Next message: Dr. Geoffrey Kolbe: "Re: Fwd: Principles and Being Practical"
> From: George Huxtable
> The problem with these azimuth tables ...
> is not in their ambiguity, but in their inaccuracy, and that
> inaccuracy is
> exactly what I have complained about. And there is not one word, not
> even a
> hint, in the book that major errors in azimuth can occur, for certain
> observations in a VERY wide swathe around East or West.
Inserted in second edition is . "In extreme cases the table should be
interpolated when observations have been made in the vicinity of the
prime vertical and/or LHA, declination and latitude require substantial
rounding off before using the table. When in doubt use the Weir
diagrams.
In practice you could happily sail across an ocean and never notice
this supposed problem, particularly by following the common sense
approach outlined previously. With nav. it it often a case of one
system checking another. In fact taking sights and working out a fix is
a check on the basic tool of running a DR.
If the whole book has been subjected to the same searching criticism
and this rather inconsequential nit-pick is the only flaw found, then
it is really a back-handed compliment to the book as a whole. A
ferocious critic seems to think the rest works just fine.
