[TowerTalk] Declination - Does it matter?

[Mark - N5OT]

If you want to know what direction your beams are pointed, true north is 
the answer.  "Magnetic north" doesn't affect the direction to point your 
antennas if your goals is to point them directly at the place where 
you're trying to talk. However, "magnetic north" will affect your 
compass if you are using a compass to figure out how to set up your 
towers and all that.  I recommend a different approach:  For the last 
two iterations of N5OT, I have started by going out to the antenna field 
on a clear night, and sighting in the North Star. The North Star is less 
than one degree off of actual north. I eyeball the locations for driving 
two stakes where, if you line up the two stakes, that line goes toward 
the North Star.  Then I set all my antennas based on that line.  Google 
Maps these days can show you when a line is going north, too.  Then if 
you use the satellite imagery of your property, that will give you the 
same answer.  That is the answer you want.  Take the compass under 
advisement but don't use it for this.

Note that there are other, more mystical factors that make it to where a 
station comes in louder when you are not pointed directly at them.  
Things like "skew path" and "aurora" - but they don't change how you 
should set up your towers and rotators or fixed direction antennas.

73 - Mark N5OT


On 4/28/2022 5:49 PM, Chris Hoelzle wrote:
> I live in a place that has a Declination of approximately plus16 degrees.
> I am putting my tower in soon, so I want to do it right. I have asked
> several hams and one says "just use magnetnetic" the other says "follow
> your lot lines".
>
> I want to do it right . If I am turning my beamChile, I don't want to
> actually be shooting at the ocean.
>
> Any advice please
>