Are there any resources I can consult to aid me in getting better at land navigation?

SGT Nathan G. — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 10:59:21 -0400

I’m good at measuring distance, four digit grid coordinates, and six digit grid coordinates. I am having trouble with 8 digit grid coordinates and want to get better. I have been trying to practice on the U.S Army Future Soldier site, but I’m still having trouble grasping it. If anyone could give me some advice and nudge me in the right direction, that would be great! Thank you. I am using a 1:50,000 scale military map as provided by the Future Soldier site with a coordinate scale and protractor.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 16 at 2018 11:46 AM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 11:46:01 -0400

TC 3-25.26 is the land nav bible.

Response by LTC Kevin B. made Mar 16 at 2018 12:30 PM

LTC Kevin B. — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 12:30:33 -0400

Are you good at math? If so, you can easily use the Pythagorean Theorem to calculate distance.

Response by SPC David Willis made Mar 16 at 2018 12:41 PM

SPC David Willis — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 12:41:50 -0400

You should tag pathfinders, they can probably help you out more than anyone. When I went out for EIB I came across a bull pen with bulls in it (god bless texas...) between points. I opted to take the L on that one and tried to eye ball a post directly ahead of me, but it wasn't perfect and messed up my pace count and of course mistakes grow exponentially once you make one.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 16 at 2018 12:49 PM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 12:49:34 -0400

See if you can get hold one of the old FM's on land nav. they have a lot of great information.

Response by Capt Tom Brown made Mar 16 at 2018 1:02 PM

Capt Tom Brown — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 13:02:56 -0400

One saving grace is that as a Pvt or PFC you probably won't be called upon very often to lead a patrol to a point on the ground. As an NCO you will be expected, esp if you are in the infantry. Take the time in between to study and practice, if able, to build up your skills at map reading and terrain navigation with a compass. Best wishes in honing your military skills..

Response by COL John McClellan made Mar 16 at 2018 1:05 PM

COL John McClellan — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 13:05:38 -0400

8-digits grids with the 1:50k and plastic protractor are a challenge! Just remember - 8-digit grids get you down to the 10-meter level... it's "all powers of 10s" so 4-digit = a grid square 1kmx1km; 6-digits are a 100m apart, or a 100x100m box, so 8-digit is a 10m x 10m box. Good luck! Glad to see Land Nav is still being taught at the level of understanding these basics on a paper map. You never know when you might lose power to your electronics!

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 16 at 2018 1:47 PM

MAJ Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 13:47:39 -0400

8 digit grids are hard to plot. Especially on a 1:50,000 scale map. A 6-digit grid, correctly plotted and located, will get you within 100 meters of where you're trying to be. Generally, that's close enough to find what you're looking for.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 16 at 2018 3:22 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 15:22:29 -0400

http://edtech2.boisestate.edu/jasonclemens/506/mapreading/lesson2/page5.html
8 digit grid just places you more exact to the location then the 4 or 6. Being a FDC, I wished we used 8 digits, but still I could placed the 81mm in a 55gal. can. If it helps, here is a link.

MILITARY MAP READING | LESSON 2 | PAGE 5

An eight digit grid coordinate enables you to plot an pin-point location on the map that is accurate to 10 meters. Eight digit grid coordinates are generally used to provide an pin-point that is more accurate than a four or six digit grid coordinate. Used to mark such things as exact locations of a fighting position, command center, or wounded requiring medical evacuation.

Response by SGT Eric Davis made Mar 16 at 2018 4:31 PM

SGT Eric Davis — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 16:31:02 -0400

I’m glad you asked this question Cause I been out the military 7 years and need a refresher on LAND NAV!

Response by SFC Jim Ruether made Mar 16 at 2018 7:57 PM

SFC Jim Ruether — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 19:57:18 -0400

You need a 1:25,000 meter map and a plotting square. Clear is the best as you can look through it and see your map spot. There are map reading skills courses available through the Army I don't recall the Course number but they supply you with a plotting square and many practical exercises where you locate landmarks on a map.

Response by Maj John Bell made Mar 16 at 2018 8:15 PM

Maj John Bell — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 20:15:25 -0400

My Battalion used to issue a personal plotting square to every marine and Sailor in the battalion. Ask your S-2 if the Defense Mapping Agency still makes them and will issue them. They came in packs of 100 and the command had to pay $2.50 for a pack. The personal plotting square was compatible with 1:50,000 and 1:25,000 to maps, and was about 4"x4" of clear flexible plastic.

