Orient a map using a lensatic compass The following 30-minute U.S. Army training video from 1966 shows how to find your direction, orientation, and location with a mil-spec lensatic compass. When you have a line location, you know youre on a maps recognizable line (trail, ridge line, etc. In Part I, we covered how to properly use a compass, how to shootyour bearings, and the best map for navigating: the topo map. You can also use this website to get up to date declinations. On the map, you are where the line connects with the highway. Plus, as a web site visitor, you get a 50% discount off the regular price, meaning you get the whole course for $10. Make a mark with your pencil at the notch on the end furthest from the sighting wire. Identify where you are on the map and place the compass edge over this location. Now, rotate the map and compass baseplatetogetheruntil the compass needle is boxed in the red orienting arrow (or direction-of-travel lines) on the compass. But it isnt just magnets there are other culprits at play, here. You cant shoot a bearing on the end point in your terrain since you cant see it. a. It. We only recommend products we genuinely like, and purchases made through our links support our mission and the free content we publish here on AoM. First, open the compass to its fullest so that the cover forms a straightedge with the base. There is no declination, and you do not need to adjust your compass. How to orientate a map: let us point you the right way | Advnture When this happens, its time to orientate using a compass. He is currently working towards qualifying as a Mountaineering and Climbing Instructor and International Mountain Leader. There are 2 ways to do this - using landmarks or using a compass. Take a bearing on the mountain thats southwest from you. Travel to that landmark. Orient you compass with the bearing, and draw the bearing line. If you are interested in trying your hand at navigation with a lensatic compass, check out our Brunton 9077 Compass, and follow along with this video: If you are interested in trying your hand at navigation with a lensatic compass, check out our. You are missing your point location. Before we do that, lets dig a bit deeper into declination. Now $7.56. (2) Keep the compass aligned as directed above while . This is because it is prepped to point instead to magnetic north once its lined up with your compass needle. Turn your map so that north on the map, points in the same direction as the needle. To use this method (a) Open the cover to a 90-degree angle to the base. Choosing a selection results in a full page refresh. Sometimes limited visibility means terrain features may not be visible. You have your point location when you know precisely where you are in reference to your map. With a little bit of compass work, you can figure this out. Sometimes we may use GPS technology or navigational apps to find our way, but we will always have the option of a map and compass stashed safely in our hiking backpack. He has climbed a handful of 6000ers in the Himalayas, 4000ers in the Alps, 14ers in the US, and loves nothing more than a good long-distance wander in the wilderness. Preferred by military for its precision and. 4. We just dont know where we are. 3. The edge of the compass baseplate is now pointing in the direction of the visible landmark from which you took your bearing. "}},{"@type":"Question","name":"How do you do map orientation? When youre on this line and are facing true north, magnetic north lines up perfectly, too. They both use magnetization to help you find where you are and where youre going, but theres a catch. Line your orienteering compass's base plate up with the map's north-south lines. . How to use a compass and map: a simple guide | Atlas & Boots We still need to understand where we are in reference to our map how to orient ourselves before we can start really navigating, which well cover in Part III of this series. We may use the map to identify any landmark we observe in our landscape once we know our point location. Note: This procedure places the fixed black index line of the compass parallel to north-south grid lines of the map. In my. Sound complicated? The housing lines should be parallel with the maps vertical grid lines. Keep in mind that maps are drawn with north at the top. If youre in the Adirondacks, add 14 degrees to get a correct bearing of 194 degrees. This is sometimes referred to as putting red in the shed. So in this installment, well go over the skills you need to do just that. However, imagine youre in Muir Woods in San Francisco, facing true north. 