, , SIMPLE C8

SERIOUS

PRINTED IN JAPAN COPYRIGHT TAMAYA '82 BY TAMAYA DIGITAL

Semidiameter (S.D.) of the Sun and Horizontal Parallax
(H.P.) of Venus and Mars.
For Sextant Altitude Corrections

January
FebruarY
March September
April
16.2
May 16.3

SIMPLE

DIGITAL

I0cr 22 - Des. 13'0.2

Dec. 14 - Oec. 31.0.1

BY TAMAYA DIGITAL NAVIGATION COMPUTER NC-77

TABLE 1
Contents Introduction
With TAMAYA NC-77 DIGITAL NAVlGATlON COMPUTER
lntroduction
we can digitally solve most navigational problems with scientific
PART ONE: ASTRO-NAVIGATION BY NC-77 accuracy and incredible speed in a very easy way. However, it i s a
........ fallacy to believe that computers will do everything for us. Safety
CHAPTER 1 Fundamentals of Astro-Navigation 4
at sea always depends on our sound judgement, whatever tools we
CHAPTER I I Taking Sight with a Sextant .............8 may use to facilitate our work. For this reason, this textbook not
only explains how to use NC-77 Computer but also refers to the
CHAPTER I I I Finding the Geographical Position
principles and fundamentals of navigation.
of Heavenly Bodies
(Greenwich Hour Angle and Declination} . . , 10 In PART ONE determining our position by Astro-Navigation
is expounded fully from the principle to the actual steps of com-
CHAPTER IV Computation and Plotting for Fix . . . . . . . . 15 putation. I n PART TWO Basic Navigation Computations for Dead
CHAPTER V Sextant Altitude Corrections . . . . . . . . . . . 24 Reckoning and Piloting are explained with examples and illustra-
tions. The text is very easy, and no special knowledge of computer
CHAPTER V I Identification of Unknown Star .......... 32 programming or mathematics is required.
CHAPTER VI1 Fix by Noon Sight and Other I n the course of learning in this textbook. if any question arises
Sextant Applications . . . . . . ........... 34 about the meaning of keys and dialogue symbolsof NC-77 we can
refer to the Appendix where full explanation i s given with itlustra-
PART TWO: BASIC NAVIGATION COMPUTATIONS tions.
FOR DEAD RECKONING AND PILOTING For further study on navigation, it is recommended t o read such
BY NC-77 classical textbooks as "American Practical Navigator" by Bowditch
or "Dutton's Navigation and Piloting" by Dunlop and Shufeldt,
CHAPTER I Mercator Sailing and
with NC-77 computer at hand. comprehension of these textbooks
Great Circle Sailing . ................. 38
is greatly advanced because with NC-77 we can save a lot of time
CHAPTER I1 Plane Sailing and Nav~gation otherwise spent unnecessarily on acquiring techniques on mechan-
through Current and Wind . .
. . . . . . . . . . . 42 ical computations. Consequently, we can concentrate on under-
standing of more important fundamentals and principles of naviga-
CHAPTER ll I Tide and Stream (Tidal Current) . . . . . . . . . 46
tion.
CHAPTER IV Speed, Time, Distance . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 48
CHAPTER V Time and Arc. ..................... 49
APPENDIX EXPLANATION OF NC-77 DIGITAL
NAVIGATION COMPUTER ........... 50
 The next thing we must know i s the distance from our ship to
the GP. It can be determined by measuring the altitude of the
heavenly body above the horizon. For instance, if we observed a
CHAPTER I star at the altitude of 40 degrees we can figure out the distance t o

Fundamentals of Astro-Naviuation its GP as 3,000 miles by computation. [The distance from our ship
to the GP of a heavenly body = {90°- altitude) x 60 miles].
See Fig. 3, and supplementary note on page 33.
1. PRINCIPLE OF ASTRO-NAVIGATION
When we know the distance from two points, the positions of
which are already known, we can determine our ship's position.
Fig. 3 Distance from ship to GP of star
A,q*,,
Suppose the distance from our ship is 6 miles t o Lighthouse A and
8 miles to Lighthouse B. Draw a circle with a radius of 6 miles and
A as center. This i s called a Position Circle because our ship must
be somewhere on it. Now, draw another position circle with a
radius of 8 miles and B as center. Obviously, the intersection of
3000 miles-
the two position circles is our ship's position. See Fig. I .

Now. if we drew a position circle with a radius of 3,000 miles

and the GP as center, our ship must be somewhere on it. See Fig.4.
By drawing another position circle with another heavenly body
whose GP and distance are known we can determine our ship's
position at their intersection.

Circle

In Astro-Navigation, the same principle,position circle method,

is used to determine the ship's position. Therefore, we must al-
ways have at least two known points, and instead of lighthouses we
use heavenly bodies; the Sun, Moon, planets and stars.
Then, how do we know the position of any of these heavenly
bodies? We will express their position in terms of their Geograph-
ical Position (GP). GP i s the point where a line, drawn from center
of the heavenly body to the center of the earth, would touch the
earth's surface. In other words, if a star fell down directly toward
the center of the earth, the spot that it would hit on the earth's
surface is its GP, and a t this point we would see the star directly
overhead.
Fig. 4 Position Circle
Since it is not feasible, in practice, to draw a 3,000 miles radius
position circle on a chart, only a necessary part of it is drawn as a
straight line in the manner explained in Chapter IV. This is calfed
Position Line or Line of Position. See Fig. 5.
The principle of modern Astro-navigation is just this simple.
+
!,Azimuth of the sighted body from our ship

\ /Position Circle
i

/ ,Pnci+irm I inn

Fig. 2 GP of a heavenly body + Fig. 5 Position Circle and Position Line

2. BASIC STEPS AND TOOLS FOR ASTRO-NAVIGATION

It takes some steps and tools to determine our ship's position by Astro-Naviga ion as summarized in Fig. 6.
Fig. 6

.. TAKING
1. - ...- . - SIGHT
- - WITH A
SEXTANT. TOOLS:

Measure the altitude of the

heavenly body (Sun. Moon.
planet or star) above the hori.
zon at your position.
Record the exact Greenwich
Mean Time IGFvlTi of the sght.

Sextant Quartz Watch

FiNDlNG GEOGRAPH-
ICAL POSITION (GP) Of TOOLS:
THE SIGHTED BODY:
The GP is the point on the earth
directly beneath the heavenly
body, and i t is expressed by
Greenwich Hour Angle (GHAI or
and Declination (DEC).They
are computed by NC-77 or
found in the Nautical Almanac. DEC
GHA "..

DR Long 6 0 ° i
NC-77 Computer Q Nautical Almanac

3. COMPUTATION BY NC-77
AND PLOTTING:
Compute the Azimuth i:) and Altitude IF?)of
the same body by NC-77 using the factors
found i n Steps ( 1 ) a n d (21. and the DR posl-
tion. iA ship's position determined by applying
the cource and distance travelled from some
known position, e.g.. the departing port, is
called Dead Reckon~ngPosition.) Compare the
computed Altitude ( F l l with the actually
observed True Altitude ( & I . From the above
factors we can plot a line of position (LOPI on
the chart or plotting sheet. Plot two LOP'S t o
derermlne our ship's position at their intersec v- Plotting Instruments
tion (FIX), or compute ~tdigitally by NC-77.
 .
- .. .. - - .. II
CHAPTER .- In a high quality sextant the altitude can be read by degrees,
minutes and 1/10 minute. One minute of the sextant reading is

Takino Siaht with a Sextant equivalent to one nautical mile.

1. SEXTANT
Taking a sight means to measure the vertical angle or altitude
between a heavenly body and the horizon in order to ascertain the
ship's position a t sea. The sextant is used as a tool to accomplish
this aim.
All marine sextants have two mirros arranged as shown in Fig. 7
..- work
-and .
- -on the same principle. The index mirror reflects the
nnlIndex Mirror

image of the body to the horizon mirror. The horizon mirror i s so

constracted that one can see the horizon at the same time he sees
the reflected image of the whole body. Thus, the altitude of the
body is measured by adjusting the angle of the index mirror until
the reflected image contacts the horizon (Fig. 8).

