I love maps yet I rarely seem to use compasses. But they have proved their worth on a couple of occasions. The problem on one of those occasions was that I didn't have one! But on to my question.
Everyone knows you need to step away from large metal objects when using a compass, although I have no idea how far and so on. However, my question is about storing your compass when you aren't using it. Does any lasting harm come from having your compass lying in a box next to, say, a knife? In the past I have paid no particular attention to this question and so far I have apparently paid no penalty. Is this likely to be true? Can a compass go bad and loose whatever it is that makes it work? My compass is an ordinary compass and not one that locks the pointer in place.
The other instance, by the way, when the compass was useful was this: There is a national park (the Shenandoah) to the west of Washington, D.C. I have often wondered if it was possible to see the Washington Monument from a certain point in the park (North Marshall, for those of you who are familiar). It is a distance of perhaps 75 miles, perhaps a lot more. So far it has always been much too hazy to see that far but once when studying my map, I realized I was never looking in the right direction to begin with, not that it made any difference. Washington is almost directly east, or slightly northeast of Mt. Marshall. The mountain range runs in a Northeast/Southwest direction and I was looking at right angles to the front, if you follow me. Knowing which direction to look may have made a difference.
Everyone knows you need to step away from large metal objects when using a compass, although I have no idea how far and so on. However, my question is about storing your compass when you aren't using it. Does any lasting harm come from having your compass lying in a box next to, say, a knife? In the past I have paid no particular attention to this question and so far I have apparently paid no penalty. Is this likely to be true? Can a compass go bad and loose whatever it is that makes it work? My compass is an ordinary compass and not one that locks the pointer in place.
The other instance, by the way, when the compass was useful was this: There is a national park (the Shenandoah) to the west of Washington, D.C. I have often wondered if it was possible to see the Washington Monument from a certain point in the park (North Marshall, for those of you who are familiar). It is a distance of perhaps 75 miles, perhaps a lot more. So far it has always been much too hazy to see that far but once when studying my map, I realized I was never looking in the right direction to begin with, not that it made any difference. Washington is almost directly east, or slightly northeast of Mt. Marshall. The mountain range runs in a Northeast/Southwest direction and I was looking at right angles to the front, if you follow me. Knowing which direction to look may have made a difference.