LAND NAV: Use back markers—either a partner, or a stick if you are alone—to stay on course when foul weather reduces visibility

LAND NAV: Understanding GPS accuracy

LAND NAVIGATION: How to navigate in bad weather

LAND NAVIGATION: A sample five-north operational compass rose

A sample, five-north compass rose for a location in Ontario, Canada illustrating the interrelationship of

• True North
• Magnetic North
• Meridian Magnetic North
• UTM Grid North
• UTM Grid Magnetic North

GPS: Bad data upload to GLONASS satellite on April 2, 2014 results in 50-km GPS position-fix errors on England’s east coast

Don't give up your locational awareness mindset and map-and-compass skills just yet...

Read BBC story here:
Source: Michael Addiscott via SAR Talk

LAND NAVIGATION: GPS multipathing & how to counter it

LAND NAV: Free PDF downloads of USGS generation 1 & 2 quadrangles now available via Google Maps Gallery

• Gen 1 Traditional scanned paper quad download page
• Gen 2 Modern layered digital quad download page

NOTE: To access the download option for a quad, click on the green button, center-quad

SOURCE: Loren Pfau of the Alpine Rescue Team, via NASAR

LAND NAV: How to interpret slope contour patterns on topo maps

LAND NAVIGATION: 12 most-common errors & their remedies

GPS POCKET MANUAL: Free, 8-page, pocket-sized guide for Garmin Oregon 400, 500, & 600 GPS units

Print-out this pocket guide using the "print" function in your Internet browser menu; then trim and laminate individual pages.

Source: Adapted from material provided by the US National Wildfire Coordinating Group's (NWCG's) Geospatial Subcommittee (GSC)

Land navigation: How to improve GPS reception

Bush Gear: The Clamshell Compass by Wazoo Survival Gear

More Clamshell Compass info here.

GPS: Free, 8-page, pocket-sized guide for Garmin GPSmap 60CS & 60CSx

Download, print, trim, and laminate PDF pocket guide here.

Source: Adapted from material provided by the US National Wildfire Coordinating Group's (NWCG's) Geospatial Subcommittee (GSC)

How to make a map protractor and UTM roamer scale easier and faster to use while underway in the bush

Source: This article was adapted from The Ranger Digest, Handbooks 1 thru 9, by US Army Ranger Rick F. Tscherne. Copyright © 1988-2012. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted With Expressed Written Permission. Order this e-book series at www.KoboBooks.com.

Rick F. Tscherne served twenty-one years (1972-93) in the United States Army in various demanding leadership positions including Airborne-Infantry/Anti-Tank Squad Leader, Airborne-Ranger Platoon Sergeant, Drill Instructor, Cold Weather Instructor, Small Arms Repairman, Battalion S-3 Assistant Operation Sergeant, and US Army Headquarters G-3 War Plans Division Operation Sergeant.

• 1974-1976: 1st/509th Airborne Recon Platoon Team Leader (Sgt/E-5)
• 1976-1978: A-4-3 Fort Dix (N.J.) Drill Instructor (Ssg/E-6)
• 1978-1980: 1st /75th Ranger Bn. Weapon Section Leader/PSG (Ssg/E-6)
• 1980-1981: 1st /31st Mech/Inf (ROK) Assistant Platoon Sergeant (Ssg/E-6)
• 1981-1985: 1st /509th/325th Airborne BCT—Infantry Platoon Sergeant (Sfc/E-7)
• 1985-1987: 3rd /325th Airborne S-3 Assistant Training/Operation Sergeant (Sfc/E-7)
• 1987-1992: USASETAF Headquarters G-3 War Plans Div. Operation NCO (Sfc/E-7)

Rick has attended and graduated from schools such as the US Army Infantry, Airborne, Ranger, Jumpmaster, Drill Instructor, Combat Intel, Small Arms Repair schools, and the Advance Non-Commission Officer Training Program. His foreign training includes German Army Weapons Qualification Course, Italian Airborne school, French Commando school, and Belgian Para-Commando school.

His US Army awards and commendations include: US Army Ranger Tab, Master Parachutist Wings, Drill Instructor Badge, Expert Rifleman Badge, Jungle Expert Patch, Army Commendation, 5 Army Achievement awards, 3 Meritorious Service Medals, 4 Overseas Service Ribbons, etc. He qualified as an expert with weapons such as the M16A1, M203 Grenade Launcher, and M60 MG.

