What's your compass..

[mallorcasaint]

I've found I have to stand at least 2 feet behind my 300P to get a true reading from my phone's compass. My Silva compass is affected even worse. No way I could mount anything other than a calibrated ships binnacle to my mount!

Odd. I put my Silva on top of my tripod and it's not affected at all.

[bingevader]

Maybe it depends on the 'scope!

My silva is affected by my etx90.

[twotter]

You'll notice I checked your profile -- couldn't stop my curiosity checking on your age :D

It's 20+ years ago!

[mallorcasaint]

Maybe it depends on the 'scope!

My silva is affected by my etx90.

Or maybe that's why my mount points North East!

[rowan46]

Now that i use setting cicles I don't need a compass ( I can't find an emoticon for smug)

[ollypenrice]

It's not to connect to the mount, but funny enough that's what I was thinking about doing.

Don't do that. There is far too much magnetic/ferrous material in a mount so it will pull the needle way off course. For mount aligning you really need to stand some way back from the mount, unfortunately.

I use a Silva as well, but that's mainly because the built in protractor can transfer bearings directly between the map and reality when hiking. You don't need that feature for mount aligning.

PS Sorry, hadn't seen the second page. Do you think a metal casing would isloate the needle from the nearby field objects? I must say I'd be surpirsed.

Olly

[Macavity]

Local Solar Noon? (There are websites with calculate this). With the mount removed, there are sundry holes in my pier top. Insert a few vertical bolts? Get their shadows in line? Far better than my random collection of... compasses... that rarely point in the same direction!

[Scott]

i've never really found a need for a compass. maybe thats where i'm going wrong

[planet15]

As I never star gaze in other places than my own back garden, I never needed compass. I know exactly where North South East West are in the garden, as I see where the Sun rises and sets, and also where the Polaris is.

However, if I am observing in other remote areas, then I would need one most definitely.

[bingevader]

I know where North is too!

It just makes alignment a doddle if my 'scope is accurately set up first and it then holds its tracking more precisely and for longer, but maybe it's just getting old.

I don't use one at all when I'm out with the dob.

Cheers

[dcwales2012]

£2.99 from mountain warehouse (dayglow yellow). When I got mine a while back it was on bogof.

[PlanetGazer]

Now that i use setting cicles I don't need a compass ( I can't find an emoticon for smug)

[baggywrinkle]

I've been using my phone as a compass, but I'm planning on getting a more specialized one - I'm thinking about this one since it's a well built and very precise as well as has a spirit level

What's yours?

Regards,

I use one like this but without the level bubble. I then lay a broom shaft against the 2 south legs and a square board against the broom shaft and lay the compass down one edge.

Here in Perth our deviaition is only -1deg, sounds small but that is two moon diameters when trying to locate Sigma Octans, which is dim anyway and I have the glow of Perth city to the south.

[m37]

Have one of the basic hiking ones but I never use it as I don't have an EQ mount. If you want to PM me your address I will gladly post it to you. Recycling and all that.

I also have a viking compass tattooed on my arm but it is of limited use, although I once convinced someone I could tell the time with it

My wife is an excellent moral compass!!! I need that because, if you hadn't already guessed, I'm a complete idiot.

[ollypenrice]

I can feels the Goons coming on.

Seagoon; Tell me small boy type boy, do you have a compass?

Eccles; Yes, I have one drawn on this piece of paper.

Seagoon; And how do you know which way to hold the paper?

Eccles; You just point the arrow to the North.

Olly

[nicks90]

i've been looking at digital compasses for attaching to my new dobs base, combineed with an inclinometer it would be a good push too system. but i m concerned at the accuracy it can give being so close to a 300mm flextube.

[nightfisher]

I have a couple of compass`s but they differ, so just use the better one for "sort of north", then polar align

[neilhooper]

When my mate and I go out we always set up our tripods with no mount on them first to get them level and facing the right direction ready for polar aligning . If we put a compass on one of the tripods and then on the other one some 20 ft away and follow the 'needle' we end up with the tripods pointing to different 'Norths'. How strange is that

- Neil

[Daddystu]

The only time I felt I actually needed to know north accurately was when I was building my pier. For that I made sure that I finished at dusk with Polaris visible. Then, I visually aligned my adaptors alt/az pin with a notch on my fence and Polaris. I made regular checks and some very slight adjustments to get it precisely level over the course of the subsequent 2 hours as the concrete was setting.

[laser_jock99]

I don't think I've ever needed a compass for astronomy?

[PlanetGazer]

I don't think I've ever needed a compass for astronomy?

You probably wouldn't if you can easily point out polaris.

[RT65CB-SWL]

I use the Astro Engineering 'Alignmate' (AC296) for my astro use. Also have a cheap map/hikers compass (from 99p Stores or PoundLand) in my webcam/tool box.

I also have a (I think bakelite) marching/sighting compass that my late grandfather gave me. I used to have a chrome prism compass that my father gave me but I am unable to find that one.

[breezy]

at home, just walk out back door cos its dead north, out an about look for polaris and failing that the trusty old silva compass thats been living in the pocket of a jacket somewhere for years and has the odd cobwebb on it from lack of use

[glowjet]

I am a Pensioner and I have a magnetised needle hung from a length of very fine thread, I chose the needle because it was better quality than a pin I also have a nice field compass, similar to those shown already

[emadmoussa]

Wow!! I started this thread expecting a little bet of discussion and I can see a lot of people are interested in compasses...bizarre