NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Chronometer Suggestions
From: Irv Haworth
Date: 2009 Jan 5, 11:47 -0800
From: Irv Haworth
Date: 2009 Jan 5, 11:47 -0800
Hello Bill A word to the wise...if you are looking for an accurate time piece , a chronometer is not it..as you know they are rated over a period of time and the error ,say per day or week, is noted as a correction....and this correction only is valid when the unit is kept at a more or less constant temp.etc. I have two chronometers (both Thomas Mercer)(Hamilton is more or less the USA version) and ,years ago spent countless weeks trying to correct the "rating" (either for + or -) to say a second /per week, all under ideal? (home) conditions Finally gave up .Tried using a few of my "deck watches"..set to WWV and found errors just going from W. Van to Dundarave Park again using WWV. My humble advice is to use a short wave radio (WWV or CHU..etc) and two column form "time" and hs. Say taking a sight every 30 seconds. It's quick simple and ,if you are neat, foolproof. Hope I have not over done this msg. 73 Irvin F Haworth West Vancouver , B.C. Canada -----Original Message----- From: NavList@fer3.com [mailto:NavList@fer3.com] On Behalf Of bruce hamilton Sent: January 4, 2009 11:36 PM To: NavList@fer3.com Subject: [NavList 6904] Chronometer Suggestions I presently use the radio time signals or the internet to check or sync my cheap quartz wristwatch for navigation calculations, and I also have a cheap watch that picks up WWV when it is in the mood. I find my trusty Timex is off about 6 seconds a month, but I was wondering if there are any reasonably priced real quartz chronometers (non-wrist) that anyone would recommend? I use the word real since the word chronometer is tossed about by the marketing people without any regard to it's strict real meaning, which has been posed here at least once. I would be happy with a settable second hand and some sort of temperature compensation. Apparently, the picky can pick up a used atomic clock on e-bay these days, but I am looking for a happy medium. If I found one, would a Hamilton Chronometer still be reliable or have too many years passed? Thanks Bruce Hamilton Vancouver, BC --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ Navigation List archive: www.fer3.com/arc To post, email NavList@fer3.com To , email NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---