Navigation
This site is provided as a means of communications with the USPS National Offshore Navigation Committee (ONCom). We welcome your questions and comments on our courses, Learning Guides, and associated materials.
R/C
Kenneth Beckman, SN
Stf/C Kenneth J. Boyd, SN
Stf/C Donald Fiander, SN
Topics
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News
Technical Support for The Capn
The ONCom has assumed the task of technical support for The Capn program. If you have questions about its installation or operation and can't find an answer in your student manual or program documentation, go to this page to ask your question. (27 Jul 09)
Updated Celestial Tools Program
There is an updated version (v1.80) of the Celestial Tools program on the ONCom Tools web page. (25 May 09)
Sight Folder Quality
The quality of celestial sight folders has significantly diminished over the past six months. Folders have been received which lack the required number of sights, the type of sight reduction method required, and numerous mathematical and plotting errors which indicate inadequate sight checking at the squadron level. A failed sight folder should never occur if properly checked!
Effective immediately, sight folders will be returned to SEOs ungraded, if, in the opinion of an experienced ONCom grader, the folder has been inadequately checked at the squadron level.
In addition, folders received without an accompanying form ED-33, Examination Order, will be held at Headquarters until the form is received. Squadron SEOs will be notified by email. (13 Mar 09)
Nav 09 Course Released
The Navigation 2009 course material is now at HQ. Below is the ordering information for this course; it is also in the Squadron Materials Catalog:
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03-68-114 Nav 09 Student Kit. Includes the Student Manual, the CAPN software package with non-expiring license, and a license to use the Visual Passage Planner 2 (VPP2) software for 6 months. The Student Kit also includes a pad of sight reduction forms, a pad of CLS forms, N.O. 974 Plotting Sheet, and Sight Folder Cover. Cost: $120.00
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03-68-115 Nav 09 Instructor Kit. Includes everything in the Nav 09 Student Kit PLUS the Nav 09 Instructor Manual (containing Lesson Plans, and homework and Practice Cruise solutions) and the Instructor�s CD containing the PowerPoint class presentations. Cost: $120.00
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09-91-001 Visual Passage Planner 2 (VPP2) Instructor Non-Expiring License. This license is for Instructor Use Only. Order this optional item only if you want an Instructor license for the VPP2 software with no expiration date. Limit one License per Squadron. This License may be ordered for Instructor�s Use in the Nav 09 course, either when the Instructor and/or Student Kits are ordered, or as a subsequent supplemental order. Separate VPP2 Instructor Non-Expiring License orders for other purposes will not be accepted. Cost: $25.00
Note: A temporary 6-month license is included with the student course material order, which the instructor may also use.
The Capn software has not yet been delivered to HQ. Depending on when you order, you may receive the course materials with the Capn software packages back ordered. No action is needed on your part to receive this back ordered material—it will be shipped to you automatically when the Capn software is received at HQ.
See the Nav 09 course description here or in this PDF document. A suggested syllabus is on page 2 of the PDF document.
If you have questions on any of this, please feel free to contact me. (02 Mar 09)
Ken Beckman, SN
Chair, Offshore Navigation Committee
Nav 08 Beta and Nav 99/02 Exam and Sight Folder Expiration
A few copies of the Nav 99/02 course Student Manuals (03-68-110) are still available in inventory. This course is the companion course for JN99, since it starts with the assumption that students have already learned to reduce sights for the stars, moon, and planets. Inventory of Nav 99/02 is currently low, but some Student Manual copies are still available. When this inventory runs out, we will NOT re-print the Nav 99/02 course.
With the release of Nav 09, the test elements for Nav 08 Beta and Nav 99/02 WILL EXPIRE 31 DECEMBER 2010. That means all parts of the Nav 08 Beta and Nav 99/02 test elements (the closed book exam, the open book exam, and the Sight Folder) must be completed by that time, including re-exams, or credit for successfully completing parts of the course requirements will be lost; the student must then meet the requirements of Nav 09 to get credit for the Navigation course. Please ensure that the students who sign up for the last offering of Nav 08 Beta or Nav 99/02 understand that it MUST be completed by 31 December 2010. (27 Feb 09)
Sight Plot Update
Before the days of GPS, it was customary to plot an estimated position (EP) when only one Line of Position (LOP) was available for positioning. As you know, the EP is that point on an LOP which is closest to the reference DR position. Now that GPS positions are available, there is no longer a need for an EP as long as the GPS is operating properly. If there is no reason to question the GPS accuracy, we can reduce a sight from the GPS position and use the resultant LOP to determine our sight-taking accuracy. The important point to remember is that EPs are associated only with DR reference positions; sight accuracy is associated with GPS or Known Position (KP) reference positions.