Since retiring from the US Army, Rick served as an Advisor/Trainer to the Bosnia & Herzegovina Army (1996-97) under the US State Department "Train & Equip Program." Always willing to share his personal experiences, tips, tricks and ideas in how to survive & thrive in the outdoors with others, he's published nine volumes of the Ranger Digest, developed a series of Special Ops Survival (SOS) Kits, and regularly instructs military and outdoors enthusiasts in wilderness survival.

• Rick's Personal Facebook Page
• Rick's SOS Survival Kits Web Page
• Rick's Survival Outdoors Web Page

How to use your compass to get around an obstacle blocking your intended route, by Emergency Management Australia

There may be occasions when it will be necessary to alter the direction of travel in order to avoid a major obstacle.

This is best done by traveling around the obstacle by a series of right angles.

To carry out this maneuver with most compasses it necessitates altering the compass setting by 90° each time a change in direction is required.

With the orienteering compass this can be done without any alterations to the original compass setting simply by taking advantage of the right angles of the compass plate as illustrated.

Assume that a user wishes to avoid an obstacle by travelling around it to the right.

• For his first right hand turn he would simply alter the position of the compass in his hand and, maintaining the same setting, sight along the back edge of the compass plate from the left corner to the right corner. The user would then move along the new course for the required number of paces to avoid the obstacle. 
• For the second turn (to the left) the user would hold the compass in the normal way and walk far enough to clear the obstacle. 
• For the third turn (again to the left) the user would maintain the same setting but sight along the back edge of the compass plate from the right corner to the left corner. By travelling the same number of paces as for the first turn it should place the user back on line with the initial direction of travel. 
• For the final turn (to the right) simply orient the compass with the direction arrow pointing directly ahead. 

The obstacle has been by-passed and the user can now continue towards the intended destination. 

Source: This article was adapted from Map Reading and Navigation, Second Edition, (Part IV, Manual 7), by Emergency Management Australia, Attorney-General’s Department; Dickson, Australian Central Territory, Australia. Copyright © 2001. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with Expressed Written Permission.

How to use the aiming off technique with your map and compass

Aiming off is an essential land navigation technique to use when your attack point is not immediately visible.

Source: This article was adapted from the Ultimate Navigation Manual, by Lyle F. Brotherton. Copyright © 2011 by Harper Collins Publishers, London, UK. All Rights Reserved. Excerpted with Expressed Written Permission. Order your copy today at www.MicroNavigation.com or www.Amazon.com.

In poor weather you can lose sight of even the largest attack point—small or subtle attack points (such as a contour change) can be missed even in the best of conditions.

The technique involves aiming at a linear feature, deliberately to one side of the attack point, then simply following it to your attack point.

Steps

1. Select your Attack Point.
2. Identify a Linear Feature such as a wall, stream or track near to the attack point.
3. Take a Bearing to one side of your attack point.
4. Calculate from the map the approximate distance from the point at which you will reach the linear feature to your attack point.
5. Walk this bearing.
6. When you reach the linear feature use it as a Handrail to find your attack point, pacing the distance.

The added advantage of flowing water (rivers, brooks, streams, etc.) is that you can also work out from the contour lines which way they are flowing, in this instance you would walk downstream. It might be worth noting that when you hit the linear feature you pace how far it is to your attack point just in case you overshoot it

MapTech/MyTopo releases version 9.5 for Terrain Navigator Pro

The JoCoSAR Blog is reporting that MapTech/MyTopo has released version 9.5 of Terrain Navigator Pro.

• Product page
• Update info

Oct 2013 issue of the UK's "Mountain Pro" magazine contains a great article on the magnetic compass by Lyle Brotherton, one of the World's top land navigation instructors

The current issue (October 2013) of Mountain Pro—the United Kingdom's leading magazine for the outdoor professional—is online. See pages 28 and 29 for a good article on how the magnetic compass REALLY works. Entitled "A Space Odyssey," it's authored by none other than Lyle Brotherton, one of the world's leading land navigation instructors and author of the Ultimate Land Navigation Manual. This is an excellent magazine for outdoor operators. Look for a SAR team to be profiled in the January '14 issue. Read the Mountain Pro.