I found this new GPS that has it all, you can download aerial images of your hunting area, Wow much better than just a map.
shop.delorme.com/OA_HT...tion=10106

Cool stuff indeed..
Eventhough I think they do not yet have Aussie maps ready for us Downunder.
It would be great if they have higher resolution than 1 : 24000
or higher memory capability than the measly 75MB they include in the system.
Heck even my $150 MP3 got 8GB built in.


What worries me more is our reliance to these newer cool gadgets made us lazy to learn the tried an true old fashioned compass..

I wonder if there is any guru in the forum that could write up basic, intermediatery and advance course on how to use a compass..
These skill will counts a long while if there is any event that could hamper the uses of the modern GPS marvel
(such as thick cloud covers, jamming systems, run out of battery, cracked LCD etc etc)

I generally stick on a cheap compass at the butt of my gun's pistol grip.
I may forget to carry a GPS, but I always got a compass with me so long as I got my gun with me.
But I am sure would appreciate any new tips anyone could throw at me as to how to use my compass better.

A compass is worthless unless you use it from the start of your trip.
If you walk away from camp for two hours and then decide you are lost and try to find your way back with a compass you are going to be more lost.
My brother and I used to practice getting to some place with a view, pulling out our map and compass and trying to locate where we were on the map. It is pretty easy when you are in the mountains but out on the flats of a desert it gets problematic. You have to find streams, lakes, small hills and just about anything that shows on the map that you can see to locate your position.
I assumed everyone did that... we were never taught - it was just something we needed to know....in case.

I recently bought one from a guy at work a Lowrance I Finder Hunt. It seems to be a decent one there was no paperwork with it I can get the instructions online I just haven't got around to it I couldnt pass it up for the price.
Joe

I have the Garmin GPS Map 76S, I use all the time, But when I go into unfamiliar areas I always check my compass, and use that as well. I have had my batteries fail on me in my GPS.

PaulS wrote:

A compass is worthless unless you use it from the start of your trip.

And a GPS is worthless the moment the batteries fail or worse the electronics inside the unit itself fails.

Never been to a area so featureless that locating where you are is difficult. So trying to locate myself has never been difficult. Maybe I am just lucky.

Encase one gets lost I did write up this "Survival Manual" however.

www.mediafire.com/?e0nmxmy3ti3

Dimitri

Come on D your at an advantage to us flatlanders, you were born and raised in Canada..LOL Here where I live there is a road a mile away in any direction. When I get up in the swamps of Upper Mich. I better keep track of where I'm at. I couldn't get your Survival Manual to come up?

shrpshtrjoe wrote:

I recently bought one from a guy at work a Lowrance I Finder Hunt. It seems to be a decent one there was no paperwork with it I can get the instructions online I just haven't got around to it I couldnt pass it up for the price. Joe

Looks like a good one Joe,
www.lowrance.com/en/Pr...Downloads/

Thats it Thanks Buddy
Joe

glockman55 wrote:

Here where I live there is a road a mile away in any direction.

So you need just walk in a straight line for 15 minutes to find the nearest road and track back.

Dimitri

PaulS wrote:

A compass is worthless unless you use it from the start of your trip. If you walk away from camp for two hours and then decide you are lost and try to find your way back with a compass you are going to be more lost. My brother and I used to practice getting to some place with a view, pulling out our map and compass and trying to locate where we were on the map. It is pretty easy when you are in the mountains but out on the flats of a desert it gets problematic. You have to find streams, lakes, small hills and just about anything that shows on the map that you can see to locate your position. I assumed everyone did that... we were never taught - it was just something we needed to know....in case.

Gidday Paul. Mate, if you learn to navigate properly with a compass, then in your scenario you will be able to work out your position.

Its called doing a Re-section. Not the easiest thing to do, but if I can do it, then pretty much anybody can. All you need is a compass, map and protractor. Identify three or more points on the map that correspond with the ground then starts shooting some bearings. Convert your bearing to a back bearing, plot it on the map and you will end up with a "triangle of error". This triangle may be as much as 100 yds sq, but you are inside it...on the ground.

The way we were taught to do this was by a trip in the back of a closed up truck for about an hour. The truck stopped, they dumped us out and then said...work out where we are.

Cheers, Vince

Just to let you know, As I use the feature. If you buy Google Earth Plus for $20 per year you can download waypoints from a Garmin.

I went all over my property with my clays cart and my Garmin and laid out things like corners, my well, irrigation & drain pipe paths, barn, pond and road locations. Then I used the overlay to layout my fence and estimate all of my materials. Example, my 4-inch pipe estimate was 800 feet it actually ended up 780 feet, with two 10 ft sticks left over, all from Garmin and Google.
Best,
Ed

Vince wrote:

Its called doing a Re-section. Not the easiest thing to do, but if I can do it, then pretty much anybody can. All you need is a compass, map and protractor. Identify three or more points on the map that correspond with the ground then starts shooting some bearings. Convert your bearing to a back bearing, plot it on the map and you will end up with a "triangle of error". This triangle may be as much as 100 yds sq, but you are inside it...on the ground.

Here you are.. an expert..
Vince, mate, could you do a small write up of this technique?
Much appreciated!!

Delorme is used by a lot of trucking companies to keep track of their rigs. They are pretty good units. I have a Garmin 76S with only 8mb of memory and that is not nearly enough, the 1gb the Delorme has sounds interesting. More memory is always better.

gelandangan wrote:

could you do a small write up of this technique?

I am not Vince but I am sure he wont mind.

Quote::

6-8. RESECTION Resection is the method of locating one's position on a map by determining the grid azimuth to at least two well-defined locations that can be pinpointed on the map. For greater accuracy, the desired method of resection would be to use three or more well-defined locations. a. When using the map and compass method (Figure 6-18)— (1) Orient the map using the compass. (2) Identify two or three known distant locations on the ground and mark them on the map. (3) Measure the magnetic azimuth to one of the known positions from your location using a compass. (4) Convert the magnetic azimuth to a grid azimuth. (5) Convert the grid azimuth to a back azimuth. Using a protractor, draw a line for the back azimuth on the map from the known position back toward your unknown position. (6) Repeat 3, 4, and 5 for a second position and a third position, if desired. (7) The intersection of the lines is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy. a. When using the straightedge method (Figure 6-19)— (1) Orient the map on a flat surface by the terrain association method. (2) Locate at least two known distant locations or prominent features on the ground and mark them on the map. (3) Lay a straightedge on the map using a known position as a pivot point. Rotate the straightedge until the known position on the map is aligned with the known position on the ground. (4) Draw a line along the straightedge away from the known position on the ground toward your position. (5) Repeat 3 and 4 using a second known position. (6) The intersection of the lines on the map is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy.

Also the non-compass needing straight edge method.

Quote::

a. When using the straightedge method (Figure 6-19)— (1) Orient the map on a flat surface by the terrain association method. (2) Locate at least two known distant locations or prominent features on the ground and mark them on the map. (3) Lay a straightedge on the map using a known position as a pivot point. Rotate the straightedge until the known position on the map is aligned with the known position on the ground. (4) Draw a line along the straightedge away from the known position on the ground toward your position. (5) Repeat 3 and 4 using a second known position. (6) The intersection of the lines on the map is your location. Determine the grid coordinates to the desired accuracy.

This and much more about how to use maps properly can be found in the US Army Field Manual FM 3 25-26 Map Reading and Land Navigation That can be found and downloaded with a simple Google search.

Dimitri