NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
From: David Pike
Date: 2023 Aug 20, 16:01 -0700
Eric van der Veen
Finally, tonight I got chance at a Polaris shot to complete the trilogy of possible actions with the Vulcan Astro Form. Polaris is very difficult to see from my house because of light pollution, but I did just manage to see it though the Mk2a x2 eyepiece. I didn’t mess about with the bits you’ve already seen, just a real ground shot, so no Coriolis or acceleration corrections are shown. I’ve not used this sextant before. I’ve always used my Mk2b and 2c, or one of my Kollsmans, but this 2a is turning out to be the best. If yours turns out to be as good, you’re in for hours of fun. There are only four things to remember.
1. Never try and change between one-and two-minute shots while the sextant is running, or you’ll have a drum of cogs and gears to contend with.
2. Don’t forget to record Ho before winding up for your next shot.
3. Turn off your 2xAA batteries if you’re not going to be shooting for a while, because they don’t last long.
4. Don’t put your sextant away while still wound up. It’s supposed to strain the mainspring. DaveP
