level instead of see-sawing with magnetic dip? Are they flat even near the poles?
This instagram post by Colin O'Brady (just hiked across Antarctica) shows his compass needle looking fairly level, but I can't see enough else to know if he's holding it level.
A significant fraction ...
- 981
13
votes
3
answers
17k
views
How is elevation gain and change measured for hiking trails?
If a trail is listed as 1500m of elevation change, what exactly does that mean?
For example, if the trail goes up 500m, then down 200m, then up 100m, then down 300m, then up 400m, is that considered ...
9
votes
2
answers
1k
views
What does contouring mean in the context of navigation/orienteering?
One of the techniques while navigating in the outdoors is known as contouring, what does this mean and when would it be useful?
- 69.4k
3
votes
0
answers
217
views
How to find good hiking maps for the Laugavegur trail in Iceland? [duplicate]
I will be hiking the Laugavegur trail alone and have been looking for good hiking maps (1:50 000) online. My google searches yield no good results. Where do you even begin to look?
- 131
3
votes
2
answers
570
views
How accurate is the method of finding north with a watch?
There is a method of finding north with a watch described here
So you point the hour hand of your watch at the sun. Halfway between your hour hand and the noon mark is south.
How accurate is this ...
- 69.4k
8
votes
1
answer
922
views
Getting lost and circling a trail in a loop?
What is the term for that phenomenon when someone in wilderness start experiencing a strange situation? When,
They aren't certain that they have lost the route
They may or may not be walking on a ...
- 31.7k