2. Where the line intersects with the highway is where you are on the map. You can use this feature to set your compass in the dark. 4. If the contour interval is 10 meters, then what is the change in elevation of each intermediate contour . Pull the lens holder up so that it is at a 90-degree angle to the base of the compass. Flip your compass upside down. Contours are king. The first step of orienting with our map and compass is to make sure north on the map lines up with north in our terrain. You cant see the end point in your terrain, so you cant shoot a bearing on it. When you do know exactly where you are in relation to your map, you have your point position.. Were ready to start orienting ourselves now that our compass has been corrected for local declination. 4. As mentioned in Part I, true north and magnetic north arent the same. With the thumb loop all the way down under the compass, put the thumb of one hand all the way inside the loop, and place the index finger of that same hand along one side of the compass. You just need one more piece of information to figure out exactly where you are on the map. 5. Flip up the lid to a 90-degree angle. Photo: Wikipedia. This step comes after aligning our map and compass needle to magnetic north if using a compass that doesnt have a declination adjustment key. north. Youll want to rotate it till the black arrow outline matches the 4E hash mark. Place your compass base plate on your map so the edge of the compass is aligned with the north-south meridian lines. ), but youre not sure where. Step 2: line the compass up with the map. Thats right Contours are king. The term lensatic comes from the fact that there is a lens on the rear side of the compass that aids in the orienteering process. There is some technical difference between the two, but for all practical civilian purposes, the words are interchangeable. Remember, maps are drafted with north at the top. A map and compass are useless unless you know how to use them properly. Lets say youre planning a short hike from one point to another. Required fields are marked *. Lensatic compasses are used by the United States military for a reason. ? At this point, your map is almost oriented. The how to orient a map using a compass is a skill that can be used in the outdoors. Regardless, let's break it down into several steps: Open the compass cover at a 90-degree angle and then set the lens bracket at a 30-degree angle. Aligned the side of the compass with one of the north-south grid lines. At that point, leave it out in a spot where it can really dry overnight until you know the internal components are no longer moist. Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass 071-329-1011 Conditions: Standards: Orient the map to the ground using a compass. Look directly down on the top (smaller card) of compass to view general orientation cardinal points. Its 230 degrees in reference to your position, as you can see. As we can see, the area Im in has a declination of 4E. surface. He did this for ten days, taking us across numerous waterways and lakes. In addition to 360 degrees to measure directions in a circle, the military also uses 6,400 mils. The legend. Compass (For Dummies) Beginner guide to map and compass - Survival Saturday Ep. Making sure you don't move to change directions, turn the glass compass housing until the short luminous line is directly lined up with the luminous magnetic arrow. The My Open Country name is registered with the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office. To obtain a heading from our map, we may use our compass as a protractor. Plot a line on the map using the mountains rear bearing. This may arise when you don't know your current position but have taken a back bearing from a visible landmark (1) you can identify on the map. The techniques employed when using the lensatic compass are as follows: a. When we dont know where our point is, we have to rely on less precise kinds of orientation based on line or area position: Position of the line. The bezel clicks as it moves--three degrees for every click. Lets say youre out hiking. You can use it to find your bearings in any direction you need to go. 5. Overview. Everything on your map will be reversed if youre looking south and holding the map right side up. Taking each features relative shape, height and distance away into consideration, you should be able to start to match them to the contour features on the map. PDF Lensatic Compass or Military Compass Basic Use. - Survival Primer How to Use a Compass and Map - My Open Country Want to start taking action on the content you read on AoM? how to orient a map using a lensatic compass; how to orient a map in military; orient a map using a lensatic compass powerpoint Keep doing this until you get to where you want to go. The Lensatic compass also has a large number of drawbacks, including the use of a large case that can make this a cumbersome and heavy option. Video: How to Use a Lensatic Compass (U.S. Army, 1966) We covered how to use a compass correctly, how to shoot your bearings, and the greatest map for navigating: the topo map, in Part I. Have you noticed the agonic line? You can figure this out with a little compass work. Now it's time to take out the map. Your map is now aligned to magnetic north. Land Nav Task 10 - Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass that it is pointing towards the top of the map. This webpage may also be used to get current declinations. Best Camping Knife for Outdoor Adventures, Best 4-Person Tent For Camping [2023 Update], How to Use a Fire Starter: A Simple, Step-by-Step Guide, How to Dispose of Butane Cans (and Other Solvents), Best Hikes in Colorado: 17 Incredible Trails, Types of Backpacks: The Ultimate List of 23 Pack Styles, Learning one of land navigations primary skills, Turn your map using your map and compass together, How to check your map is oriented correctly. Were going to use the back bearing of that to plot a line from Saddle Mountain towards our general direction on the map. Finding Your Way With Map and Compass | U.S. Geological Survey Read Online Compass Reading Study Guide - ftp.avenza.com Want a free ebook on Land Navigation? Your article very useful for me and it helps me understand more about compass. When you face true north, magnetic north is going to be left, or west, of you by about 14. What if you dont have a compass that allows you to adjust for declination? This latter option is a cheat since grid lines have their own declination value. Declination was taken into account while adjusting the compass. Announcement: My online Land Navigation course includes four hours of video instruction, and two downloadable PDF books, all for about the same price as a typical paperback book. If your local declination is east of the agonic line, youll need to add the declination to your compass bearing; if its west of the agonic line, youll need to remove the declination from your compass bearing. The plotted line cuts through Mt. Program, Strengthen Your Tribe: A Report on the Atomic Athlete Vanguard, The Best Riddles for Kids (With Answers! Once you've got the bearing you can transfer it to the map. There are two ways of doing this. How to Use a Compass - The Beginner's Guide | thecampingman.com Your map (and yourself) are now be orientated north. The Art of Manliness participates in affiliate marketing programs, which means we get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links. Now that were putting compass to map, we need to adjust for it so that we can accurately orient and navigate. Stand so that you can see where the north arrow is pointing, and where your direction of travel arrow is pointing. Youll see that it shows two arrows when you turn your headset or controllers around to show the new orientation of a map. 2. Thats your bearing from point A to point B. Wrap your middle, ring and pinky finger around your thumb for support. If you dont start out using your lensatic compass with a map, then its just a regular compass. Throughout this procedure, were not utilizing it at all.). Place the fully opened lensatic compass on the map with 2. Because my magnetic declination is 4E, Ill move the black arrow outline to the red hash marks next to E DECL.. Get the free how to use a lensatic compass pdf form - pdfFiller On your map, shoot the back bearing that you just took with your compass from the top of Saddle Mountain. 3. You should notice that the direction of travel arrow should be pointing at the top of the map, and the black orienteering lines should also be parallel to the north-south gridlines on the map. With the thumb loop all the way down under the compass, put the thumb of one hand all the way inside the loop, and place the index finger of that same hand along one side of the compass. 071-COM-1011 Orient a Map Using a Lensatic Compass(1).pdf . You need to know where youre going before toying with the compass. Lay the compass on the map, using the straight edge to create a line from your starting point to your destination. Step 3: Find a path that leads to the horizon. So your true bearing would be 166. Knowing how to orientate a map is just one facet of the wider skill of knowing how to read a map. Open the cover completely and pull back the rear sight. Take your compass and turn the compass housing (bezel) until the red orientating arrow is in line with the direction of travel arrow. Make sure your map is aligned with magnetic north (see above). 2. The term "lensatic" comes from the fact that there is a lens on the rear side of the compass that aids in the orienteering process. In this video below,the user walks through the elements of a USGI lensatic compass, and how to properly use one. He climbs when he should be writing, writes when he should be sleeping, has fun always. Pull the ring underneath the compass and put your thumb through. Make sure the degrees of the dial are readable. See that little black outline of an arrow? Just follow these lensatic compass instructions: Open the compass: Let the cover and the base form a 90-degree angle. Yeah, book is the most effective tool that can be made use of for affecting your life. I guess the military needs the extra accuracy now and then say, for example, to precisely place artillery fire.