Mag compass

N661DJ · #1 08-13-2009, 04:57 AM

Has anyone had any experience with trying to degause the windshield support brace? I wish to mount the compass on the top of the glare shield and find the compass error extreme due to the steel, not stainless, windshield support. It is not pratical to replace the brace, would require removal of the windshield. I seem to remember many years ago, TV repair using a "degausing coil" to degause color pix tubes.

chepburn · #2 08-13-2009, 05:32 AM

Hi,
Have a peek at this thread....

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...hlight=degauss

rv9av8tr · #3 08-13-2009, 08:17 AM

In the old days when dead reckoning was the way of navigation, I can understand having a accurate compass. But in this day and age of GPS, I'm not clear why anyone cares. Yes, the FAA requires having it in the plane.... the but the reality is, I flew my Long-EZ for 22 yrs all over the country and never paid any attention to that bouncing, rolling compass. Never once NEEDED it.

RScott · #4 08-13-2009, 11:12 AM

First, do you know the brace is magnetized? Being essentially a long bar, it could be, but maybe not. I don't know the steel used, but mild steel does not hold magnetism at all. It can be pulled toward a magnet, but it can not be made to act as a magnet.

Remember, the compass itself is a magnet.

I took a good quality hand compass and moved it close to each end of my soon to be installed brace and it only responded to the lower end--perhaps the flat piece is magnetized, but the tube was not and the compass did not respond to the tube at all.

Take a paper clip, hang it from a thread and move it close to each end of the brace. If it moves to the brace when it is close, then it does need to be demagnetized.

If you are installing a compass on the brace, the safest place is midway, where the poles neutralize each other.