If you want to know what direction your beams are pointed, true north is
the answer. "Magnetic north" doesn't affect the direction to point your
antennas if your goals is to point them directly at the place where
you're trying to talk. However, "magnetic north" will affect your
compass if you are using a compass to figure out how to set up your
towers and all that. I recommend a different approach: For the last
two iterations of N5OT, I have started by going out to the antenna field
on a clear night, and sighting in the North Star. The North Star is less
than one degree off of actual north. I eyeball the locations for driving
two stakes where, if you line up the two stakes, that line goes toward
the North Star. Then I set all my antennas based on that line. Google
Maps these days can show you when a line is going north, too. Then if
you use the satellite imagery of your property, that will give you the
same answer. That is the answer you want. Take the compass under
advisement but don't use it for this.
Note that there are other, more mystical factors that make it to where a
station comes in louder when you are not pointed directly at them.
Things like "skew path" and "aurora" - but they don't change how you
should set up your towers and rotators or fixed direction antennas.
73 - Mark N5OT
On 4/28/2022 5:49 PM, Chris Hoelzle wrote:
I live in a place that has a Declination of approximately plus16 degrees.
I am putting my tower in soon, so I want to do it right. I have asked
several hams and one says "just use magnetnetic" the other says "follow
your lot lines".
I want to do it right . If I am turning my beamChile, I don't want to
actually be shooting at the ocean.
Any advice please
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