Can anyone recommend a decent quality compass?

[Omaroo (Chris Malikoff)]

Originally Posted by taminga16

Chris,
Dennis is looking for a compass, not a multi apps lump that happens to be able to make and take phone calls.

Greg.

With utmost respect, I think you've missed the point of the pro-phone people here. It's something that most people really do need in their lives these days anyway (heaven forbid - I wish I could lose mine sometimes, LOL!) - so most people already have one. If that's the case for Dennis, then there is a two-in-one solution that he might consider. "Boat anchor" isn't what I'd use to describe these devices. Maybe you'll get to use one one day!

I agree - all Dennis asked for was what we recommended as a brand and type of compass. Pretty simple device. I already mentioned that I used to use a Suunto - so I'll leave it at then then eh?

Hey Dennis - maybe you should explain what you want it for - otherwise you'll be sold a rubberised, weather-proofed brass-plated nitrogen-filled, prism-equipped, multi-scale thing that really is a boat anchor. IS it just to set up your mount with, or is it for hiking or canyoning or some such energetic outdoor pursuit? That'll determine what you should be recommended, no?

[JimmyH155]

I wouldnt trust anything electric. Murphy's Law states that when you most need it, the batteries will fail, or you will get it wet, or you will drop it.
MY ADVICE

Go to a large YACHT CHANDLER (or Yachting magazine) and get a hand bearing compass. Will cost you - wont be cheap. These are designed to be RUGGED and WATERPROOF and used by yachties.
I bought one over 20 years ago and it is still working brilliantly. You hold it to your eyes and look through to the very accurate scale. Mine was filled with Tritium gas so could see at night. (gas long ago leaked out though.) Heavy rubber sheathing all round, and was neat, you put it round your neck on a string.
You will always be able to get the magnetic variation for your area off the .net, then apply the adjustment (ie in Brissie variation is 12 degrees east, so to point directly south, you set the compass to point 180 - 12 = 168 degrees)
Good old 18th century stuff for me. Capt'n Cook managed with no worries, mate

[Robert9 (Robert)]

Use your watch! Point the 12 at the sun and bisect the angle between the sun and the hour-hand. Bingo - due north.

[gary]

Originally Posted by Wavytone

iPhone 3GS. The modern swiss army knife. To this, add the "Theodolite" app, which uses the camera to sight through to a target, gives you altitude, tilt and bearing to 0.1 degree.

No quite there yet ...

Despite the triumph of integrated circuit fabrication that modern multi-axis
magnetometers are, the reliability in accuracy of the bearing reading in
devices employed in mobile phones such as these is typically in the order
of 1.4 degrees in each axis.

Magnetic compasses are so... 18th century.

Even though the magnetic compass has probably been around since about the
2nd Century AD, today's electronic compasses still rely on the the Earth's
magnetic field.

[Nesti (Mark)]

Originally Posted by Dennis79

Hi everyone,

I'm looking to purchase a compass. Can anyone recommend a good brand and/or things to look out for?

Looking to get a reasonable level of quality so the thing will last for some time.

What's it being used for?

I can't offer any advice for anything other than for pure navigation, and then there really is only one choice [for me]. Forget gadgets and batteries to run the gadgets, or even cheap compasses. If you want something for a long time, try the Silva Prismatic.

There's a reason why they've kept their price over the years. Mine lasted me 13 years...I carried it for hundreds perhaps thousands of hours. It's good in mud, rain, dust and heat. I've had it in my pocket going over brick walls etc, you name it.

Use a lanyard with it and cover it with a sock cut in half (put a hole in the top and thread the lanyard through that so when it hangs the soc natually covers it)...it'll last you for years.

Used properly, it's insanely accurate. The only negative is that you have to keep the card pretty flat (level with the ground) to get the accuracy.

You can dial in the Mag variation and take bearings off a map in a few seconds. Read off the card (through the prism) of two distant features (hills say) and with practice you can get your position down to 10m (resections).

The prism has florescent paint, so you can navigate at night or you can read off the bearings on the card (so long as you have enough light to see the feature you are taking the bearing off). If you're good at converting paces to meters (map meters), you can safely navigate a winding corridor off a mountain in zero visibility (put my faith in mine on Ben Nevis in Scotland, total white-out and got down in one piece).

The prism can be unscrewed and replaced if damaged or requires cleaning.

Card displays Degrees and Mils...but you'll probably never get to use Mils (Mils is a better system).

http://criticalaccessories.com/index...1c52c6d45f8209

[Jen]

Originally Posted by erick

My phone is just fine and has been for years - even has one of these new-fangled cameras built in - how about that!

A voice from the 18th century - yes buy a Silva. But I did buy a different make from the Katmandu shop recently for someone (Hi Jen) and it looked every bit as good as the Silva for a few dollars less. (The Silva outlet in Victoria Street, Melbourne suddenly vanished?)

Hi Eric
yeah Eric got one for me isnt he a lovely fella

[TrevorW]

Originally Posted by Robert9

Use your watch! Point the 12 at the sun and bisect the angle between the sun and the hour-hand. Bingo - due north.

Problem is mines a digital

[Ric]

Speaking from an RFS point of view, none of us leave the station without a trusty Silva or Suunto in our pockets.

All of our trucks are equiped with GPS and we are trained to use them but we are still trained every month or two with map and compass which is still the most reliable in my books.

[AstroJunk (Jonathan)]

Originally Posted by Baddad

Military compasses were stored upside down. If it was right side up, a vehicle going past the store would allow movement of the needle and the associated wear on the pivot.

Grade-A boring fact Marty

[Rick Parrott]

Depends what it's for...
Any compass used by SCUBA divers are good; they are calibrated for local magnetic deviation (within reason); a bit expensive (around $90 or so from a dive shop), but they do get you home (always important underwater!).
I have seen the cheap ones that junkstores and car auto accesories places often have - they can be out as much as 90 degrees or more!
So... dive shop, or camping store or similar I think!

[AstralTraveller (David)]

I circulated the information about using an iPhone as a basic survey station to the staff here at the School of Earth and Enviromental Sciences and found out that it has already been done. We run a subject with a week long geological mapping field trip. One of the students' tasks is to measure strike and dip of rock strata, normally using a Brunton compass ($300+ each). Last year some students used an iPhone and their data was as good as that obtained with the Bruntons. Of course there is always user error in student data and the undulations on the surface of any outcrop mean that even experienced users will get slightly different results. So while I wouldn't use an iPhone to build roads, fly aircraft or scuba dive it seems that for some application they may be perfectly acceptable.