The compass no one knows how to use
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- Опубликовано: 10 июл 2024
- Why does no one know how to use one of the world’s best-selling compasses? The problem stems from two main issues: the extremely poor quality of the instructions provided (from which it appears that even the manufacturers don’t know how to use their own compasses) and the fact that these compasses are essentially outdated designs from the 1930s and early 1950s. These older models are rarely used today by experienced navigators, leading to a gap in practical knowledge and effective usage.
Poor Instructions
The instructions that come with these compasses are notoriously bad. They often lack clarity, detail, and proper illustrations, making it difficult for users to understand how to use the compass correctly. This is a significant barrier, especially for beginners who rely on these instructions to learn basic navigation skills.
Outdated Design
The design of these compasses is based on older models from the mid-20th century. While these designs were innovative at the time, they have been surpassed by more modern and user-friendly designs. Experienced navigators tend to avoid these outdated models, opting instead for more accurate and reliable options.
Brand Variety, Same Issues !
These compasses are sold under various brand names, such as the Bresser National Geographic Compass and the Brunton Military-Style Compass (F-9077). Despite the different branding, they are essentially the same product with only minor cosmetic differences. This means that regardless of the brand, users encounter the same problems with usability and instructions.
Key Differences with Modern Compasses
It's important to highlight how these compasses differ from more modern and widely used models like the Cammenga Lensatic compass. For instance:
• Index Line and Tritium Mark: The Cammenga Lensatic compass features an index line and a tritium mark, which are crucial for precise navigation, especially in low-light conditions. These elements are absent in the older compass models.
• Yellow Lines on the Glass: The older compasses have two yellow lines on the glass, which are not found in the Cammenga model. This difference can be confusing for users who are trying to follow instructions or guides that refer to more modern designs.
Bridging the Knowledge Gap
Given that these compasses have never been adequately explained or demonstrated, I have made this short video to provide a comprehensive guide on their use. By understanding both their historical context and practical application, users can better appreciate their functionality and learn to navigate effectively with these tools.
Before commenting please watch the video. As repeatedly stated in the video, this is NOT a cammenga.
Great explanation! Love your style of explaining.
You know, that was intuitively how I used the shorter yellow line
Right I've now watched ALL of the video
In the text you say the Cammenga Lensatic compass is better
Err Why?
And is there a video on using that one?
More confusing than the right way. 1) The cheap Chinese compas has two yellow lines because it is supposed to look like the other compasses. They had no intentions of a useful military compass. 2) The 1938 was a light weight artillery compas intended to pace and direct mortar fire. The Commanga has two yellow lines because the 1938 does. 3) Now, turn the bezel and compare what the two yellow lines do.
Ok, so, with no need to retrain our men. You take the map and find the place were it tells you the magnetic deviation of that area of the world. (no need for instructions, you take the class or you don't go getting everybody lost and killed during the battle.) OK, now you turn your bezel to cause ONE YELLOW LINE TO MOVE to the amount of magnetic deviation that the map includes. If the map doesn't have that information get your butt back to the office, because there is no way that somebody stole your map without you noticing.
Ok now, find a place where you can make certain there is no metal within several feet it. (This is NOT a ship's compass and don't ever try to use it as one.) Place the map on the ground and place the compass on top of the area where it says the magnetic deviation. turn the map until the map and the compass agree. If they do not agree, repeat the process. because you probably rotated the bezel the wrong way. (You'd think this would be a problem, but it never is. Magnetic North is always to the left or right of true North.)
Ok, now take your map and put it away and take your compass and attach it the button hole of your left breast jacket pocket and wait for orders. If it gets dark while your are waiting, you may use the intermittent button of your flashlight while the compass is in your pocket. (What the other yellow line does is fully automated. You can reposition without blinding yourself.)
What you don't do is follow instructions from somebody else.
I don't know why this was recommended, but I'm glad it was.
Yeah, pretty random. I was watching first amendment auditors, but I guess this might be useful during the upcoming Civil War. But this Civil War should only take about four days 😅
For real
😊
@@CarrieWard-ny1zl There must be something in the algorithm; been watching Long Island Audit and this was recommended.
Me either I’ve never used a compass in my life I just go the direction google maps says to go.
Funny what pops up on RUclips. This takes me back 40 years. In preparing to go into the military, way back when, an elderly family friend (a former WW2 infantry office who retired as a Maj-Gen taught me map reading, celestial navigation, triangulation, and lots of other basic skills that I have now forgotten with the passage of time. I also remember doing orienteering over vast expanses of eastern Australia, down in the national parks on the South Coast of NSW. It was so long ago and I was so young. Where did all those decades go?
Army Training Sir!
42 years ago for me...
...and half a world away.
I've tried to get my youngest to learn how to read a map, use a compass (Silva) and just find her bearings through observation.
But she just laughs and holds up her phone, which is great, until it stops working.
I know what happened to the advanced civilizations of the past...
...things got too easy and everyone forgot how survive with little or ignored the chance to learn the basics.
Behind you, lad. They went...behind you. Same thing happens to us in Florida, amazing enough.
Fellow aussie, similar story. Awesome stuff.
I have used a copy of the M1950 since 1973 and I was using it wrong until your video. I pulled it out of the draw and followed along with you. Boy, I learned a lot. Thank you.
Drawer.
