Base Plate Compass, "every" part identified and explained
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 28 พ.ค. 2024
- Here is a list of EVERY part and function on a standard Base Plate Compass.
I did an internet search this morning and there wasn’t one single website or video showing “every” part on a Base Plate Compass so I thought it would be interesting to make a video, so at least the information is out there.
This is a long video so if you want to fast-forward to a particular feature, here is the order they are described. You can "click" the time to jump to that point in the video.
1. Direction arrow 3:20
2. Luminous pointer 3:50
3. Romer scales 4:15
4. Bezel/dial 5:35
5. Orienting lines 6:09
6. Ruler (imperial) 7:08
7. Magnetic needle 7:30
8. Risers 8:15
9. Lanyard attachment 8:50
10. Orienting arrow 9:15
11. Ruler (metric) 10:00
12. Declination scales 10:15
13. Index Mark / Line 11:35
14. Hole with crosshairs 12:10
15. Parallax Line(s) 12:50
16. Magnifier 14:10
17. Label holder 14:35
18. Sighting hole 17:20
19. Sighting mirror 18:10
20. Sighting Lines (H) 19:25
21. Sighting Lines (V) 19:40
22. Index Line 20:45
Here are the links mentioned in the video:
Take UTM coordinates /Grid reference with compass • UTM coordinates & grid...
A simple method of dealing with magnetic declination • Magnetic Declination (...
Slope angle with and without an inclinometer • Slope angle with or wi...
You left out the most important part of reading a mirror compass, if you look at the compass and then look back up at the mirror you will see a picture of a guy that’s lost
Unless there's an artist following you about you'll see the reflection of a lost person not a picture!
@@Jimimac73 or a photographer
😂
😂😂😂😂
@@Jimimac73 so true it’s hard for me to believe I said picture
never thought of buying a compass, never needed one. after watching this, i bought one.
I rarely need a compass. Most of my navigation isn't exacting enough to need the accuracy a compass provides. Normally, just using the sun as reference and knowing whether or not it's morning or afternoon is enough for most of my navigation.
I love it when something unexpected pops up in my feed that gives me so much enjoyment. Bit of a hunt to find my old Silva to follow along but as a bonus came across my slide rule too. I hope kids and grandkids will humour me.
Glad you enjoyed it
I learned to use a base compass in scouts -- about 60 years ago. Thanks for the refresher!
Ditto 😎👍
Yeah, same here.... Need a refresher course...
Same here and went on to teach land navigation in Army Rangers. All the best.
I learned land nav. in the Marine corps and went on to teach a lot of Boy Scouts 😊
Same here, but I didn't know what all the extra bits were actually for.
Plus, of course, I left scouts about 20 years ago. Things have gotten fuzzy since then.
Fantastic instructional videos...thank you.
I NEVER venture into the forest depending solely on a battery-operated GPS unit or smartphone GPS.
I always carry my Garmin GPS, a baseplate compass, and printed maps.
I found surveying scrub much faster and easier than using a GPS. For example how do sight a GPS. The Team I worked with wouldn't share any information on how to use the GPS , I couldn't be bothered to acquire the skills, I was always given the defective Garmin GPS, there were quite a few. A compass is so simple, elegant and reliable.
When I was sixteen I'll never forget doing my Bonze Duke of Edinburgh Award in the Pennines, the fog came down whilst we were up a rather large hill on a peaty feature less landscape. Using a map & compass I managed to navigate my group down to the next checkpoint which was a phone box. It wasn't made easy when half of the group wanted to go back and I had a doubt whether they had really grasped the art of orienteering.
It was one of those situations were despite explaining everything clearly they still weren't getting it, as I had the map & compass I stopped trying to negotiate and carried on and the group followed.
Good show. Carry on.
Bloody good mate 🇺🇸🇬🇧
Sounds like you were in the wrong landscape for bronze.
