Has my wife been talking to you... :)
I'm busy gathering screen res data for most screens, so that one can choose the image that fits best.

:up:

Thanks
 

THANKS Thendash - this is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I have the RealNav mod in SH3 - and I think I actually like this better -

Why? Because I CAN stop myself from cheating - however, when I am in a harbor or just want to take a break - I can turn the navigation over to my ensign and have him take the boat out. PERFECT!!

Yeah I use the waypoints(navigator ensign I guess) when I enter combat and once I reach my objective and start searching out targets. But for the way to and back from objectives I like to use manual navigation, gives me something to do other then turn on high time compression and watch my boat warp across the map. One thing I have noticed, and I'm not sure if it's my periscope mod or what but, the periscope bearing markers are off a tiny bit. I'm thinking .5 degrees or something small like that, but the game rounds up/down so sometimes I end up heading way off track even over the period of only an hour, it's sort of annoying but I guess it could replicate the problems with wind and current while navigating on the open seas.
Here's something I made up for myself that you will probably find usefull, it's a nomograph and a conversion chart that I have printed off and it saves me a lot of time as apposed to draging out the gramophone which in TM is modded to be a conversion chart. I'm not sure if MS Word will open it because I saved it in open office but you can try anyways(or download open office):
http://files.filefront.com/conversio.../fileinfo.html

Greetings
 

I have been playing with celestial navigation and looking at SH4 with the idea of doing this in the game, but approached it from the opposite direction. I found the sub location in the savegame, and use Python to create a startup script that puts the sub date, time and location into Stellarium. I can then take star sights by checking the altitude of the stars I need. The LOP's usually intersect within a minute of the sub location.
Look in your savegame folder for the SaveData.map file. The sub position is under [waypoint]. divide the two coordinates by 120000 to get Lat. and Long.

I have more info if anyone is isterested.

Mike

Too dificult for me , but sound intruiging . cheers .

@6SJ7GT:

What do you use as a "sextant", Mike, that allows you LOPs within 1' moa?

Yes, I'm interested and request more information :up:

...Welcome aboard!

Do you measure the altitude of the body in SH4, or do you read the altitude of the body in Stellarium?

tnx,
Don

I read the altitude in Stellarium. If you don't pause it the number changes fast enough that you have a little uncertainty. I pause Stellarium if I am confirming that this works, or if I am feeling lazy and want to consolidate some of the lookups for sight reduction.
Since I am also fairly new to celestial navigation I found some online resources.

Python programming language (A fairly easy but powerful scripting language)
Stellarium freeware planetarium software
Omar Reis Online Nautical Almanac (Says 1950-2050 but works back to at least 1940)
Another ONilne Almanac that has most of the calculations done for you.
USNO online Almanac

The below link has the sight reduction tables (all 6 volumes of the Maritme Navigation Tables) needed for the more complex star sight sheet. It also has Bowditch (American Practical Navigator) if you want to read further on navigation. (A must for a qualified Submariner). There is also a copy of the Maneuvering Board Manual. Look for the link to Publications on the left side.
Maritme Safety Information

A freeware Graph Paper printer that prints Mercator projections
gpaper

I have some other information but this should get you started.

Mike

Roger that, Mike.:up:

Any port in a storm...as they say.

Being a virtual sailor is extremely difficult in and of itself; but, admittedly we can still dream of a time future, where the sailor will be able to go on deck with a workable sextant and measure the altitudes, and then perform the necessary magic to reduce the sight to workable LOP(s).

We're far from that at present, still it doesn't hurt to dream.

Cheers,

I put some more info on a web page here
SH4 Celestial Nav

Sounds like Don knows what he is doing with navigation, but there are more links for anyone interested in learning celestial navigation.

Regards,
Mike

One thing, using the script to set the sub location keeps me from seeing the sub lat & long. I get the ALT from Stellarium but have to do the rest of the math & table lookups to reduce the sights. It's satisfying to see the LOP's come together somewhere near my DR position (assuming I didn't make any errors in math or tables). I am also planning on looking at the game weather and only taking sights when the stars would be visible. several days of cloudy weather after the twists and turns dodging a destroyer might make for an interesting time relocating myself.

I have been using posplot.exe available at the Navigation list for printing plotting sheets, and gpaper.exe to print mercator paper for area maps. I think I'll be able to do most of my navigation on paper with these.

I also found an aircraft bubble sextant and my son and I have been using that to take star and sun sights at home. Last time we got within 2 miles of our home. It's an interesting learning experience for both of us.

Mike

Good job, Mike.

I'm retired from the sea now but still keep my sextants (2) in use while on shore using artificial horizon. Adm Byrd used a box of mercury while in the arctic. IIRC, Lewis & Clark used mercury also & clearing the Lunar distance. Mercury is too hazardous and cost prohibitive these days. As a kid, long time ago, we used to take mercury from old thermometers and turn pennies silver with it. Yikes! :dead:

A dish/sauser of heavy oil works just fine in the lower, warmer, latitudes.
Davis Instruments has a plastic artificial horizon for sale that uses water as a reflector. Water is too viscous for my liking (jiggles with the slightest breeze even in those windproof boxes).

Cheers,

btw, Mike, check your PM.

Don

Well Mike,

I think you have a winner!

Here's a plot sheet I've recently started using your method and D/L of "python" and "stellarium".

With the Nav tools I have on premises, here's a Sugar boat just out of Manila, P.I. headed northwesterly:
http://img170.imageshack.us/img170/7...lnavbj8.th.jpg
page 1

Cheers,

Nice to see it working.:up:

Here is a pic of my 2 sextants. an aircraft sextant and a homemade one (plans at www.tecepe.com). I think I may be able to use the Stanley sight level as an artificial horizon. They're sitting on my "grammophone / Radio". I use an mp3 player with 1940's music rather than use the game grammophone.

http://users.ameritech.net/mjones004/PICT1362.JPG