I have an original M1938 I got from my Grandfather long ago. He fought in WWI with the Red Arrows out of Wisconsin or Minnesota. I don't remember which. I do remember he used to tell me about fighting along side the British solders in the trenches of France. I imagine he got it from an Army surplus after WWII. Above the Company name it reads: 8-45 CORPS OF ENGINEERS U. S. ARMY Below the Company name there's markings that read: MANUFACTURED BY SUPERIOR MAGNETO CORP L.I. CITY N.Y.. U.S.A. All the letters are upper case. Mine has the Yellow line reaching from the edge of the dial to the center hub that rotates with the glass. It also has a black line and three yellow dots that don't rotate. If I line up the N arrow with the black line, these dots are at 90 deg and 180 deg and 270 deg. My Grandfather did teach me how to use it, but I was very young and have forgotten. So, thank you for teaching me again!
The Red Arrow was the 32nd I.D., made up of National Guard troops from Wisconsin and Michigan.
I have one too. My grandpa was a lieutenant in the army in Europe during WW2.
Same from my father love it makes it way easier
32nd Red Arrow is still alive. Wisc Army NG one of the very best! Has beaten regular army units in field exercises often. I served in wisc NG and my fav uncle was in 33rd in Pacific in WW2. 32nd was a division then a seperate Brigade a small army in its own right: 2 inf battalions, a tank BN, an arty ( cannons) BN, a support bn. Plus Signal, medical, choppers, mortars. And a vompany size armored ( more tanks) scout squadron. From indian wars, civil war, ww1. Ww2 yo now it was one of the very best in the entire Army! CW4 Karl S.
Red Arrows was the 32d Infantry Division, which at the start of WWII, was the national Guard of Michigan and Wisconsin.
I have an old M1938 looking model. I learned to use a compass in ROTC in high school (1976). Spent a week at Army Ranger camp one summer and a group of us was dropped into the woods with instructions to find our way back to camp using nothing but a compass. We were given a bearing and a time limit. Yeah, we made it back in time (before pitch black dark). I keep a compass folded in my truck console and keep my cell phone’s compass app turned on with my phone mounted in a dashboard holder to keep my mind fresh and up to date re: bearings.
ROTC, 1980-1980. "Rangers" and Orienteering Teams. Did an escape and evasion and had the same experience: Drop off, bearing, and have fun cause it is going to take you all night to find your way there....PS, don't get caught. Fun times.
ROTC 1975-77 we learned about using a compass in one of our "Military Science" classes. We also did a week long field trip to Ft Devens; where we were sponsored by the 10th SF Group. Up until '75 we actually had a locked Magazine with fully functional M14s AT the High School. We took them to Ft Devens for our field trip and actually qualified with them, at age 16! Incredible memories! (sorry for getting off-topic). We used compasses during our Combat Patrol and Night Ambush exercises.
I have my father’s M1938. He was in the 5th Ranger Battalion 13:42 . It went through D-Day, and many other battles with him. I’m glad I have a better understanding of how it works now.
Cool story. Glad your pops made it and hopefully lived a long enjoyable life. That's an awesome(and functional/useful) piece of history you have to remember him by.
I just wanted to say thank you. Not just for the lesson and how to use that particular style of compass. It’s just your demeanor. You’re very pleasant. You clearly put your heart into this. It was just an utter joy to watch. I hope you are in the educational field. You are the instructor professor everyone wishes they had.
During my military service in Switzerland, I was taught that the short yellow line - or it's equivalent on the Recta Swiss Army issue matchbox - was used to circumnavigate larger obstacles in your path - i.e a pond.
Before reaching the obstacle, you would set your bearing from the long line to the short line.
Then, you would walk the new bearing, counting your steps, until you were on the side of the obstacle.
Then you would reset the bearing by 90 degrees and walk the number of counted steps.
Then after walking this trisngle sround the obstacle, you woul reset your original bearing on the long yellow line.
So that particular compass must have had 2 short yellow lines at 45 degrees on either side of the long yellow line? In avoiding the obstacle you are attempting to walk 2 legs of a right isosceles triangle. That sounds like a slight upgrade to the night click feature. Did your compass also click?
What a cool video. It’s been 30 years since I used a lensatic compass for navigation. Primary Leadership Development Course.
Had to do that course as well. They renamed it to the Warrior Leader Course
Ditto! Had to do the PLDC land nav. I was infantry so it was easy. It's one of the skills that I have really put to good use. Along with terrain association and being able to read a map. Never been lost. It's a real core skill for the outdoor enthusiasts.👍
Always in the woods! Loved it! My neighbors always wanted to play "Army". It was hard keeping a straight face all the time later on after joining-knowing I was being paid to relive my childhood!🎉
I did PLDC in 1974.
I admire people who can read maps. The only map reading I do these days is I orient my GPS so that north is at the top of the screen rather than the map constantly changing depending on direction.
I prefer maps to GPS.
@@dave-d-grunt Don't tell EVERYONE but
Its NOT either / or
Belt & braces sir - In difficult terraine its just prudent
It allows you to sense check both and leaves you an option if some loon is GPS spoofing
@@dave-d-grunt Maps have larger display too!
North up vs. track up is the biggest single failure of GPS for orientation period. When flight instructing aircraft owners that insisted on using North up, I could easily prove how confusion and disorientation WOULD happen to them. LOST... If you're traveling and not using track up orientation, you're not using a GPS correctly.
