I have been an elementary school teacher for 33 years and as a result I can’t help but to notice sound teaching techniques in every instructional video I view. You, sir, have done a masterful job of putting yourself into the head-space of the learner, and you have managed to create the clearest lesson on this subject that I have yet seen on KZread. You chose your words carefully, you were methodical, you used visual aids, and you “thought out loud” as you worked your way through the process of adjusting your compass. Thanks to you I am far more likely to use my compass correctly the next time I am scrambling around in the mountains. You are putting KZread to its most noble use. My hat is off to you.

@survivalresources

4 жыл бұрын

Thanks Tom, I really appreciate your comment!

@oznetyoutube125

Жыл бұрын

Great Explanation, no memory aids needed.

@zantigar

6 ай бұрын

I absolutely second this comment - you sir are a GREAT teacher!

@davemartin1534

24 күн бұрын

I agree completely. One video I watched the commentator talked over a big knees heads. Kinda like a high school teacher explaining algebra to a third grade class. This guy did a good job explaining delineation of north n true north. Makes all the difference for a beginner.

This should be the ONLY Declination video on KZread. 👍 Thank you Sir for posting.

@davemartin1534

24 күн бұрын

Yep I agree.

For you power users who want a thorough explanation of declination, this video is terrific. For more casual users, who may have watched the whole video and are still confused, just go buy a compass with adjustable declination. This is discussed in the video starting at 5:29. The presenter mentions adjustable declination compasses, and then states: "the reason I don't like them is because if you move to a new area, you need to reset your declination." This is not a valid argument against this style of compass. When you move to new area, you need to account for your new declination anyway, so when I take 15 seconds and reset your compass?

This is probably one of the most easily-understood presentations of this that I’ve seen. Well done. I don’t *think* I’m a dummy, but declination has just been one of those things that I repeatedly have to refresh myself on every so often, but I think this discussion will stick a little better than it has in the past for me.

The agonic map really put things into perspective for me. Thanks!

FINALLY, Someone who gets how to educate an audience! Great job and thank you. Even the compass manufacturers can’t explain it without giving the audience a STROKE!

@johnmacias9487

2 жыл бұрын

Haha!

i've watched three videos explaining declination and this is the best one because it links the concepts of declination with the map and explains the direction you want to travel, instead of just telling you, "turn the compass here.....ok now you're good" without showing any of the geographic concepts

... wish I had all my teachers explain things this well and this clear ...

I don't know how many people I've asked to explain "declaration" to me with regards to using my compass accurately. I've asked skippers of boats, hikers, science teachers, friends, and so on. All of their explanations left me more confused than I was before. Very few informed people have the gift of how to explain clearly complex concepts. YOU have that art, that genius! Thank you!! Now I know that my problem was not one of being "stupid".

Great explanation. One observation on marking maps is that the declination changes so the lines go out of date. Over a few years the change, could get you significantly off your route. The longer the route section distance, the further off. Here also enters the importance of paying attention to map features (terrain/summits/woodland/rivers/buildings/...) as navigation aid to staying on the right track. ATB.

@Farlig69

8 ай бұрын

exactly - better to either adjust your compass each time or really learn & understand declanation

That is the first I’ve ever seen the isogonic chart/map. Also I appreciate the concise definition of declination as the variance between true north and magnetic north. That’s such a great explanation.

As a geologist, better explanation I heard about this subject. Great script, great video quality. Congratulations, thank you very much from Brazil.

@baroneb5043

4 жыл бұрын

Jorge Peñaranda As a General Contractor I enjoyed it as well....

Great in-depth explanation that is easy to follow. Personally I find that the easiest way to deal with declination when on a trail is to use the orientation markings on a base plate compass to align the map with magnetic north. No need to worry about any addition or subtraction. So long as map and compass north both point in exactly the same direction whenever you are working with them you can't go wrong.

Best I've seen so far! Everything is excellent about this: teaching methods, clarity of instruction, video quality, pacing. Thanks!

John, thank you for so clearly explaining declination, that has been so confusing for me because others would leave out crucial information but you have excellently filled in those holes and now I understand, what a great video. Thanks, John ( Thumbs up and Subscribed)

I just love it. Thank you for taking the time to make this video. You have made this so easy to understand. I always had questions but just changing your map to declination north is so simple. Peace, Reese

WITHOUT A DOUBT THE BEST EXPLANATION I'VE SEEN ON THIS SUBJECT. THANKS & BLESSINGS TO YOU

Best map and compass training I have had is through John and Denise! Great stuff!

@survivalresources

10 жыл бұрын

Thanks for the kind words Ryan!

Wow that is the best explanation on declination that I have ever heard. It should be required viewing for allmwho venture off the beaten path.