Fig. 8

2, QUARTZ WATCH
In Astro-Navigation it is necessary to read hours, minutes, and
seconds of time, so the digital quartz watch having the seconds dis-
play is very convenient for such reading of accurate time. Four
seconds of time is equivalent to one minute of longitude (one nau-
tical mile at latitude 0').
When a sight is taken, record the altitude af the body measured
by the sextant and the exact Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) of the
sight. Greenwich Mean Time is the time a t longitude 0'. Local
Mean Time (LMT) wilt depart 1 hour from GMT for every 1 5 of ~
longitude. Therefore, Zone Time in New York, based on LMT at
7 5 ' ~long., i s 5 hours before GMT, and Zone Time in San Fran-
cisco based on FMT a t 1 2 0 long.~ ~ is 8 hours before GMT. If we
go eastward. Tokyo based on LMT a t 1 3 5 ' ~long. i s 9 hours after
GMT. With this principle in mind, LMTcan be easily converted to
GMT.

S e x t a n t arc a n d r s a d ~ n g

Fig. 7
CHAPTER Ill Problem 2. Find the GHA and DEC of the Moon at GMT 0 5 ~ -
25m18s on Jan. 1, 1978. We need Nautical Alma-

Findina" The Geoaraahical

- . Position of nac to find GHA and DEC of the Moon, planets and
stars. NC-77 greatly facilitates the procedure of
deriving the required information from the Nautical
Heavenly Bodies Almanac. Nautical Almanac is published every year
by the US. Naval observatory or equivalent author-
(Greenwich Hour Angle and Declination) ities in other countries.

As an example, we will find the following data in the 1978 Nauti-

The Geographical Position is the point on the earth directly be- cal Almanac for Sunday, January 1. See Table 2 -Excerpt from
neath the heavenly body, and it i s expressed in terms of Greenwich
Nautical Almanac.
Hour Angle (GHA) and Declination IDEC). GHAand DEC are like
longitude and latitude that are used to designate positions on the
earth. I n Astro-Navigationwe use the Sun, Moon, Venus. Mars.
Jupiter, Saturn and selected navigational stars as reference bodies.
We can obtain GHA and DEC of the Sun by NC-77 Almanac MOON STARS
mode. For the other bodies we use NC-77 and the Nautical G.M.T.
G.H.A. D~C. HI. / Name SHA. on,
Almanac. Let us work on examples.
Problem 1. Find the GHA and DEC of the Sunat GMT
14h 35m 43s on Jan. I, 1978 by NC-77
KW Display Note:
j Y 0. / Year Month Day
06 1 15 1 4 1 N0 37.2 Alioth 166 44.2 N56 04.5
07 I 29 46.2 0 27.0 Alkoid
:

S
08
09
44 18.2
58 50.2
0
N 0
16.8
06.6
Al Na'ir
Alnilorn
153
28
276
20.2
17.6
13.2
N49 25.1
547 04.2
5 1 13.1
!
73 2 2 1 5 0 03.6 56.6 / Alphord 218 22.1 5 8 33.9
87 54.0 0 13.8 56.6
102 25.9 S 0 24.0 56.6 Alphecco 126 33.9 N26 47.3

1
@ x 38.025 GHASun
116 57.8 0 34.3 56.7 Alpheratr 358 11.2 N28 58.3
0 to -0.0333 E w s t i o n of Time 131 29.6 0 44.5 56.7 Altoir 62 34.6 N8 48.7

j: 12
@ Repeat d and K
146 01.4 0 54.8 56.7 Ankoa 353 421 542 25.8
160 33.1 1 05.0 56.8 Antorer 112 59.4 526 22.9
175 0 4 4 I I53
Answer: GHA Sun [Dialogue Symbol : X ) 38'02'.5 g: ::; 5 ;;;:; 56.8
; 4 6 2 . 3 N19 17.7
108 25.7 568 59.1
DEC Sun (Dialogue Symbol : d ) 522' 59'.9 20 218 39.7 1 46.2 56.9 Avior 234 28.3 559 26.9
21 I 233 11.2 1 56.5 Bellotrii 279 00.4 N 6 19.7
We will make use of GHA Aries (Xo I later in 2 2 1 247 42.7 2 06.7 57.0 Betelgeuse 271 29.9 N 7 24.1
the star problem, and Equation of Time ( t o ) 2 3 : 262 14.2 2 17.0 57.0
in the noon sight problem.

TABLE 2
DEC is measured like latitude, from the equ*.or to 90' north and
(Continue to page 12)
90' south. It should be noted that GHA and longitude are not
expressed exactly the same. Whereas longitude is measured from
the Greenwich meridian (longitude 0' line1 to 180' east and to
180' west. GHA is measured only westward up to 360' from it.
Therefore, longitude 90' east, for instance, is equivalent t o GHA
270'.
 -
ARIES VENUS
G.H.A.
I n order to find the GHA and DEC of the Moon at GMT 0 5 ~ 2 5 ~ -
LO; 1 i . 5
115 20.0 1BS, we first find the data for GMT 0 5 and
~ 0 6 ~and
, feed them to
130 22.4 NC-77 in the following manner.
145 24.9
160 27.4 Problem 2
175 29.8 GHA MC
190 32.3
205 34.8
Moon 1 Key Display ( Key Display

220 37.2 GMT GHA DfC

235 39.7 0 5 ~ 0°42'.1~0047'.4 h 5
250 42 2 06 15 14.1 N O 37.2 d n
265 44.6 0.421
280 47.1
295 49.5 From Naurical Almanac
310 52.0 (Table 21
325 54 5
340 56.9
355 59.4
11 01.9
26 04.3
41 06.8
56 09.3 Answer GHA 6"49'.8 DEC N 0°43'.1

-7 1 11.7
86 14.2

Problem 3. Find the GHA and DEC of Venusat GMT 1 4 ~ 4 5 ~ -

5ZS on Jan. 1, 1978.
JUPITER SATURN
- Problem 3 GHA DEC
G.H.A. Dec. G.H.A. Oec.
* . * , 3 1 0 , Venus Key Display Key Display
307 32.1 N12 44.6
32234.7 44.6 GMT GHA DEC Interpolation is unnecessary
337 37.2 44.7 14n 34'27.3 523'37.7 as DEC in this case does not
352 39.8 .-44.7 15 49 26.9 523 37.7 :hawe during one hour.
7 42.3 44.8
22 44.9 44.8
37 47.4 NL2 44.9
52 50.0 44.9 From Nautical Almanac
67 52.5 44.9 (Table 2)
.
82 55.1 . 45.0
97 57.6 45.0
113 00.2 45.1
128 02.7 N12 45.1
143 05.3 45.1
Answer GHA 45O551.1 DEC ~23'37'.7

For other plants, Mars, Jupiter and Saturn, GHA and DEC are found
in the same manner.

TABLE 2
Probelm 4. Find the GHA and DEC of Arcturus at
16hl6m39S on Jan. 1, 1978.
F H A of the Star, Arcturus, i s found by adding
SHA of Arcturus (Sidereal Hour Angle) to the
GHA Aries.
Greenwich Meridian
, Aries
Star
GHA Ar~es i s a reference meridian for establishing celestial
longitude of Stars. I t is constantly changing, and expressed in terms
of westward angle from the Greenwich meridian. SHA Star is the
westward distance of the particular star from this meridian. So, the
rule to compute GHA star is:
GHA Star = GHA Aries + SHA Star.
CHAPTER IV
Computation and Plotting for Fix
Now we are ready to compute and pfot our position. As men-
tioned in the Principle of Astro-Navigation, it is impractical to draw
a position circle with radius of hundreds or thousands miles on the
chart. So, we plot only a necessary part of the position circle as a
straight line, and call i t a Line of Position [LOP).
LOP is obtained by comparing the computed altitude and the
actually observed true altitude. The former i s the altitude corn-
puted on the assumption that our DR i s correct, and the latter i s
the altitude measured by sextant at the actual position. (True Alti-
tude i s obtained by adding corrections to the direct sextant read-
ing. See Chapter V Sextant Altitude Corrections.)
If there i s a difference between the two altitudes the assumption
was wrong by the amount of the difference (Altitude Intercept).
So, we will correct our DR position so that there will be no differ-
ence beween the two altitudes. It is best to follow the actual steps
to understand this principle.