I used a M1938 for decades. I never got lost. I got bewildered a time or two. Ridges and creeks not clear on my USGS Maps, when I got new ones they were there. I made it home with out spending a night in the woods both times. I grew up in the hills of SW Virginia, and everyone, Uncles, Grandparents made sure i knew enough to survive for days if I got lost. I spent a week with friends on a Primitive Hunt, we lived of the land harvested rabbits, squirrel and fish from çreeks, We hàd well timed flintlocks rifles and knew how to use them. To light fires primitive means, Bow drill, strike a light and filling the pan of a flintlock. To navigate we used the circle on the ground and a stick after 15 minutes I placed another stick on the point of the shadow and figured out North
Sounds like you had the childhood many of us wish we had - I never made it past Cub Scouts and wish that I had - I am 69 so back then Scouts were Scouts and not Co-Ed like they are now. If you are married and have children or Nieces and Nephews I hope that you are passing along what you have learned.
Me and my friends would spend days, sometimes a week, in the woods behind our neighborhood.
We had .22s and matches or lighters, but most of the time, we didn't take tents or sleeping bags (its hot in MS).
We had machetes or hatchets, and could make most of what we needed.
It wasn't really large tract of Forrest, but it was about 20miles by 15 or so.
It had creeks and small lakes with fish, and we also had squirrels, rabbits, and birds to eat. During the winter, we might bring a bow and take a deer.
Unfortunately, that whole area has been developed now.
Good times though.
And then you moved to Beverly, Hills that is.
Having been in the Army (late 70s to mid 80s), and especially being an Artillery Fire Directions Specialist (13E) , knowledge and proficiency in use of the compass was SOP (even more so for Artillery Forward Observer's). It is perhaps one of the best bits of training we received that has proven invaluable in civilian life and something I use to this day.
Nicely done video! Thank you!
Before they Installed an LRASSS on my Humvee turret ring we used map and lensatic compass exclusively for SALT reports, TRPs and indirect fire. Map reading/Land Navigation is an art, and Cav Scouts are heavily-armed Picassos. I spent hours leaning over a table with a stack of maps with a razor, a compass a protractor and scotch tape piecing together maps before laminating them and marking Phase lines, S2 data and notable terrain before carefully working the creases to fold up in a map pack. Making mission specific keys was my favorite part. V5 multicolored pens were a game changer. I don't know why I posted this.
LARS. Left Add. Right Subtract. Resection is Me section. Pace cords on our LBEs. 78 paces for 100meters. I was in infantryman before there was GPS. I'm guessing most aren't proficient in land nav these days.
fellow 13E here🇺🇸👍🏻.
I work at a V.A for 12 years now and run into only 1 other 13E and 1 FDO. Pretty rare job I guess
I was in the army in the late 1960s and went to artillery OCS at Ft. Sill. When I went to Vietnam I expected to be assigned as an FO but wound up as an advisor to Vietnamese RF/PF units. Still had to call in a handful of fire missions.. You are correct. The compass, map and radio were your "office" essentials. Always made my day when fire direction was on the other end of the radio. Still have a copy cat lensmatic compass in my vehicle but I don't know why.😊
@@hansangb - I was a 13E to begin with. Then I was an 11B. All before GPS. I was the most proficient in land nav where ever I found myself.
One of the most useful, entertaining and educational channels on the internet. Hats off from Germany. And thank you for the good work. Dirk
Yeah people go to youtube and forget there are other resources! My 1970's era Boy Scout handbook had a chapter on that style of compass. Oh and yes my dad taught me how with an M1938 compass he was issued in the USMC around 1950. Thanks for posting this, brings back some memories of my childhood! Well done!
It would be great if there was a class that taught this - probably in Gym would be good. I hope that you are able to pass on the knowledge that you have learned.
Used it in the US Army in the ‘80’s, but no one explained the yellow lines. Funny enough, I just used the long one as you suggested, I could never figure out why they had a 45 degree offset. I kind of thought maybe it was for going around obstacles or something, but never worried about it.
You mentioning obstacles jogged my memory from boy scouts. I suddenly distinctly remember my scoutmaster saying they could be used for that, I think in combination with counting steps or time spent heading off and then back on to your path.
I guess that wasn't their true purpose after all, but I dont see why it wouldn't work.
I've had one with two glow in the dark lines instead of your white lines since the 70's. I bought it in a military surplus store here in Iowa.
My father was a watch maker in the early 60's and took in a very old compass as trade on a new watch.
The old compass is mounted on an old leather pocket watch fob and has a silver case just like an old pocket watch.
It opens by pressing the stem like a pocket watch. The cover when snapped shut locks the needle from spinning to protect it.
On the front cover are two large letters"US" indicating it was probably an old military compass of some branch.
I have not seen another one like it so we never figured out the history behind it.
search "Google images" and if it is out there you'll find it.
Might have been a Wittnauer WW2 Military Pocket Compass
These are so cool!
Nowadays people say "why do I need this? I have Google maps on my phone", but nobody actually uses Google maps where I live. Whenever someone comes to meet me, they call me and annoy me asking for manual turn-by-turn navigation to my location.
There was this one time I was the one going to meet another person, and I asked him to share his GPS position. He said "Nevermind, I am going to pick you up."
😭
I wish there were more people who know their way around maps.