@@Cous1nJack Until I find my tan Duke of Edinburgh's book, I cannot comment whether it was Bronze or part of my Silver, I completed my Bronze and did a portion of my Silver which may have the orienteering and overnight camping but since we're talking about 1975, the photographic memory ain't so good! 🤣
@@Cous1nJackI had the same we had no choice in the Army Cadet Force you had to do The Duke Of Edinburgh Bronze if you were interested or not in orienteering that’s why half couldn’t be bothered by D.O.E Silver it was volunteer’s only and Gold was a whole new ball game.
I've never in my 40 years held a compass in hand, but this is the TH-cam video I never knew I needed to watch! Great stuff!
Living in northern Norway, it is still probably part of the curriculum.
Tomorrow: The technological marvel that is the sextant.
I have been using compasses for well over 50 years and I still learned a lot! Thanks.
I'm a bit miffed, that I hadn't found you before now! Thanks very much, you're great to watch. I'm also jealous of your collection of compasses.
I kept one of these on my person at all times when serving in the U.S. Marines from 1981-1985. I still have it to this day. It did everything I required for map and field navigation.
Learning how to read and use a compass is one of those skills you never knew you needed until the battery in your GPS goes dead and you freak out because you just realized how lost you really are. Thank God I learned these analog skills when I was in the army.
Wow all that in one small piece of plastic & numbers!….thanks for sharing I’ve learned so much from this 🗺️🙌✨
You are so passionate and it comes through in your videos. Thanks for the lessons!
Excellent, simple, clear and concise. Thank you for sharing your knowledge.
Glad you enjoyed it!
I shall watch this later on as I have not time to rake it in at this moment , many thank's for the info.
One thing to be aware of is that not all maps are oriented to match North to being straight up from top dead center. Always check the map's compass rose to be certain of the exact North orientation on the map.
Why aren't they?
@@kmr_tl4509 they are usually oriented to the map North, not magnetic North. The compass rose marks the magnetic North orientation. Occasionally a map is drawn to fit the area to the page in the direction the area is oriented causing the top of the map to not match North. Only limited areas of the Earth have magnetic North match the map North. That's why the compass rose is so important.
Great point. Very important.
This is brilliant. I've always wondered what the small circular thing was. I contacted Silva customer services, and they didn't even know. You are right. It's not shown anywhere on a website. But now I know, thanks!
Hi Niko, glad I could help!
Thank you I have been looking for this for 20yrs. BUY anything comes with instruction on how it work except a compass.
A great refresher from my old Army Officer school days - very informative and got my vote and made me a subscriber.
This video makes me want a new compass... You deserve a bit of Silva sponsorship for this mate! 😆 superb stuff, thank you!
*No longer a compass virgin: I watched straight thru.* [New Subscriber!]
*_Plainly,_* THIS is a video I will need to watch a few times.
I've done what I thought was a fair amount of BASIC map reading, driving about the USA, but just orienting myself very generally to the compass points from a general awareness of directions about me... principally, the directions of sunrise/sunset. (As long as you make no excursions from the roadway, this seems to work...) But Your video is my FIRST introduction to glimpsing the technical basics of cartography - a subject to which some have devoted their careers. I am humbled by your encyclopedic grasp of the business!
Um...Moss still grows on the Northern aspect of trees in the forests, yes?
*_Over the past decade, I've been following the reports on the drifting positions of our planet's magnetic poles from their long-stable positions._*
When I've mentioned this to some people, they scoff and look at me as if *_I were a madman._*
*_They stop to ponder a little when I mention that a number of international airports have had to redesignate the compass heading identifications for their runways, because of the meandering of the magnetic poles._*
THIS COMPASS IS NUMBER ONE. THANKS. VERY HELPFUL.
I'm glad it helped!
You ab-so-lute-ly correct. I did a stint in my Facebook wall explaining what those do. But thank you for making a TH-cam video about it.
SEMPER FI
As ever, a fascinating topic covered clearly and presented engagingly ... someone should give you a job doing this :D
Thank you for this..
