NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: suggestion for a satisfactory celnav narrative
From: Courtney Thomas
Date: 2005 Jun 3, 12:30 -0500
From: Courtney Thomas
Date: 2005 Jun 3, 12:30 -0500
John, THANK YOU for your constructive reply and hope that some with the needed abilities, which I've already admitted I lack, will come forth to collaborate with all. Cordially, Courtney On Fri, 2005-06-03 at 08:56, John Kabel wrote: > As another cynic, but still full of energy, I suggested the Wikipedia > approach in an e-mail a few days ago. That is one way I am prepared to > contribute. The other way would be an effort supported on a dedicated > server that this group can work with. I am not competent to set up a multi- > authored document on a server, my own or anyone else's. If someone were to > set it up, and identify to the group the ground rules and the access > mechanism, I would again contribute what I could. I think the Wiki type of > software could be used for that. Does the foregoing reduce me to half a > cycnic?? > > John Kabel, SN > London, Ontario > > > Andrew Corl wrote- > > > > >For Courtney, I am raising my hand to help with this. Don't know what I > > >can do but here is a list of techniques I feel should be in the manual: > > >Dead Reckoning Latitude by Noon Sun Longitude using a shortwave radio and > > >the noon sun Sextant operation and how to determine the elevation above the > > >horizon of the sun, moon, star, and planet Sight reduction using H.O. 249 - > > >method I am presently learning Sight reduction doing all the math (the > > >"apex of celestial navigation" according to Frank) > > > > As a world-weary old cynic, my opinion is that any offer, saying "this is > > how I think it should be done, and I'm prepared to contribute" is worth at > > least 10 proposals of "this is how I think it should be done, but by someone > > else, not by me". So Andrew's suggestions are indeed useful. > > > > No doubt, he expected a bit of nitpicking about his choice of topics, and I > > am happy to provide it. It relates to his suggested topic- "Longitude using > > a shortwave radio and the noon sun" > > > > Although proposals for timing the moment of noon, by observing the Sun > > around noon, reappear on this list at regrettably regular intervals, the > > fact remains that noon is the worst possible moment for doing that job. > > Although it's possible to make a crude assessment of the moment-of-noon by > > making an extended set of observations, before noon and after, the only way > > to get a PRECISE value of time-by-the-Sun (and hence longitude) is to do so > > at a time WELL AWAY from noon, so that the Sun is rising and falling at a > > measurable rate. If Andrew were to rephrase his suggestion to read instead- > > "Longitude using a shortwave radio and a time-sight of the Sun", then I, for > > one, would be happy. > > > > George. > > > > ================================================================ > > contact George Huxtable by email at george@huxtable.u-net.com, by phone at > > 01865 820222 (from outside UK, +44 1865 820222), or by mail at 1 Sandy Lane, > > Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK. > > ================================================================ > > > > > > -- > > Incoming messge appears to be virus-free. > > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > > Version: 7.0.322 / Virus Database: 267.5.0 - Release Date: 6/2/05 > > > > > > > -- > Outbound e-mail is scanned for viruses. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.322 / Virus Database: 267.5.0 - Release Date: 6/2/05