GHA Aries i s computed by NC-77 mode, and SHA's Problem 1 The DR position of a vessel is 30"22'.8~69"35'.5~
of fifty-seven navigational stars are found in Nautical Almanac. a t GMT 1 4 ~ 3 5 ~ on ~ 1, 1978. The lower
4 3Jan.
limb of the Sun is sighted by the sextant at this
monent, and the true altitude ( Ro I after sextant
Key Display
78.0101 3 78.0101 date altitude corrections is 28'3216.
@
J 16.1639 h 16.1639 GM I
Required: (1) Compute the Altitude and Azimuth
@ Ho 345.074 GHA Aries
a 146.203 Ho 146.203 SHA Arcturus * 1
GHA Arcturus
of the Sun.
(2) Compute Altitude Intercept.
El h'o 497.277 (3) Plot the Line of Position.
0 360 0 Xo 131.277 "2
(4) Obtain "FIX" by two Lines of Posi-
tion.
* 1. SHA Arcturus i s found in Nautical Almanac. SeeTable 2 .
"2. When GHA becomes greater than 360' we customarily sub-
tract 360' to express i t within one round of the earth. If $HA
becomes negative it i s also common practice to add 360 to
1. COMPUTATION OF ALTITUDE ( 8 1 AND AZIMUTH ( i )
BY NC-77
express i t as a positive value.
A convenient NC-77 LOP COMPUTATION CARD has been
DEC of Arcturus i s found in Nautical Almanac. (See Table 21 as prepared t o assure the proper order of input data. See the enclosed
~ 1 17:7.
9 It~ does not change for the whole day. card and Table 3.
Enter the date, GMT, name of body, DR Lat. and DR Long. in
Answer: GHA 131°27:7 DEC ~19'17:7 the blanks so designated. The GHA and DEC at GMT 1 4 ~ 3 5 ~ 4 3 ~
onoJan. 1. 1978 have been obtained in Chapter I l l Problem ( 1 ) as
38 02' .5 and ~22~59'9. Fill in the appropriate blanks with these
data. Then, follow the steps shown on page 16.
 Fig. 9
Key Display Answer
' Computed Altitude 28*37:8 Spherical Triangle
@
38.025
& 69.355
Lh' 0.
LX 88.025
LA'-69.355 '1
I1 Azimuth 146'43:l T
(measureddoc kwise
LX -3 1.330 ' 2 from north1
E
'l
@ d 0.
22.599 @ d -22.599
D L Q
30.228 @I L 30.228
@ 8 28.378
@ 146.431 ( Rand !can he repeated by @key)

*l GHA and LHA:

When continuing directly to mode from @ mode do not
confuse H and LH. H stands for Greenwich Hour Angle (GHA)
and LH for Local Hour Angle (LHA). LHA = GHA t DR
S
Longitude. Since @ key changes the sign to negative this
Mathematics for Altitude and Azimuth Computation
rule is automatically observed if we always add Longitude.
This computation may be made in either InLM) or @ mode, The spherical triangla as formed on Fig. 9 is solved by the follow-
but the dialogue symbol does not change from H to LH until ing equations to obtain computed Altitude ( ,q ) and Azimuth ( z:
[LOP) mode key i s pressed. NC-77 symbol -)

*2Some navigators are accustomed oto expressing :HA always as A = sin-' [ cos h-cosd.cosL + sind-sinl ]
a positive value by applying 360 : LHA = 360 - 31'339 = sind -sinA-sinL
328°27'.0. In such a case we may enter LHA 3~8~27'.0 instead Z = cos-'[ cos**cosL 1
of -31°33'.0. The end result is the same.
Where d: declination A: Computed Altitude
L : DR tat. 2 : Computed Azimuth
h: LHA (obtained by GHA t DR Long.)
7 mA
Since these equations are programmed in the ~ ~ - 7 mode
and Z are computed simply by feeding d, L and h.

2. COMPUTATION OF ALTITUDE INTERCEPT

The intercept is simply the difference between the observed true
altitude ( Ro 1 and the computed altitude ( R ). The observed true
altitude is obtained by adding corrections to the direct sextant
reading. These altitude corrections, consisting of multiple factors,
are easily computed by NC-77, and are explained separately in
CHAPTER V Sextant Altitude Corrections (See problem 1 on
page27).
For purposesof this problem, just take 28'32'6 as the observed
true altitude, and the Intercept (Ro - R ) = (28'3216 - 28"37!8)
= -512 (5.2 miles).
 SUMMARY OF NG77 KEY ,SEQUENCE FOR LOP COMPUTATION

Data Data Souror Kw

hn. 1. 1978 I Chapter Ill ~ r o b l r m(1) m78.0101

-- - - 16 1
cannumion of Aldtu& and Azimuth (6ramw For '1 and *2 R.pa@ &
ma ma8wro KW Db* 4,
@ -
LH 313%
LHA
~ e c
OR LAT
Continued from above
Reaell ~ ~ r n o 1r y
Chaptar IV Problam (1)
Bi)aSl
@ 30.226
d
L
- 30.228
22.609

~omputldAldtudn Computed by NC-77 laa76

True AzimUth Computed byNC-77 $ t 148.431

Data
SaxUnt rudlng 28Prn.11
lndex wmr V.6 too low
lndex error oornoted alt.
Height of aye 3m
Dlp t o w t a d .It.
Rofmtlrn aomobd Jt
Bun dght
Sun* Somldlammr 16:3
Lovvr limb

A W t d e l n t r r c r p t B o e p ~ ~201
e
Dota Dota Soume Key mlpla~
Ro 28.328 Computed bv NC-77 028.3% d 28.326
fl28378 Compuard by NC-77 08.378 d 28.378
" ,. B d -0.052

h e : We may use memory key, for tha data used repeatedly. It

True Alt.

L Computed AH. is recommendable, howaver, to write down the data in LOP

Computation Chart whenever they become available. Errors,
ifthere was any, can w i l y traced hy this way.

P M Line of Podtbn or Compute Fix by NC-77 with dab 1 2 3 4

 3. PLOTTING A LINE OF POSITION
Now, we can plot the Line of Position on the chart or ptotting
sheet with our DR Lat. 30°22:8N, 69" 35:5W and Intercept-5 2 ,
Azimuth 146'43:l. We take the intercept 5:2 from the latitude
scale of the chart by marine dividers and rranfer it onto the azi-
muth line. 5:2 of latitude is 5.2 nautical miles on the earth's sur-
face. The line crossing the azimuth line at right angle at this point
is called Line of Position (LOP). (Fig. 10)
Looking at the illustration in Fig. 11, we can figure out that
when Ro (the true altitude) is greater than 8 (the computed alti-
tude with the assumption that our DR position is correct), we
should shift our position from the DR position towards the Sun
along the Azimuth line. The opposite should be done if RO i s less
than 8 .
4. F I X BY TWO LOP'S
In the theory of Astro-Navigation as explained at the outset, a
ship's position can be determined only after at least two LOP's are
obtained. The intersection of the two LOP'S called "fix" is the
ship's position (Fig. 6 on page 6 ).
RUNNING FIX
If the " f i x " must be made only by Sun sights, we should obtain
two LOP's by allowing a time interval between the two sights as
the Sun changes i t s azimuth in a day moving from east to west at a
considerable speed.
I n this case, the first LOP is advanced along the ship's course by
the amount of the distance run between the two sights. The cross-
ing point of the advanced LOP and the second LOP is the ship's
position at the time of the second sight (Fig. 12) This i s called
Running Fix.

/ 5.2 miles 1 146'43'.1

I
Let 30~20'

n Fig. 10 Plotting a Line of Position

. \ I use NC-77 mmx*).