It reminded me of forgotten stuff in my head..😃👍
In the military, using a lensatic compass, every part of the compass is named, described, explained, and practiced with. We even have it in our basic manuals that everybody is issued, with pictures and arrows and diagrams and terms and acronyms. So im surprised that nobody has instruction available for baseplate compasses. I own a couple that I keep in some emergency gear bags, but when I'm in the boonies I use my trusty lensatic compass.
What would these manuals be called? Maybe they can be found online
@@somefuckstolemynick They're in our "green monsters" for everything, I have about 15 of them, some even come put together with large rings or through-bolts that are screwed together from front and back. They all have different titles, such as "Small Unit Tactics", "Mechanized Infantry", "Artillery and Fire Support", "Amphibious Vehicles and Landing Operations".
They are all issue "Technical Manuals" for the Army, Navy, Air Force, and Marines, so they are listed as "TM-" followed by the specific number assigned to that publication, and is the first line you see at the top of the cover or plate.
Just do a search for, say, Marine Corps field training manuals. Using the compass would be under basic infantry instruction, and is called "Land Navigation".
@@davidcruz8667 thank you!
I purchased a cheap base plate compass years ago. It had full pronted instructions that came with it that explained all.if this. All people need to do is actually look at the mauals/instructions!
Really good video. I remember using some like this in the army, with 6400 mils. They used to keep them reverently locked in special cupboards and boxes.
That were some fun times!
6,400 mils.
The reason for this is here
th-cam.com/video/hLia1rt6QMI/w-d-xo.htmlfeature=shared
This was brilliant. Thank you for putting this vlog on. I did many years in the army and probably only used a compass twice. Just being shown the parts really. Also our battery didn't have many. Officers only. Maps for us, or, [hahaha] route cards. Again thank you.
thank you. sir
circumstances ended my time in the cub scout. we relocated to a very small 'camp' of about a dozen buildings (some vacant) before hiking was on our itinerary. you have helped an older (59) teenager correct a shortcoming.
Bravo. Well done sir. I'm a map and compass nerd. It's nice to have you here.
I dunno, sir... I had no trouble finding this excellent video explaining everything I need to know and more about base plate compasses.
As an ex geologist I carried 3.
1 Bronton for close and accurate.
2 Silva with mirrors and inclinometers.
I’d check both Silvia’s before heading into the bush.
You had to be sure because there are very few landmarks to re-orient if you get lost.
We always had basemaps and air photos with us.
The cost of getting lost in the northern Ontario forest is not a good place to be.
@@marktwain168 that would be way farther than I have ever been.
Not sure how many degrees of declination you can adjust for.
The compass that curves up at the back does so to clear the cord and allow the baseplate to sit flat on the map.
It does, the curve, provide a bit of a lip that prevents the fingers from slipping off the compass plate too. I just tried that on my Silva baseplate compass.
Great refresher video for me. I was a scout leader many years ago and was in charge of teaching young scouts orienteering and maps out in wooded trails. So much more fun and interesting for them to lean the skill without use of electronics. No batteries required.😂
1980's when serving in Australian Army, RAInf. we never got geographically embarrassed, taught Degrees Minutes and Seconds in Scouts but Mils in Army. I've used Mils ever since. Great presentation, off to watch your video about magnetic variations.
When bow deer hunting in the big woods, I carry two lensatic compasses, and am careful to lose nothing. Water, food, fire, compass.
Thanks that was very informative and easy to understand.
Wow! I have been bushwalking for more than 40 years and did not know some of that detail thank you very much!
Very good video. Full of imformation. The only thing you should do is adjust your voice level. On my phone with the volume at maximum you can't be heard.
Very nice video. You might have shown aligning the compass when reading or getting bearings. The mirror and the line is for reading the compass bearing while sighting. This is a great instructional video on the parts. You have a lot of compasses! That makes me feel better about mine! Thank you for this video and sharing your knowledge.
