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Subject: Re: Calculators
From: Craig (craig@XXX.XXX)
Date: Fri Sep 03 1999 - 18:00:13 EDT
With the solar maximum (flares) predicting to increase until peaking about
2002, I wouldn't rely too much on GPS satellites and other electronic
navigation aids being reliable.
Craig Scott
Columbia, South Carolina
-----Original Message-----
From: Navigation Mailing List [mailto:NAVIGATION-L@XXX.XXX]
On Behalf Of Bill Murdoch
Sent: Thursday, September 02, 1999 13:49
To: NAVIGATION-L@XXX.XXX
Subject: Re: Calculators
I guess my first point is that astro navigation calculators run from $10
trig
function calculators to Pentium IIIs. All of them are useful. The first
$10
replaces several pounds of sight reduction books by solving the cosine
formula. The next $25 will get you a solar almanac and replace the dip and
refraction tables along with the pencil needed to do the sums to reduce a
sun
sight. The next $50 will buy enough calculator to replace all the other
information in the Nautical Almanac. The last $2000 makes it all very
slick.
There are good reasons for stopping anywhere along that path; especially in
the days of GPS when astro is basically a hobby.
<CUT>
Bill Murdoch
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