Will this compass work well in both the Northern and Southern Hemisphere? Is it best to buy 2 seperate compasses for traveling in N. &amp; S. hemispere?
71491
Here is a post that I found on the net from Brunton Compass company to one of their customers: Since your compass was purchased here in the US, it is most likely one balanced for the Northerly zone 1 which covers N.America, Europe and most of Asia. However, when taking a compass with that balance to the Southerly zone 3, you will experience needle 'dip' where one end of the needle will drag along the top housing of the compass. You could theoretically just hold the compass at a slight angle where the needle swing freely, but this can result in some inaccurate readings. Please let me know any further questions. Best, BRUNTON OUTDOOR And here's another post: Compass balancing Because the Earth's magnetic field's inclination and intensity vary at different latitudes, compasses are often balanced during manufacture. Most manufacturers balance their compass needles for one of five zones, ranging from zone 1, covering most of the Northern Hemisphere, to zone 5 covering Australia and the southern oceans. This balancing prevents excessive dipping of one end of the needle which can cause the compass card to stick and give false readings. Seems to me your best luck would be to buy a compass from the area you are traveling. Best of luck, since I've never used a compass south of New Mexico. Eric GROUP Ryan Perry, Associate Product Manager
2023866
Since "north" and "south" are really artificial constructs for a magnet's inherent polarity, it really doesn't matter. If you want to use them for teaching kids they can mark them and figure it out. If you just want to hot glue them into bottle caps for the refrigerator door, that won't matter.
61337
Yes, this model is balanced for the Northern Hemisphere. That was something I contacted the company about prior. They actually charge a little bit more to get one balanced for the Southern Hemisphere. There are two versions, the 27 and 27 CS. The CS just stands for claim shell, the type of packaging. The CS model also comes with a nice 10 page book teaching you all kinds of things if you are newer to compasses and such. The model set for the Southern Hemisphere is 27SH instead of the base 27.
401119
I returned my Magellan, was totally unhappy with it as we tried to use it. I hope you have better luck with yours. You might contact the magellan site for an answer to your question.
1473399
To Jan S. Balcom's answer, I would add that I believe this calibration needs to be done every time you put in a new battery. You also need to recalibrate the compass each time. By doing this, I believe mine gives a reasonably close reading.
8656
YES. But where you aim it will be different. No big deal. I would consider joining sateliteguys.com. Its free and they will help you with all the questions you may have. To find out how to aim the dish go to http://www.geosatfinder.com/ then select canada / usa / or mexico and go from there. Good luck.
61338
i believe it is balanced for the Northern Hemisphere. not sure what CS stands for.
71049
Yes it works. It takes time to load and locate the satellite. With a combo of maps, GPS and luck you will find your destination. P.S. South America does not use street signs, they sometimes rely on landmarks to give you directions. Hope this info works for you.
1558251
Today's cell phone "compasses" are gps based, not magnetic. There will be no interference by any magnet at any time. Rest assured.
620280
Look, you can't go wrong with this compass. I used it in the Marine Corps as an infantry Sgt. and I use it as a civilian. It's the same compass as USGI issue with an NSN # and they only take US made products. Pull the trigger on this one.
808868
there are several different models. the premium model has everything including an altimeter. I think mine has a compass that shows a heading to a waypoint, but we are in Mexico right now and I don't have it with me.
362845
Gary, I have been researching the same use (snowmobiling) for the nuvi 500. sledgps dot com lists chips available either nationally or by region. The region maps are $50, the national $99. Did you get the 500, and do you like it? I want a crossover/multi mode unit and this one seems to be the only one available. I think the difference between this unit and the 550 is that the 500 has US road and US topo maps, and the 550 has north american roads but no topo maps. I don't know if sledgps maps will overlay on the topo. If anyone has tried this, please reply with info. I have not bought it yet, so can't answer your question directly (I want to be able to though). Finally I am torn on the mixed reviews on the unit. I can handle the missing USB cable, and AC adapter, but has everyone found the unit accurate, both on road and off road? Are the maps updated? Thanks...
1367229
The globe turns on the earth's axis and it can be rotated about another axis which has one pole at about 40 degrees latitude. This makes the globe useful, since you can tilt it to look more easily at the southern hemisphere while you spin it on its polar axis. The base is made of iron, since a magnet will cling to it.
1576383
No compass per say. It uses GPS satellites to navigate. You cannot be on top of anything ferrous(steel) though as that upsets the accuracy. It is pretty good to find your way around the sky if you are new to this.
1240413
I use GPS all the time with no problem. I also put both magnets for maneuverability.
1642950
Yes, you can use Polar Hr7. As a matter of fact it works better than the Magellan HRM.
2043129
Unless you have a different compass than I do it should move freely.the compass should float to level by watching bubble.the chrome outer ring with lines should move. I'm not advanced with it yet to do the side sighting. I hope this helps.