@officerwebb620

4 жыл бұрын

Hi, but just to inform you this guy is not right about magnetic declination i just had a conversation with him about it and he told me how to calibrate my compass improperly www.ngdc.noaa.gov/geomag/calculators/help/declinationHelp.html#interpretingresults please read the bit about declination under interpreting results if you don't want to get lost. for a declination of 10W you would actually align your compass and rotate the bezel clockwise so magnetic north is left or West of true north, he will say the opposite and I told him it's not about my way or your way it's about doing things the right way so we can all stay safe.

Been watching a couple of explanation videos and I have to say I like yours the best. No blabla, no stuttering, the info is to the point. Thank you for sharing!

Hands down the best explanation I've seen of declination. Great idea to make the adjustments to the map too!..Great job sir!

This is honestly the BEST video about magnetic declination and compass! I've watched several videos on this topic and all left me more confused than when I started. Thanks so much for taking the time to demystify this topic!

This is the best, clearest, presentation I've seen. Thank you. Besides defining Declination for understanding, this video clearly shows you how to deal with it. Especially, the fact that you do the inverse operation map to compass and back again. In my youth I set out in my sailboat in poor visibility for San Clemente Island and wound up on Catalina! That 14 degrees matters.

John. This is absolutely the very best of declination I have ever seen. You have a natural ability to teach. Keep up the good work.

perfectly clear now. The explanation of the isogonic chart was the key for me. Not often mentioned or explained in other tutorials. Thanks again.

This is the best explanation so far I have watched about Declination.Thanks to you Sir,I finally got it.I was having headaches with other guys until you showed up and taught this brilliantly.

As a 67 year old newbie this a great video with great tips.....thanks!

@Synchronicitizen

6 жыл бұрын

I agree! I will be taking a map reading exam (for a job as an emergency dispatcher) and have had a difficult time finding this information online. I do so appreciate his explanation about this specific topic, and I am enjoying reading all of the comments. I, too, am a bit older. Best of luck to you in all of your future adventures.

I appreciate what you've done. It was so clearly explained.

Best video by far to explain declination and adjustments. Well done and thank you.

I learned it LARS (left add, right subtract) which I'm sure your familiar with being a Marine, thanks for your service by the way. While LARS works, like many other things, it really does help to see "why" and "how" behind the method laid out mechanically and explained. This is laid out so nicely for people with brains like mine that I'll be passing this on whenever I go over declination with people. The ruler idea for simplifying it on the map itself is handy too so long as you keep up to date with the shift of earths magnetic fields...which have been less than helpful over the last couple decades in their shift rate.

Great video. Many years since I have worked with compass and maps. Re-discovering this in my retirement. Excellent resources in your website. Many thanks!

Easily the best tutorial on magnetic declination I’ve seen. Great job!

I was so impressed with your explanation on declination. What a great idea, adjusting the map for declination. I so wished I would have found this out years ago. Thank you so much. I will be marking all my maps.

@spec4gi48

Жыл бұрын

So much easier without all the math, right. I'm X Army and they did it the hard way. To much math in all the other videos. It's crazy. I just adjust my map to the proper declination to the terrain and then use magnetic north on everything else.

Thank you! My dyslexic mind was giving me a whole lot of trouble in comprehending the whole declination mapping issues. You made it completely understandable. And that huge compass is badass.

Spectacular. Really helpful and well explained... and delivered with real personality. Thank you.

Out of the dozens of explanation videos of adjusting a compass for declination, your video made it all come together and make sense without using mneumonics and memory aids that have a tendency to be forgotten. Thanks for putting together an amazing learner centered video about the subject.

The best & most helpful video on declination so far!

Best video I've seen on adjusting declination that I'll never forget...thank you so much!

This was one of the best educational videos for showing people how this works,

Excellent explanation. Thanks for the info and the conclusion about the impact of declination on accuracy at 1mi and 5mi. Very powerful.

The best, clear, precise and objective explanation of the true north and the northern magnetism for those who start in how to handle their compass. Thank you for sharing your knowledge. sincerely.

You rock!!!, I knew there was something that everyone was leaving out. The agonic map was it thank you very much. I understand much better now.

I understand. Your presentation is clear. I'll be watching again and changing my maps. Good job!!!

I give this video 5 stars. Excellent explanation. I also had not seen an isogonic chart/map until I watched this video. Magnetic declination truly demystified!

Been searching for the bridge that closed the gap between every video I have found explaining Magnetic Declination, and THIS was the hammer that drove the nail home!!! Many thanks!!

Thank you very much for taking the time to put this video together to explain declination when using a map and compass.

This is a great video! So easy to understand now. I love how you used drawings and a compass that can actually be seen clearly by someone over 40.

By far the best explanation of a subject that can easily get confusing, you my friend have taken this and given it clarity and in the simplest way I have ever seen it done. Pretty much you removed yourself from being a master of it and put yourself in the minds of first time learners. You done this with no ego in the way and demonstrated communication very well. I personally thank you because after watching several videos I nearly gave up furthering skills in understanding declination until I stumbled on your video.