Response by MSG Joe Kaufman made Mar 16 at 2018 9:36 PM

MSG Joe Kaufman — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 21:36:44 -0400

Having taught land nav to OCS candidates for 3 years I learned that the issued protractors were always cut poorly. I found the Ranger Joe protractors were the most accurate.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 16 at 2018 11:37 PM

SSG Private RallyPoint Member — Fri, 16 Mar 2018 23:37:27 -0400

Are you using a mechanical pencil, it’s best to use the finest pencil possible and keep your lines as light as you can while still being able see them when plotting. Additionally, ensure your plotting lines go well beyond the points so that they can be clearly seen past the edges of the entire protractor. Lastly, ensure you account for the natural space between the edge of the square cut-out and the point of the pencil. These three points could be the difference of as much as 100meter errors. Good luck.

Response by LTC Jason Mackay made Mar 17 at 2018 10:41 AM

LTC Jason Mackay — Sat, 17 Mar 2018 10:41:03 -0400

If you can do a six digit grid you can do 8.

Response by SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth made Mar 17 at 2018 11:21 AM

SGT David A. 'Cowboy' Groth — Sat, 17 Mar 2018 11:21:28 -0400

I'll see if I can find my FM on map reading so that you can try to get hold of one.

Response by CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2018 10:17 AM

CWO3 Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 10:17:17 -0400

Air drop into rural WV with a map, compass, protractor, and K-Bar. You can check the Land Nav and Survival blocks in one trip.

Response by 1SG Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2018 8:09 PM

1SG Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 20:09:33 -0400

So no shit, there I was
on the land nav course recently, I get a phone call from a LT.
"First Sergeant, I think I am lost".
Now, I know this is a stereotype, so I am on guard for a prank.
"Where are you at, sir?"
"According to the map, I thought I was by a lake. But all I see is an empty field."
This took me a minute to figure out, then I look downhill and espy the problem.
"Sir, you ARE by the lake, I can see you from here."
He was standing on top of the lake in February, and here in Minnesota, that meant it was frozen and covered in snow.
SMH

Response by CSM Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2018 8:40 PM

CSM Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 20:40:34 -0400

Get a good mechanical pencil with as thin a lead as you can get. Pay for a good laser cut military protractor with a thread at the center to get exact degree measurement. Learn your pace count in all terrain. Know what a backstop is and how to handrail. Become an absolute master at terrain association and most importantly... Practice, practice, practice...more practice.

Response by COL Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2018 9:07 PM

COL Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 21:07:48 -0400

Practice. Try orienteering.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Mar 19 at 2018 9:17 PM

SGT Private RallyPoint Member — Mon, 19 Mar 2018 21:17:17 -0400

Shorter:
Search for the term "Tenino" and "land navigation" on Google or AKO or Reimer digital library.

Longer:

As you can see on the Boise State University link that a previous poster provided, you are essentially "eye-balling" between the numbered tick marks to get the remaining 2 digits for an 8 digit grid. Takes practice. As others have mentioned, 8 digit grids imply a resolution not often required, but it is the defacto standard for map reading and land navigation training. Some of the harder land nav courses can have distractor stakes that will throw you off for a fairly small error.

For straight line distance, you can use an additional piece of paper with a straight edge to it, and use pencil marks to compare distance with the scales marked on the map. You can also use a similar method to measure road distance, though it is a little tedious. Other stuff to know includes recognizing terrain features by looking at the contour lines, and being able visualize what those contour lines are representing on the ground - that _WILL_ be useful to you when actually navigating. The best way, _by far_ to navigate is by something called terrain-association, when the terrain and visibility allow for its use.

You will also want to understand how to convert from grid to magnetic and vice versa as well as to read the declination diagram. Some more advanced stuff includes intersection and resection, which allow you determine locations based on known points.

Good choice to focus on land nav. If there is any one individual Soldier skill that is broadly applicable and critical, it is land navigation. Eventually, you have to get on the ground and start using pace counts, dead reckoning, and (preferably) terrain-association, in order to develop mastery and it takes a lot of practice (and patience). But getting a handle on map reading will make that _ALOT_ easier.

There used to be a standard map for map reading instruction covering Tenino in Washington state. Everyone in the Army has encountered that map at some point, whether they remember or not. Most or all of the map is in the EG or EH grid square identifiers. In any case, if you have access to AKO and you search for Tenino map, you might find it. I would also try the Reimer digital library if that's still a thing.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r99CTMZWLIo

Plotting 8 Digit Grids

For the beginning information, watch "plotting 6 digit grids" on this channel

Response by 2LT Ronald Reimer made Mar 22 at 2018 3:49 AM

2LT Ronald Reimer — Thu, 22 Mar 2018 03:49:23 -0400

Google. Garmin watch. iWatch with land nav. app. Mapquest. Phone a Friend.