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Navigation

Navigation

Using Map and Compass to Find Your Way

This module will help you to

  • Use a hand-held compass to identify directions in the bush
  • Understand the difference between grid north and magnetic north
  • Orient a paper map with your surrounds using visible features and a compass
  • Confirm that your actual walking direction matches the desired route
  • Navigate an off-track route
  • Navigate in poor visibility
  • Use a phone app to locate your current position on a map

Resources

For group sessions

  • presentation icon_PINK

    PowerPoint presentation

Slides: Navigation (PPT, 5.1MB)

  • presentation icon_PINK

    Presenters' notes

Presenting the topic: Navigation (PDF, 108KB)

Note: you may customise the material to reflect your particular club circumstances, with permission from and acknowledgement of Bushwalking Victoria.

For participants and individual leaders

  • Printed information

Handbook: Navigation (PDF, 246KB)

  • Bushwalking Manual online reference

Map and Compass Basics gives an excellent summary of the topic. Be sure to study all sections. The fundamental skills are outlined under the headings

  • Relationship between Grid North/True North and Magnetic North
  • Setting (orienting) the map using both visible features and a compass
  • Bearing – a direction measured as an angle in degrees clockwise from North
  • Plotting a compass course from the map using a baseplate compass
  • Following a bearing using a baseplate compass

Information under the headings ‘How to improve?’ and ‘Navigation in easy conditions’ is simple to understand and very useful for beginning navigators. ‘Care with the compass’ is essential reading for all compass users.

Navigation Techniques gives instruction for more difficult situations
Navigating in Difficult Conditions is needed particularly in alpine areas which may be subject to sudden weather changes.
GPS Navigation gives an overview of basic principles shared by many common Apps.

  • Useful external links

Plotting a course using a Silva Compass - How to Navigate Easy as 1-2-3
A Beginners Guide to the Compass from Ordnance Survey UK. This site has a good text explanation as well as two videos, on features of a compass, and how to take a bearing.

Caution! This video is very clear but it is for walking on a bearing in the UK, so for Australian settings you will need to check your declination - In Victoria you need to SUBTRACT between 9 and 14 degrees depending on where you are located.

How to take a compass bearing uses the Bogong map as in the group training slide and handbook resources. The video was produced by the BWV training team led by Judy Hunter.

Three pages from the National Parks Association of NSW describe compass use, compass features, and magnetic declination

There are dozens of videos online that demonstrate outdoor navigation using map and compass. If you decide to use one, be mindful of the provenance (is it from a reliable source?), the relevance for Australian conditions (different magnetic declination? measuring in degrees and cm?), the quality of instruction (clear and logical, no shaky video or distracting music?)

Learning Activities

There is no substitute for practical outdoor experience. For this module you are advised to first study the theory, try the exercises in the handbook, and look at some video examples. But then you have to try it out in a safe and contained bush location, where there are natural boundaries so you cannot go astray.

Arrange a trip with friends and include someone with a bit more experience than you have.

Your bushwalking club might arrange such an event with a Walks Coordinator or experienced leader.

You may decide to follow the two sections (paper map/compass and phone GPS app) sequentially or do them together step by step. It will be easiest if everyone in the group is using the same app, and has downloaded a map for the practice location. Bushwalking Victoria Leader Training activities currently use mapps.me and Avenza Maps. Note that new apps are frequently appearing, and everyone has their own favourite. All apps come with technical instructions for use, and features that differ slightly from app to app.

First steps for learning how to walk on a bearing using a paper map and hand-held compass:

  • Orient the map to your set direction
  • Locate your position on the map
  • Select your first destination and use map and compass to calculate a bearing
  • Adjust using grid/magnetic angle
  • Follow the bearing to reach your first destination
  • Identify your next point and repeat

First steps for learning how to use a phone GPS app for navigation:

  • Open the app with the map of your location loaded
  • Locate yourself on screen
  • Confirm that this matches with the paper map
  • Identify your first destination
  • Orient the app map in the direction of travel
  • Some apps allow you to set a destination point and then navigate towards it
  • If your app can just record a walk, then set off in the desired direction and confirm the recorded path is going where you think it should
  • Identify your next point and repeat

Common Questions

How do I discover my current map location?

  • If you have a GPS app on your phone, use it to check your location. Then look at your surrounds and your paper map to confirm that you know where you are.
  • If you do not have a functioning phone or GPS, try to identify contours and tracks around you and compare with the map features. Note that while tracks change over time, contours and water features are stable. You might want to go to a nearby high point for a better view.
  • Retrace your steps until you reach a familiar location.
How do I discover my current map location?

Why do I need a paper map? Why not just use my phone?

  • Best to have both.
  • Batteries go flat, small screens may not give a big picture view.
  • Paper maps get wet unless you fold them correctly in a map case.
  • The feature you are looking for might be right on the map fold.

Good navigation uses a mixture of experience, thought, and combining information from many sources.

Why do I need a paper map? Why not just use my phone?

Why is my compass being erratic?

Magnetic interference can come from

  • nearby metal objects such as cars, fence posts

  • your phone

  • power poles or transmission lines

  • some rock formations, such as Mt Jim in the Bogong High Plains

Where possible, stand clear of such items.

Why is my compass being erratic?

Which compass to buy?

  • Flat plate compass (not reflector)

  • Graduated in 360 degrees

  • Metric

  • Liquid filled

  • Southern hemisphere balanced (may be a problem if buying online)

  • Quality manufacturer e.g.

    • Silva “Field” or “Ranger”

    • Suunto A-10 or A-30

Go to a reputable dealer and beware of buying something online from the northern hemisphere

Which compass to buy?

Key Points

  • Even a basic understanding of compass use can help you decide which way to go if you are unsure at a track junction, or in wet or foggy conditions.
  • Navigation strategies should include a combination of paper map reading, GPS location and digital maps, compass use and common sense.
  • Practise compass navigation on easier walks, for example on a short off-track section to gain confidence in your ability.
  • On longer and more difficult walks it is essential that both the leader and some other members of the party have good navigation skills.