NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Compasses
From: Brian Whatcott
Date: 2002 May 29, 18:12 -0500
From: Brian Whatcott
Date: 2002 May 29, 18:12 -0500
A fluxgate of the usual ('2D') kind has a suspension that is quite comparable to that of the regular compass. The suspension is intended to keep it reasonably level in quiet weather conditions. Fluxgates will give a consistent offset if not initially aligned, despite auto deviation correction methods. Swinging the fluxgate would give you the necessary insight. Brian Whatcott At 08:44 AM 5/29/02, you wrote: >I was on a boat over the weekend with both a binnacle compass and a >fluxgate. > >After removing the canister airhorn from the drink holder and watching the >binnacle compass swing 20 degrees, there was still a 10 degree discrepancy >between the binnacle and the fluxgate. > >Fluxgates may be off the charter of the list: if so, please reply privately. > >My question: any ideas? The binnacle had a deviation card showing no >errors, and it agreed pretty well with a handheld. The fluxgate was mounted >below, maybe three feet from the refrigeration compressor, not near any >other obvious stuff. > >Are fluxgates subject to the same deviation error sources as real magnets? > >Martin Brian Whatcott Altus OK Eureka!