Welcome to the NavList Message Boards.

NavList:

A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding

Compose Your Message

Message:αβγ
Message:abc
Add Images & Files
    Name or NavList Code:
    Email:
       
    Reply
    Re: New ways to create false horizons?
    From: Paul Dolkas
    Date: 2017 Jul 21, 15:54 -0700

    Pete-

     

    A few years ago I was working on a master’s thesis (never completed) and my project was going to be a digital sextant/theodolite.  So I did a fair amount of looking into digital inclinometers. The most accurate were the ones that only had a +/- 20o or so range of motion, whereas the sextant had to work from 0o – 90o .  So my proposed solution was to mount a bunch of them , each offset by, say,  15o . The software would know to switch from one inclinometer to the next as the sextant is rotated upward.

     

    The other alternative, for the theodolite, at least,  is to have a single inclinometer mounted to the optical  base. The operator roughly levels the base to within , say +/- 10o of level, and  the inclinometer would take it from there. Obviously this solution wouldn’t work on the deck of a ship or the cockpit of an airplane.

     

    As for my remark about sextants being obsolescent – forgive me, but for most folks it’s true. However, as you point out, in the event of a conflict such a device would become invaluable, especially since it would be relatively easy to use, with minimal training. To say nothing of some not-too-distant future explorer roaming about the surface of a GPS-deficient planet (moon? Mars?). They won’t look anything like the ones we have today, but I’m sure they will be used.

     

    Paul Dolkas

     

    From: NavList@fer3.com [mailto:NavList@fer3.com] On Behalf Of Pete Solon Palmer
    Sent: Friday, July 21, 2017 2:54 PM
    To: paul@dolkas.net
    Subject: [NavList] Re: New ways to create false horizons?

     

    Hi Paul,
    Great info and link about MEMS.  I intend to study your link very closely.  I like the way it has various options for dampening and filtering.  This might allow a sensitivity adjustment for sea state: everything from glassy calm to washing machine bumpy.

    << good digital sextant using one of these is that with GPS, it’s no longer needed.  >>

    The hackers may turn off the GPS today using a keyboard, so the time to make a good digital AH is now. 

    Regards,
    Pete

     

       
    Reply
    Browse Files

    Drop Files

    NavList

    What is NavList?

    Get a NavList ID Code

    Name:
    (please, no nicknames or handles)
    Email:
    Do you want to receive all group messages by email?
    Yes No

    A NavList ID Code guarantees your identity in NavList posts and allows faster posting of messages.

    Retrieve a NavList ID Code

    Enter the email address associated with your NavList messages. Your NavList code will be emailed to you immediately.
    Email:

    Email Settings

    NavList ID Code:

    Custom Index

    Subject:
    Author:
    Start date: (yyyymm dd)
    End date: (yyyymm dd)

    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site
    Visit this site