\ Jan. 1, 1978
&- At GMT 1 4 ~ 3 5 ~ 4 3 ~

Fig. 12 Running Fix

Mwa from the DR away from the Sun Move from the DR towards the Sun

Fig. 11 Direction of Intercept

20
In order to advance LOP1, first, compute the new DR position
applying the course and distance. For this computation see Dead
Reckoning by Mercator Sailing by NC-77 on page 3 8 . A t this
position plot the advanced LOP1 repeating the same procedure.
Suppose we took the second Sun sight at this new DR position and
computed the azimuth 21 1' 18:l and intercept 6.5 miles away.
This result is also plotted on the chart as LOP2. The intersection
of the advanced LOP1 and LOP2 is our ship's position.

DIGITAL FIX BY NC-77

While we are able to read the plotted fix position from the chart,
or plotting sheet, it may be digitally computed more precisely by
NC-77 as follows.
Input. Dats from fig. 12 Key Display Answer
- - I
O R Lat. 30' 1 6 ' . 6 ~ a@ : 0. Lar. 30' ~ 3 : s ~
Fig. 13 Fix by Two Stars
D R Long. 69'76!OW 30.166D L 30.166 Long. 69- 14!7W
Alt. Intercept 11) 0 ;: 0. : F i x a t GMT i8h38m03s)
5.2 miles away 69.160m :/-69.160 FIX BY TWO CELESTIAL BODIES
Azimuth ( 1 ) 146'4311 @ d 0.
Alt. Intercept ( 2 ) 5.2 0 1-5.2 We may take sights of two different celestial bodies like the Sun
6 . 5 miles away @I r 0. and Moon, the Moon and a star, two different stars etc.
Azimuth (21 21 1' 18!1 146.431 106.431 Ifwe take sights of two bodies in a very short time interval we can
@ d 0. consider it as a simultaneousobservation,and a Line of Position can
6.50 d-6.5 be plotted from one DR position as illustrated in Fig. 13.
0 E 0. The position "fix" has the best reliability when the two LOP'Sare
211.581 1 211.181
at righr angle to each other. (This is also true with running fix.)
@ L 30.235
For star sights, suitable stars to make an ideal fix can be selected
@ ::-69.147
from the list of fifty-seven navigational stars, Polaris and four
planets in the Nautical Almanac. Before taking a sight the azimuth
I @ Repear L and :: and altitude of the desired star may be precomputed using the
approximate time of the sight to be taken. In this way the star can
be found very easily.
Note: [n @ mode, if 90' or 270" i s entered as the first azimuth
the answer will become " E M as tan 90" or tan 270" includ-
ed in the program produces "E". However, a 90' or 270'
can be accepted as the second az irnuth.
CHAPTER V

~ e x t a n t ~ l t i t u dCorrections
e
After taking a sight of a celestial body we must make necessary
corrections t o the direct sextant reading to obtain the true altitude.
The corrections t o be made are (1) tndex correction ( 2 ) Dip cor-
rection (3) Refraction correction (4) Semidiameter Correction,and
(5) Parallax correction.
( I ) index correction \..
Index error is the error of the sextant itself. This error can be H o r i z o n viewed from above sea
checked by looking at the horizon with the sextant with its read-
Fig. 15 Dip
ing set at 0~00:0 If the reflected image of the horizon in the
horizon mirror does not form a straight line with the directly view- (3) Refraction correction
ed horizon through the clear part, an error exists caused by the Refraction is the difference between the actual altitude and
lack of parallelism of the two mirrors. Then, move the index arm apparent altitude due t o the bending of the light passing through
slowly until the horizon line is in alignment, and see how much rnedia'of varying densities (Fig. 16).
the reading is off the"0". This amount should be added to or
subtracted from the sextant reading depending on the direction Apparenc Position
of the error (Fig. 14).

fl EARTH

Fig. 16 Refraction
Fig. 11.

(4) Semidiameter correction

Horizon in alignment
Horizon out of alignment
l ndex error present
When measuring the altitude of the Sun or Moon by sextant it
is customary t o observe the upper or lower limb of the body
because the center of the body cannot be easily judged. I n this
case the semidiameter of the disk of the body must be subtracted
from or added t o the measured angle (Fig. 17).

(2) Dip correction

Dip is the discrepancy in altitude reading due to the height of
the observer's eye above sea level. If we could c a s u r e the altitude
of a body with our eye at the sea water level this correction would
not be neccessary {Fig. 15).
 I mirror SEXTANT ALTITUDE CORRECTIONS BY NC-77
NC-77 has @ (Standard Altitude Corrections) and
(Variable Altitude Corrections) modes for sextant altitude correc-
tions. (sncl is used t o make altitude corrections under the stand-
ard temperature and atmospheric pressure (l0'C. 1013.25rnb, or
5 0 ' ~ . 29.92 in.).
Horizon @ i s used when the corrections under varying temperature
and pressure are desired. These factors affect the refraction cor-
rection.

Fig. 17 Semidiameter
STANDARD ALTITUDE CORRECTIONS
Problem 1. The sextant reading of the lower limb of the Sun is
(5) Parallax correction 28'2015 on Jan.1, 1978. The sextant reads 0:5 too
Parallax is the difference in the apparent position of the body low because of the index error. The height of eye
viewed from the surface of the earth and the center of the earth. above sea level is 3 meters. Find the true altitude of
While the angle must be measured from the center we can view the the Sun.
body only from the surface, and the difference must be adjusted First, make the index correction.
(Fig. 181. Sextant Reading . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 28'20'5
Index Correction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . + 0.5
28'27 .O

Then, select NC-77 [sncl mode, and make computation as fol-

lows.

Fig. 18 Parallax

This correction is applied t o the Sun, Moon, Venus and Jupiter.

In NC-77 the Sun's Parallax correction is made in combination
with its semidiameter correction. On the other hand, the Moon's
semidiameter correction is made together with i t s parallax cor.
rection.
It i s easy t o make the first lndex correction mentally, but the
other corrections are based on rather complex equations, and it
is best t o solve them by NC-77 programs.
Problem 1 Key Display Answer problem 2. The Moon's upper limb i s sighted.
SUN(1owsr limb of the Sun) 1 @ RI 0 I Compute the true altitude with the following data.
Sextant Altitude
(Index error corrected)
1 28.210 R 28.210 1 Problem 2 KEY Display Answer
2d21'.0 @ ht O.
Height of eye 3 ht 3. Height of eve M O O N 8 (upper limb) 1 la R. D 1
Sextant Altitude (Index error
3.0 m e t e d 9.84 frl @ RP 28.179 Dip corrected alt. corrected) 18'46'.5

1
Semidiameter @ Rn 28,161 Refract. corrected alt 6.5 ht 6.5
16'.3 (Jan. 1, 1978) a
0,16303 5d 0,163Semidiameter of the
Heighr of E v e 6.5 m e t e r @ R 18.420
121.3 fil @ Rn 18.391
5d O' Sun (iower limb)
@ Ro 28.326 True slt. 28'32'.6
H.P. 5W.9 (Jan. 25. 1978) a hP 0.
0.589 hP 0.589 H.P.Moon
ai
p~

hP -0.589
Ra 19.189 1 Trus altitude
119"18'.9

The true altitude i s 28'37.6. Before entering the data make

sure whether computation is made in meter or feet, checking the The Moon's H.P. (Horizontal Parallax) at every hour of the day is
side selector switch. found in the Nautical Almanac.
Choose upper or lower limb by W or a
key depending on
which side was sighted. The Sun's S.D. (Semidiameter) is given in Problem 3. ' Venus is sighted. Compute the true altitude with the
the Nautical Almanac. The summarized data is given in TABLE 1. following data.
It varies from 15'3 to 1W.3 in any year (15.8 - 1W.0 April -
September and 16'.1 - 1V.3 October - March). So, we could Problem 3 Key Display Answer
safely use the average 1V.9 for the first, and 1W.2for the second VE
-N U
-S- I 1
six months and be within 0'.1 of the truealtitude. I f S.D. or H.P. SBXfanf A l t i t u d e (Index error
corrected) 34'20'.5
is entered with a wrong decimal point position, for instance, 16.3
Height of Eye 6.5 meters
instead of 0.163 in the above case, the program blocks it and asks (21.3 ffl
the re-entry of the correct information without having to go back H.P. 0'.3 (Ssp. 15. 1978)
t o the very beginning.

