Compass in Motorhome

[jockaneezer]

Never mind which side of the tree the moss grows on, just look for satellite dishes on houses, they generally point more or less South ?

 

[DBK]

Any suggestions please for a decent compass to carry in the motorhome. We don't use a sat nav and tend to use .. suns in windscreen, it's lunchtime so we are going south type of navigation. I'm not sure if one would work correctly when surround by metal.

I use this Silva compass, it is the Model 58 but the main point is it is a marine model which can be adjusted so it reads true. Any compass without this ability won't read true in a vehicle.

The compass came with a little brass screwdriver you use to adjust it. The process is called "swinging the compass" in the marine world but you can do it on land.

The procedure is to find somewhere open where there are no vehicles or anything else potentially magnetic nearby. You will need another compass and one of the normal clear plastic Silva hiking compass will be fine.

Now find something on the skyline which is as close to due north as possible. It doesn't have to be exactly north but as close as possible. Next park the MH so it is pointing towards the landmark. Use your hiking compass and standing far from the MH (it's magnetic!) line up the side of the vehicle to check it is pointing at your landmark and record the bearing if it isn't exactly due north.

You now need to twiddle with your brass screwdriver the N/S adjustment screw on the marine compass so it reads the bearing recorded on your hiking compass.

Repeat for the E/W screw after pointing the MH at something in the east or west.

In theory it should now be set up but check again for N/S and the E/W.

My compass is removable as it fouls the internal screen but as long as you always put it in the same place it works. I wouldn't trust it for driving across the Sahara but it is accurate to about 5°.

Dont trust it when parked near other vehicles. If you are in a queue of traffic you will see it swing wildly when you pull up behind the vehicle in front.

 

[Figaro]

I use one of these and it works very well.
Bought off ebay. You can connect up to the dash lights if you wish but I didn't bother as I seldom drive motorhome at night.
For the money it's good value. I looked at Silva but couldn't justify the additional cost for what it'll be used for

 

[DBK]

I use one of these and it works very well.
Bought off ebay. You can connect up to the dash lights if you wish but I didn't bother as I seldom drive motorhome at night.
For the money it's good value. I looked at Silva but couldn't justify the additional cost for what it'll be used for


View attachment 651333

That looks fine, the point is it must be a marine compass with adjustment screws.

 

[Deep Owl]

My Garmin satnav tells me which direction I am driving. Extrapolate from that!

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[uzsnowdrop]

Get a pair of these theres a compass in the heel …remember?

 

[Reallyretired]

About 40 years ago when I went to France with the kids I used to use a compass as you describe. Generally head south from Calais, I didn't bother where we ended up, no plans just got the kids to look out for site signs when we wanted to stop, piscine an essential for them. No sat navs in those days, though I did have a map but no competent navigator. My ex-wife once tried to navigate me in France with a map of Germany and I had stickers on the dashboard for left and right.

 

[Richard n Ann]

I use this Silva compass, it is the Model 58 but the main point is it is a marine model which can be adjusted so it reads true. Any compass without this ability won't read true in a vehicle.

The compass came with a little brass screwdriver you use to adjust it. The process is called "swinging the compass" in the marine world but you can do it on land.

The procedure is to find somewhere open where there are no vehicles or anything else potentially magnetic nearby. You will need another compass and one of the normal clear plastic Silva hiking compass will be fine.

Now find something on the skyline which is as close to due north as possible. It doesn't have to be exactly north but as close as possible. Next park the MH so it is pointing towards the landmark. Use your hiking compass and standing far from the MH (it's magnetic!) line up the side of the vehicle to check it is pointing at your landmark and record the bearing if it isn't exactly due north.

You now need to twiddle with your brass screwdriver the N/S adjustment screw on the marine compass so it reads the bearing recorded on your hiking compass.

Repeat for the E/W screw after pointing the MH at something in the east or west.

In theory it should now be set up but check again for N/S and the E/W.

My compass is removable as it fouls the internal screen but as long as you always put it in the same place it works. I wouldn't trust it for driving across the Sahara but it is accurate to about 5°.

Dont trust it when parked near other vehicles. If you are in a queue of traffic you will see it swing wildly when you pull up behind the vehicle in front.

View attachment 651318

That's exactly the same as mine, bought around about 1999 it was great on the works van dash. I loved the way it leaned gracefully when cornering