Ritchie Compass

TexasBryan

TexasBryan

Member
Oct 12, 2017
54
College Station, TX
Boat Info
2001 52' Prima Seahorse
Sold: 2001 Sedan Bridge 400
Engines
Cummins 6CTA 8.3
After my old analog nav system went our last week, i went out this week with a hand-held GPS, paper charts and rhe on-board Ritchie Compass.

Much to my surprise/dismay, i quickly learned that the Ritchie unit is off by about 20 degrees.

Does anyone know if there is a way of calibrating this unit?

Thank you,
Bryan
 
There is a way to "swing" your compass. It requires some open water and knowledge of what to do. Goggle "how to swing a compass."
 
Are you sure it's not simply pointing to magnetic north? I'm not sure what the deviation is in Texas, but here in BC it's about 20 degrees from true. This varies year by year and updated charts from your area will tell you what the deviation between magnetic and true north is currently.
 
I had not considered that, but I think that’s about +2 degrees for my location in Texas.

When I got back to the dock, I compared it to a cheap-o Acedemy hand-held magnetic hiking compass and got the same difference.

I’m embarrassed that I never paid closer attention to the Ritchie heading in previous outings to catch this issue sooner.
 
Check around the helm for any metal items that could affect the compass.

I was on a new Sea Ray a few years ago listening to the owner complain about his autopilot's inability to maintain or display a correct heading. The Ritchie compass was off about the same amount. The owner was embarassed when we found his car keys, a pager and a cell phone in the glove box about 15" from the helm and compass.
 
TexasBryan said:
After my old analog nav system went our last week, i went out this week with a hand-held GPS, paper charts and rhe on-board Ritchie Compass.

Much to my surprise/dismay, i quickly learned that the Ritchie unit is off by about 20 degrees.

Does anyone know if there is a way of calibrating this unit?

Thank you,
Bryan
Click to expand...

Consider getting the Navionics app for your phone or tablet as a backup.
 
The best backup to an electronic chart is pencil, paper and a wristwatch. We do a fair amount of running offshore and out of sight of land. Fog is not uncommon where we travel. The first thing I do when running the leg of a long tack is let the autopilot set the course to the waypoint and the gps establish the ETA. Once that data is stable (maybe 1-2 minutes) I write down the heading from the magnetic compass and the time I will arrive at a given waypoint. Should the electronics go down in poor visibility or out of sight of land, I know the position until things get sorted out.
 
TVMDC calculation time maybe?
True Virgins Make Dull Companions At Weddings.
TRUE
VARIATION
MAGNETIC
DEVIATION
COMPASS
 
SCORPIO said:
TVMDC calculation time maybe?
True Virgins Make Dull Companions At Weddings.
TRUE
VARIATION
MAGNETIC
DEVIATION
COMPASS
Click to expand...
Or to uncorrect a compass
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Was wondering if there was anyone else who goes back to just paper charts?
 
find a set of range markers near you , get dead on it, and note the true heading , compare on the chart with the magnetic heading. you will get a good idea of your deviation / variation. like the previous posts mentioned, make sure you eliminate any possible interference with metal objects etc near the unit.
 
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