Cell phone & the compass

[FSH 210 Sport]

Out fishing today and had set my cell phone down next to the compass. When I picked my cell I watched the compass swing back around 180°….

 

[Babin Farms]

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

iPhone? MagSafe in it.
Cases can too such as Peak Design.
Some wallets too which attach to phones.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

iPhone? MagSafe in it.
Cases can too such as Peak Design.
Some wallets too which attach to phones.

iphone

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

Newer iPhones have MagSafe. An actual array of magnets in the back. It allows compatible mounts, wallets and wireless chargers to attach magnetically.

I'm guessing you have it.

 

[HangOutdoors]

Newer iPhones have MagSafe. An actual array of magnets in the back. It allows compatible mounts, wallets and wireless chargers to attach magnetically.

I'm guessing you have it.

As a side note, it can cause issues with credit cards. The cheap cases that have slots in back if you put your cards in there they can render them useless at times.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

As a side-side note (lol), Canada doesn't use the magnetic strips anymore at all. RFID only (aka chip and pin). RFID is much, much more resistant to magnetic fields and the magnets in these phones or cases don't damage them at all. I use such mounts personally and all of those things keep working. Credit card magnetic strips are also much more resistant to magnets since they are pretty strongly magnetized. But you are right, it's possible, but very rare. What IS very likely are things like hotel key cards which are very weakly magnetized. Hence why you often have to get them re-magnetized. Keep those away from your magsafe iPhone.

So if a Canadian reads this, you have very little to worry about when it comes to demagnetizing cards.

Heading down to upstate NY in about a week. Land of the magnetic strip. lol We'll find out soon if my credit card still works down there.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

After discovering that yesterday I messed around with this a bit and found the amount of deflection varied, it appeared there was more deflection if I was using the Bluetooth connection to the stereo and playing music. I’ve known for a while that my compass doesn’t agree with my Solixs’ compass heading, well most of the time, yesterday while cruising around at times the compass and the Solixs’ heading were spot on. I’ve often wondered if my Solixs’ proximity to the compass could be affecting the compass, have to dig out one of my compasses from one of my packs and take it along next time to see If having the Solix turned on affects the compass or not. I also need to see what the magnetic declination is at my location and check that against the Solix as I think the GPS compass is true north and not magnetic north.

 

[BigN8]

Many things can cause compass deflection. Even steel objects can cause deflection not just magnets.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

FYI, electromagnetic fields will have no effect on the magnetic properties. So any electronics being turned on/off won't matter. If it does, there's something else at play.

@BigN8 Only steel that has been magnetized. But yes, it can and is often magnetized for various reasons.

This is the part where I should probably mention what I do for a living... lol. I'm a geophysicist. Specifically an electromagnetic specialist where we work with EM fields on airplanes and helicopters where we also measure the earth's magnetic field with very precise magnetometers.

 

[Coult45]

As a side-side note (lol), Canada doesn't use the magnetic strips anymore at all. RFID only (aka chip and pin). RFID is much, much more resistant to magnetic fields and the magnets in these phones or cases don't damage them at all. I use such mounts personally and all of those things keep working. Credit card magnetic strips are also much more resistant to magnets since they are pretty strongly magnetized. But you are right, it's possible, but very rare. What IS very likely are things like hotel key cards which are very weakly magnetized. Hence why you often have to get them re-magnetized. Keep those away from your magsafe iPhone.

So if a Canadian reads this, you have very little to worry about when it comes to demagnetizing cards.

Heading down to upstate NY in about a week. Land of the magnetic strip. lol We'll find out soon if my credit card still works down there.

Anything interesting planned for your visit down to Upstate? If you're in the Syracuse area and need a Yamaha fix, I can probably squeeze in a ride!

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

@Coult45 Thanks for the offer but we're staying right along the St. Lawrence. Heading to a wedding in the Thousand Islands area. Alexandria Bay. A cousin of mine is getting married on their island. I do get to boat... kind of. lol Uncle Sams' Boat Tours I believe is bringing all the guests to their island for the wedding. No Yamaha or Scarab... I have boated there before though. Busy but beautiful!

 

[Coult45]

@Coult45 Thanks for the offer but we're staying right along the St. Lawrence. Heading to a wedding in the Thousand Islands area. Alexandria Bay. A cousin of mine is getting married on their island. I do get to boat... kind of. lol Uncle Sams' Boat Tours I believe is bringing all the guests to their island for the wedding. No Yamaha or Scarab... I have boated there before though. Busy but beautiful!

Enjoy the trip. It is beautiful around there. I need to find a good RV park or cabin rental with a dock for a week or so next summer in the Clayton/A Bay area, since we've only had the new boat on the Seneca River and connected lakes around here so far. Couldn't justify trailering anywhere this summer when it's been so easy to walk to my dock.

 

[Bluewater272]

FYI, electromagnetic fields will have no effect on the magnetic properties. So any electronics being turned on/off won't matter. If it does, there's something else at play.

@BigN8 Only steel that has been magnetized. But yes, it can and is often magnetized for various reasons.

This is the part where I should probably mention what I do for a living... lol. I'm a geophysicist. Specifically an electromagnetic specialist where we work with EM fields on airplanes and helicopters where we also measure the earth's magnetic field with very precise magnetometers.

Well, that sounds fascinating.

 

[FSH 210 Sport]

NOAA has this nifty online magnetic declination calculator.

NCEI Geomagnetic Calculators

ngdc.noaa.gov

There’s an adage, east is least and west is best. If the magnetic declination in your area is east, then subtract the magnetic declination from your true heading to get the magnetic heading, for a western declination, add the declination to your true heading to get the magnetic heading.

 

[Luc Lafreniere]

@seanmclean For your entertainment, a project my company is currently working on not too far from you. Flights above Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia to map geology | U.S. Geological Survey

 

[BigN8]

NOAA has this nifty online magnetic declination calculator.

NCEI Geomagnetic Calculators

ngdc.noaa.gov

There’s an adage, east is least and west is best. If the magnetic declination in your area is east, then subtract the magnetic declination from your true heading to get the magnetic heading, for a western declination, add the declination to your true heading to get the magnetic heading.

The term is actually magnetic variation when comparing magnetic filed to True North. Declination is human imposed interference with a magnetic compass. Also the saying for figuring magnetic variation is "correcting add east". I only know this shit right now because I'm doing the ASA 105 course which is Inland and Coastal Navigation.