My New Sextant Arrived

flyersfan31

flyersfan31

Touchdown! Greaser!
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Freiburgfan31
I've always wondered about celestial navigation. Finally decided to get a sextant and some info and learn about it. My starter kit from landfall.com arrived today. Got a Davis Mk25, some plotting tools, manual, plus a DVD by Wm F. Buckely Jr (yeah, him). Can't wait to start plotting my location. TOo bad it's a total overcast, and likely will be tomorrow. It's kinda hard to see the horizon (no, impossible) from home, so I'll be using a homemade artificial horizon, but I plan to bring the rig anytime I go to the beach this summer.

Hey, can't hurt to learn something new, can it?!
 
Awesome! I've always thought it would be cool to learn how to use a sextant, but quite frankly didn't know they were still around. Thanks for the link.

I used to think the same thing about a slide rule, but using my E6B took care of that idea.
 
well if the batteries quit on your GPS in the middle of the ocean without a sextant you're kinda hosed....

I've actually always wanted to learn how to use one myself. I think you need to put it in the Matrix, and show us how to take a sun shot at Gaston's
 
That's what the dome behind the flight deck is for......

..did you get it through Celestair?
 
I have a sextant; once you get it figured out let me know how to do it!
 
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Pictures please.. what was that web site again? I keep getting errors.

I'm sure it's not the same as the sextant I used in the B-52G. Celestial Nav at FL350 and 420KTAS... and no pocket calculators... just a good watch and math.
 
Good luck with that. There's something almost spiritual about learning an ancient art that most people consider obsolete.

I took an introductory CELNAV course many years ago while I was in the service. It wasn't part of my duties; I just thought it was interesting and a good way to pass time during long patrols.

For me, the hardest part was learning to quickly identify and locate the "navigational stars." I think there are 57 of them, if I recall correctly. The concepts and the math are actually pretty straightforward.

I'm sure you'll do just fine.

Rich
 
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Here's the website:

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/marinesextants.html

Neat store.

I spent last evening with a glass of wine and Wm. F. Buckley Jr. explaining how to navigate by sextant. It was kinda funny having this blindingly intelligent guy explain a rather complex subject while relaxing in his easy chair. It was like he was going to tell a bedtime story. Joking aside, it was very well done. A few more times through and I'll be ready to rock.
 
Nice! Now all you need is a field approval to install a plexiglass dome...


Trapper John
 
My CFI thought I was crazy when on our Night XC, I actually had stars figured to follow to hold course...but then my other hobby is astronomy, so it was just natural that I navigate that way!
 
RJM62 said:
For me, the hardest part was learning to quickly identify and locate the "navigational stars." I think there are 57 of them, if I recall correctly.
Click to expand...

That's the difficult part here in the Great Lakes region. Between the water vapor and the smog, seeing 57 stars, let alone specific 57 stars, can prove difficult.
 
john smith said:
That's the difficult part here in the Great Lakes region. Between the water vapor and the smog, seeing 57 stars, let alone specific 57 stars, can prove difficult.
Click to expand...

True enough. Out at sea, the opposite problem prevailed: With clear skies, there were so many celestial bodies visible that it was a little tricky to pick the "navigational stars" from the crowd. (Well, maybe not for someone who really knew what they were doing, but it was for me.)

-Rich
 
Heck, once you get the celestial nav figured out, then study surveying!

One of the guys in the CG station had a sextant and one night while out on a small boat he used it to determine position. The funny part was he used the boat's GPS to obtain the accurate time.
 
flyersfan31 said:
I've always wondered about celestial navigation. Finally decided to get a sextant and some info and learn about it. My starter kit from landfall.com arrived today. Got a Davis Mk25, some plotting tools, manual, plus a DVD by Wm F. Buckely Jr (yeah, him). Can't wait to start plotting my location. TOo bad it's a total overcast, and likely will be tomorrow. It's kinda hard to see the horizon (no, impossible) from home, so I'll be using a homemade artificial horizon, but I plan to bring the rig anytime I go to the beach this summer.

Hey, can't hurt to learn something new, can it?!
Click to expand...

Learn to use the H.O. 229 method and how to make your own reduction form (I made mine in 4 sections, Sighting and index/height of eye correction, then take that down to the Almanac section then up and over to the HO 229 sight reduction section, then down to the LOP section. Once you can do that, you can pass the USCG Oceans endorsement for licenses to 1600GRT/3000GT.

