Gyro Compass Error

Members:
Galeon, Jhon Aljon

Pel, Kim Russel

Gapoy, Frednixen

Joson, John Kristopher

Labosnog, John Chris

The navigator must constantly be concerned about the accuracy of the ship’s primary and
backup compasses, and should check them regularly.
A regularly annotated compass log book will allow the navigator to notice developing error
before it becomes a serious problem.

Ways of checking compass error

 Azimuth of the Sun
 Azimuth of the Moon
 Azimuth of the Stars
 Azimuth of the Planets
 Azimuth of the Polaris
 Amplitudes (Rising and Setting of the Sun)
 Transit Bearings or Range Bearings

Exercise No.1 Obtaining the azimuth of the body from tables, or by formula and calculation
using GMT of observation, information from the Nautical Almanac, LHA of the body and the
observer’s DR position

STEPS USING TABLES:

1) Identify the celestial body and a time GMT plus position Lat. and Long. 
From the nautical almanac you can take the Greenwhich Hour Angle (GHA). If your celestial
body is a star you will also need to note down the Sidereal Hour Angle, (SHA). yes and almost
forgot the bodies declination.
3. With the GHA and SHA and your Long it is a simple matter to work out your Local Hour Angle
(LHA) 
GHA + SHA +/- Long = LHA If the LHA comes out at over 360 degrees, simply subtract 360. 
4. Having your LHA , declination and Latitude go to your Nautical tables and look in the ABC
tables. 
Using the LHA, Dec and Lat in Tables A and B you will have two numbers this you take into the C
table and it gives you a third number.

Sample Problem
On March 17, 2001, at Lat' 33°15.0' N and Long' 045°00.0'W, at 02-00-00 GMT, Polaris bears
358.6° pgc. Find the Tabulated Azimuth of Polaris
Date: 17 March 2001 
Time (GMT): 02-00-00 
GHA Aries: 204° 43.0' 
Longitude: 045° 00.0'W 
LHA Aries: 159° 43.0' 

Solution:
Enter the azimuth section of the Polaris table with the calculated LHA of Aries. (204° 43.0'
minus 045° 00.0'W = 159° 43.0'). 
As it is above 159°, go to the column for LHA Aries between 160° and 169°. Follow that column
down and extract the value for the given latitude.
Solution: 
Since the increment between tabulated values is so small, visual interpolation is sufficient. In
this case, the azimuth for Polaris for the given LHA of Aries and the given latitude is 359.3°. 
Tabulated Azimuth: 359.2°T 

BY SOLAR OBSERVATION - Hour angle method:

Where: LHA = local hour angle of sun

Dec = declination of sun
LAT = latitude of observe
 AZ = Azimuth of sun

BY SOLAR OBSERVATION – Altitude method:

Where: AZ = Z (when sun is east of the local meridian)

AZ = 360 - Z (when sun is west of the local meridian)
DEC = declination of sun
LAT = latitude of observer
h = vertical angle to the sun corrected for parallax
and refraction

AZIMUTH BY OBSERVATION OF POLARIS:

The equation given for hour angle method for the sun can be used, or the following:

Where: h = (true altitude of Polaris)

p = 90° - declination Z is west of north when 0o ≤ LHA ≤ 180°
Z is east of north when 180o ≤ LHA ≤ 360°
 AZ = Z (when Z is east of north)
AZ = 360 - Z (when Z is west of north)

Exercise No.2 Obtaining the error of the magnetic compass or gyro compass by comparing the
compass bearing of the body with the true azimuth of the body obtained at the time of
observation
Gyro Error and Compass Error are basically the same thing, but on different types of compasses.
Whenever going away from True, you add West Errors and subtract East Errors.  Going toward
True - add East & subtract West
Memory Aid:
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GET Gyro + East = True

Example 1
In DR latitude 33° 24.0'N, the azimuth of the sun is 096.5° pgc. After tabulating the tabulated
azimuth of the sun is 97.7°. What is the GE?
Zn 097.7°
Zn (pgc) 096.5°
Gyro Error 1.2°E

