FREE ADVANCED MAP-AND-COMPASS LAND NAVIGATION CLASS >> May 3-4, 2025 (Michigan DNR Ralph A. MacMullan (RAM) Conference Center, Roscommon, Michigan • Northern Lower Peninsula • Crawford County): Taught by Team MibSAR’s Long Range Special Operations Group (LRSOG) instructors, this free, adults-only class will include a review of basic compass skills; US Army Ranger pace-counting course; long-range orienteering course with official Suunto Control Markers; several free books; and an in-depth look at some advanced land navigation skills:
• The Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) geo- coordinate system - the de facto standard of the world’s, elite, ground-based, war-fighting units
• The UTM system for GPS units & mapping apps
• LAT/LON to UTM coordinate conversion
• The Public Land Survey System (PLSS)
• Natural navigation
• Bearing plotting and calculating
• Aiming off, radial arms, dead reckoning
• Angulation, biangulation, triangulation
• Slope aspect, running bearings
• Macro boxing, baseline transits, & more
>> NEW options for 2025:
~ For on-site room & BLD meal reservations, email the RAM Center at
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~ For walking-distance campsite and cabin reservations, contact North Higgins Lake State Park at
https://www2.dnr.state.mi.us/parksandtrails/Details.aspx?id=478&type=SPRK.
>> MEALS AND LODGING
• No meals or lodging are provided by the organizer, Michael Neiger, during this class.
>> INSURANCE COVERAGE
• No insurance coverage is provided by the organizer, Michael Neiger, for this class. Participants are encouraged to consult with a trusted professional about the need for life, disability, medical, prescription, dental, eye, evacuation, class cancellation, automobile, etc., insurance coverage.
>> EQUIPMENT TO BRING (or team-up and share with a partner)
• A quality, full-size compass with a long, loss-prevention-lanyard. It should be long enough to hang near belt, so you can use it without removing it from your neck. Many OEM compass lanyards are too short. If you are going to purchase a compass, consider:
~ Look for a high-quality one manufactured by a name-brand company such as Suunto, Silva, Brunton, Kasper & Richter (K&R), or Harbin
~ The compass bezel rose must have a 360-degree layout, not a 90-degree-quadrant or 6400-mils (military) compass rose
~ If you are purchasing it online, make sure it is balanced for Northern Hemisphere or Global use, not Southern Hemisphere use
~If you want to use it in low light or darkness, make sure it has luminous points, or tritium light modules
~ The Finish-made Suunto A-30 baseplate USGS UTM model (1:24,000-scale) compass balanced for the Northern Hemisphere (NH) is a good basic compass which will work for this class. $30 free shipping from:
https://www.amazon.com/Suunto-A-30-L-Adventure-Compass/dp/B00ARUSLDG/
~ NOTE: If your compass of choice does not have a clear (see-through) baseplate, or has a compass CARD instead of a NEEDLE, you will need to carry a 360-degree pocket protractor to accurately plot and calculate azimuths on a quadrangle (map), both in the classroom for tabletop exercises, and in the field, while underway. Here is a good pocket protractor with interior UTM corner plotters:
https://www.maptools.com/product/PocketCorners
• Small spiral-bound notebook that will fit in your pocket (3-by-5-inch size?)
• Mechanical pencil or regular pencil
• 6-inch (or longer) ruler
• 8.5- by 11-inch clipboard with notetaking paper
• Small container of, or length of, waxed dental floss (for distance measuring on map)
• Pocket calculator (use app on smartphone?)
• COVID-19 facemask (optional)
• Hand sanitizer (optional)
• Daypack recommended >> (lined with a water-proof garbage bag to keep contents dry) containing: rain jacket, rain pants, warm jacket, warm hat, spare polypro shirt, ready-to-eat snacks, water bottle, electrolyte mix for water, eye protection (for bushwhacking), toilet paper in plastic bag (please don't burn toilet paper as it is an extreme fire hazard; either pack it out or bury it), insect repellant (100-percent DEET recommended), bug head net, basic first-aid kit in zip-lock plastic bag, one-gallon ziplock bag for map handout and nav gear listed above, and a zip-lock bag carrying essential survival items (if you don't carry them in your pockets on lanyards, which is recommended): waterproof matches, lighter, waterproof fire starters, emergency blanket, whistle, pocket knife, small flashlight, extra battery, small backup compass, signal mirror, etc.
• Non-cotton underwear and clothing is recommended in foul weather. Cotton is the Devil’s Cloth – when it gets wet, it cools the body faster than synthetic clothing, greatly increasing the chance of hypothermia, which is a leading killer of people in the outdoors.
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