Compasses

Compasses are a great tool for navigation, location, and direction. It even has a weather vane that point towards the direction of the wind. There are many other useful features of this one tool, and buying one would make your travel much efficient. However, you need to consider a lot of factors while buying one to make your purchase right the first time.

Compasses have a single objective of navigation and is an utterly important device to own. There are two types available online – magnetic and non-magnetic. Both have their own limitations and purposes. If you want to buy compasses online in Dubai, we would suggest understanding the basic layout of the product first. Reading navigation tools are skills that you should not miss, especially if you have an adventurous spirit. On this page, we slide you through the nuts and bolts of this navigation tool. Let’s start with an overview first.

Fundamentals of a navigation compass

Here, we are talking about a very basic product, sometimes referred to as a baseplate compass. So, the components include a baseplate, of course, on which the compass is embedded. Then, another thing you see are the needles inside the housing, which is a plastic circle. And this circle includes a degree dial, magnetic needle, orienting arrow, and orienting lines. Well, this is the fundamental concept, but manufacturing is different in traditional and modern designs. You need to know it before checking out compasses to buy. Basically, traditional design is filled with airspace to allow for volume changes caused by temperature/altitude. And, modern designs are filled with a liquid lamp for the same reason.

North direction of a navigation compass

Let’s suppose you travelled one degree off for one mile. That means you are about 100feet off track. Well, it’s just one mile, think of the next 10 or 20 miles until you realise you have taken the wrong route. To prevent such happenings, you should know there are two north directions – true north and magnetic north. Here, true north is where your map points the north direction, and magnetic north is the tilt of the magnetic field. Both can vary by 11 or 20 degrees. Especially, mariners have to take care of it a lot. A single degree misalignment can make them go completely wrong. You can check out some best compasses online and thoroughly read their specifications list to understand them better.

The basic layout of a smart compass

It can be defined as a compass in a smartphone. You need to download the application on your phone. Once installed, you need to program the compass by turning the numbered dial. As a next step, place your phone above your heart against your chest, tilt your head, and look at the compass. What you need is the red compass pointing at the N, so turn your body until it happens. Slowly, lift your head up with eyes along the arrow on the front. Find a semi-distant object in the same direction and walk towards it. One thing you need to know about the compass in your smartphone is calibrating. It is done by waving the phone in a number eight pattern in case you do not believe the compass readings.

Fun facts about navigation compass

Some animals, like ants, birds, and fish, use their internal biological clock to help them find direction. Some animals like pigeons can use Earth’s own magnetic field to navigate because their brains are like an internal magnetic compass. Another fun fact about these products is that they are earlier used for spiritual purposes known as feng shui. Even the invention of the compass is made for divination. In it, the buildings are organised using a compass with the purpose of harmonising the environment according to the “laws of heaven”. Next, we have compiled a few insights in our tips section that you should consider before buying.