H.P. (Horizontal Parallax) applies only to Venus P and Mars d

(See TABLE 1 of this booklet for H.P. data). There is no H.P. for
the other navigational planets, Jupiter and Saturn. Altitude correc-
tions for these two planets are, therefore, made as for the stars,
which have no H.P.
Problem 4. Arcturus is sighted. Compute the true alr~tudewith problem 5. The upper limb of the Sun is sighted. Compute the
the following data. true akitude using the measured temperature and
pressure.
Problem 4 Key Disptay Answer
ARCTURUS .--.-.. 5-
.Prnhlrm . Kev .
Disolav
-, Answer
- ..

Sextant Altitude (Index error @ S U N (Upper limb)

corrected) 58O27'.9 58.279 58.279 Sextgnr Altirude (Index @ R 0.
Height of Eye 6.5 meters @I ht 0.
(21.3 ft.) 6.5 St 6.5 I

@ (21.3 f t . )
@
Rr
Rn
58.234
58.228 rue
attitude
/58' 22'.8
~ e r n p e r a t u r e- 3 ' ~ (26.6O F)
Pressure986rnb ( 2 9 . 1 2 i n . )
hL
%
6.5
5.157 D I P corrected alt. !j015'7

S.D. 16'.2

Since there is no H.P. for the stars, the refraction corrected altitude :986 p 986. :
R, is the true altitude. :,.@,...,...,Pc..pi?e?:
0
0.162nr
Sd
5d -0.162
0. .!
Refraction corrected alt.
5'05'.9

@I Fie 4.499 True a l t . 4'4y.9

- -
sun.:, : Maon,: - VFWU. MIV 1 J u ~ i t e r .S d t u E 8 5
The key sequence for @ until Refraction Correction is uniform
KOY Ihspley Key. . Display - Kay -- Dway Kcy Owlay
for all Sun, Moon, planets and stars.
In the case of Jupiter, Saturn and Stars Rn equals the True Alti-
tude since there i s no Horizontal Parallax or Semidiameter to
be taken into consideration.

Accuracy:
In [sac] @ mode programs, correction for dip = -1l.776
dheight of.eye in meters = -0l.98 dheight of eye in feet is used
Rt Sextant Altitude
based on F.W. Bessel's terrestrial refraction theory.
Rr Dip Corrected
For astronomical refraction R . Radau's mean refraction table is
Fln Refraction Corrected
simulated by the program. There is no significant difference in
So True Altitude
accuracy between the various refraction theories.
h t Height of eye
So' Sun's Semidiameter
hP Horizontal Parallax of Moon. Venus or Mars

VARIABLE SEXTANT ALTITUDE CORRECTIONS

When a low altitude body i s sighted refraction becomes a relatively

significant factor in computing the true altitude. I n such a case,
say, less than 10' of altitude, temperature and pressure factors
Should be introduced for more precise computations.
@ mode computes the True Altitude by Var: 3le Sextant Alti-
tude Corrections when the use of varying temperature and atmos-
pheric pressure i s desired.
CHAPTER VI
Identification of Unknown Star
If we know the altitude and bearing of a star, and want to find out
what star it is, NC-77 is used in the following manner.
*I Add if longitude is west.
*2 See Chapter I II for how to find GHA ARIES by NC-77 InLM]
mode.
*3 If the answer becomes negative, zdd 360' to get SHA.
If the answer i s greater than 360 , subtract J60°

Problem 1. A t GMT19h32m16son Jan. 1,1978 an unknown star

is observed a t altitude 62O3w.3 and approximate
azimuth 7 2 ' ~ . The ship's DR position i s 1 2 ~ 4 0 ' ~
152'22'~.

Required: Identity of the star

Key Display Note on Fig. 3 on page 5.

@ H
: 0.
72 iH 72. The more theoretical presentation, a t the expense of difficulty in
@I d 0. comprehension of the relations among the star, ship and GP, is il-
62.363 d 62.363 lustrated as supplement to Fig. 3.
Q L 0.
12.40 @ L 12.40
Q R 19.286 . . . . . . . . . . Approximate declination
@ Z 332.206.. . . . . . . . Approximate local hour angle

Then compute the following in ARC mode.

Local hour angle of star (LHA) . . . . . . . . . 332'201.6
Subtract DR longitude of ship . . . . . . . . . - 152 22 OE '1
Greenwich hour angle of star (GHA) . . . . . 179 58 6
Subtract GHA Aries for Igh32rnl6s (GHA)
Jan. 1, 1978 -3400g1.6 "2
Sidereal hour angle of star (SHA) . . . . . . . 145 49 0 "3

Entering Star table on Pages 268-273 of the Nautical Almanac

with SHA 145"49'.0 and DEC 1 9 ~ 2 8 ' . 6 ~the
, star with the closest
values is found to be a: Bootis (SHA 146"20'.2 DEC ~ 1 9 ~ 1 7 ' . 7 ) ,
another name of which is Arcturus. star No. 37. rn the event that a
reasonably close match of the computed SHA and DEC values.
cannot be found in the Star table, it is possible that the body ob-
served was actually a planet, and the SHA values of the four
navigational planets at the bottom of the STARS table of the daily
pages also should be checked.
 CHAPTER VII
Step by step Computation

Fix by Noon Sioht

- and Other Sextant 21 h42m38s
-12 00 0 0
GMT of Meridian Passage
Greenwich Noon
Applications 9 42 38
- 3 42
Difference in time
Equation of time for Jan. 1. 1978
at GMT 21h42m38s computed by
1. FIX BY NOON SIGHT NC-77 @ mode *I
We can find our latitude and longitude at the same time if we Total difference i n time
38 56
measure the Sun's highest altitude of the day and record the time. / Time t o Arc conversion (use
NC-77) Longitude of our ship
144'44:o
Longitude: : 144'44:oW
The Sun travels from east t o West at an equatorial speed of 15
miles per minute. It crosses the Greenwich meridian at GMT 12
o'clock. A t this moment on theGreenwich line the Sun has reached Latitude: I n thiscase Lat. = (90'-~lt.) - dec,
its highest altitude of the day, and we observe the Sun due South 90'
or North. This is called Meridian Passage. If we were not on the -3401gr.7 Noon Altitude
Greenwich line (longitude 0') we would observe the Sun reach i t s 55'40.3
highest altitude at a different time. For instance, i f we observed - 22.58.4 Declination of the Sun
the Sun's meridian passage at GMT 1 4 o'clock. we can judge from 32.41.9N Latitude of our ship
the Sun's speed that our longitude is two hours (or 30' o f Arc)
west of the Greenwich line. This is the basic principle of finding Noon Latitude and Longitude Computation by NC-77
longitude by Sun's Meridian Passage, however, an adjustment,
w i t h Equation of Time, must be introduced to obtain our exact If it is difficult t o remember the rules, the same computation
longitude because the earth's rotation is not truly at a constant can be automatically made by NC-77 @ (Meridian Passage)
speed. Since for convenience we use a fictitious constant Mean mode as follows.
Sun as the basis for measurement of time the True Sun is not
necessarily at the highest altirude at noon by the Mean Sun. Equa- Problem 1 Key Display
tion of time is the difference in time between the True Sun and the O @ h 0.
Mean Sun. It is computed by NC-77 @ mode or found in the GMT of Meridian Paasage 121.4238 / hRO 21.4238
Nautical Almanac. 21h42m38r B 0.
N O O ~~ l t i t u d e . ~ e a r i nsouth
g 34.197W2 Ro -34.197
34- 1gr,7 @ d 0.
Latitude: Declination of the Sun 22.584m d -22.584
After measuring the highest true altitude of the Sun by sextant our ~22'58'.4 @ to 0.
latitude can be determined b y the following rules. ti^^ of r i m e for J-". 1, 1978 0.03420 to -0.0342
GMT21h42m38~-3rn42r '1 @ C 32.419
(1) If DR latitude and declination have contrary names.
-
Lat. = (90' Alt.) - dec. / Repest L and 1:
12) If DR latitude and declination have the same name (North or
~ n ~ w e rLat.
: 32'41'.9N
South) Long. 144'44'.0~
>
a) When Lat. dec. Lat. = dec. + (90' - Alt.)
<
b) When Lat. dec. Lat. = dec. - (90' - Alt.) "1 Equation of Time is (True Sun - Mean Sun). Eqn. of T.
computed b y NC-77 is accompanied by (-1 minus sign when
Mean Sun isfasterthan True Sun. I n this case make input with
Problem 1. The Sun's meridian passage (the highest altitude) was the (-) minus sign here.
observed as 34'19'.7 at GMT 21 h4zm38S. *2 Here, indicate if the Sun was due North or South at noon.
Declination of the Sun is S2Z058'.4 and we are in
north latitude. Equation o f time is 3"'4ZS.
Noon Longitude by NC-77 Display Answer

