Jeff wrote:
Wayne.B wrote:

On Fri, 10 Mar 2006 08:19:30 -0500, Jeff wrote:


Yes, of course. And now for the third time I'll point out that
noticing the compass bearing of an RDF target change is no more
complex than watching the x-track change.


I agree but if you are starting to drift off your track line, you will
usually pick it up on cross track error well before you see a bearing
change of even one degree.


Of course. I certainly wouldn't argue that RDF and Compass is more
accurate than GPS with x-track. My point is simply that anyone who
would unknowingly "spiral in" on an RDF target probably couldn't be
trusted to understand a GPS either.

If all you do is blindly minimize x-track you might not appreciate the
nature of the current, and how it's affecting other boats.

Actually, my recollection of using RDF is that when we approached a
harbor in limited visibility we made sure that the compass bearing was
shifting in the proper direction, to ensure we were on the proper side
of the transmitter.
That is bush league navigation. You should have been applying the half
convergence correction and steering a compass course.