Is it really necessary to get the time to nearest second? OOPS, I have just used my inaccurate watch and banged in just a rough time probably several minutes out.
Also, with compass, what is marked on charts is magnetic VARIATION. Deviation is completely different and is a measure of what iron and magnetic objects you have near the compass. When you set up, make sure you are not too near a shed with a million car bodies in it, or just outside a metal shed even. Last week I made a special wooden jig to rest the compass in when lining up the HEQ5. Couldn't understand why the compass card didn't want to point near where I knew south was..I found out that I had used one steel nail in the wooden bracket right underneath the compass, and that one nail was throwing out my readings horribly!!
If your local magnetic variation is 9 degrees East, then get the compass to point to 180-9 = 171degrees, then the fore and aft mark will be pointing at 180 deg True (ie South)
