NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Nav-L Survey Results
From: Dan Hogan
Date: 2001 Jun 13, 6:43 AM
From: Dan Hogan
Date: 2001 Jun 13, 6:43 AM
All:
This is the survey result. As you would expect those with more experience or a
technical interest in navigation tend to use more than one method. There was
not enough response to make any significant analysis. A couple of people
replied twice. I included any new material in their survey replies.
So take a look and lets create some discussion.
Dead Reckoning - Just about all the Sailings are used, both calculated and in
tables.
Sight Reduction - Also no clear favorite method, other than the trend toward
electronic calculation.
Plotting - The big favorite seems to be the Universal Plotting Sheets.
Bowditch - 1995 Edition is a major reference, probably because of its low cost
and availability.
Commercial Almanac- Is a favorite probably for low cost. Which is why I use
it. Next popular is computer program generated almanacs.
Members: 182
Survey Response: 21
Percentage: 11.5%
***************************************************
Navigation-L Survey
a) Dead Reckoning
What is the method used most?
Mid-Latitude-----: 7
Mercator Sailing-: 7
Rhumb Line-------: 8
Other(Name?)-----: 2 Great Circle, 1 Cockpit Plotter, 1 Trig Tables
1 Bowditch Tables, 1 Traverse Table, 1 Navigator Lt.,
1 D = T x S, 1 Nories Tables
b) Sight Reduction
Which is your primary Sight reduction method?
Computer Program(Name?)--------: 2 self design, 1 Navig96b, 1 Spreadsheet
2 Navigator Lt., 1 The Cap'n,
1 Sightmaster III
Calculator(Name?)--------------: 4 HP-48, 4 Scientific, 1 StarPilot,
1 non-programmable, 1 HP38
Short Navigation Tables
H.O. 211 etc.(Name?)-------: 6 211, 1 208, 1 Air Tables(?)
Standard (Inspection) Navigation Tables
229, 214 etc.(Name?)-------: 3 229, 1 214, 1 229, 1 229 SmallBoat,
4 249, 1 ABC Tables
Other(Name?)-------------------: 1 Nautical Almanac Tables, 1 Lunars,
1 cosine-haversine
c) Plotting
How do you do your plotting?
Computer Program(Name?)---: 1 Self Design, 1 Navig96b, 1 xfig,
1 Davis Astro Navigator, 1 The Cap'n
Universal Plotting Sheets-: 8
Manoeuvring Board---------: 4
Radar Plotting Sheets-----: 1
Home Made(Describe)-------: 3 Lined Paper, 1 QED
d) Navigation Manuals
Name your main reference manual:
Bowditch 1995 Ed.-----------------------: 9
Bowditch (pre-1995)---------------------: 6
Mixter (Primer of Navigation)-----------: 6
Chapman's-------------------------------: 3
Celestial Navigation for Yachtsman------: 4
Shute-----------------------------------: 1
Shirk-----------------------------------: 1
Porter----------------------------------: 1
Hemenway--------------------------------: 1
Dutton's--------------------------------: 4
Hobbs-----------------------------------: 1
Turner - Celestial for the Cruising Nav.: 1
Admiralty Manual, Vol. II---------------: 1
Name a manual/book that helped you the most:
W.F. Buckley @ Airborne/Video----------: 1
Dutton---------------------------------: 3
Le Cours des Glenans-------------------: 1
Bowditch-1995--------------------------: 5
Bowditch-pre 1995----------------------: 2
Practical Celestial Navigation(HO 229)-: 3
Self-Contained Celestial Navigation----: 2
Mariner's Celestial Navigation---------: 2
Navigation Afloat----------------------: 1
Cruising Under Sail (E. Hiscock)-------: 3
Shute----------------------------------: 1
Williams - Geometery of Navigation-----: 1
Shirk----------------------------------: 1
Porter---------------------------------: 1
Hemenway-------------------------------: 1
Mixter---------------------------------: 2
USPS-----------------------------------: 1
Turner, Celestial for the Cruising Nav.: 1
e) Do you use the Nautical Almanac?
Commercial-----------: 10
USNO-----------------: 3
Self-design Software-: 2
Computer-------------: 5
USNO Web Site--------: 2
I.C.E.---------------: 2
Dan Hogan WA6PBY
C27 "Gacha"
dhhogan@verimail.com
Nav-L Page: http://www.wa6pby.com
