FIELDWORK NO. 7 Group No.

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Date: ________________________ Location:____________________
Time/Temp.: __________________ Weather: ___________________

TITLE: OPEN COMPASS TRAVERSE

OBJECTIVE/S: a) To determine the magnetic bearing of each line of an open compass

traverse.

b) To learn how to adjust open compass traverse.

EQUIPMENT/S:

Fig. 8.1 Brunton Pocket Fig. 8.2 Steel Tape Fig. 8.3 Range Poles Fig. 8.4 Markers
Compass

PROCEDURES:

a. Establish at least six distant stations for an open traverse. Call these stations A, B, C and
so forth.

b. Set up and level the instrument at A and release the needle of the compass so that it will
swing freely on its pivot.

c. Sight B and read the compass box for the direction pointed by the north end of the
needle. Record this as the forward bearing of line AB.

d. Transfer the instrument to B and sight on A. Read the compass box and record this as the
back bearing of line AB. Turn towards the direction of C, then read and record the
forward bearing of line BC.

e. Transfer to C and sight on B. Read and record the back bearing of line BC, then sight on D
and also read and record the forward bearing of line CD.

f. Proceed to the next station and repeat the same process until the last traverse station is
occupied and a back bearing is taken on the last line of the traverse.
 g. A traverse line is free from local attraction if the bearings read at its two ends are exactly
opposite in direction. The traverse angles are computed from observed bearings and
starting from the unaffected line.

h. If two or more traverse line appears to be free from local attraction, one of these lines is
arbitrarily chosen as the best line. If none of the lines is free from local attraction, the
line with the least discrepancy between the forward and backward bearings is chosen
and its forward bearing is assumed to be correct.

i. The angle between the observed forward and back bearing at any station can be
determined correctly since the angle is independent of local attraction.

j. Correct bearings of successive lines are then computed easily by preparing a careful
sketch of the known data observed from each station. There are no formulas to
memorize since once the sketch is made, the required calculations are obvious.

k. Tabulate the observed and adjusted values accordingly.

ILLUSTRATIONS:

Point A Point B Point C Point D

Point E Point F Point G

DATA AND TABULATION:

Table 7.1. Observed Bearing and Adjusted Bearing

OBSERVED BEARING ADJUSTED BEARING REMARKS

LINE
FORWARD BACK FORWARD BACK
AB
BC
CD
DE
EF
FG
COMPUTATIONS:

CONCLUSION:
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RECOMMENDATION:

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