I'm trying to use (inside a spredsheet) the double leg Ekelund range formula as detailed by Goldorack in this post:
here
My questions are:
#1 - Is the variable "TrgBearing_1" the
faired (by least squared method) bearing of all the bearings plotted for the fisrt leg?
#2 - Is the Bearing Rate also a
faired value?
EDIT#1: Some time later...
I found
this post by SeaQueen, maybe there lies the answer to my question, but I'm not clever/mathematically skilled enough to sort this out... If there is anybody reading that knows or is able to come up with the answer, please, I will be happy to know it
EDIT#2: Even more time later...
I found explanations about the TMA process in general and about time/bearing plot, in particular, starting from page 17, chapter 10 of the "Operations Specialist - Volume 1" Nonresident Training Course,
anybody can consult it here.
The
time/bearing plot contains the answers to my questions above, but in graphical terms.
Mmmm... some solutions had come to my mind:
[1] Spreadsheet + formula solution.
I'm thinking that the
time/bearing plot could be easly recorded in a spreadsheet, while the graphical process of fairing bearing values and measure the
bearing rate could be easly translated (for those math-inclined) in a mathematical process (a formula). Now I think I understand what SeaQueen (and probably more DW users in the past) had done.
[2] Pen, paper and Bearing Rate template solution.
I think I could use an A4 squared sheet and a pen and make myself the
time/bearing plot. But then I will need to use a
Bearing Rate template to measure the bearing rate... Any idea on how to build one?
[3] Custom software with a GUI (let me dream...)
The more advanced solution, would be a custom software in which to input the time/bearing values for a segment and then get the
faired bearing and the
bearing rate as output. Well, at this point, of course, step #2 would be to give the software the ability to record/store a set of segments (TMA legs) and to compute the
Ekelund range and maybe some other stuff... I've dreamed about a LOS interactive display to formulate and test multiple hypotetical solutions concurrently...
The largest obstacle inside DW, AFAIK, is the ability to take precise time/bearing readings cause the game basically gives you:
a) bearing values rounded to the nearest integer unit;
b) timed bearing reads every 2 minutes (every even game minute, to be precise).
Fortunatley I have found a solution for issue 'a' (a not-too-cumbersome technique to precisley measure bearings to the nearest decimal) but I've notyet found a solution for issue 'b'.