NavList:
A Community Devoted to the Preservation and Practice of Celestial Navigation and Other Methods of Traditional Wayfinding
Re: suggestion for a satisfactory celnav narrative
From: John Kabel
Date: 2005 Jun 3, 09:56 -0400
From: John Kabel
Date: 2005 Jun 3, 09:56 -0400
As another cynic, but still full of energy, I suggested the Wikipedia approach in an e-mail a few days ago. That is one way I am prepared to contribute. The other way would be an effort supported on a dedicated server that this group can work with. I am not competent to set up a multi- authored document on a server, my own or anyone else's. If someone were to set it up, and identify to the group the ground rules and the access mechanism, I would again contribute what I could. I think the Wiki type of software could be used for that. Does the foregoing reduce me to half a cycnic?? John Kabel, SN London, Ontario > Andrew Corl wrote- > > >For Courtney, I am raising my hand to help with this. Don't know what I > >can do but here is a list of techniques I feel should be in the manual: > >Dead Reckoning Latitude by Noon Sun Longitude using a shortwave radio and > >the noon sun Sextant operation and how to determine the elevation above the > >horizon of the sun, moon, star, and planet Sight reduction using H.O. 249 - > >method I am presently learning Sight reduction doing all the math (the > >"apex of celestial navigation" according to Frank) > > As a world-weary old cynic, my opinion is that any offer, saying "this is > how I think it should be done, and I'm prepared to contribute" is worth at > least 10 proposals of "this is how I think it should be done, but by someone > else, not by me". So Andrew's suggestions are indeed useful. > > No doubt, he expected a bit of nitpicking about his choice of topics, and I > am happy to provide it. It relates to his suggested topic- "Longitude using > a shortwave radio and the noon sun" > > Although proposals for timing the moment of noon, by observing the Sun > around noon, reappear on this list at regrettably regular intervals, the > fact remains that noon is the worst possible moment for doing that job. > Although it's possible to make a crude assessment of the moment-of-noon by > making an extended set of observations, before noon and after, the only way > to get a PRECISE value of time-by-the-Sun (and hence longitude) is to do so > at a time WELL AWAY from noon, so that the Sun is rising and falling at a > measurable rate. If Andrew were to rephrase his suggestion to read instead- > "Longitude using a shortwave radio and a time-sight of the Sun", then I, for > one, would be happy. > > George. > > ================================================================ > contact George Huxtable by email at george@huxtable.u-net.com, by phone at > 01865 820222 (from outside UK, +44 1865 820222), or by mail at 1 Sandy Lane, > Southmoor, Abingdon, Oxon OX13 5HX, UK. > ================================================================ > > > -- > Incoming messge appears to be virus-free. > Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. > Version: 7.0.322 / Virus Database: 267.5.0 - Release Date: 6/2/05 > -- Outbound e-mail is scanned for viruses. Checked by AVG Anti-Virus. Version: 7.0.322 / Virus Database: 267.5.0 - Release Date: 6/2/05