NavList:

Geoffrey,

 

The NAO tables are one of the only two methods currently taught by the United States Power Squadrons (USPS), the other being the Law of Cosines "calculator" method.

 

The Power Squadrons has been trying to make their courses more practical, admitting that GPS has replaced celestial as the primary offshore positioning method.  However, they still support celestial as a backup and as a method of checking your GPS.  With that in mind, they decided that NAO would be the only tabular method taught, since it is contained in the one book you are required to have anyway, the Nautical Almanac.

 

This makes some sense, until you consider why people take the two courses that still included celestial navigation, Junior Navigator and Navigator.  Informal surveys have shown that only 10% of those taking the courses ever expect to use what they learned offshore (and only a small percentage of those actually do).  People take thes courses because they are interested in the material.  They want to understand what was cone in the historical novel they just read.  They want to learn about the things that they use every day and never give a second thought.  An example I use in class is the times of sunrise and sunset announced on the radio - how much does it matter exactly where you are?

 

Several of us involved in the USPS courses would like to see some of what has been removed from the courses (e.g. there is no mention of the Equation of Time) put back, but we may be fighting a losing battle.  One thing being considered is putting the removed material into a supplemental program.  Time will tell.

 

Stan

-----Original Message-----
From: Geoffrey Kolbe <geoffreykolbe@compuserve.com>
To: slk1000 <slk1000@aol.com>
Sent: Thu, Apr 4, 2013 1:04 am
Subject: [NavList] Re: Which Method do you prefer using and why.