Longitude alone can be obtained quickly by NC-77 in the

course of computing Equation of Time by [ntMi mode. In the Height of E v e 15 meters hk 0.
(49.2ft. 1 15 hi 15.
above example before the Equation of Time (-3m42s), NC-77 Height of t h e mountain $000 ht 0.
[ALM] mode computes the GHA of Sun at Jan. 1, 1978, GMT2l h- meters ( 3 2 8 1 f t . ) 1000 ht 1000.
{H-I 44.441), which i s the longitude of the
42m38s as ? 4 4 " 4 4 ' . 1 ~
ship. If GHA of Sun exceeds 180°, the ship i s in east longitude.
For instance, if GHA of Sun is 2 0 0 ~ .the ship's position is 1 6 0 " ~
(360' - 200' = 160"). One tenths of a rnininute (O1.l) difference Select meters or feet by the selector switch before entering the
between the longitude computed by NC-77 @ mode and @ data. The answer i s always given in nautical miles. Note that (1:
mode (144"44'.0W vs. 144'44'.1~) in the example is accounted (dip corrected angle) is automatically computed, if we enter sex-
for by rounding to one decimal place in IMPS] computation. tant altitude and height of eye. Needless to say, any index error,
(the error of sextant itself) must be corrected before entering 8,.
Note:
Time of meridian passage can best be determined by plotting on
cross-section paper a series of observed altitudes versus times Equation:
(GMT) of observation, commencing several minutes before esti-
mated local apparent noon (based on the DR longitude) and con-
tinuing until several minutes after meridian passage. From a curve H-h tan a
faired through the plotted points, the time of maximum altitude D 0.000246 )2+-----
0.74736 - 0.000246
can be established. DEC Sun and Eqn. of Time are derived by NC-
77 @ mode or taken from the Nautical Almanac.
where

D = distance to object in nautical miles

H = height of object beyond horizon in feet
h = height of the observer's eye in feet above see level
2. APPLICATION OF MARINE SEXTANT IN MEASURING IY = dip corrected sextant vertical angle
DISTANCE (Dip i s - 0'.98 d1
-
The marine sextant may be used to measure the vertical angle
subtended by the height of an object. Distance to the object is
then computed by the equation shown in Fig. 19 on page 37
which i s programmed in the NC-77 @ mode.

Problem 2. The altitude of a mountain top was measured by

sextant. Compute the distance to it with the follow-
ing data.

Fig. 19 Distance to Object

 Note on Accuracy:
The principle of (DR] and computation is Mercator Sailing.
The oblate spheroid characteristics o f earth (flattened at the poles
and bulged at the equator) is taken into consideration in the pro-
gramming. The most up-to-date WGS-72, World Geodetic System
CHAPTER I 1972 spheroid (Eccentricity =0.08182). i s being used t o guarantee
the utmost accuracy. When the course is exactly 090' or 270' the
Mercator Sailins- and Great Ciicle Sailins- program automatically switches to Parallel Sailing. I n this case the
earth is considered as a sphere.

1. Dead Reckoning by Mercator Sailing 3. Great Circle Sailing

Dead Reckoning mode computes the latitude and longitude Great Circle Sailing mode computes the great circle distance
of the point of arrival. @ between two points and also the initial course from the
departure point. The program continues t o compute the
Problem 1 Answer latitude and longitude o f the vertex, and the latitude at any
Departure P o i n l Lat. D.R. Lat. 30'34'.2~ selected longitude on the great circle track.
D.R. Long. 123'34'.5~
DePalNre Point Long. :; 0,
Problem 3 Display &nswer
Course : 0. 3 r e a t circle distance
L 37.508 4488.8 n.m.
d 0. Departure point Long. :: 0. initial great circle course
280.8 d 280.8 302'37'.9
L 30.342 1S.n Francisco) 1 Yertex Lat. 48'19.0N
A r r i ~ a point
i Lat. 34.5200 YerTex ~ o n g . 168'38'.8~
::-123.346
8 Repeat Land ::
Arrival Point Long. 139.4208

2. Course and Distance by Mercator Sailing

Course and Distance mode computes the course and dis
tance from the departure point t o the arrival point.

Problem 2 Kev Display Answer

Departure P o i n t Lac Em L 0. Course made good
3 ~ ~ 2 ? . 435.2240
~ L 35.224 203'40'.5
D e w r a r e P o i n t Long. O :: 0, Distance 3480.5n.m.
125'08'.2~ 125.082@ ::-125.082 Note:
Arrival Point Lat. !I I: D
I n computing the great circle distance the earth is considered as a
A r r i v a l Point Long. sphere. The vertex is computed between the departure and the
arrival point. If there is no vertex t o be found between them the
203.405 next vertex.on the same great circle track beyond the arrival point
d 3480.5 is computed.
O Repeat c a n d d
 Mercator Sailing and Great Circle Sailing:
The course obtained by Mercator Sailing is a rhumb line, appearing
as a straight line on the Mercator chart. It makes the same angle
with all meridians i t crosses, and maintains constant true direction.
The Great Circle track is the shortest distance between any two
points on the earth. On the Mercator chart a great circle appears as
a sine curve extending equal distances each side of the equator.
The comparison of rhumb line and great circle track is shown in
the illustration.
Composite Sailing:
When the great circle would carry a vessel to a higher latitude than
desired, a modification of great circle sailing called composite
sailing, may be used to good advantage. The composite track
consists of a grear circle from the point of departure and tangent
to the limiting parallel, a course llne along the parallel, and a great
circle tangent to the limiting parallel and through the destination.
If such a course is desired, it can be computed by NC-77 with the
equations and key sequence shown inthe example below.

problem: Between San Francisco, 37'50'.8~, 1 2 2 ~ 2 5 ' 5a~n d

Yokohama 34'52'.0~, 13g042'.0E, find the com-
posite track with the maximum limiting latitude of
45'~.

Equations: tan L2
DLOVI = cos'l (-tan L 1 -) DLOVZ = COS-' ( I
tan m
' a, tan Lrnax

MERCATOR CHART
Vertex:

Every great circle lies haff in the northern hemisphere and half in
the southern hemisphere. Any two points 780' apart on a great
circle have the same latitude numerically, but contrary names, and
are 180° apart in longitude. The point of greatest latitude is called
the vertex.
Answer: V1: The longitud; at which the limiting parallel is
reached i s 39 0U.9 west of the departure point,
Vertex 48' 1 9:ON. 1 6 8 ' 3 8 ' . 8 ~ which is 161°26'.4~.
Yo k o h a m a . l c ' A . p m Francisco
,
' V2: The longitude at which the limiting parallel should
be left is 45°50'.0 east of the arrival point, which is
174"28'.0~.

Vertex 480 14:O.s. 1 la 21:ZE

Point t o paint planning:

Since a great circle is continuously changing direction as one pro-

ceeds along it, no attempt is customarily made to follow i t exactly.
Rather, a number of points are selected along the grear circle, and
rhumb lines are followed from point to point, taking advantage of
the fact that for short distances a great circle and a rhumb line
almost coincide. These points are selected every ' 5 of longitude
for convenience {the number of points to use i s a matter of per.
sonal preference), and the corresponding latitudes are computed
by NC-77 as in problem 3.
Composite Sailing
CHAPTER I I problem 2 Key Dispiav Answer
Course t o Make Good 26s0 c 0. Course t o Steer

Plane Sailins and Naviuation throuah Speed to M a k e Good

15 knots
265
0
c
d 0.
265. 27@32'.0
Speed through Water
set (toward) 185' 15 d 15. 14.8 knots
Current and Wind oriftml 3knots @
185
c 0.
c 185.
@ d 0.
30 d-3.
1. Finding the Course and Speed Made Good through a current @ c 276.320 .
@ d 14.8
Current 1 mode computes the course made good and speed @ Repeat c and d

made good when the course steered and speed through

water are given, and set and drift are known. Course to make good 265'

Problem 1 Key Display Answer

Course steered 080' c 0. Course Made Good
Speed through Water 80 c 80. 88O56'.9
10 knots @ 13' 0. Speed Made Good
S e t (toward) 140' 10 d 10.
11.1 knots
D r i f t 2 knots @ c 0.

