Cavechat.org

Scott McCrea wrote:Hi Mike. There sure are a lot of keyboard kavers out there now.

I like the idea of the Cave Compass. I have been using the same thing, except in the a 3 dimensional version with a Silva compass. Sort of like this:


Works the same way. It takes a lot of thought out of sketching. Just turn the dial and line it up. Pretty simple.

Another vote for the handheld compass. Get a cheap one, with straight sides and marked in an appropriate scale, preferably on both sides. Works great. Expensive ones have doodads that get in the way.

cavedoc wrote:Another vote for the handheld compass. Get a cheap one,

Get an expensive DistoX and expensive Pocket PC, learn therion, and you will not need any handheld compass or sketch in scale on paper any more. And you'll have maybe two times more time for cave surveying.

Scott McCrea wrote:Hi Mike. There sure are a lot of keyboard kavers out there now.

I like the idea of the Cave Compass. I have been using the same thing, except in the a 3 dimensional version with a Silva compass. Sort of like this:


Works the same way. It takes a lot of thought out of sketching. Just turn the dial and line it up. Pretty simple.

Brilliant, I just broke mine a few weeks ago in the cave, dont ask me why i had it, or maybe i was hiking..........anyway i pitched it. My wife has one though> i was testing out on the survey paper and i was surpised, you were right, it works. I am TOTALLY taking this with me next time. I can see how this will be 100x easier to draw plot lines than the protractor in the OP, or the others i have from hobby lobby. Amazing...........why didnt I think of this?

cavedoc wrote:

Scott McCrea wrote:
I like the idea of the Cave Compass. I have been using the same thing, except in the a 3 dimensional version with a Silva compass.

Works the same way. It takes a lot of thought out of sketching. Just turn the dial and line it up. Pretty simple.

For the price of a compass, you can get a cheap Palm device (like a IIIxe on eBay) and input your numerical data with the Auriga freeware (http://www.speleo.qc.ca/Auriga). On top of everything else, it'll give you the projected length in real time, as well as paper coordinates for sketching to scale.


Luc Le Blanc

Auriga wrote:

cavedoc wrote:

Scott McCrea wrote:
I like the idea of the Cave Compass. I have been using the same thing, except in the a 3 dimensional version with a Silva compass.

Works the same way. It takes a lot of thought out of sketching. Just turn the dial and line it up. Pretty simple.

For the price of a compass, you can get a cheap Palm device (like a IIIxe on eBay) and input your numerical data with the Auriga freeware (http://www.speleo.qc.ca/Auriga). On top of everything else, it'll give you the projected length in real time, as well as paper coordinates for sketching to scale.


Luc Le Blanc

I don't think Scott was talking about using a Silva compass in the cave. He was talking about the Cave Compass http://www.cavecompass.com which is a new cave survey protractor that sells for only $6.00 each (when you buy one at a time).
It works exactly like using a Silva compass (base plate compass) but it isn't nearly as fragile or expensive. It even has a cosine table on it for calculating your corrected distances.

teacaver wrote:I don't think Scott was talking about using a Silva compass in the cave.

Yes, I was. It works exactly the same as the Cave Compass. Just more expensive and thicker and fragil-er. The only benefit I can think of for the Silva over the Cave Compass is the Silva has an actual compass so you can guestimate the direction of stuff you're sketching. I suspect I will be switching to the Cave Compass, soon.

Scott McCrea wrote:

teacaver wrote:I don't think Scott was talking about using a Silva compass in the cave.

Yes, I was. It works exactly the same as the Cave Compass. Just more expensive and thicker and fragil-er. The only benefit I can think of for the Silva over the Cave Compass is the Silva has an actual compass so you can guestimate the direction of stuff you're sketching. I suspect I will be switching to the Cave Compass, soon.

Scott, i used my Silva compass last night surveying and I was able to crank out 950 feet with 1 other guy in a few hours. That was the EASIEST plot line sketching that I have ever done. I couldn't believe I never thought of that myself, lol. Thanks guys for pointing it out, I definately wont be using protractors anymore unless I absoluately have to.

Yet another advertisement bot I see................


Since a bot brought this thread up from the dead I do have to say that I went wtih the cave compass and it has made sketching multiple shots on 1 page extremely easy.

Chads93GT wrote:Yet another advertisement bot I see................


Since a bot brought this thread up from the dead I do have to say that I went wtih the cave compass and it has made sketching multiple shots on 1 page extremely easy.

I was in the process of killing two spams on the forum (2 users, 1 IP) while you were posting up on this! But yeah, it was the resurrection from the dead that lead me to checking the recent post.

sluka wrote:Get an expensive DistoX and expensive Pocket PC, learn therion, and you will not need any handheld compass or sketch in scale on paper any more. And you'll have maybe two times more time for cave surveying.

Yeah, except for when the Disto X goes out of calibration on day two of an eight day trip underground. Then you get to spend two hours recalibrating it with your expensive Pocket PC so that it will last another day before going out of calibration again. Then you get to put all the expensive nerd gear away and use.......are you ready for this.......Suuntos, pencil, and paper! Oh, by the way. Better bring the Suuntos, pencil, and paper along with the technology out with you from camp every day. Otherwise you will be totally F****d when the DistoX goes haywire out on the frontier.

Just sayin, I've seen it happen.

jaa45993 wrote:Yeah, except for when the Disto X goes out of calibration on day two of an eight day trip underground. Then you get to spend two hours recalibrating it with your expensive Pocket PC so that it will last another day before going out of calibration again. Then you get to put all the expensive nerd gear away and use.......are you ready for this.......Suuntos, pencil, and paper!

Someone wake me up when the digital technology is anywhere near as reliable as Suuntos, pencil and paper. After watching v1.0 of all three devices (Disto X, DUSI and Shetland Attack Pony) cause many caving acquaintances to pull out their remaining hair, I'm guessing we'll need to wait for the third or fourth generation before I'll even consider picking one up.