NavList:

I was just using my new Kolbe LTA to complete a fictitious sight reduction problem of my own creation. I was pleased with the result which was 4.5 nm away from the actual position. (Bear in mind I purposely threw in a little random error.)

However, as is my usual practice I also ran the numbers using other methods to cross check my results. As one might expect Rodger Farley's "Teacup Celestial" program produced a fix much closer to the actual position. But I was curious about which part of my original calculations contributed most to the error. Was it the limitations of the concise sight reduction tables or maybe a plotting error on my part or just the random error I threw in? (I did remember to *add in the refraction and other corrections to the "raw" sight data.)

So, I decided to work backwards and start by checking the plot. I figured I'd cross check it by using my azimuths and intercepts to calculate the fix directly, which brings me to my question: Can the method described in the "Position from intercept and azimuth by calculation." section of the Nautical Almanac be used when you have different APs for each sight, as is required when using the concise tables, or is it necessary to have one single AP?

I'm no mathematician (to be honest, most of this seems like voo-doo to me), but my intuition tells me the latter would be the case. I say this because I notice there is only one instance of an AP lat/lon in the equations. Also, when I tried it I got a longitude that was very close to the actual, but the latitude was even farther off.

Thanks in advance for any insights!

Regards,
Sean C.
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