DEAD RECKONING NAVIGATION

by: A.C.,P.J.C.,H.C. (ECE 516 :: Elective 1 :: MW 4-5:30pm)

-it's important to remember that a DR position is only approximate because it doesnt take into account any other factors:

History
-from the seventeenth century; dead reckoning was first called "deduced reckoning, abbr. (in a ship's log) as "ded. reckoning. According to: *Encarta World English Dictionary -says "probably from dead 'absolute' or 'exact,' although 'dead' may be by folk etymology from ded., a shortening of deduce or deduction." *The Dictionary of Misinformation -says of the "deduced" theory, "There is no evidence for such a belief, *Oxford English Dictionary -says that the term is from the adjective "dead" and doesn't deign to even discuss the supposed derivation from "deduced. *Oxford Dictionary of English Etymology -provides the final nail in the coffin: "a proposed etym. ded., for deduced, has no justification." *One theory, supported by the Oxford English Dictionary (1613), is that it's dead in the sense "complete(ly)" or "absolute(ly)," also found in "dead wrong," "dead ahead," "dead last," etc. The idea seems to be that the dead-reckoning position is one based completely on reckoning (calculation) and not at all on observation of landmarks. *Others hold that "dead" means "unmoving," as in "dead in the water." The idea here is that dead reckoning is calculated with respect to an object (like the log) that is dead in the water (not moving with respect to the surface of the water). Yet another theory is that it comes from "dead seas" (supposed to mean "unknown seas"), where dead reckoning would be an important tool. *but Bowditch's American Practical Navigator (1958 edition and some later editions) splits the difference by making both etymologies right. ded reckoning is the same with dead reckoning in practical use it is abbreviated as DR.

Leeway (movement downwind) Current Steering errors Compass error

Uses of DR
1. Voyage Planning Determining course of advance Speed of advance Estimated Time of Arrival

2. Keeping track of location in the absence of other positional information. Out of piloting range. Overcast sky. GPS acting up. Approximate location between fixes.

3. Determining outside forces. Wind Current Bad steering

4. Plan future movements after a fix. 5. Compare position to desired location. 6. DR to determine course and/or speed necessary to regain track or avoid a hazard.

By Definition: DEAD RECKONING (DR)

The process of determining present position by projecting course and speed from a known past position Or, the process of determining future position by projecting course and speed from a known present position.

Rules: SYMBOLS
Visual fix circle Electronic fix triangle GPS fix diamond/ circle w/ dot Running fix circle labeled R-fix Estimated position (EP) square DR position half circle

Basic Concept of DR
Solely by means of computation, considers: Time Speed Distance Direction/course

TIME (military format )

-is written in horizontally for fixes and EPs -for DRs written diagonally

COURSE (degrees)
Labeled C 3 digits True degrees unless otherwise marked Written above the track line

Example:
Having a speed of 49mph, the distance of 176 miles, and you needed to arrive at 1145. Find time of departure.

Soln: Time = (60 x Distance)/Speed T= 60 x176 T=10,560 49 49 T= 215.51 minutes, or 3 hours, 36 minutes
If you need to be at your destination by 1145, you will have to leave by 0809 to make it on time.

SPEED (knots)
Labeled S Written below the track line

Plotting a DR:
At least every hour on the hour After every fix or running fix After every course or speed change After plotting a single line of position (LOP)

Instruments used
Chart ( Mercator, aeronautical/ nautical) Parallel ruler, rolling ruler or triangles Gyro compass (master gyro & repeaters) Divider Pencil Protractor * Wind vector* Magnetic compass*
*for air navigation

Rules in constructing a DR
Start from a known position (a fix) Draw a line in the direction of the course (Use True directions only) Calculate the distance to next DR point (using the Rules of DR) Using the mid-latitude, mark off the distance Label

Calculations
DR calculations take one of three different forms: (1) How long will it take to go a certain distance? (2) How far will I go in a certain amount of time? and (3) How fast should I go to travel a certain distance in a given amount of time? To answer any of these questions, a navigator needs to know three things: (1) the true course, (2) the boat's speed, and (3) the amount of time the boat has traveled at that course and speed. -navigators have been taught to remember the mnemonic as the address 60 "D" Street. By algebraic manipulation:

Distance (miles) = Speed (knots)= Time (minutes)=

(Speed X Time)/60 (60 x Distance)/Time (60 x Distance)/Speed

NOTE: 1 knot = 1.852 km per hour, approximately 1.151 mph