SubscribeGyrocompass
A gyrocompass is similar to a gyroscope. It is a non-magnetic compass that finds true north by using an (electrically powered) fast-spinning wheel and friction forces in order to exploit the rotation of the Earth. Gyrocompasses are widely used on ships. They have two main advantages over magnetic compasses:
- they find true north, i.e., the direction of Earth's rotational axis, as opposed to magnetic north,
- they are not affected by ferrous metal in a ship's hull. (No compass is affected by nonferrous metal, although a magnetic compass will be affected by non-ferrous wires with current through them.)
Large ships typically rely on a gyrocompass, using the magnetic compass only as a backup. Increasingly, electronic fluxgate compasses are used on smaller vessels. However compasses are still widely in use as they can be small, use simple reliable technology, are comparatively cheap, often easier to use than GPS, require no energy supply, and unlike GPS, are not affected by objects, e.g. trees, that can block the reception of electronic signals.
1 comment:
Marine Gyro Compass is an essential marine navigation equipment for accurately locating directions aboard a vessel. There are many good brands of marine gyro compass like Anschuts, Sperry, C. Plath, etc. All of these are standard and their gyrocompasses are accepted in shipping industry.
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