When the students are ready the teacher will appear!!
Thank you sooo much 🙏🏼
Brilliant video and badly needed too. I learned a lot.
This was a great video. I used to love orienteering in the Boy Scouts in the USA where I am from. I have never lost my love for being able to navigate by the land and maps. Thank you.
It took over a year of orienteering and boy scouts to learn how to use the silva baseplate compass for my youth. For making things simple for my grandson and his future children.
The notch on the bottom of the mirror is for sighting as well, when choosing an object in the distance to walk to when walking on a bearing.
Hi Ian, yes you're right. I cut loads of bits out of that video as it was getting waaaaay to long.
is a second video in the works? new sub, asking
and thank you for the bonus info
Honestly I have that many videos on my “to do” list it’s getting crazy - as I keep coming up with new ones and adding them to the list.
Next few:
The “poshest” compass in the world - instructions
Contour interpretation
Night Nav
Micro Nav
Course/fine nav
etc
etc
etc
Your a good guy my eagle scout son learned a few things ty
No idea how I got here but very glad I did.. 👍
I haven't used one of that type of compass since I was in the military - 56 years ago! Over time I have forgotten a fair amount of that, so Thank You for this video. And I need to see some of your other ones as well.
Thank you for the refresher course. This is exactly what I was searching for today. Subscribed,
Thank you so much for posting this, I've used compasses and hand transits for a long time and I learned a lot!
I bought my own Silva compass when I was a serving soldier..still have it now..30 years after I finished..graduated in mils and I have a good old prismatic too..which I acquired during my service..found on the training area on Soltau West Germany so kept it
I’ve still got my own silva and I lost my prismatic in the queue to Wolfgangs bratty van, is that where you found it?
Can I have it back please 😂😂😂😂😂
As did I, mainly used it for orienteering. Squadrons way of adding fun into a run and learning map reading too.
I learned in mils as well.
I still had my Ranger as well until some crackhead broke into my storage locker and stole the backpack it was in. 20 years later and I'm still choked about that.
I still have no idea how to use this compass but I will keep watching your program. Thanks for the information it’s pretty cool.
This is a lot of fun. Your presentation style is delightful. It is surprising that manufacturers don't explain their "bits", isn't it. It's fun to actually learn more about these "relics". Being a digital guy, I have a couple of these that have just sat in a box. But, this will bring them out again! Thanks.
Very helpful. It was on my list to get to know the components of the compass and how to use it in. This was a great beginning. Thanks!
19:00 use the lanyard to aim with as well. Hold the compass out in a stretched arms length with one hand and hold the end of the lanyard with your other hand and bring it up to your eye. Aim down the lanyard, into the mirror's aiming line and up through the notch while looking at your target. Using the lanyard like this gives you better precision. Best regards from a Scandinavian veteran 😉
Great job i was in the cubs and eventualy the scouts decades ago and went on numerous scout camps where we we shown basic land navigation from ex military chaps like ex dezert rats and retired Spitfire pilots i tend not to need compass but im always juding the position of the sun and stars when visible But this is another great presentation cheers
Great compass parts instructional class. I knew a few, but learned a good amount. Thanks. And thanks for including the related links.
This video is very good. It helps take alot of mystery an fear out of the compas.
the error circles on that one compass are actually quite a neat feature. And despite learning to use that kind of compass many years ago, I've never used a mirror compass. Honestly thought the mirror was for signaling so I learned a thing today.
I loved my Silva baseplate that had a mechanical declination lock screw. You set the declination with the screw, and then went on your way. Easy to check fornaccuracy as well.
Thanks for a very informative video! Even if I’m rather familiar with a compass, but didn’t know about the EPA holes!
Checked out the site for the Swedish Silva Compass and they do have a brake down on the different parts of the baseplate compass. Been using them since I was 9 or 10 years when my dad taught me to use a compass and a map when orienteering. Later on he also showed me how to use it at sea in the Swedish vast archipelago, but then I was a couple of years old probably 15 yrs.
