I have used thr Suunto Arrow 5 thumb compass for a while and like it. I want to try the Silva Jet Spectra with the colored dot system, but I am concerned about the accuracy. If there are 12 different sets of dots to follow, then each set is equal to 30 degrees, so you could be up to 30 degrees off each time you try to follow a bearing. Any thoughts on this compass?
I dont know alot about your particular style of navigation, but it sounds like you currently feel the need to work to 'accurate' bearings (say less than 5-10 degrees) ?
I used to navigate just that way, needing to rotate the dial and set everything up properly before setting off on a bearing away from linear features. I used to waste alot of time without realising it. Then i eventually discovered the Silva Jet, figured out how to use it and my orienteering changed forever.
These compass with coloured slots / dots etc are meant to be used for a 'loose' style of navgation, where you are working more with the constant two way reading between map to ground as well as vice versa. In this way the compass is almost reduced to being a checking mechanism.
Bearings any more accurate than the general colour area would only really be needed for short distances (eg into final control position) where you would also slow down (even if only slightly), use pace counting and read map to fuller detail.
Also dont forget there's also the 'half way between yellow and blue marking' which subdivides the angle further.
Readign back i'm not sure if this all makes sense. Maybe someone else can paraphrase or better still improve.
thanks for the input, and now thinking about it, i probably do rely too much on the compass for bearings. i definitely check it too often. so you would recommend an approch based more on terrain association?
There are markings on the rim of a compass? Hey, whaddya know, so there are! I wonder what they're for? I'm certain they don't affect the motion of the needle, that's for sure.
so you would recommend an approch based more on terrain association?
Definitely. If you can get an Omap printed with contours only, and train on that, you'll find you'll use those contours a heck of a lot more than you're doing now. AND you'll orienteer faster than you would if you checked off all the intermediate features, and took bearings every step of the way.
I don't use bearings much either (like Cristina and J-J). :-) Just rough bearings to keep my map oriented, and perhaps to make sure I'm headed southeast instead of northwest. Except on French Creek (a DVOA map)!
Perhaps to clarify the above comments for Ryan:
Most orienteers never "take a bearing" or "shoot an azimuth" in the military or Boy Scout sense of 'set compass to 210 degrees' and follow it for 86 paces.
In terms of my orienteering style, I perceive that I'm nearly always on a 'rough bearing' and I occasionally take 'careful bearings'.
"Rough bearing" Place straight edge of compass along next intended direction of travel (route choice; not necessarily red-line); turn map to align north line on map with north arrow on compass; hold compass firmly to map; while running, I regularly check that map aligns with compass north and that I'm still headed in roughly correct direction. Agreeing with Janet, the primary focus here is keeping map oriented which makes it a lot easier to match terrain features with map. Though above seems wordy and technical, it all becomes pretty automatic. "Rough bearings" are most important while crossing a somewhat flat, featureless region (eg cross broad spur to top of side reentrant) or a very confusing region with too much detail.
"Careful Bearing" - For a control on a point feature (eg boulder or pit on hillside) without bigger features nearby, I get to a distinct feature (an attack point) which might be a trail bend or a re-entrant junction as close as possible. Then I do the above, but more accurately and slowly - perhaps pace counting as well - still a jog (I hope:)).
Orienteers do have different styles in terms of compass use. I always hold map and compass in same hand (the above procedure). Some good orienteers use a very different style - holding map and compass in opposite hands. I suspect that elite orienteers have practiced so much that their method is subconcious and smoooooth.
Ricka should have mentioned that there is no such thing as a "careful bearing" longer than 200 metres!
ie Never choose an attack point more than 200m from the control.
thanks for the clear and concise help! i took the plunge and my new spectra should arrive on my doorstep in a few days. i will also try to study the contours more, and that should help me unglue my face from staring at the compass all the time.