My dad (retired USAF Air Police) had a M1938 military compass issued to him (I have it now) that he and the Boy Scouts taught me how to use. It saved my butt on one or two occasions when our group got misplaced while hiking in the Western PA woods during the 70's. Most of the guys had those cheap little plexiglass compasses and I had the only military compass. Both times we got back on track using my compass. Afterwards our guys were scouring the local Army and Navy stores for those M1938's. Nowadays everyone uses GPS or directional indicator/compass on their phones. Standard GPS satellite receivers will work almost anywhere (except areas with high iron concentrations or magnetic interference). But phone GPS only work near their microwave towers and in the deep woods or mountains and it's very iffy you'll get reception. I've met people who had those features on their phones and got lost anyway (and eventually found) as they didn't know which direction they needed to go even with a directional feature on their phone. People still need to understand the concept of using a compass and it's more modern variants (even on a phone) as well as know which direction is going to help them.
I was a Boy Scout in the 1960s and we used compasses that were basically the same as the M1950. Though, admittedly, it has been over 50 years since I used one and I find that I did need a refresher on it. Thank you.
You are very lucky, I am 69 and never made it past the Cub Scouts, I am glad you did and learned a lot from it.
Thank you so much for your videos mate. I started getting into hiking last year when I moved to Hong Kong on a student exchange program (Hong Kong has incredible trails) and was able to do some great hikes around Asia. But I always used AllTrails for navigation, which I was never a fan of as I often felt I spent too much time having to look at my phone screen rather than being immersed totally in the experience. Learning how to use map and compass has been so much fun and feels like a considerably more natural way of navigating. It doesn't feel like I'm being sucked out of the moment. Your videos have been so helpful for improving my hiking experience! Thanks so much!
Learn how to navigate with only your knowledge.. no compass just the map... learn to create a compass from what you find in nature
Learn to make a sextant or quadrant from nature
Then you don't get lost ever no batteries and it's so fun
Interesting and educational video. As a cartographer and recent former serviceman, I bemoan the fact that this new generation don't even know how to use a map and/or compass.
Some years ago while hunting moose on snowmobile off the Stampede Road north of Healey Alaska I was in a long, wide valley oriented east-west. Snowmobiles and rifles were permitted in the valley as it was state of ALaska land, but it was surrounded on the north and south by Denali National Park, where neither were allowed on a US National Park. All of this prior to the days of GPS. I did have a hand held LORAN in my machine pack but in the valley it was not any use. I also had USGS topo maps and a good engineer compass of the type you show.
Problem: Dusk coming on and I had moved around enough I was unsure of the exact location of the road where my truck was parked in a lot. Temp 20F. Gas at half tank in machine.
I stopped on a point of good visibility, got out compass and topo map and started to look at distinctive landmarks and identify them on the map. Then took readings on 3 of them and drew a back-azimuth line from that point on the map. In a few minutes the 3 crossed, indicating my location on the map. From there I could take a heading to the road, I did, got back and all was well.
Never trust gadgets that depend on electricity when it really matters. It is the same reason I learned how to take a noon sight with a sextant and figure location from the sun tables. The same can be done at night with moon and stars. A compass only provides one axis of orientation. A sextant gives a lot more. They have guided sailors and later airmen for centuries.
A n overnight hiker got himself lost depending on his cell phone. Those batteries don’t last long overnight in the cold.
Try using that compass at 40mph in the desert, having 0 contour lines or features on terrain maps. Great times
If it's a sand desert, you can still see the track you left behind, and you can check how far you went into the wrong direction.
Got 2 of these, and taught my 2 10yo daughter how to use them when they were 8 and still practice with them now. I also taught them other skills too, military based.
That is great to hear, passing on the knowledge you learned that would help you and also teaching your daughters how to use them too
Me as a German girl guide
used these compasses in the
80s and early 90s. After that mostly Swedish Silva,
Finnish Suunto or German
Eschenbach.
Another special ohne was a so
called "Bussole" from the Swiss army.
I think it's boussole, which is just the French word for compas
Bussola means compass in Italian
I learned map reading and navigating with a compass in high school. I was a junior ROTC cadet and we used the map of Tenino, Washington back in the 80s. It was fun and quite interesting. In later years I served in the Army and national guard for ten years. I took my land nav course in Fort Polk, Louisiana. Fun times back then.
Hello from Finland! In my compass manual it says that the short yellow line is in a 45 degree angle to locate the north-east etc. direction as well. While hunting or fishing at sea i have the Suunto Elementum Terra watch that has a digital compass and altimeter - the only minus is its need to be recalibrated before each time using it. I prefer the sea charts etc. while navigating (and the pole star/north star [not sure which one is it in english] since the military) because its just more fun than just going on with some GPS toy for those "I cant even read and i'm so glad i dont even have to - thanks to the audiobooks!"- type of people :)
I joined the Canadian army in 1979. We were using Silva baseplate compasses. I never SAW a prismatic compass in the army in 13 years. For nostalgia purposes only.
A bit of an aside, but your video brought some old memories back, thanks 👍
When I was a schoolboy, back in the mid 1960s, I bought a foreign made copy of the M1938 lensatic compass from a ‘Famous Army Stores’ shop in town as it was what I could afford on pocket money. Not military quality, foreign made, but it worked fine and I learned how to use it. At around 15 or 16 I used to have a Saturday job assisting my employer standing a stall on the town’s open market selling pottery and bone china.