Absolutely beautiful! THE BEST declination video on the net. Thanks!

Great video. Thank you for the best explanation of declination. I like your idea of marking the the map.

Spot on. Short, simple and on the subject. Well done Sir.

My goodness.. Just what I needed. I'm a student pilot and I'm working on my cross country planning. We have to know about the Isogonic lines to correct for our heading. Throughout my training, I've learned to just know which one to add and subtract but I never truly understood it. I need to understand the "why" of EVERYTHING and sometimes it can drive me crazy. You've explained the why perfectly. Thank you very much for taking the time to do this. It is truly appreciated!!

Amazing, first video who explains the sign + - of the Varmag. Thanks a lot. !!!!!!!!!

Wow, this is one of the best videos on the subject that I've seen, Thank you!

I love the idea of marking the declination line on the map itself...thank you!

Simple, clear, practical and absolutely guaranteed that any novice who has zero prior knowledge can understand. Thank you and bless you

Great video. I first searched underwater navigation using a compass for SCUBA purposes and saw comments about surface navigation being different. Out of curiosity, I watched surface navigation videos too. This video was easy to follow as far as explaining the effects of declination and ways to compensate.

Awesome! Better than any map reading training I had in the military.

Very well done! The best description on declination that I have read or seen... thanks.

Refreshingly clear and informative - thank you so much! + genius with the angled declination lines on map!

6 years later, still the best explanation ever

excellent. thank you. clear cut, informative, easy to understand and put into practice

Great job. Thanks so much for your time and effort making this available. Very helpful. It will still take some practice to make it sink in, I think, but this is the best explanation of declination that I've seen. Cheers!

John, excellent video. I enjoyed it greatly. Cleared up a lot for me regarding declination. Look forward to sharing your knowledge with my grandson who we purchased a compass for for Christmas.

Yes you did, and actually you are one in a few that explained that to people because everybody is adjusting the compass for declination and it is a real pain. I use the same method and find it extremely easy and no more declination adjusting or worries. It also makes it easier if you go to another location you may end up to forget to adjust you declination to the new area and actually commit navigation errors. Great video man, congrats.

I watched this youtube for the second time and you did a great job again.

Great video! I used this video to demystify magnetic declination for a geomatics class I am taking in engineering school. Now I feel a lot more confident if I do decide to take a long trek in the field. Thanks!

I am happy to agree with the other comments, that this is the best declination tutorial. I'd forgotten what I had learned about this in the army years ago, and I have been a bit slow in relearning it, until I watched your KZread video. Thank you sir 👍

Awesome... Finally explained in plain English.Thank you for your Service and this video.

WOW. Thank you very much. I've been searching for a straight answer and, finally, you just nailed it for me! I'll be using my Brunton without a map, initially, so I don't even need to worry about declination! I can get to where I want/need to go by shooting a visual bearing and repeating that process. Record all the bearing shoots and I've got the back azimuth, if I wish to return to the point of origin. I think I've got that right! Also, I'll heed your advice about a long rule and adjust the maps (when I do start to practice that approach as well), to the declination legend on maps. Man, you made that all as simple as it can get, I think. You and the wife keep safe, and sound, and warm out in the bush...and thanks a 100,000,000!!!!

Better and easier explanation and adjustment than I got in scouts or military school. Excellent vid

Eloquent and informative! Thank you John

I've watched about several youtube vids on this subject and your vid finally made sense to me! THANK YOU!

Dude! this was awesome. I have done plenty of Orienteering and this was by far the best methodology I have ever seen!! Thank You!

Thanks for sharing your knowledge in a straight forward way. By the way this video was made 9 years ago and I sincerely hope you are well and still teaching.

Fantastic video. I do the same and adjust my map - in that case there’s no question in a stressful situation. Thank you!

Thanks for taking the time to explain the mysteries behind true and magnetic north as it relates to reading a map and orienteering.

Great lesson, never thought of adjusting my map like that.thankyou!

Great vid, thanks John. I’ve been a long-time customer of yours. I just recently found out that you have a you tube channel, how cool is that. Your explanation of declination clarifies the mystery. I have what I think is an even easier method. You start by orienting your map to magnetic north by placing your compass along the magnetic north line on the diagram, and rotating the map until you line up to north. At this point, you make sure the map doesn’t move. Then you can plot your azimuth as usual, and not have to compensate for declination. The maps rotation does it for you. I hope I’ve explained this in a way that makes sense. I would also use a protractor to verify that the angle of magnetic north is drawn accurately.

