Any math-heads used a real manoeuvring board to plot solutions?

[Sean C]

Originally Posted by Topo65

Just a reminder: Aaron Blood's MoBo

I thought about mentioning that, too. It's a really neat tool and searching for it is actually how I ended up here. However, the OP mentioned that he doesn't like using a mouse for plotting. IMHO, a paper MB is faster and easier to learn and use.

Originally Posted by gutted

One thing that has always irked me about maneuvering board/radar plotting tutorials on like youtube etc. is that after they convert the targets relative motion to true motion they say "and that's the targets true course".

That's only true if your course was 000. They never mention that it needs to be converted to take into account your own true course. Or when they DO try to show an example that doesn't have you on 000 (which is an extremely rare find on youtube), they never mention that the bearings plotted need to be bearings relative to your course (and not your nose) when plotted on the moboard for it to come out corrrectly.

Maneuvering boards are meant to be used with true bearings, not relative. Many [if not most or all] radar displays on commercial and navy vessels are in a North-up orientation. That means that all bearings displayed are true. Relative bearings can be determined easily after the relative motion problems are solved. When using true bearings, the course of your own ship or the heading (the direction the "nose" [bow] is pointing) doesn't matter when plotting contacts. The vector triangles are always drawn using your own ship's true course and speed. The result will always be the contacts true course and speed.

Oddly, a quick scan of the maneuvering board manual didn't turn up any mention of this - although it might be in there, somewhere. What is mentioned in some problems is the need to determine relative bearings as part of the solution - implying that true bearings are being used.

I don't recall watching any YouTube examples of how to use a maneuvering board, but perhaps the makers of those videos are unaware of this fact. In any case, I agree with you that this should be explained.

[Elphaba]

Originally Posted by Nathaniel B.

OP mentioned that he

She.

[Sean C]

Apologies.

[Elphaba]

Just adding this as it's pertinent, and to keep everything in the same place:

http://www.subsim.com/radioroom/showthread.php?t=240739