One day, trade was slow and so I took a break for a quick browse of other stalls. There was one which had mainly ex British forces tools, spanner’s, sockets, hand drills, hacksaws etc, some WWII webbing, mess tins, knives, no uniforms though. They also had a few pieces of US Army WII gear, and one was a sealed, so waterproof, plastic wrist compass with rotating bearing bezel. I still have it, although without its webbing strap, (radioactive?) paint luminosity gone, now brown, and as soon as I heard you say, “Superior Magneto …” I knew that and went to find the full name stamped into the reverse to see…
‘CORPS OF ENGINEERS US ARMY’
‘MANUFACTURED BY SUPERIOR MAGNETO CORP
L. I. CITY N. Y. U. S. A.’
I never use it now, just nostalgic thing I guess, or lensatic types. I’ve used Silva base plastic plate compass’ for over 40years. Years of backpacking, rock climbing and mountain biking, dropped and cracked, fell several 100ft when I was climbing, so the last one I got in the ‘90s when I was on my local MRT, and my go to is a Type 4/54.
If you’re not familiar with the US Army Engineers WWII wrist compass, the one in the link is identical apart from that still has its strap.
www.ima-usa.com/products/original-u-s-wwii-us-army-corps-of-engineers-wrist-compass-by-superior-magneto-corporation-with-web-wristband-dated-november-1944?variant=40798735106117
my dad gifted me and my brother a very similar compass to this one when we where about 10 years old. Now about 13 years later, i can finally use it properly.
My kids have both been through an orienteering course and wild land survival training. They may never need the training, but if they ever get in a tight spot, at least it will give them some basic skills to depend on. Not to mention the confidence factor.
Hoping they have the confidence to take the map and compass from whomever wants it the most. It always seems that the loudest people who insist on being in charge also have the least clue in those situations.
I think you invented a whole new genre of videos just now: videos that contain actually useful and interesting information. Let's see how that works out.
This is an interesting video. Partly because of the detailed explanation and also partly due to its staggering ability to sear the phrases 'short yellow line' and 'long yellow line' permanently into my brain.
Most old school Boy Scouts will still have one.😊 Thanks for a nice refresher tutorial. Be prepared.
I have an M1938 that belonged to my Grandfather. He arrived in France with the Army as a Combat Engineer just in time for the Battle of the Bulge. He never talked much about his experiences, though. Thanks for the instruction on how to use this compass.
I picked up one of these in an army surplus store in San Francisco back in 1975, It says manufactured by brunson instrument co. and has numbers stamped in it: "7-64" so I guess it was manufactured July 1964. I found it in an old box today AND happened to find your video by random circumstance today as well. Thanks for the info! I know more than I did.
Thank you. It was good to read the comments also. We were taught map-reading back in the '80's, but not to this level of detail on a compass.
My dad had one when I was growing up in the 80's, and he and my WWII grandfathers taught me how to use it.
Came in handy during Marine Corps land navigation course during infantry training, 25 years ago.
This is not used in the same way as a modern Cammenga - that’s the point of the video.
@@TheMapReadingCompany, yeah, I get it. I didn't mean the new version, and should have clarified.
I meant that I was taught to use the M1950 model.
You're absolutely correct about the new ones.
Excellent 👍. I could never figure out why they had the short line. Thank you!
No clue why this was just in my feed. But I've been wanting to map read for a while. And you taught me, in brief, how the compass is to be used.
Last time I used a lensatic compass was in high school ROTC orienteering competitions. Nearly 40 years! Nice to find a refresher
I learnt to use a British War Department "Compass: Magnetic: Marching: Mk1" in the 60's. The thing I miss most on modern compasses is the locking button, which had two magical effects:-
Firstly: you could take a siting and then the reading without any movement of the needle. It made taking, reading and transferring bearings so much easier.
Secondly and probably more importantly: it engaged when the cover was closed and prevented damage to the vital bits through accidental impact.
Ah Well! That's progress for ya',
Thanks for explaining those lines. I have long wondered about them, especially the short one.
Thank you for showing us how to properly read and navigate while utilizing this *homonculus* of a tool!
Have a blessed year.
What exactly does "homonculus" mean?
Our 7 year old grand daughters pulled my old M1950 Army compass out of my desk drawer and they were very interested in it as they were only familiar with the cheap kids version. So we went into the back yard and I showed them how to use it. Now they each want one. LOL... I was first introduced to this compass in basic training with a map reading course. Like 6 hours and they emphasized that it may save your life. Used it a few times in Vietnam and decided that it was going home with me. I just moved it from my desk drawer to my Army medal display hanging on the wall. Looks good there!
It's not any more accurate than one from a crackerjack box. Compasses don't show true north. Put their toy by yours and they both point the same.
@@terryparker1694That's why some of the better compasses, like the Silva 16DCL, can be adjusted to compensate for magnetic declination.
Thanks for the info. I just pulled my dad's compass out to confirm that it is a M1938 W. & L. E. Gurley compass. As result also found it's rough value and wished I had looked after it better, as although it has just been sitting inside a canvas pouch, the copper wire and screws need clean or replace and the aluminum body has had some oxidising starting to occur probably in spots where the paint was scratched. Wish I'd pulled it out sooner.
I have no intention of using a compass in the near future, but I just had to watch this video. Fascinating stuff.
I was taught to use a prismatic compass and lensmatic 54 years ago as a scout. This brought back some memories.😅
It’s English history too, the 1938 model is preceded by an English 1917 patent looking as a variant of the prismatic compass
Don't know how this video came onto my feed, but glad it did very informative.
I remember being taught the basics in Army Cadets in the mid 70s using the military version. We even used one in forestry class in junior high.
