I want a decent compass in my car and I’m having a hard time finding one. I had one that I inherited from my truck driving grandfather, but it was destroyed when my car got totalled (it was legally parked and someone ina van slammed it head on). Now I can’t find one. Maybe a truck stop?
I just think they ought to all have them. Do I have to get a GPS just for the compass function?
I would think that all of the steel in a car would throw the compass off a tad. You can get a real good aircraft compass from any place dealing in aircraft parts or get a good surplus military one online from E-Bay. Any hunters supply or professional outfitters store will have them, ranging from cheap pocket types to expensive ones where the chamber is filled with oil or alcohol.
Any car parts place will have the little dash mount ball compass also.
I would think that all of the steel in a car would throw the compass off a tad. You can get a real good aircraft compass from any place dealing in aircraft parts or get a good surplus military one online from E-Bay. Any hunters supply or professional outfitters store will have them, ranging from cheap pocket types to expensive ones where the chamber is filled with oil or alcohol.
Any car parts place will have the little dash mount ball compass also.
JC Whitney sells this kind of stuff, and they’re online:
Personally, I think a compass in an automobile is of limited use (what you really need is a decent map, be it on paper or electronic gadget). But it’s generally of more use than an altimeter, and I’ve known a couple of people to have them in their vehicles.
I have seen compasses at auto supply stores like Advanced Auto. They also sell digital ones at Amazon.
I have always wondered why anyone would want one.
What good does it do to know which direction is north when you are looking for 4216 Market St?
Of course I have absolutely no sense of direction so maybe they have a use I just can’t understand. But I sure don’t want one in my car. It would just be distracting.
I have seen compasses at auto supply stores like Advanced Auto. They also sell digital ones at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004YMBA/o/qid=972399227/sr=8-19/ref=aps_sr_ce_7_1/002-2341556-8780022
I have always wondered why anyone would want one.
What good does it do to know which direction is north when you are looking for 4216 Market St?
Of course I have absolutely no sense of direction so maybe they have a use I just can’t understand. But I sure don’t want one in my car. It would just be distracting.
I have seen compasses at auto supply stores like Advanced Auto. They also sell digital ones at Amazon.
I have always wondered why anyone would want one.
What good does it do to know which direction is north when you are looking for 4216 Market St?
Of course I have absolutely no sense of direction so maybe they have a use I just can’t understand. But I sure don’t want one in my car. It would just be distracting.
Try a marine supply store. A good marine store will have a huge selection of compasses (digital or analogue) which are usually built to withstand all kinds of temperature extremes and remain accurate.
As for making them standard… they are on some cars at top trim levels but not on others. The reason they don’t put them in cars is because most people need driving directions that say “Turn right on Elm Street” rather than “Turn North on Elm Street”. Even then, many people need to make an “L” with thumb and index finger of both hands to identify left and right hand.
In short, I don’t think there is enough demand and the the expense is not justified by the car manufacturers.
I, however, would love a great in dash compass showing direction in degrees like a marine compass as well as a whole series of other guages which would include an altimeter, pitch and bank angles, atmospheric pressure… the list goes on and on. Like I said in another post. I want my car dash lit up like a 747 cockpit when I turn that key.
I have seen compasses at auto supply stores like Advanced Auto. They also sell digital ones at Amazon.
http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/B00004YMBA/o/qid=972399227/sr=8-19/ref=aps_sr_ce_7_1/002-2341556-8780022
I have always wondered why anyone would want one.
What good does it do to know which direction is north when you are looking for 4216 Market St?
Of course I have absolutely no sense of direction so maybe they have a use I just can’t understand. But I sure don’t want one in my car. It would just be distracting.
Wow! Four posts.
I am sorry everyone. I was having trouble posting and kept getting error messages. I even double checked to make sure that my posts weren’t making it.
And then, just as I gave up, there were four of them!
I will email the mods to see if we can get this cleaned up.
They sell them at most auto parts stores, at least around here. Of course, being a man, I have an infallible sense of direction 
The term “Left on Elm” is only useful if you are taking the same route as the person giving the directions. “North on Elm” I find more useful in most instances.
I have a Garmin GPS unit I use on trips. Unless the new models are changed, they don’t indicate direction unless you are moving. Can’t turn it on and say “that’s south” IIRC they are trying to make that possible.
A compass is also of limited value because a road marked “North” may be going northeast, east or even south at times. I still wouldn’t mind having a good one in my car.
QuickSilver
Member
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My '94 Jeep Grand Cherokee has a digital compass, it came stock with the truck. That’s not a new truck either. All Jeeps of this flavor have them, so do many other kinds of vehicles.
I don’t find it distracting at all, it’s actually a help when I am following directions like “north on 5th street, west on Gowan”.
I’ve found them helpful in unfamiliar cities, especially at night, and in cities that aren’t laid out in a nice orthogonal grid.
Mercury Marquises have a sensor that shows a little N, NE, E, etc. in the rear-view mirror, but I’m sure that’s not an easy retrofit, even if you could buy it that way.
I agree with you, and bought a cheap one for a car I used to have for pretty much that reason. I realized later that you couldn’t read the thing at night, when it was most useful. Not without kicking the dome light on, at least. :o
Nobody answered the implied question. I have long wondered about it, so I will ask:
How come the steel in the car doesn’t queer the compass reading? Is it because when you mount it in the center, the steel is equally distributed on both sides?