Get a stop watch that will give you recording of at least 3 split times for your 3 star running fixes and tape that to the handle of the sextant to get your times. If you can get your triangles to less than 3 miles, you're doing as well as anyone.
 
flyersfan31 said:
Here's the website:

http://www.landfallnavigation.com/marinesextants.html

Neat store.

I spent last evening with a glass of wine and Wm. F. Buckley Jr. explaining how to navigate by sextant. It was kinda funny having this blindingly intelligent guy explain a rather complex subject while relaxing in his easy chair. It was like he was going to tell a bedtime story. Joking aside, it was very well done. A few more times through and I'll be ready to rock.
Click to expand...

When you can pull an accurate sight at the top of a 20' wave on a small boat pitching and rolling, then you'll be ready to rock. Doing the reductions is easy, getting an accurate sight to do the reduction, that's more interesting.

Many moons ago when I was but a lad starting in this business, I went to Hawaii with an owner and a few other guys to bring a boat back to LA and when we got there he hands me the sextant and the books and says, "Here, you're smart, figure this out...":eek::eek::eek:
 
RJM62 said:
For me, the hardest part was learning to quickly identify and locate the "navigational stars."
Click to expand...

Hence the concept of "star time". The navigator retires to the signal bridge at a specific time after sunset/before sunrise when there is just enough daylight left to "hide" all the non-navigational stars. The navigational stars are then easy to spot. If you are a newbie, you calculate the approximate location (azimuth and elevation) of the nav. stars you want to shoot, and have at it.

The old salts are on a first name basis with these stars.

I understand that celestial navigation is no longer taught at Annapolis.

-Skip
 
Skip Miller said:
Hence the concept of "star time". The navigator retires to the signal bridge at a specific time after sunset/before sunrise when there is just enough daylight left to "hide" all the non-navigational stars. The navigational stars are then easy to spot. If you are a newbie, you calculate the approximate location (azimuth and elevation) of the nav. stars you want to shoot, and have at it.

The old salts are on a first name basis with these stars.

I understand that celestial navigation is no longer taught at Annapolis.

-Skip
Click to expand...

The real reason for "dusk & dawn" is that you can still see the horizon. Stars are easy to identify, just get one of the Star Finder discs, makes it simple. Reality is, you can make your way strictly on Noon Sights of the sun. Polaris is another easy one to identify and reduce.
 
Skip Miller said:
Hence the concept of "star time". The navigator retires to the signal bridge at a specific time after sunset/before sunrise when there is just enough daylight left to "hide" all the non-navigational stars. The navigational stars are then easy to spot. If you are a newbie, you calculate the approximate location (azimuth and elevation) of the nav. stars you want to shoot, and have at it.

The old salts are on a first name basis with these stars.

I understand that celestial navigation is no longer taught at Annapolis.

-Skip
Click to expand...
The navigator stands up in the seat behind the pilot, head up in the dome. He "toots" rendering the pilot useless but he is obliged to hold the ship steady unflinching for over five minutes.

"Allrighallready, Ensign, are you satisfied?!! Can you get the H--l down from there already..."
 
Henning said:
When you can pull an accurate sight at the top of a 20' wave on a small boat pitching and rolling, then you'll be ready to rock. Doing the reductions is easy, getting an accurate sight to do the reduction, that's more interesting.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I kinda realized that today. There was a brief break in the clouds so I tried a quick practice shot and realized that doing the math, well, that's just following a series of steps. Accurate sights? I can't imagine open sea in a small boat!!
 
flyersfan31 said:
Yeah, I kinda realized that today. There was a brief break in the clouds so I tried a quick practice shot and realized that doing the math, well, that's just following a series of steps. Accurate sights? I can't imagine open sea in a small boat!!
Click to expand...

Yeah, it's interesting, and the best part is when you're in the middle of a hurricane with no chance of keeping a DR track worth a damn, which you have to do, since you need an "assumed position" to even start a plot. After 4 days of no sight available due to the overcast, being pushed by winds that kept our 120kt anemometer pegged for three of them along with the commensurate sea state, I was lucky enough to get a noon sight and managed to figure my position close enough so I could come up with an AP to work my evening 3 star running fix with a 50 mile error triangle.
 
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