"Once you've bought something, it's too late"
Amazon's return policy: "Am I a joke to you?"
We learned how to use Marching Compass 35 years ago in Boy Scouts. Later we started using the Baseplate compass but they are a Handicap.
Several years ago I searched for instructions on how to use the 1938 compass. Once ChatGPT came out I was able to get a reasonable answer. You explained the early 19th century compass well. Mine is worth saving only to point out to people what a lensatic compass is. I would never use it in the field.
I've got one of these, and I've always wondered about those two yellow lines as well. The explanation here is much appreciated!
I always taught to place the compass on the map, set the long yellow on the bearing. It’s easy to see through the wire and see the yellow line at the same time. These instructions are probably fine, but I’m so used to navigating the way I do changing would be difficult.
This also doesn’t instruct taking notes. Using the maps scale, calculating distance, reading the contours and pre-planning routes including bearing changes, counting steps, having a patch multiple strings of beads to keep count, etc. There’s a lot of land nav I’m used to that this simple video is not discussing.
That original bearing on a map went past a body of water and covered some distance. And treated it like you’re walking a straight path point A to B. In my experience that would very likely not be possible as the land around most bodies of water involve some critical grade changes, meaning you would be mapping routes that are not in straight lines, and involve distance and bearing changes.
Best video about the subjekt. I use the german Breithaupt Conat 3, most of the current Silvas and a lot of the chinese copies of the M1950 and Camenga copies. In my opinion the best chinese knockoffs is the copy of the old german WilKie (Wilhelm Kienzle) Meridian compass. Formerly a prismatic compass the copy have an lensatic sighting system. The only flaw in my eyes of these compasses is the way, the capsule is connected with the compass housing. The original WilKie was discontinued a few years ago, after Kasper and Richter bought the patents and stopped production.
The Meridian was the only compass with an thermoelastic capsule and the manufacturer keep the secrets up to day.
We learned this in the military, although I forgot what the seller line was for. Thanks for the reminder!
Used one for 20 yrs whilst Serving. Dam fine tool coupled with a Decent 1:60,000 map.
This is not used in the same way as a modern Cammenga - that’s the point of the video.
I have my dad’s from his time as a Marine during the Korean War. He also served in the Navy during WW2 as a member of VT-10 as a gunner in a torpedo plane
I have the same exact compass I was gifted a while ago that was claimed as a USSR compass, and it's the same exact compass as you have, but with USSR stickers. Never knew how to use it, thank you!
Wow, this takes me back to the Boy Scouts in the 70's. I had an M1950 (long lost) compass and on an orienteering test, I was able to hike 5 miles across mountainous terrain and through a lake to stop within 2 feet of the target. I still keep a compass in my vehicle and have about 30 different kinds. My wife says I have a compass fetish. I do not have a Cammenga Tritium compass, but I will shortly. I don't live in England, but your training courses appear to be fun.
Was it the late 60's: or perhaps it may have even been the early 1970's. Regardless of the date, the first compass that was introduced to me, back when, was from my Bata Scout school shoes. Every pair was fitted with a small compass secreted away in their heel... my current fixation with the humble compass, now that we're on the subject, most definitely stems from now I know where. My compass collection is only rivalled by my maps, both new and old alike.
But your understanding of this subject matter and conveying that information to us as you have... outstanding!
Great tutorial! Still have mine from basic (Army) training days back in the early 70s. We were taught these steps during a class one morning and dumped in groups of three out in the densely forested, hilly 'wilderness' somewhere outside Ft. Leonard Wood in the afternoon. Given a map, starting and ending coordinates, we had to hit 6 checkpoints along a 10-mile course. Our team was first to complete the course, but we held back just outside a clearing approaching the finish, as we knew we'd be assigned some B.S. detail while waiting for the stragglers. It was a lovely fall day I'll always remember fondly. Why groups of three? I'm sure someone out there knows / remembers.
Fort lost in the woods 2 hours from my home... 3 so if one gets injured, one stays and one gets help. Remember the WW2 wooden buildings
1982 army military police... ft McClellan Alabama... groups of 6 ... why carry the injured... but more importantly one should actually know how to navigate... I was with a butter bar lieutenant an e-5 seargent a spec-4 and me pfc another pfc and straight private.... the lieutenant asked if anyone knows how to navigate I said I do... anyway after the seargent and butter got us lost I said with all due respect mam I can get us there fast and easy.... got ignored 3 or 4 times until I said seargent let me at least explain... he said ok ... everyone watched as I gave a fast and dirty explanation.... he said sounds like you know what you're doing... I then determined our exact location with back azmiths oriented the map first of course... pin pointed our location within 10 meters ... shot an azimuth to our first way point noted a tree then gave the compass to the butter bar ... she said you need this ... I said not until we reach our way point .... I then sent out the private to a tree that was in line with our way point .... told the other pfc go stand between him and me approximately.... they both went out and using hand signs I aligned both on the azimuth
Then said follow me to seargent and butter bar we went as far as we could and still see both private and pfc... we aligned ourselves with them and called the first man up to take our place we then went out again aligned with the 2 left behind and ... everyone but one understood how we will leap frog leaving 2 in place align then bring up the rear man.... seargent and butter bar said wow that's awesome.... the 4 lower grades then started running while the butter bar and e-5 walked at a fast pace... we hit our first way point within about 20 meters ... got the compass from butter bar shot point 2 ... and we then hauled ass... upon arrival at the 3rd way point I told the butter bar keep the compass you need to do all this so you will always remember because you are the leader... and in the future you may need this... at the 5th way point I showed them all how to determine north with a stick and the sun.... then using only the map... and the compass rose on the map ... to do that stick the stick in the ground and put a stone at the tip of the shadow... wait until the shadow moves a few inches ... I used a long 4 foot stick for more accuracy and less time you need to wait... 10 min rest time while sun moved... then put another stone at the sticks shadow tip.... draw a line between those 2 stones you know east and west ... sun rises in east sets in west... now orient your map.... and holding a string with a weight
Hold the string and line the string on the azimuth you want to shoot
Using your eye... you improve accuracy using the degrees around the outer edge of the map ... we then leapfrogged again... until the final way point... we arrived second even though our 2 leaders had us lost for about 40 minutes... the seargent and butter bar ... grabbed me and took me to the man running the course and credit to them they told the story and said I should be training in maps compass or no compass
That was a fun day in basic training
You use a string with weight and hold as a plum Bob you sight the string holding the Bob weight over the map aligning with one eye looking at the string aligned with the compass rose on the map....
