Is the compass accurate

Answer 1

It can be, but it can also be off by a considerable amount dependent on quality, prior abuse, metallic presence and operator ignorance. Today's serious outdoorsman invests in a quality GPS system and rarely uses a compass (in truth, many no longer have the required knowledge and skill to use this tool properly.) Modern electrouonics are exceptional devices which include pin-point accuracy which optical and electro-magnetic devices rarely achieved. The limitations that are readily apparent is the power supply and the power supplies ancillary support systems. No power means no display. Any electronic device is subject to failure, but a compass in the hands of an unskilled user is often little better then a coin-toss. If your GPS says that you are driving along at sea level or below and when you know that you are on the Pikes Peak highway, your system has failed you. When your compass says that you are facing North at sunrise and the sun rises over your left shoulder while standing on top of Pikes Peak, then, three possibilities exist: # The compass is wrong, # You read the compass incorrectly, or while napping, # Planet earth made a serious change in relationship to the Sun, Number One does and is rare except for equipment calculated by Cracker Jack's.Rare as it may sound, human ignorance and training is the likely cause. North/South polar changes may happen, but they are less frequent then manufacturing errors and stupidity.