New Compass App: Your Compass is NOT Broken! (Probably.)

[doomcomplex]

There's a new compass application on the market right now. It's basically just red needle that points north (you know, a compass!). When I tried it out, I got really upset because it seemed to be way off!

I fiddled with it for about 45 minutes, feeling really disappointed, until I realized: it's pointing to magnetic north, not true north! Haha, after I adjusted for true north, I found that my G1's compass is working perfectly.

Ok, dumb, I know, but I stated this thread so that no one else will think their phone is broken when it's really not.

If you want to know how many degrees off true north is from magnetic north in your location (it varies, depending on where you live), you can look here: http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomagmodel...alcDeclination

Type in your zip code, and you're good to go!

[outsider]

That's what compasses are supposed to do though. Point towards magnetic North.

[Infinatenothing]

i know this is something i should know but whats the difrence between north and magnetic north? and which should i use if i should become lost in the woods?

[ohmarni]

Cool. I can use this with my telescope. I'm supposed to point it north and level...magnetic north.

[juice]

i know this is something i should know but whats the difrence between north and magnetic north? and which should i use if i should become lost in the woods?

Wiki:Magnetic North Pole
Wikipedia:North

[doomcomplex]

That's what compasses are supposed to do though. Point towards magnetic North.

You're right, that's why my original post said "Dumb, I know." Considering that I'm not a professional map-maker or surveyor, that fact slipped my mind for a few minutes. This was intended to remind others who, like me, had temporarily forgotten.

Pro Tip: The compass in the G1 seems to stick occasionally. Give the phone a little bit of a tap, and it should start working again.

@Infinitenothing True north is the north that is in line with the longitude lines lines on a map; it's where the earth spins on its axis. In Google Maps, "up" is always true north. Magnetic north, on the other hand, is the direction a compass needle will point due to the Earth's magnetic field. Over time, magnetic north shifts. Depending on your location, magnetic north can differ greatly from true north. In Portland, where I live, magnetic north is about 16 degrees east of true north, so when I faced the direction the compass told me was "north," I was actually facing quite a bit toward the northeast.

[trizyman]

whats the name of the compass app.

I found the app its Orienteer.

[rev616]

how do we adjust in orienteer?

[doomcomplex]

If you drag your finger in a circle around the screen, you can move that ring of numbers. Once you know how far off magnetic north is in your location (let's say 16 degrees east), you can adjust it by moving the black circle the same number of degrees in that direction (16 degrees clockwise). Now, when you line up the compass needle, the black arrow will point north.

(Hopefully that was understandable.)