We used military maps and compasses a lot in the military (conscripted services). Having a compass in your pocket when roaming the Swedish woods is sometime necessary and should be in every survival kit.
Btw, the lanyard is also used to have around your wrist when running in the wood so you don’t lose it.
A compass is like first aid kits and bear spray though: unless you learn how to use it and practice enough to stay proficient, it's of little use.
this is a great learning resource. It took me ages to figure out what everything did. Thanks
Thanks for a very concise and easy-to-understand video
Thanks. I'm glad you liked the video. I do try to keep them "non-technical" - well as much as possible.
Brought back memories of my dad showing me how to read a compass when I was 10. His had a way to turn the orientation arrow to set the inclination relative to the outer bearing degree measure. So you could quickly set it once
BONUS!! Not only good compass information.....
British narration; my mother was a British war bride. So very good to hear the sound of a Brit speaking!!
I keep two Silva compasses in my studio. One like the one you show for plein air work, and a basic one I use in the studio for cross referencing the painted landscapes to nearby names for Gaelic meanings and features on OS maps.
Great video by the way. Thanks for posting.
Hello, Jolly Good Show ... I too have searched the internet for the basic nomenclature of the baseplate ... I am a Pilot, and Scuba Instructor ... and I like to refer other people to the right
references. Good Video ... thanks ...
Thank you for this... I have the mirror compass but no one could tell me how to use the features properly including the outdoor shop i bought it from! Thanks to this video all those mystery features make sense now and ill make better use of it 🙂
That was absolutely fascinating! Many decades ago I used a compass in the real world and it was helpful. For various reasons I obtained one recently. I wanted to to know more about it... You arrived! :) You have made it a lot more fun! Thank you! Seriously, much clarification. Appreciated. :)
Crazy that this hits my recommendations after I got home from a walk the other day and stared at my compass thinking "What the hell are these other things for?". Turns out those triangular bumpy bits don't have some hidden secrets. They just prop the thing up! Good to know!
Thanks for the lesson, I have had a base compass for many years and now I feel I can use some of the items on the compass I totally ignored, great video very informative and very useful. 👍
I'm 68 and figured most of the features out myself eventually but the manufacturer could have helped. This is great, thank you
Neat - it might be worth mentioning that when measuring distances on the map (like the wall, or estimating your journey), the gradient adds distance. If that wall ran up a 45 degree slope, for instance, it would measure 1.4 times the distance on the map. The steeper the angle, the more you have to add (a vertical cliff measures nothing on the map, however high it is). If you're doing a lot of climbs and descents, this can add serious amounts to your travelled distance. I haven't yet discovered whether computed tracks on phones and GPS navigation gizmos adjust for that, but I suspect not.
Depends on what map data they have and how accurate it is. I know that google shows heights when using it for bike navigation, and it give a hunch about the extra distance.
10% gradient is very very steep, and that is 0.5% extra distance.
The steepest road in the US is 37% grade which is 6% extra distance, however, these extreme slopes are over very short distances.
But yes, if you are climbing a mountain (even one that does not require climbing gear) the height difference is often more interesting than the horizontal distance.
@@57thorns Wow, where I live, roads with 20-30% grade for extended distance aren't uncommon, and those sorts of slopes would be even more common in trekking scenarios, not necessarily "climbing a mountain" but just navigating several undulating hills. I agree that in doing this, the grade feels "more interesting" than the additional distance, but together they make up a double whammy, climbing and descending on a journey, so the app reporting 20% less distance than you actually traveled is just a bit irritating (or my ego is too big ;) ).
last time I used a compass was in NAVIGATION at school. Never used one since. Thank you for the video is so informative.
I'm a 68 YO ex infantryman, of 30yrs army service, gobsmacked that the function of the compass needle, to align naturally with the line Mag North/Mag South didn't warrant a mention until after you talked about setting a bearing - without even mentioning the importance of aligning the red end of the needle and the North mark on the bezel . . . 😢
@@doublewhopper67 Not to a 1st-timer. I have taught map reading to hundreds of recruits in basic training, so trust me on this.
