Determining course of contact that is "smoke on the horizon"

Jaystew · 06-19-14, 01:20 PM

Looks to me you are doing it exactly right. If your contact is heading 045 you determined the course how?

360
359
358
357

What was your heading originally? My guess would be you were heading between 270 and 360. The reason I say this is because this is the only angle of approach where the contact heads 045 but the angles begin to spread to the left, and only if you are moving faster than the target, say 6-10 knots.

What was your heading originally when the contact was at apparent bearing 360?

pythos · 06-19-14, 03:16 PM

Oh, I had map contacts on to see if the bearing lines were indeed intersecting where the contact was. They however fanned out along with the target (note I was getting my bearings from he WO, and using only the Bearing data, ignoring the map contact). Because of this I was able to determine the course of the contact after I had a go with the lines of bearing.
Contact original bearing was 090, my boat was on a East heading. I steered the bow toward the smoke, which took me on a northerly heading, contact at 0 degrees, and first mark and lines made, after two minutes, bearing 359, next two, bearing 358, ect.

Jaystew · 06-19-14, 04:21 PM

I'm thoroughly confused. Take a screenshot. Were you able to determine what you set out to determine?

pythos · 06-19-14, 08:42 PM

Try explain to me the point of confusion.

No, I was not able to have the method determine the course of the contact. The bearings did nothing but follow the contact. I was already planning on making a post with screenshots.

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06-19-14, 01:20 PM	#1
Jaystew Sparky Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 151 Downloads: 50 Uploads: 0	Looks to me you are doing it exactly right. If your contact is heading 045 you determined the course how? 360 359 358 357 What was your heading originally? My guess would be you were heading between 270 and 360. The reason I say this is because this is the only angle of approach where the contact heads 045 but the angles begin to spread to the left, and only if you are moving faster than the target, say 6-10 knots. What was your heading originally when the contact was at apparent bearing 360?

06-19-14, 03:16 PM	#2
pythos Grey Wolf Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somewhere over there Posts: 834 Downloads: 46 Uploads: 0	Oh, I had map contacts on to see if the bearing lines were indeed intersecting where the contact was. They however fanned out along with the target (note I was getting my bearings from he WO, and using only the Bearing data, ignoring the map contact). Because of this I was able to determine the course of the contact after I had a go with the lines of bearing. Contact original bearing was 090, my boat was on a East heading. I steered the bow toward the smoke, which took me on a northerly heading, contact at 0 degrees, and first mark and lines made, after two minutes, bearing 359, next two, bearing 358, ect.

06-19-14, 04:21 PM	#3
Jaystew Sparky Join Date: Apr 2013 Posts: 151 Downloads: 50 Uploads: 0	I'm thoroughly confused. Take a screenshot. Were you able to determine what you set out to determine?

06-19-14, 08:42 PM	#4
pythos Grey Wolf Join Date: May 2005 Location: Somewhere over there Posts: 834 Downloads: 46 Uploads: 0	Try explain to me the point of confusion. No, I was not able to have the method determine the course of the contact. The bearings did nothing but follow the contact. I was already planning on making a post with screenshots.