Adjusting compass for declination, and usage
Adjusting compass for declination, and usage
Hello :)
I have a Suunto MC 2G compass, and I am learning about magnetic declination. First, the area I live in has a -8° declination. So, if I set my adjustment to reflect that, then orient my map in the traditional way, everything on my map should reflect exactly what I see in real life, correct? This appears to be true for me, but it is hard to tell given such a small declination.
Second, with my adjusted compass, do I take and measure bearings in the traditional way? If I take a bearing on an object that reads 340 at the index line, then I don't have to worry about accounting for that -8, because I have already set it, correct? I suppose what I am asking is that, once my declination is set, I can just continue using my compass in all the ways I have before, and not worry about declination anymore.
Hi 11-month late, but I'm answering so this important topic gets an answer. Also I need to check in if you got lost in the meantime :-)
First of: good choice buying the Suunto! I'm by no means an expert, but I would say, you take the normal bearings. If you take a look at a video of the map reading company (I recommend that channel!) you can see that without added declination you need to do some basic math (subtract/add) the declination to your bearing. This is what the "hardware adjustment" corrects.