Free compass available for PPC WM2003?

[peruytu]

Title says it all.

Thanks in advance! :)

[Wiggster]

Title says it all.

Thanks in advance! :)

What sort of compass?

[peruytu]

The sort of compass that anybody would carry in hicking trails and/or big cities, except in digital ppc form.

[OSUKid7]

Title doesn't say it all. Are you looking for something that does this? I doubt anything "free" would - you'd need GPS anyway.

[Wiggster]

The sort of compass that anybody would carry in hicking trails and/or big cities, except in digital ppc form.

Pick which is a compass:
http://www.wiggster.com/images/ppct/Compass.jpg

The answer is, of course, (c) All of the above. Hence I didn't know which you want, as neither is really feasible on a PDA.

The thing to remember is that for a magnetic compass, you have to know magnetic north. And your Pocket PC can no more tell what's magnetic north than your toaster can. You'd need specialized hardware to do this. So you're looking for a free digital compass to plug into your Pocket PC... so why not just buy a digital compass?

[ironguy]

Jonathan Sachs has a free program called Ephemeris that has all kinds of goodies, including a compass based on sun or moon position.

http://home.comcast.net/~jonsachs/#Ephemeris%201.0

[Sven Johannsen]

If you're going that route, you might already have a free compass on your wrist. Point the hour hand at the sun, and bisect the angle between the hour hand and 12. That's South. If you don't have a watch with hands, I guess you'll have to buy SPB Time ;)

[rocky_raher]

If your stylus is made of metal, take a large permanent magnet, and run the stylus over it several times. This will turn the stylus into a magnet. Stuff a length of thread into your PDA's carrying case. (If you don't use a case, wrap a foot or so of thread around the PDA, just below the screen, where it won't interfere with any of the buttons.) When you need a compass, take the thread out, tie it to the center of your stylus, and suspend the stylus until it stops swinging. Before using it in the field, suspend the stylus in a spot where you know the direction, so you can note whether it points to magnetic North or South.

If you have a plastic stylus, there probably is a third-party source that makes compatible metal stylii.

Don't do this if you're planning to get a CF mini-disk drive.

[Lex]

The sort of compass that anybody would carry in hicking trails...

your Pocket PC can no more tell what's magnetic north than your toaster can.

1) I'm from the South and I'm sure we have 'hicking' trails. I'm just not sure what they're for.

2) I do have a toaster that points a steady due north. (When you point it that way.)

:?

[Lex]

Point the hour hand at the sun, and bisect the angle between the hour hand and 12. That's South.

Now THAT, is cool. Was a Boy Scout - - never heard it. Thanks.

[Underwater Mike]

Unfortunately, this will not work with non-ferrous metals, and all the metal PDA stylii that I've ever owned were aluminum. :(

At any rate, you can buy a nice liquid-filled compass at REI or Galyan's for less than the cost of a nice stylus!


If your stylus is made of metal, take a large permanent magnet, and run the stylus over it several times. This will turn the stylus into a magnet. Stuff a length of thread into your PDA's carrying case. (If you don't use a case, wrap a foot or so of thread around the PDA, just below the screen, where it won't interfere with any of the buttons.) When you need a compass, take the thread out, tie it to the center of your stylus, and suspend the stylus until it stops swinging. Before using it in the field, suspend the stylus in a spot where you know the direction, so you can note whether it points to magnetic North or South.

If you have a plastic stylus, there probably is a third-party source that makes compatible metal stylii.

Don't do this if you're planning to get a CF mini-disk drive.

[Sven Johannsen]

Point the hour hand at the sun, and bisect the angle between the hour hand and 12. That's South.

Now THAT, is cool. Was a Boy Scout - - never heard it. Thanks.

RTFM :lol: Sorry, had to do that since you brought up being a Boy Scout. It's in the handbook. :wink: Funny thing is it's still in the handbook and I haven't seen a Scout with an analog watch in years.

[Lex]

Sorry, had to do that since you brought up being a Boy Scout. It's in the handbook. :wink: Funny thing is it's still in the handbook and I haven't seen a Scout with an analog watch in years.

Let's just say I was a Scout when canvas tents were still in use. And you're implying there are digital watches now?

[Sven Johannsen]

Sorry, had to do that since you brought up being a Boy Scout. It's in the handbook. :wink: Funny thing is it's still in the handbook and I haven't seen a Scout with an analog watch in years.

Let's just say I was a Scout when canvas tents were still in use. And you're implying there are digital watches now?

Gotcha now ;) I have in front of me the commerative reprint of the very first Scout handbook, 1910. It says in the appendix on Scout equipment,

Compass: Every Scout should learn to use his watch as a compass. However, should he desire to own a compass, he will find no difficulty in securing one at any local jeweler's.

[mrkablooey]

If you're going that route, you might already have a free compass on your wrist. Point the hour hand at the sun, and bisect the angle between the hour hand and 12. That's South. If you don't have a watch with hands, I guess you'll have to buy SPB Time ;)

what about at night? :?

[Wiggster]

If you're going that route, you might already have a free compass on your wrist. Point the hour hand at the sun, and bisect the angle between the hour hand and 12. That's South. If you don't have a watch with hands, I guess you'll have to buy SPB Time ;)

what about at night? :?

Uh, the North Star? Hello, McFly!

[KimVette]

What about when it's cloudy. and you cannot find any moss on any trees or rocks, AND since it's dark, the growth on the trees appears uniform (so you cannot see trees leaning toward the sout). What do you do then? Scream? Run amok?

[Wiggster]

What about when it's cloudy. and you cannot find any moss on any trees or rocks, AND since it's dark, the growth on the trees appears uniform (so you cannot see trees leaning toward the sout). What do you do then? Scream? Run amok?

Get some film students to make a documentary and try and find an urban legend in the woods. THEN scream and run amok. :mrgreen:

[Lex]

Gotcha now ;) I have in front of me the commerative reprint of the very first Scout handbook, 1910. It says in the appendix on Scout equipment,

Compass: Every Scout should learn to use his watch as a compass. However, should he desire to own a compass, he will find no difficulty in securing one at any local jeweler's.

That's it! I quit in 1909 just before they started calling them 'Boy Scouts'. They used to be 'Non-Analog Watch Campers'.