Comment by nlitsme
2 days ago
I am not a compass-nerd at all, and wonder: why don't we all use electronic compasses these days? Or, why use compasses at all? easier ways of navigating have been developed.
2 days ago
I am not a compass-nerd at all, and wonder: why don't we all use electronic compasses these days? Or, why use compasses at all? easier ways of navigating have been developed.
We do use electronic compass. That’s how google maps on your phone knows which way you are pointing.
Untrue. Google maps infers direction from multiple time-separated locations - that is, your velocity vector. If you don't move, it guesses - and is quite often wrong.
The reasons listed already, plus many events that involve navigation (like fell running) specifically ban electronic equipment.
Multiple reasons:
1. A traditional compass is cheaper. They are so cheap they are built into the caps of ultra-cheap hiking sticks.
2. Traditional compasses don't need recharging.
3. Traditional compasses don't seem to be as easily fooled by stray EM noise. It could be the inertial dampening of the mass of the needle, but I've been in the woods where expensive electronic compasses misfired, but the old-fashioned one still worked just fine.
4. Dedicated devices have far lower usage hurdles. If I'm hiking, a glance at the top of my stick tells me the general (8-point) direction I'm going. An electronic compass at a minimum requires me to fish out a device and turn it on, or open an app.
5. If you aren't navigating by precise map measurements, all you really need is 8-point information (that is, "northwest" instead of 281 degrees). Needles in a circle are perfect for this; digital degrees are not.