What are the limitations of dead reckoning?Дead reckoning is not an accurate technique, as mistakes cumulate and it is not self-correcting. In critical situations you might want to use both methods. It's important that you know how many paces you need to cover that distance in various conditions, or alternatively, how much time it should take.

You measure the distance on the map with the correct scale on your compass base-plate. In many cases you will have to measure how far you have walked along the bearing to avoid over-shooting your attack point. This is a slow and tedious process, but is sometimes life-saving. If you are solo, you can throw stones or snowballs along the line of travel. In this case you can send a member of your party ahead an agreed number of paces and use a system of signals to move them left or right till they are in line with the direction of travel. In very difficult country such as a featureless desert or ice-field there may be nothing to aim at. Repeat till your attack point comes into view. With a base-plate compass you sight down the direction of travel line and pick out a minor feature such as a tree or a rock, and walk to it. This can be because the land is rough or overgrown, or because of fog or whiteout. So you have to navigate on a bearing until the attack point becomes visible. And another group of techniques is designed to help you get back on route once you realise that you have gone astray.Дead reckoning is needed when your next attack point is not visible, and there is no reliable trail to follow. Other techniques such as pacing and timing are designed to alert you that you have missed your attack point. Many navigation techniques such as handrails and gathering features are aimed at helping you find your attack point. Typical examples would be a peak, a pass, a trail junction or a hut.Д«y moving from attack point to attack point you get regular checks that you are on course. Basically, this is a feature you aim for that you are confident you will recognise when you reach it and which moves you towards your eventual target for the day. The foundation of land navigation is the attack point, a term borrowed from orienteering.

Dead reckoning is the skill of moving along a specific bearing for a specific distance - eg, to walk 350 meters on a 25 degree bearing - without reference to any major feature in the landscape.

Land of the dead dead reckoning