You can also make a compass rose easily with pen pencil or charcoal etc... put Mark's at 0 degree 180 90 and 270 ... it's easy to get accuracy by folding... then fold again.... then split each and you have half of 90 which is 45.. and half between 90 to 180 = 135 degrees
Split each of those
And so on until you have your full compass......
If you then take this paper and turn it sideways or the paper vertical with a hole in the center for a string with a weight .... you just created a sextant or quadrant
A quadrant is a 90 degree of a circle
So you just use 0 thru 90 degrees part
This would actually be called an astrolabe ... because it's 360 degrees.... this can be used to navigate by the stars ... but that's another lesson entirely.
If you have knowledge you can navigate with things you find in nature
But you still need a map of some kind even if you draw it yourself
Lived in Waynsville/St Robert back in the 80's, worked on the base. Great deer and turkey hunting with muzzle loaders and archery on the base back in the day. If you were employed there you could get a hunting permit for certain managed areas. But the ticks...the chiggers....the poison ivy.....don't miss them.
@@jolllyroger1 Learned basic compass and map navigation when I was 14 or so in the Boy Scouts before they became a home for wayward deviants. The Scout Post was on a military base in Alaska and was well supported materially by one of the units on the base. We had a lot of birch and black spruce forest in which to train, just like the military. We were taught many useful survival and bushcraft skill in that time. The key in bushcraft survival is to know what you MUST do (and NEVER DO) and then find whatever in your available resources will give you that ability to find or make shelter, warmth and safe water. Those 3 things give you time and space to further trouble shoot your situation, wait for help or wait out the weather. Never leave home without them.
Pretty sure I still have a 1938 running around. Looking back I wasn’t a huge fan of Boy Scouts, but glad I learned some of the things I did. Thanks for the refresher.
Thanks for the video. I have used mirror silva ranger compasses for over 40 years as part of my job, and I have Cammenga. My late mother gave an engineering compass years ago as a gift. It has the two yellow lines. I never could fine out what the purpose of the short one was.
I need to get myself another lensatic, they’re just simpler to use than a baseplate-style compass. At some time in the mid-80s I bought a “Sandy 183” lensatic compass with tritium illumination from the Military Clothing Sales Store, as opposed to the issued phosphorescent compasses. Manufacturer was Stocker & Yale as you mentioned. I had it for about 30 years, but at some point it stopped being accurate and I got rid of it. It was so old the tritium markings were barely visible on a totally black night with eyes adjusted.
Never needed to use a compass before, but that was really fascinating to watch. Thanks.
Nice, I have had an M1938 style for years and never bothered to look at how to actually use it. Thanks for the video.
Thanks for great video! I served in USN (submarine navigation) & later in US Army (Light Infantry). Marine & land navigation were major parts of my life for many years. You did a great job of explaining the use of compass features, of which (until now--as you said in video! 😁) I had no knowledge! Thank youu very much!
I just bought a cammenga compass and have no idea how to use it. The instructions are vague. I’m glad I found this.
This compass used in this video is NOT a Cammenga. For my "how to use" a Cammenga" see this video:
ruclips.net/video/FI7C8VlbYfI/видео.html
Very good video. Thank you. Running while Orienteering is why the instructions explain use while moving. While a student in Switzerland (1961-1963) we did orienteering for time under the watchful eye of the Swiss military, part of Switzerlands universal military training. You never explained the sight use to ID a target to keep you on course. I have three US Army compass’, a pre WWI brass version made in Paris for the Corps of Engineers, an OD green similar to the one you show with radium lines and N used in WWII/Korea/Vietnam, and a post Vietnam version (non-radium). Just had to pull them out and compare.
At my local outfitter store I purchased a Brunton lensatic compass. Turns out even the manufacturer has NO information on their website about this compass.
Must have been discontinued and removed from the website.
Looking forward to watching the whole video
Very interesting! I learned how to use a compass during my conscript time. (being able to navigate with a map and compass was and is kind of "usefull" in those "camouflage hiking clubs" ;-) )
But the ones we used were from swiss manufacturer Recta, which is now owned by Suunto. And they were mirror compasses. Looked like the MB-6 on the Suunto website but were not in ° but in Mil.
