NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: The End of Celestial Navigation??
From: Greg R_
Date: 2008 Jan 4, 00:56 -0800
From: Greg R_
Date: 2008 Jan 4, 00:56 -0800
> Would that include my quartz crystal controlled watch? I would have to say "yes". > I truly believe in the adage that a good navigator has two or more > sources of positional information available. And only a fool would > go offshore with a single GPS set, even if it were integrated into > the fanciest electronic charting system. My own "personal minimums" for offshore navigation would probably include at least 3 of everything critical for navigation that might be subject to failure (i.e. 2 backups) - though I think 2 radios capable of receiving time signals would be enough, probably an HF rig and something like a Radio Shack TimeKube (if in range of WWV/WWVH) would be adequate. And quartz watches are cheap enough these days that I think I'd be OK with 3 of those (vs. a full-fledged chronometer), though if they didn't automatically synchronize with a time signal I'd obviously want to know how much time they gain/lose in a 24-hour period. -- GregR --- Lu Abelwrote: > > > > Greg R. wrote: > > --- frankreed@HistoricalAtlas.net wrote: > > > > > >> What do you think he's talking about? > >> > > > > Obviously someone who hasn't had a major electrical/electronics > failure > > while out on the open ocean... ;-) > > > Would that include my quartz crystal controlled watch? > > I truly believe in the adage that a good navigator has two or more > sources of positional information available. And only a fool would > go > offshore with a single GPS set, even if it were integrated into the > fanciest electronic charting system. > > But I can't figure out why the "can't trust electronics, gotta use > celestial" crowd seems perfectly happy with electronic chronometers > (synchronized, of course, by listening to WWV or BBC), and perhaps > even > reducing their sights using a calculator. Those electronics are > subject to exactly the same failure modes as GPS sets. > > > > > > --~--~---------~--~----~------------~-------~--~----~ To post to this group, send email to NavList@fer3.com To , send email to NavList-@fer3.com -~----------~----~----~----~------~----~------~--~---