Digital Compass Shop Now Open

Digital Compass Shop Now Open

See our selection of digital compasses, fluxgate compasses, magnetic compasses and nautical navigation instruments and accessories for making boating more fun and safe. The Tacktick Wireless Electronics that make the installation easy and with their micronet components that offer a full range of navigation accessories for both cruising or racing. Clipper’s instrument line has instruments that can be integrated into GPS, plotters, trackers and computers to enhance and extend your navigation systems. Look at the selection of navigation equipment and accessories from Garmin, Humminbird, KVH, Raymarine, Ritchie, and others, all for the boaters needs. These can make boating more safe and fun.

Digitalcompassshop.com for marine navigation instruments. 

Why Does My Steel Boat Magnetic Compass Come With Two Balls?

Steel hull boats can cause a magnetic compass to read incorrectly.  A Steel Boat Compass comes with two spheres, one on each side of the binnacle and they are used to compensate for the deviation caused by the steel boat hull.

These soft iron quadrantal spheres are used to adjust and compensate for the steel hull and it may have to be adjusted by a professional compass adjuster. In some steel boats, flinders bars or heeling magnets may also be needed to be used to compensate the deviation. 

Large changes in latitude effect the deviation of a steel or iron boat compass. This must be considered when cruising.

When sailing vessels heel out of a horizontal trim, this may cause a compass to need heeling magnets to reduce their deviation. The heeling magnets go under the compass. By sailing an N-S heading and maintaining a constant heading, heel the boat slightly. Place the correction magnet vertically under the compass so as to ELIMINATE ONLY THE DEVIATION INDUCED BY THE HEELING. If you cannot make the adjustment, then at least note the difference the heel had on your compass. 

 

The quadrantal spheres of soft iron are used to compensate the deviation caused by the iron or steel hull.­­

Digital compasses:

Electronic or Fluxgate compasses are subject to the same disturbing influences as are ordinary compasses, but with electronic compasses the sensor unit may be remotely located in a position where the bad effects are absent or minimal. With these units the compensation can be done with magnets or electronically. A variation can be electronically inserted so that the instrument gives a true heading. This is one big advantage to a digital compass. A disadvantage is that it has to have electricity to work.

With a digital compass system, multiple displays are easy. You can have them both above and below deck, and many need no wiring to connect them. It is nice to have a Tell-Tail compass below deck.

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Magnetic compass / Electronic compass - Is one better?

Both magnetic and electronic compasses do the same job. The digital compass may be easier to read for some people, can be integrated with track plotters and chart plotters and other navigation equipment. It is comfortable for I-Pod minded folk. The digital compasses often have additional functions like wind shift info built in. The electronic compasses can be stand alone or be integrated with other equipment down the road.They are accurate and reliable. But they do need electrical power.

A magnetic compass works with out electrical power but can be messed up by other electronics and wiring. You have to integrate its information to other navigation equipment yourself. They are accurate and reliable.

Both types of compasses do the same job. The cost range of both are also about the same. I like the digital Hi tech. stuff, but my wife ( The one who has sailed around the world. ) likes the magnetic type.  We have both. Hers backs up mine when the battery is flat.   8-)     She also likes a track plotter, I like a chart plotter....must be a gender thing.