So one full circle were 6400 ' instead of 360°. (Makes no difference in use of the compass, just the numbers are different. But as the unit is always used when talking, there's no confusion)
They were easy and practical as they take up very little space and are quite sturdy.
I even bought a civlian one later on for myself (civilian ones are in °). And while it's in my backpack for over 25 years now when hiking, i haven't needed it yet.
(Markings on the hiking routes i tend to use are good enough and otherwise i have a reasonably good natural orientation capability.)
And i always wondered what differences there were with these older more complicated looking ones.
I had one of these compasses when I was a young teenager in the 1980’s. I really didn’t know how to use it, but I carried it with me everywhere in my pocket.
Tom Sisson
Interesting video as ever.I served 6 years in the British Army and never ever saw or used these lensatic compasses.Always base plate.They seem a tad long winded.Lovely video and superb waffle.
I prefer base plates, but I only use compasses for strolling around the hills. The US lensatic is designed for a specific purpose and, if used properly, it can give quite accurate bearings.
Horses for courses
Thanks for the comparative history!
I used one of those in field engineering in the 80s and 90s. It's the best design and very rugged.
I used one in the Navy. I always got to destination I started out for. I guess they taught me how to use it properly. But a refresher course is never a bad thing. I enjoy your videos. 👍
This is not used in the same way as a modern Cammenga - that’s the point of the video.
@@TheMapReadingCompany Ha, ha.... that's what I get for not watching the entire video. Still, as long as it points North, I'd like to think I could figure it out. 🙂
Easy for you because there are no mountains on the sea 😂
A great skill I was taught doing orienteering for weekly 'sport' in high school in the 1970's in Australia. I lived in southern Sydney near the Royal National Park and it was huge. Imagine a teacher taking 25 students into the wild today, handing out compasses and maps and saying 'See you back here at 3.00pm.' Not only did I learn to use a compass and map, I learnt confidence in my abilities. Ĺater in the Military I learnt that the most dangerous thing in the Army was an Officer with a compass. 😅
i wish i could buy you coffee and sandwich and talk.....
the military compass i lived with, still do......used it extensivly since 1994, when i bought it, used it in iraq 2003, and later in 2005, and before i retired, 2008. i still have it. i depend on it,.
love your content....keep it up brother.
Aww. Sweet......😊
Wayne you just get more and more awesome by the day!!! Thank you for the video. ❤😊
Spent 12 years in the infantry in the 80s/90s using a Silva Ranger for 'work'.
Mirror compasses did to lensatic compasses what GPS did to all compasses. It's great to learn how things used to be done and orienteering is always a valuable skill to have, but tech always improves with time if it continues to be useful.
Super vid. Stuff I never thought to ask about. Many Thanks for the lesson !!
I bought one of those, identical to the one in the thumbnail, and it arrived a literal hour ago. Good and coincidental you uploaded just ten hours ago!
Oh, this brings back old memories.
Wow!! Thank you so much! I really enjoyed this video! Love the history, I learned something new! Nicely done, you explained so perfectly that I was able to actually understand the information. I noticed that the needle doesn’t move independently, like most compass do, interesting compass. Love your channel and content 👍🏽👍🏽👍🏽🇺🇸🇺🇸🇺🇸❤️❤️❤️❤️
❤❤❤❤❤❤❤
I have both of these, and this is a great description of the differences. Thank you.
I remember using those tritium compasses in the Army. Still have one somewhere. Funny to see one floating around in England.
"Put red Fred's head in the shed", I mean come on guys
That was very good to be that short of a video. Reminded me of my military days in 1980 taking a terrain course. But being in artillery had to learn and remember at times to set a back azimuth first. Also I manage to purchase one. I always wanted to have my own personal gear if I could. Still in good working condition to this day.
These compass tend to tilt/decline even when laid flat, when use at different latitudes. Point to note when you make a purchase.
Very interesting, and brilliantly explained, Thank you! I never got past finding North and South using my analogue watch and (hopefully) the Sun!!
Thanks again. Another informative and interesting one.
Thanks. I was given a copy of the M1950 twenty years ago. It says “Engineers Directional Compass”. (It however does not click, not anymore anyway) I hadn’t got a clue what the short yellow line was for.
Cool video! I've got my Dad's M1938 he had in Korea in 1951, and my Cammenga I had in the Army in 1986.
Is Google and RUclips spying on me THIS hard to know I bought one of these yesterday... with cash?!
Great video, but creepy coincidence.
I often wonder.
I know for certian that they identify my voice even when my phone is out in the car and I am in the store talking to strangers.
@@ronfox5519 Abso-fricking-loutely my guy.
If you want to test it you can try two things I've tested myself: Play a song in another unrelated device all the way through, you'll get it recommended in RUclips soon. And also try saying something like "I'm really craving (insert here)", I tried with "I'm really craving a cider" and sure enough I got an ad for ciders soon thereafter.
I mentioned to my father that I may take the train home. I had never used it. Shortly after Google sent me the train schedule from my father's location to my home.
The technology we use is years behind what the government uses, though they will never admit it.
🤘😎🤘
When you rotate the dial to point "north" on the map, you are using "true" north (or "grid" north, which is almost exactly the same) and when you then rotate your compass to use the needle or magnetic plate you are using "magnetic" north. In my area they are 10 deg. different.
Once you have your grid bearing you would need to adjust for local declination.
I have many videos showing how to adjust for declination with various compasses.
My lensatic compass is by Wren and it has both yellow lines. Thank you. From Michigan.