A trip to the forest with the whole family always leaves pleasant memories. Picturesque landscapes, thick spruce trees, as well as a bonfire with barbecue are an unforgettable pleasure. But what can ruin such a walk? Yes, anything: mosquitoes, ticks, snakes, rain, or some other factor.
Of course, if you take a spray from mosquitoes and other insects, a good tent that can not only protect against annoying crawlers, but also shelter from the weather, pleasant memories of your company are provided.
But what if you and your family get lost in a dense forest? First of all, try to call for help by phone. But as a rule, a cell phone is very bad there or doesn’t work at all, and the GPS-navigator is not a strong assistant in this business either (the battery will run out or the signal will disappear).
In this case, the most reliable option is an army compass. He will always help to quickly determine the area and indicate the shortest way home. In this article, we will not only learn how to use the army compass, but also discuss some features of orientation on the ground.
Instructions for use
The arrows in the compass itself are very sensitive to metal. Some do not take this into account when they buy army compasses embedded in a knife, watch, or other metal products.
In order to get the most accurate readings of the compass, you must make sure that there are no foreign metal objects around it. It is worth noting that even power lines and the railway, which is located in a radius of 40-50 meters, can affect the arrow.
To use this device, you need to stop and put the device on a flat surface, for example, on the ground or palm and wait until the arrow reaches its final position. Then you can start checking with the map.
Azimuth
In order to get out of the forest, you need to understand what azimuth is and how to calculate it. So, this is the angle that determines the direction of your movement relative to the zero mark (north).
Perhaps some have already forgotten where the north is on the compass scale and where south is. And this is not surprising, because we do not go camping every day or use this device. Let's recall the notation on the compass: above is north, respectively, below is south, left is west, right is east.
How to determine the azimuth? In fact, this is one of the principles of the compass. In order to determine the azimuth, first set your compass so that its arrow points strictly north.
After that, visually draw an imaginary line of your direction. Ultimately, a certain angle will appear - between the arrow pointing to the North and the imaginary arrow indicating your direction. This angle is azimuth.
Remember the number of steps
There are situations when you come to an unfamiliar forest for mushrooms or berries and there is simply no time or desire to constantly measure and record a changing azimuth. In this case, you can use an alternative option.
After finding a suitable clearing with a large number of berries, put on the ground a small beacon in the form of a bright bag, rags or something else, and next to it is a stick indicating the direction of your movement. If you place such beacons every 100 meters, it will be much easier to find the way back and not get lost.
Magnetic declination
Azimuth is one of the principles of the compass. But he may have errors. For example, magnetic declination. What it is?
As you know, the north is on the map above. It is also called the geographical north, it connects all the meridians. But where does the compass needle show? As a rule, it points to magnetic north, and not to where the meridians connect. Because of this, a small error of several degrees occurs. This error is magnetic declination.
Therefore, it is recommended before calculating in a forest or other unfamiliar area to calculate this indicator.
Army Compass Adrianova
At the beginning of the 19th century, the military cartographer V. Adrianov created a unique compass. His invention struck the military command with its simplicity and, most importantly, reliability. The army compass that Adrian created became popular in many countries and territories. It is used not only by the military, but also by ordinary people.
Conclusion
Let's remember what exactly we learned from this article. We tried to understand in detail the instructions for using the compass. We discussed that before using it, you need to make sure that there are no power lines and, most importantly, no railways nearby that can interfere with the arrow.
We also figured out how the compass works. If you still cannot calculate the correct azimuth, then so far you should not go on a hiking trip, as there is a big risk of getting lost.
In fact, this indicator is determined in a couple of seconds: set the compass needle to the North and mentally draw a line along which you are heading. The angle that will turn out is the azimuth. The designation on the compass: above is north, below is south, left is west and right is east.
But do not forget about magnetic declination. If you do not take this into account during the trip, you can deviate greatly from the given direction and not get to the destination.
Therefore, at the very beginning, find out what magnetic declination in your area. This information will help you to orient yourself as accurately as possible on the ground. In addition to the compass, you must also understand the maps. If you do not know how to navigate the map, then the compass will help little.