I taught alot of kids in navigation and I found a cool system with a tennis ball needles and strings. You place a needle a random place (map north), you place a needle close to it (true north). Then you can place a needle where ever on the tennis ball and then connecting the needles with a string, it's a easy way to explain the importance of declanation. You can go even more advanced and use a golbe, tape and strings, this metode will acutely show how much you will miss on longer distances with out declanation. I start with a visual and interactive explanation on the compas and , what makes it easy for me, I'm always on a ship so the lesson is on deck and the kids can one by one identify landmarks along the coast line, cross reference it on the map, figure out where we are and then we confirm it for them with a GPS. Followed up with a visual and interactive lesson, where the kids learn about declanation, mostly using a tennis ball where we start with them 2 and 2 together draw the world as they see it (there is no wrong or rigth here, it will be as they see it), on the tennis ball, and then we do the needle/string thing. We end up the whole lesson taking the kids out in a dingy and stop random place at the coastline and they one by one get the chance to find random landmarks the map and try to find our location on a coastline/seamap, again confirmed on a GPS. It's always an succes, and more or less all the kids end up being able to use a compass, we are talking about kids between 6 and 10. And hey of course we don't end out like that, the kids gets to swim and jump from our ship and mast, and under supervision they get to clime our main mast, they can reach 15 meters in a safe manner, and when they are up there they can swing of the mast while I slowly lower them by robe, most of them are convinced they are pirates when they head back home!

Great job all around! I loved the video. I'm a retired Scoutmaster and the Boy Scout Fieldbook is a good resource for how to use a compass as well, and teaches the "mark the map" method. The book is written at a level most adults could understand.

Thank you , very well done good explanation and a lot of help to people who don't know or don't use a compass very much, very helpful to me. Learning all the time. Thank you.

Awesome explanation of a subject that can be thoroughly confusing. I like your method of adjusting your map.

Awesome! I never thought of adjusting the map itself. That could very well be a game changer for me so I am not having to mess with compass realignments. Thanks!

Excellent information, sir! I never considered changing the map before!

Thank you for this, and for diagramming it out. I have watched so many videos and was still not getting whether I should add or subtract and what positive vs. negative meant. The convergence of the lines makes total sense, and I could have stopped there. Working with the map and having it tell us made it even easier. Thanks again.

My man!!!! I have worked as outdoor guide (climbing, rafting, mountaineering) for a great portion of my life. Even worked for one of those bigger outfits that rhym's with POLES!! :-) And I've rarely seen this subject matter explained so well. Bravo sir! Got yourself a new subscriber.

Awesome! Not only is Magnetic and True North and the concept of Declination explained in a clear and concise way with proper terminology, how to compensate for declination is made clear. The video is not intimidating and keeps our interest. Your visual aids "aid" (pun intended) our understanding of how to use a decent compass. And you offer an "in through the out door" solution to quick declination compensation. Thank you. Old School is cool and it's effective. More importantly learning how to compensate for declination makes it possible to use any map as a method of navigation. That way if you end up with a basic compass that doesn't have an adjustable declination you can still find your way out of the forest! Kind of like calculators, eh? Everyone can use one but do people actually know the math? Even more importantly what happens when a calculator is not available...same for maps and compasses. If you know how to use a basic compass and map and understand the concept of declination you can get yourself out of the valley without having to rely on an adjustable declination compass. Not that it isn't fun to have a compass with adjustable declination...but it's more important to KNOW HOW to compensate for declination with or without the extra feature than to just say..."use the adjustable declination feature" not to knock @johngo6283 he offers a valuable tool as well...but why do it in such a flippant manner? I think he misses the point of this tutorial...it is a video on demystifying declination not a lesson on how to take a short cut. And demystify declination this video did indeed! BRAVO!

Thank you, I couldn't understand this concept until your video!

Thanks for your explanation , it was the best for adjusting compasses I've seen (and I've watched loads)

Keep it up. Your the best teacher I’ve seen. A lot of amateurs on this subject but not you. Thank you

Wow! That was the best explanation I have ever heard! Thank you Sir!

I ran across your video channel gathering navigation info. Very well instructed information which is very crucial in the field. After all, maps are flat and the earth is not. I have found your idea very helpful and doing my maps today. Thank you

Brilliant tip to mark out your maps. Great video!

Thanks Man, that was an awesome class. Very well done , I understand declination now. Not that hard after you explained it so well. Thanks again

Getting back into orienteering, (it IS a perishable skill!) the marking of the declination lines ON the map prior to use is one of the best tools I have seen to date. Thank you for that info. I am absolutely doing this to my topo maps tonight!

This video was a big eye opener for me. What you shared I couldn't find on websites or other youtube videos, at least not in such great detail. What you explained starting at 4:00 really helped me to understand the concept rather than just memorizing east is least, west is best.

Excellent and simple explanation. So many others confuse the heck out of people.

I am just getting into orienteering & navigation and this video definitely makes understanding it much easier.. Thanks!!

Good teaching always explains "why". Good job.