LandNav Classes

[mobbs]

Go to A&S, you'll be an orienteering guru.

You can also print off the open source version of PFPS FalconView, which is a mapping software we use in the military (the version we use is a little more hi-speed) and you can actually geo-rect images from google earth onto your FalconView maps. It gets a little confusing so Sharp's method for MGRS maps would probably be much easier. Just remember, you need to know the degree of declination anywhere you are in the world (because it changes from location to location) in order to navigate with any degree of accuracy. Also a good way to find where you are on a map, so long as you are along a linear terrain feature (road, river, etc) that you know is marked on your map, just find one terrain feature, shoot an azimuth, get the back azimuth, compensate for degree of declination and draw straight lines from that feature along the back azimuth. The point where the line intersects with the linear terrain feature is approximately where you are on the map. Resections and modified Resections are the preferred method.

[Sharpienads]

I think HawgView will tell you the local declination, but I can't remember. I know that the military GPSs will tell you the declination, but do civilian ones? I have a little garmin wrist GPS and I don't think it has declination.

[tonantius]

Amazon has some land navigation books. They are similar to DOD FM. If you get lost in the woods your are SOL if you can't see any landmarks. Then it is GPS.

Also there are Geocaching groups that you can find with online web pages. That would be navigation with a GPS mainly.

I think a combination GPS with topographic map (both digital and paper) and a good military or geological compass, plus a pencil, protractor, and straight edge and you are good to go.

Ranger school is good, too. There should be some mountaineering or orienteering classes out there. I took a map reading class at West Point, three at the University of Nebraska (one for ROTC, one for geology and one for backpacking). I also had map making classes. I made geologic maps for publication.