What does it do? Well, out of sight on the reverse, there's a compass. You should always carry one of those as well as a map, and more importantly, you should know how to use them properly. GPSrs are nice, but if you're out for two weeks and your batteries go flat, you're going to be up the creek, perhaps literally.
Also on the back is a magnifying glass (the red piece), a very useful tool. The legs on which the instrument stands are binoculars. The forward lenses of the binocs can also be employed singly or back-to-back as magnifiers. The mirror can be used as a heliograph (Morse code included on the back) or an observation level in conjunction with one of the binoc lenses or just for personal grooming. The yellow plate is a universal sundial. A whistle is built in, as is a small battery-operated flashlight. The protractor is part of the quadrant apparatus (similar to a sextant) by means of which you can obtain the height of a visible object such as a mountain or fire tower by measuring its elevation in degrees from the observer's position if distance is known (refer to your map for that information).
All in all, this is one of the handiest multi-purpose gadgets in my arsenal even though it can't pitch the tent or cook your dinner when you're foot-weary at the end of the day.
No comments:
Post a Comment