How to Use Your Silva Compass to Find Your Way

How to Use Your Silva Compass to Find Your Way

A map and compass are two of the most important pieces of gear you can carry with you on any adventure. If you lose your way, your skills as an orienteer will significantly improve your chances of survival. Below you will find a few methods that will help you get the most our of your Silva Compass

Parts of a Compass

1 Base Plate

2 Luminous Points

3 Ruler in Inches

4 Magnetic Needle with Red North

5 Orienting Lines

6 Direction of Travel Arrow

7 Index Line

8 Declination Scale

9 Orienting Arrow with Red North

10 Liquid Capsule

11 Dial with Incremental Gradations

12 USGS Map Scales

Find a heading (field bearing.)

1. Select a landmark along the route you want to travel. Hold the compass level and point the Direction of Travel Arrow at the landmark.

2. Find your heading to the landmark by turning the compass dial until the “N” aligns with the red end of the Needle. Read your heading in degrees at the Index Line.

3. Keep the Needle aligned with the “N”; look up; sight on your landmark and walk to it. Repeat this procedure until you reach your destination.

When you know your heading:

1. If you've been given a heading in degrees to travel, turn the Dial so that the heading is set at the Index Line. Hold the compass level in front of you with the Direction of Travel Arrow pointing straight ahead.

2. Turn your body until the red end of the Needle is aligned with the “N” on the dial. You now face your direction of travel.

3. Pick out a landmark in line with your heading and move toward it. Repeat this procedure until you reach your destination.

Find Your Way Back:

1. To return to your starting point, “backtrack” by pointing the Direction of Travel Arrow towards you and align the red end of the Needle with the “N” on the compass Dial.

2. Pick out a landmark on which to guide and move to it. Re-align Needle with the “N” on the Dial and select a new landmark. Repeat this procedure until you return to your origin. NOTE: Be aware of nearby iron or steel

objects. They may attract the Magnetic Needle if too close to the compass. Even a hidden nail can deflect the needle.

Find Your Bearings with a Mirror:

1. Set the dial to the desired degree reading.

2. Without changing the dial, move the compass so that the orienting arrow lines up with the magnetic needle.

3. Hold the compass at eye level and adjust the cover to a 50º—70º opening. The mirror should reflect a top view of the compass dial. While looking in the mirror, move your sighting eye sideways until you see the lighting line intersect one of the two luminous points. Without changing the relationship between compass and eye, pivot yourself and compass together until you see, in the mirror, that the orienting arrow is lined up with the magnetic needle and the red end of needle is between the luminous points.

4. Your direction or objective will now lie straight beyond the sight. NOTE: Be sure to keep the base plate level

so magnetic needle can turn freely. When sighting uphill or downhill, lower the sighting eye in relation to the compass. NOTE: A greater than 70º cover opening will increase the parallax effect and could cause as much as a 5º reading error NOTE: Should such need arise, the mirror feature also functions as a signaling device.

Allow for Declination When Using a Map: When the paralleling method of declination adjustment with pre-drawn Magnetic North lines is not available, the DECLINATION SCALE gives a fast, sure method for compensating

for the difference between True North and Magnetic North.

1. Take your heading from the map by placing the Base Plate edge of the compass along your desired line of travel. The Direction of Travel Arrow points to your destination.

2. Turn the compass Dial so that the Orienting Arrow and Orienting Lines are parallel to the map side margins. Your Map Heading can be read at the Index Line on the Dial.

3. Hold the compass level, turn your body until the Compass Needle aligns with the Orienting Arrow. You are facing your Map Heading. Now turn yourself slightly until the Needle offsets against the DECLINATION SCALE to the appropriate degrees for your area. You now face your Magnetic Heading. Sight ahead to a landmark and walk to it. Repeat this process until you reach your destination.

Ignore Declination: If declination is slight in your location; if you are not referencing a map or if accuracy is not critical; you may use the compass without declination allowance.