@@philipsturtivant9385 well good for you.
Thank you your video is so well presented and a really good lesson for us beginners- trying to help my son learn the basics for his Army cadets thank you
It's probably been 30 years since I last used one of these. :)
Excellent Presentation - I love my Silva compass
Remember teaching magnetic variation (the difference in grid bearings and magnetic) with the saying ' grid to mag add. Mag to grid get rid' . Also how to check and note any compass error ( how many mils/degrees the compass is off true) on your own personal compass. I once found a silva compass with a compass error of 160 degrees.
"All mirror compasses have this hole" My old army Silva type 15T doesn't.We were taught to use the lanyard when sighting landmarks. With the lanyard in one's right hand, hold the compass in the left-hand at arm length; then bring the lanyard taut up to the right eye, then sigh and take the bearing with the compass as you have dicribed. 1-5 lilometers, it never failled. The lanyard has more that one purpose.
I learned the same taut lanyard procedure, too, except the other end was fastened to my work vest. With the right length, it was easy to hold taut at arms length.
Thank you for this very informative video. You are the only one who covers everything on the compass. I found one other videos, that half way through named and explained the purpose of the lines you called parallax lines (she called them tram lines). One more excellent video you maid. Looking forward to your videos.
Thanks for your feedback Nazanin. I'm glad you enjoyed the video.
Thank you for making this! I always wondered what all those bits were!
Happy to help!
Enjoyed that very much. Thank you. Learned of several features present on my compass but their functions were unknown to me. A genuine leg up. Thanks again, Sir.
I inherited my grandfather's (now I know what it's called) compass some 40 years ago, so I'm going to find a map and try to learn how he used it! Thank you.
My favourite cycling accessory for many years.
Thanks so much for the information. I just got a couple of base plate compasses and now I know what the bits are for! :D
Very informative, I learned a lot.
Fantastic video, thank you for explaining all the features and uses of the compass, its cleared up alot of confusion for me
Thank you for taking the time. Your explanations are clear and I especially like you have other videos that delve into details.
This presenter just seems so jolly 🙂 I like the jersey!
A few years ago my wife and I went out for our usual woodlands walks we went most weekends in Scotland we were so confident we knew the way we didn't even bother taking our mobile phone or cumpass but on this occasion it started high winds and heavy snow it quickly covered all the trails and everything looked so different it took us ages before we found our way back to the car Alec from Scotland
I’m new to using a compass and this was a great video. Now subscribed and will be looking to learn much more from new and previous video’s. Thanks!
fantastic video, superbly explained many thanks,
I learned to use a compass in an orienteering club in the 80's. This brought me back
Excellent content! I've been using compasses for many years and I picked up a few new bits of information, thanks. I recently replaced my VERY old Silva Ranger mirrored compass with a new model. I didn't read the description very well when I ordered and to my surprise when I wnt to use the compass it's bezel was NOT 360 degrees nor was it in Mils. The bezel was measured in 90 degree quadrants and was set up like a surveyer's transit. Since I was surveying this worked out well once I found out how to read the survey document. I did also buy a Sunto 360 degree mirrored to be sure I had what I needed most of the time.
Thank You Sir.
Now I will find my way to my true love
Learn something new every day. Well done!
Thank you. I could not find much info until I discovered your video. I'm a beginner and have not bought a compass yet so this was very helpful. I was looking at the MC-2 global as a good investment. I like that it has a mirror for aiming it at a location, but also for signaling for rescue or checking for ticks in hard to see areas, or getting something out of my eye, etc.
Great! Tip for accuracy: string around neck to ‘shoot’ your bearings. 😉 Thanks for posting. 👍👍
What an incredibly helpful video.
Thank you sir, very much for making this.
Another awesome video. As per usual.