Robert wrote:
I can't take it
anymore!
Seems like you folks are going to a great deal of hassle and
looking in every hidden corner for the perfect levelling mechanism and/or
to make an effective artificial horizon. Short of using a pan of motor
oil or getting hold of some mercury, the best option is, in my opinion,
to just go out and purchase a Freiberger artificial horizon which comes
with all you need to obtain pinpoint accuracy (as much as is possible
with a sextant).
No no, you don't understand Robert. There is a satisfaction in the
process of spending a great deal of time and effort to build an AH as
cheaply as possible using plastic, string and sealing wax. ;-)
But on the matter of practicality, I have no doubt that you are correct.
Could you take the plastic string and sealing wax AH to navigate your
sledge to the middle of the Antarctic? Or your camel to the middle of the
Sahara desert? Possibly, but people have certainly been there and done
that with a Freiberger AH. I took the short cut many years ago and bought
one.
One note on the use of levels. Just because the graduation on the level
is only one mil say, (about 3 MOA), does not mean that you are limited to
an accuracy of 1 mil in level adjustment. By turning the level end for
end for comparison and estimating the bubble position to one tenth of a
graduation, it is possible to get an accuracy in level-ness at least an
order of magnitude better than the level graduations would
suggest.
Geoffrey Kolbe