The following procedure indicates how sights are to be plotted and labeled on CLS or UPS plotting sheets:
Plot and label the reference position, which can be a DR, a KP, or a GPS position. Lay out the intercept (as a dashed line) in the direction of the azimuth (toward or away). At the terminus of the intercept, construct the LOP perpendicular to the intercept. Label the LOP above the line with the zone time of the sight and below the line with the name of the body. If the reference position is a DR, indicate the EP at the intersection of the intercept and the LOP with a square, and record the EP coordinates at the bottom of the CLS form. If the reference position is a KP or GPS position, an EP is not meaningful; just record the sight error (SErr) at the bottom of the CLS form as the distance in nautical miles from the known position to the LOP. Until the word reaches everyone in the field, exam answers or sight folders won't be marked wrong if the old EP convention is used. (29 Oct 08)
Navigation 2009 Course Description
After Junior Navigation, this
course is the second part of the study of offshore navigation, further developing
the student's understanding of celestial navigation theory. This Navigation 2009 course deals with learning celestial positioning using other bodies, in addition to positioning using the sun (covered in the Junior Navigation course). This course also deals with electronic software tools that can be used to plan and execute an offshore voyage. You will first learn to reduce these sights by the Law of Cosines method. Later in the course, you will learn an additional method of sight reduction, the Nautical Almanac Sight Reduction (NASR) method. You will also learn about sight planning techniques. With that knowledge, you will have the tools to take sights and complete your Navigation Sight Folder. The course includes a chapter on using a software-based voyage planning tool and a navigation program. The final chapter of the course contains a Practice Cruise that ties the separate elements of the course together.
Chapter 1. A View of our Solar System. A simple overview of how the celestial bodies in the sky appear to us on earth.
Chapter 2. Sunrise…Sunset. Finding local mean time of solar and lunar phenomena and converting the time of these events to zone time.
Chapter 3. Taking Sights and Finding Ho, LHA, and Dec. Taking sights on the moon, navigational planets and stars; applying proper altitude corrections to these sights to obtain Ho; applying corrections for low altitude sights; and computing the LHA and declination of these bodies.
Chapter 4. Sight Reduction and Plotting by the Law of Cosines. Reducing sights of the moon, stars, and planets by the Law of Cosines method; and plotting lines of position (LOPs) for these sights to obtain an estimated position, a running fix, and a true fix.
Chapter 5. Sight Reduction and Plotting by the NASR method. Reducing sights on the sun, moon, stars, and planets by the Nautical Almanac Sight Reduction (NASR) method; and plotting the lines of position (LOPs) for these sights to obtain an estimated position, a running fix, and a true fix.
Chapter 6. Sight Planning. Planning your sights to achieve good 2- and 3-body fixes, using both traditional and electronic tools.
Chapter 7. Emergency Navigation. Provisioning an emergency navigation kit and constructing emergency plotting sheets; and determining destination coordinates mathematically from course and distance traveled.
Chapter 8. Electronics and Software for Offshore Navigation. Using a software-based voyage planning tool to plan an offshore voyage (Visual Passage Planner 2); and using a navigation program in executing the voyage (Capn).
Chapter 9. Underway. A review of the Navigator’s duties and USPS Plotting and Labeling Standards; and setting up and using a 900 series plotting sheet. The student will execute a leg of an offshore voyage using both electronic and traditional tools, including celestial positioning. This Practice Cruise is an excellent preparation for the open book exam.
Questions or Comments?
If you have any questions or comments about the Navigation course, please contact the National Offshore Navigation Committee chair by e-mail, phone or postal service mail. Please be sure to keep your SEO and/or DEO advised of any correspondence you may have with the National committee. Addresses for the National ONCom chair are listed in The ENSIGN and on the Committee Chairpersons page.
We will try to answer your questions as soon as possible, but please allow 5 working days for an answer.
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