Find Your Exact Position:

1. To locate your position, choose two landmarks and find them on your map. Label them L1 and L2.

2. Point the Direction of Travel Arrow toward a landmark (L1) and rotate the compass Dial until the Red end of the Needle points to “N” on the dial. Read the heading at the Index Line.

3. Place the compass on your map with Base Plate edge touching the landmark (L1) and pivot it until the Orienting Arrow or Orienting Lines align with the Magnetic North lines. Draw a line from the landmark (L1) along the side of the Base Plate across the map.

4. Repeat this process with the second landmark (L2). Where the lines intersect is your location.

Find a heading (field bearing.)

1. Select a landmark along the route you want to travel. Hold the compass level and point the Direction of Travel Arrow at the landmark.

2. Find your heading to the landmark by turning the compass dial until the “N” aligns with the red end of the Needle. Read your heading in degrees at the Index Line.

3. Keep the Needle aligned with the “N”; look up; sight on your landmark and walk to it. Repeat this procedure until you reach your destination.

When you know your heading:

2. Turn your body until the red end of the Needle is aligned with the “N” on the dial. You now face your direction of travel.

3. Pick out a landmark in line with your heading and move toward it. Repeat this procedure until you reach your destination.

Find Your Way Back:

1. To return to your starting point, “backtrack” by pointing the Direction of Travel Arrow towards you and align the red end of the Needle with the “N” on the compass Dial.

objects. They may attract the Magnetic Needle if too close to the compass. Even a hidden nail can deflect the needle.

Find Your Bearings with a Mirror:

1. Set the dial to the desired degree reading.

2. Without changing the dial, move the compass so that the orienting arrow lines up with the magnetic needle.

4. Your direction or objective will now lie straight beyond the sight. NOTE: Be sure to keep the base plate level

for the difference between True North and Magnetic North.

1. Take your heading from the map by placing the Base Plate edge of the compass along your desired line of travel. The Direction of Travel Arrow points to your destination.

2. Turn the compass Dial so that the Orienting Arrow and Orienting Lines are parallel to the map side margins. Your Map Heading can be read at the Index Line on the Dial.

Ignore Declination: If declination is slight in your location; if you are not referencing a map or if accuracy is not critical; you may use the compass without declination allowance.

Find Your Exact Position:

1. To locate your position, choose two landmarks and find them on your map. Label them L1 and L2.

2. Point the Direction of Travel Arrow toward a landmark (L1) and rotate the compass Dial until the Red end of the Needle points to “N” on the dial. Read the heading at the Index Line.

4. Repeat this process with the second landmark (L2). Where the lines intersect is your location.

The Silva System

Step 1 Place the compass on the area map with the Base Plate edge forming a straight line connecting where you are and where you would like to go.

Step 2 Set the compass heading by turning the Compass Dial until the “N” aligns with Magnetic North (MN) on the map.

Step 3 – Remove the compass from the map and ] hold it level in front of you with the Direction of Travel Arrow pointing straight ahead. Turn your body until the red end of the Needle is directly over the Orienting Arrow, pointing to the “N” on the dial. The Direction of Travel Arrow now points precisely to your destination. Look up, sight on a landmark and walk to it. Repeat this procedure until you reach your destination.

US Declination Chart

Magnetic Declination

The Magnetic Needle in a compass is attracted by the magnetism of the Earth and therefore always points to the constantly shifting Magnetic North. There is another “North Pole.” True North is static and located geographically about 800 miles north of the magnetic pole. Maps and directions usually are based on True North. Magnetic declination is the angle between True North and Magnetic North. The amount of declination at any given point depends on the location of that point on the continent. Where True and Magnetic North are in the same direction, the declination is zero. At any point west of that line, your compass needle will point east of True North. This is called “Easterly Declination.” At any point east of that zero line, your compass needle will point west of True North. This is called “Westerly Declination.”

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