Example 2
If the sun is observed rising at 068° T, while the calculated sunriseis 065° T, the gyro error is
068° - 065° = 3°
To determine the direction of error, use the mnemonic “Gyro Best, Error West, Gyro Least,
Error East.”
In this case, the gyro is higher (“best ”) than the observation, so the error is
3° W.
Exercise No.3 Obtaining from tables or by calculation, using the observer’s DR position and
information from the Nautical Almanac, the true bearing of a heavenly body on rising or setting,
i.e. solves an amplitude problem

Determine Gyro Error by Amplitude of the Sun

Imagine watching the sunset from your favorite beachside location. If the date happed to be
approximately March or September 22nd, the vernal and autumnal equinoxes, then the sun
would be setting exactly west–270°T. At any other time of year, it sets at a different bearing,
and that difference from true west (or east for sunrise) is called “amplitude.”

It is 20 May, you have taken an observation of the rising sun when its lower limb
is approximately 2/3 of a sun’s diameter above the visible horizon (therefore the sun’s center is
on the celestial horizon). The time of observation is 1000 UTC. Your latitude is 36° N.
a)What is the amplitude of the sun for this date?
b)What true bearing should the sunrise be observed?
c)If you actually observe the sun rising at 068° T, what is the GE?

STEPS:
1. Determine the declination of the sun for the time of observation using the Nautical Almanac.
The declination at 1000 UTC is N 20° 00’.
2. Determine the ship’s latitude at the
time ofobservation.
Latitude–36° N (given)
STEPS:
3. Enter Table 22 in Bowditch with declination and latitude to determine the amplitude.
Declination: 20° and Latitude: 36°

STEPS:
4. Answer required questions.
a) Amplitude = E 25° N, or 25° north of east.
b) Standard sunrise is 090° T. In the northern hemisphere in spring and summer, the sun rises
north of east. Therefore the calculated sunrise is 090° - 25° = 065° T
STEPS:
4. Answer required questions.
c) If the sun is observed rising at 068° T, while the calculated sunrise is 065° T, the gyro error is
068° - 065° = 3°W

Exercise No.4 Obtaining the magnetic variation for the observer’s position, using isogonal lines
or other information on the chart

Isogonic Lines - are lines on the Earth's surface along which the declination has the same
constant value, and lines along which the declination is zero are called agonic lines. 

Compass Rose - A circle graduated in degrees, clockwise from 0° at the reference direction to
360° and sometimes also in compass points.
Compass roses are placed at convenient locations on the Mercator chart to facilitate
measurement of direction.
The compass rose can be used by the mariner to help lay out a course with a protractor.

Exercise No.5 Applying variations to the error of the magnetic compass to find the deviations
for the direction of the ship’s head
 Sample 1
CE = 3°W
Var = 9°52’E__

Chart Aus 823 gives the following information on theDev = rose12°52’W

compass to the south of St Bees
Island:
Sample 2
Mag Var 8°40’E (1979) Increasing about 2’ annually.
CE = 4°E
In 2015 the variation will have increased by 2’ each year for 36 years, a total of 72’.  Adding this
to 8°40’ we find that the variation for 2015 is 9°52’EVar = 9°52’E__
Dev = 5°52’W 

Now we will consider Deviation.

 
Sample 3
Sample 1
CE = 1°30’W
CE = 3°W
Var = 5°06’W__
Var = 9°52’E__
Dev = 3°36’E
Dev = 12°52’W
Sample 4
Sample 2 CE = 2°12’E
CE = 4°E Var = 5°06’W__
Var = 9°52’E__ Dev = 7°18’E
Dev = 5°52’W 
 

Exercise No.6 Calculating compass error and gyro error, from transit or charted range bearings
and bearings to distant fixed objects

COMPASS ERROR BY TRANSIT BEARINGS

When two well charted objects are in transit, a compass bearing is taken.
 
The true bearing is taken from the chart using parallel rulers.
Comparison of the compass bearing and the true bearing gives the compass error.
A transit bearing when two or more objects lie on the same line. 

Example:
 
True Bearing                   115°   
Compass Bearing           120°
Compass Error                5°W
Variation                       7°W
Deviation                2°E

Example:
 
True Bearing                   050°   
Compass Bearing           033°
Compass Error                17°W
Variation                       11°W
Deviation                6°E

Sample COMPASS ERROR form