NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: Reality check
From: Bill B
Date: 2006 Jun 6, 04:19 -0400
From: Bill B
Date: 2006 Jun 6, 04:19 -0400
Guy wrote > When using HO 249 The assumed latitude is rounded and the assumed Longitude is > the number that will make the LHA an even number (within the range of +/- 30 > min. of the DR Longitude). When plotting the assumed Lat and Long are used as > the starting point of the procedure. OK if I use the formulas: > Sin-1Hc = sin(dec) x sin(lat) + cos(dec) x cos(lat) x cos(LHA) and Cos-1 (Zn)= > sin(dec) - sin(lat) x sin(Hc) / cos(Hc) x cos(lat) to calculate Hc and Z or Zn > and then plot my position > wouldn't I be using the DR position as the start point? Similar to 229 I suspect, where you use the nearest whole latitude to your DR/EP position as AP and fudge AP longitude to make it whole degrees too (no minutes or seconds). Odd/even is a semantics trap I have fallen into. Literally 228d 00' 00" is even, 229d 00' 00" is odd). Rule of thumb, start plotting from the AP you used as input for the calculations. Past odd/even semantics your statement is correct, you use exactly where you think you are (exact EP/DR--discounting some figure of speech that eludes me for the moment) in your pocket-calculator calculations and as your anchor point for any intercept(s). Many benefits, including increased accuracy via shorter intercepts, although the pure scientists on the list may argue that carrying that many digits forward [to the right of the decimal point] in the calculations is folly given the significant-digits input. Yet many do it privately anyway! Bill