@
*I Always reverse the sign of "drift" input in solving the @
d 2. problem.
88.569
3. Finding the Course t o steer at a given speed t o make good a
@ Repeat c and d
given course through a current

@ Current 3 mode computes the course t o steer and speed

made good when the course t o make good and speed
through water are given, and set and drift are known.

Problem 3 Key Display Answer

Course t o Make Good 095' a @ c 0. Course t o ~teer83'23:5
Speed Made Good
Speed through Water 12 knots95 c 95.
@ d 0. 1 2 . 4 knots
Set (toward) 170'
2. Finding the Course to steer and Speed to use (through water) Drift 2.5 knots 12 d 12.
t o make good a given course and speed through a current @3 c 0.
170 c 170.
t
9 d 0.
@ Current 2 mode computes the course t o steer and speed 2.5 d 2.5
through water when the course t o make good and speed to @ c 83.235
make good are given, and set and drift are known. @ @ d 12.4
and @ programs are common, but the drift is entered @ Repeat c and d

with the reversed sign in The latter.

Course to steer 83'23' 5
 Note: The desired course (course t o make good) cannot be made
when ship's speed i s not sufficient t o overcome the drift.
In such a case the output becomes E
4. Traverse Sailing
5. Finding the Direction and Speed of True Wind
@ Wind Direction and Speed mode computes the True Wind
Direction and True Wind Speed when a ship is taking a
certain course at a certain speed.

@ Current 1 mode is also used for the solution of Traverse Problem 5 Key Display Answer
Sailing. A traverse is a series of courses, or a track consis- Shirr course 17 5" 1 1c 0. Wind Direction
l~rue
ing of a number of course lines, as might result from a sail- Ship Speed 6.5 knots 115 c 115. 162'24'.0
ing vessel beating into the wind. Traverse Sailing is the Apparent Wind Direction @ d 0. True Wind Speed
finding of a single equivalent course and distance. 30' starboard 6.5 d 6.5 30.9 knots
Apparent Wind Speed @ c 0.
16 knots 115030@ c 145.000 '1
Problem 4 KW Display Answer @ d 0.
Course Distance c 0. Single Equivalent 16 d 16.
158 c 158. Course and Distance @ c 162.240
d 0. 161"29'.7
@ d 10.9
d 15.5 @ Repeat c snd d
43.5n.m.
c 0.
c 135. " 1 Ship course + Apparent Wind Direction should be entered
d 0. here. Use (+) when the apparent wind is blowing from star-
d 33.7 board and (-) for port.
c 142.118
d 48.3 Note: NC-77 solves the current and wind problems by plane Sail-
d 48.3 ing.
c 142.718
c 142.118
d 0.
d 48.3
c 0.
c 259.
d 0.
d 16.1
: 161.247
I Id 43.5
Repeat c and d
I

More courses may be added by repeating the same process.

44
CHAPTER Ill low tides is computed on the assumption that the rise and fall
conform t o simple cosine curves. (See the formulas below).

Tide and Stream (Tidal Current1 Therefore the heights obtained will be approximate. The rough-
ness of approximation will vary as the tide curve differsfrom a
cosine curve.
TlDE TABLES By U.S. Department of Commerce includes
1. Finding the Height of Tide
-~ - HEIGHT OF TlDE AT ANY TIME"
" T.A. R L E 3. to derive
@ Tide mode computes the height of tide at any selected time. the intermediate height based on the same cosine curve. For
European waters the ADMIRALTY TlDE TABLES VOL 1 by
Problem 1 Key Display Answer the Hydrographer of the British Navy gives the tidal curves for
Time of Low Tide 01h45"' 1@ h 0. / Height of Tide a t 07h3~m the areas where the curves are seriously distorted. I n such areas
Height of Low Tide O.5ft. 1.45 the tidal curve for the particular port contained i n the Admi-
Time of High Tide 0 9 ~ 0 5~
@ ralty Tide Tables should always be used.
Heightof High Tide 11.9ft. 0.5
Selected Time 0 7 ~ 3 5 ~ d The velocity of current at any intermediate time between the
9.05 2.
(Sesrtle, Wash. Oec. 1. 1977) @ slack and maximum currents is also computed on the assump-
11.9 tion that i t changes i n accordance with simple cosine curves.
B (See the formulas below).
7.35 h' 7.35 Make sure t h e ricie selector
B d' 10.8 switch i s set on "it".
D Height of Tide
Conrinue

2. Finding the Velocity of Stream (Tidal Current)

Stream Mode computes the velocity of stream (tidal cur-
@ rent) at any selected time.
Where H : Height at selected time
Problem 2 Key Qrplay Answer HI : Height of high tide
Tlme of Slack 0 1 ~ 4 2 ~ I I/ hh o I ~ e l o c l t ya t 03h30m Hz : Height of low tide
f i m e of Max. 04'43~ 1 1.42 1.42 / 3.7 knots Toward 2 4 5 ' ~ T : Selected time
Velocity a t Max. 4.5 knots T1 : Time of High
T2 : Time of Low
Selected Time 03h3om - 1
It is essential to check if the tidal curve i n the areas you plan t o
h' 3.30 sail would conform to the standard theoretical movement.
d' 3.7
h' 0. Verooity of Tidal Current
Continue
"1 If the selected time is between the Max. and Slack time, for
example Max. 5h00m, Slack 1 0 ~ 0 0and ~ the selected time V = Vm . sin (90 T-To
Tm - To 1
BhOom, input 1 0 ~ 0 first,
0 ~ and then 5h00m and its velocity.
Then enter BhOom t o obtain the corresponding sbeam.
Note: The local information on TlDE and STREAM is given in where V : Velocity at selected time
TlDE TABLES and TIDAL CURRENT TABLES by the Vm : Velocity at maximum
US. Departmentof Commerce or the equivalentauthorities T : Selected time
of the other countries. To : Time of slack
Tm : Time of maximum
Caution
1. Height of Tide at any intermediate time between high and

46
CHAPTER IV CHAPTER V

Speed, Time, Distance Time and Arc

Speed, Time and Distance are computed by the following key TlME and ARC Computations
sequence, selecting [mode in the beginning.
Time mode makes hours, minutes, seconds computation; ARC
Speed (Knots) .: d@t @m
- - mode makes degrees, minutes, and 1/10 minute computation.
Time (h.ms) : d@s (qq@ TAMAYA NC-77 follows the customary navigation rule of express-
ing seconds in termsof 1/10 of a minute in arc mode.
distance (n.m,) : s t (-hhh](T)
Problem 1 Key Displav
Problem 1. A ship travels 35.2 nautical miles in 1 hour and 35
minutes.
( 1 4 ~ 5 9 ~+215h01"'595)
3 ~ 00@ h 0.0000
f 2 = 15h00m4lS 14.5923 h 14.5923
What i s the shir, speed? m h 14.5923
35.20'1.35 Q Answer: 22.2 knots
Problem 2. How long will it take to travet 125 nautical mikz at
. - -- -
ship speed of 21.5 knots?
125 @ 21.5@(3 @ Answer: tih48%os
Problem 3. A Ship travels a t a speed of 18.3 knots for 5 hours Problem 2 Key Display
and 45 minutes. a@ d 0.000
(38O2918+ 3g048!81
What is the distance traveled? 4 2 = 39' 09:3 38.288 d 38.298
18.3 @ 5.45 (GIQ Answer: 105.2 n.m. @ d 38.298

ARC 2 TlME Conversion

I.PRC]mode converts hours, minutes, and seconds into degrees,
minutes and 1/10 minute.
I.TME] mode converts degrees, minutes, and 1/10 rninu.te into
hours, minutes and seconds.

