How to use the compass in the forest: recommendations

In our time, when the devices of satellite navigation have become quite ordinary thing, it would seem, it is almost impossible to get lost in the forest. However, in practice this is not so. Every year, especially in the mushroom and berry picking season, EMERCOM employees have to search for missing people in different regions of Russia - not only the townspeople, but also those who consider the forest their home.

GPS-navigator - a thing, certainly, useful. But in the forest anything can happen: the battery has accumulated, dropped, broken, etc. And so the simplest magnetic compass will come to the rescue . This is an instrument that is known to mankind for more than one century. The main thing is to know how to use a compass in the forest.

A magnetic compass is the simplest yet reliable device. The principle of its operation is based on the interaction of the Earth's magnetic field and the magnetized arrow, which, rotating around its axis, is always located along the line of the magnetic field.

In principle, the compass is easy to use. It is only necessary to release the magnetic needle, and after a couple of seconds, with its blue end, which usually resembles the tip of an arrow, it will turn north. The reverse end of the arrow (red) indicates the direction to the south. Accordingly, if you face to the north, then to your right will be the east, and to the left - the west. It should be remembered that near the power line or railway (as well as in areas of magnetic anomalies), the compass reading may be distorted.

Anyone, regardless of gender or age, may well find himself in a situation where it is necessary to determine his location and direction of motion, and therefore knowledge of how to learn to use the compass will not hurt anyone.

Check of working capacity of the device

Going to nature and repeating how to use the compass in the forest, you need to make sure that it is working. For this you need:

• Place the compass on a flat, level surface.
• To give an arrow to calm down.
• Bring any metal object to the compass to disengage the pointer from the balance, and then abruptly remove the object.
• Make sure the needle has returned to its previous position. If this does not happen, you can not use this device.

How to use the compass on the ground

Before heading to the forest:

• First of all, you should choose for yourself those landmarks that will help in future to find the way back. In other words, it is necessary to "attach" to the terrain.
• As guidelines it is necessary to choose linear objects (road, clearing, power lines, etc.), from which you can go in any direction, but only at right angles.
• Moving a certain distance from the landmark so that it was within the line of sight, you need to turn to face it, pick up the compass and release the arrow. After it stops rotating, rotate the device body in a horizontal plane so that the arrow points to its blue end with "C" ("N") and red in "S".
• On the scale of the compass, determine the direction in degrees to the selected landmark (you can make it visually or with the help of some object, say, twigs). This is the direction in which you will then have to return - you need to remember it. Now you can enter the forest in a direction different from the measured by 180 degrees.

How to use the compass in the forest to return to the landmark:

• Expand the compass so that the conditional line of sight passes through the center of the compass and the given azimuth.
• To release the arrow and, rotating around its axis, to make it coincide with the direction "north-south".
• To move in that direction, where the sight is directed.

In order not to get lost, it is best to make periodic refinements of the course of the route - both when moving into the forest, and when exiting it.

Even if you know how to use a compass in the forest, you should adhere to a simple rule - before you go to an unfamiliar area, you need to think in advance how to get out of it. In no case can not deviate from the intended route. If this still happens - do not panic. We need to calmly understand the situation and make the right decision.