Hand Bearing Compass app

If you want an electronic version of a hand bearing compass that works as well, if not better than an 'analog' version, check out Compass Eye for iPad/iPhone. It's only $5, compared to over $100 for a traditional hand-held. It uses the iPad camera and has a zoom feature. I like it!

There are also many free apps. My blackberry has a compass built in, and I've tested it. It's quite accurate. Same with the GPS. Not a bad backup.

My experience with the IPhone compass is it couldn't reliably find the north side of my house. Two IPhones will never agree on a bearing. Put them close together and they change position.

Tom

This app works like the iPhone compass when laid flat. When viewed through the camera it allows you to shoot lines to fix your position on a chart. A good back up tool and easier than a hand bearing compass. My binoculars don't have a compass so this is a decent replacement.

tpbrady said:

Two IPhones will never agree on a bearing. Put them close together and they change position.

Click to expand...

Amigo, what happens when you bring lay a wrench next to your compass?????

drb1025 said:

This app works like the iPhone compass when laid flat. When viewed through the camera it allows you to shoot lines to fix your position on a chart. A good back up tool and easier than a hand bearing compass. My binoculars don't have a compass so this is a decent replacement.

Click to expand...

I have the commander compass app too. Would be nice if we added a telephoto lens to the camera, and make it a compass enabled monoc. I use mine to orient where the launch will happen up on the north end of Merritt Island. You can position points of interest and make sure you're watching where it will be launching.

So far I have not had problems with the compass on the iphones or ipads.

It also lets you put points in space, so you can do look angle tests to check for trees and other obstructions blocking the view.

Mako

Two IPhones 10 feet apart rarely agree on where they are looking. We use compasses every day in our work, and the first thing we have to tell our people is don't use your IPhone compass. "We gave you a Suunto to work with." We would love not to have to provide them a $100 compass in addition to an IPhone but the IPhone compass at this point is not usable for any type of precise bearing.

Tom

Not sure about the iPhone, but I read somewhere that you need to calibrate the compass on my Android devices. I took it to mean "before each use". Indeed, it seems if I use one of the night sky apps, or navigation apps, it can be way off until I do that. Luckily it's easy enough.

A quick word from Macworld on the IPhone 5 compass:

"That said, Apple does note in the above-mentioned support document that “you should use the digital compass for basic navigation assistance, but you shouldn’t rely on it to determine precise locations, proximity, distance, or direction.” Though it’s an annoying caveat for users who want to use their iPhone for precise compass navigation, it’s to be expected: Sensors such as the one in the iPhone aren’t necessarily as good as a traditional mechanical compass."

How to recalibrate the motion sensors in your iPhone 5s | Macworld

I can't speak for the IPhone 6 but I suspect it has some of the same limitations. One of the key features of calibration is the IPhone is laid flat. When you shift to an app that uses the camera the compass no longer indicates the same direction with it being off anywhere from 1-5 degrees assuming the original bearing was accurate.

Tom

So your "cocked hat" may be a bit large using this app. Still, it might be useful, unless you are running close in.

I have my onboard computer, furuno radar and chart plotter, iPad with plan2nav, iPhone with gps, and backup battery powered gps. I doubt I'll ever need to fix my position manually, cocked hat or otherwise, but I do like to take bearings and check my position on a chart for fun on occasion.