Problem 3 Key Display

I
Arc 35'41'.8
1 35.418 35.418
2h22m475 a@ h 2.2247

Problem 3 {bl Key Display

Time 3h51m03s
$ 3.5103 3.6103
-
57*45'.7 @ d 57.457
 APPENDIX:
EXPLANATION OF NG77 DIGITAL NAVIGATION COMPUTER MODE SELECTORS AND KEYS

EXTERNAL FEATURES NORMAL CALCULATION MODE KEY

AC Adaptor Connecting Terminal
Dialogue Symbol Display
Numeral Display
key clears the programmed navigation mode and sets the
normal calculation mode.
DUAL FUNCTION KEY
a key pressed before each dual func~ionmode key sets the
'
2nd mode i.e. sin- , Cos- I , tan- , P.P.. FIX, CD, R M I ,
RM2, etc.

SCIENTIFIC FUNCTION KEYS

Trigommetric function keys
[slnll [cosl @ J

8
inverse trigonometric function keys
Icosl) [ianlJ
Square root computation key

NAVIGATION MODE KEYS

mode key computes the GHA ARIES, DEC SUN, GHA

SUN and Equation of Time at any moment through the
year 1999.

mode key makes the computation of proportional parts.

It i s applied in pin-pointing the GHA and DEC of the
Moon and planets without using the INCREMENTS AND
CORRECTIONS table of Nautical Almanac.

mode key computes the Altitude and the true Azimuth of

the Sun, Moon, planets and the navigational stars to obtain
a Line of Position in celestial navigation.

mode key computes the latitude and longitude of fix by

two Lines of Position.

I ~ e c a i Key
t mode key computes the Dead Reckoning Position by
.S~W C h a n ~
Key K~~
Mercator Sailing or Parallel Sailing.
0 Multiplication Key
mode key computes the Course and Distance by Mercator
Minus Key
Sailing or Parallel Sailing.
Plus Key
Equal Key mode key computes the Great Circle Distance and the
Initial Course. The program continues to compute Latitude
and Longitude of the Vertex, and the Latitude at any
selected Longitude on the Great Circle track.
 mode key computes the True Wind Direction and True
Wind Speed.
mode key computes the Course and Speed Made Good
through a current. This key is also used for the solution of
Traverse Sailing.
mode key computes the Course to Steer and the Speed to
Use to make good a given course and speed through a
current.
mode key computes the Course to Steer a t a given speed to
make good a given course through a current.
This key also converts degrees, minutes, 1/10 minute into
hours, minutes and seconds.
(ARC to TIME or TIME to ARC conversion is made by the
above two keys.)
key converts hours, minutes and seconds into hours, 1/10
hour and 1 /I 00 hour.
key converts hours, 1/10 hour, 1/100 hour into hours,
minutes and seconds.
The above two keys are used in Speed, Time and Distance
computations.

mode key computes the Height of Tide a t any selected
time.
mode key computes the Velocity of Stream (Tidal Current)
a t any selected time.
key designates North in latitude and East in longitude.
key designates South in latitude and West in longitude.
MEMORY KEYS

mode computes the True Altitude by the standard sextant @ [MZj Memory keys
altitude corrections a t loOc, 1013.25mb ( ~ o ' F , 29.92
in.). FZJ
(G] Recall memory keys

mode computes the True Altitude at variable temperature OTHER KEYS

and atmospheric pressure. Both @ and @ com-
pute the True Altitude for the Sun, Moon, planers and the Clears all the computation registers, error, etc. Re-
stars. sumes the beginning of the program in the navigation
programs.
These keys are used in connection with (sac] and [vncl
to specify the celestial body, the Sun, Moon, Venus or Mars [CE) Clears only displayed register.
in making the sextant altitude correction.
Numeral keys t o enter a number.
In ISAC] and @ mode a
means the sighting of the @ +@
lower limb and
of the Sun or Moon.
means the sighting of the upper limb
a Designates the decimal point of a set number.

Sets the order of each function.

mode key computes the Latitude and Longitude by noon @ Ifj
sight (Sun's meridian passage).
El Completes the addition, subtraction, multiplication,
division functions.
mode key computes the Distance to an Object by the
vertically measured angle. Changes the sign of a displayed number.
0
key sets the computation in degrees, minutes and 1/10 Enters a number, starts the programmed computation
minute. @ or recalls the programmed memory.
This key also converts hours, minutes, seconds into degrees,
minutes and 1/70 minute.

key sets the computation in hours, minutes and seconds.

POWER SWITCH
When the power switch is in "ON" >osition the com-
SAC V A C
Sex;nt Alt.
Height o f Eye
;1
TIDE
Time of Lo;
Ht. of Low Tide
;
STRM
(1 1 Time of %
( 2 ) Time of Max.
Vel. at Max.

*-
puter is powered, automatically cieared and ready Rr
-
Dip Corrected Alt. Time of H i h
for operation in normal calculation mode. t /
Temperature
P 1
Pressure
METRlClFEET SELECTION SWITCH efract. Corrected Alt. d' I Correr. Ht.
m. 5d Semidiameter
I n @ and @ mode the switch selects the

RQ
hP Hor~zontalParallax
input by meters, Celsius (temperature) and millibars & i
ft. (pressure), or feet. Fahrenheit and inches of mercury.
Fah. I n [oro) mode it selects the input by meters or feet.
inch
DIALOGUE SYMBOLS AND THE MEANING
Dialogue system makes the operation very easy b y telling you at

; 1 cyrse ;1
each step what data t o feed in. The answers are also accompanied
by the symbols which specify the meaning.
-
M& GOO^ ;1 Course t o Steer
Speed Thru Water
C? t o Steer
sign after :indicates South latitude S eed Made Good S eed Made Good
- sign after :: indicates West longitude
E: overflow error symbol
-: minus symbol

NC-77 DIALOGUE SYMBOLS

CD. DR. GC. P.P. True Wind Direction

d I True Wind Speed

1
:uF
' Starboard
t
-
Vertex Lat.
f, Corres. Arc
Selected Time
1 Lat.
com&ted ~ l t .
Azimuth
Port

::u Vertex Long. d' Carres. Arc

-;*+%%
v nun J 8 -.
Eqn. of Time
MEMORY CAPABILITIES
NC-77 has two user-accessible memories, M I M2 and RMl RM2,
to greatly increase the flexibility of computations. Use of the
memory keys does not affect the displayed number or computa-
tion i n progress, so 'they can be used at any point in a computa-
tion. They can save you keystrokes by storing long numbers that
are to be used several times.
Key Display
5 ma 2.236067977
@ 2.236067977
I3 10 C f J 0 @ 5.398345637
am 2.236067977
0 4 @ 8.944271 908
a
m@ 0
2.236067977

Besides M I , M2 and RM1, RM2 two extra memories are provided

internally for the output of ALM, FIX, LOP, CD. DR. WDS. CU1,
2, 3, and MPS, where there are two answers to be recalled alterna-
tively.
NOTE ON DECIMAL POINT
In NC-77 TlME i s always expressed as Hours, Minutes, Seconds,
and ARC as Degrees. Minutes, 1/10 minute t o follow conven-
tional navigation practice. The decimal point should be entered as
follows. The same rule applies to the reading of the displayed
outputs.
TlME 1 2 ~ 15m 33s Enter 12.1533
15 33 ,1533
5 33 ,0533
33 ,0033
3 ,0003

ARC 180°25'.5 Enter 180.255

2Y.5 ,255
5'.5 ,055
0'.5 ,005
Inputloutput of trigonometric and inverse trigonometric computa-
tion follows the same rule as ARC.
0.8 a@ + 53.078 is read as 53'0773
In ALM (Almanac) mode the year, month and day are entered as TAMAYA & COMPANY LIMITED
5-8. B-<home. Ginza. Chuo.ku. Tokyo 104 Japm
follows.
ALM January 2nd. 1978 Enter 78.0102
lzh 0as 12.0608