Review on 🌊 Precision Navigation Tool: Davis Marine Sextant - Enhance Your Nautical Adventure by Kyle Awasthi

First the bottom line. You can't go wrong with this Davis Mark 3 sextant: it's a fantastically intelligent design that makes the most of the technical properties of plastics. How amazing that a $50 set can compete with traditional metal sextants like the Astra IIIb that cost 15 times more. When photographing the Sun, Moon, or Venus from the Davis artificial horizon, I typically get a line of reference within 5 miles of my coastal location. . The averaging of several oscilloscopes reliably leads to better results, which indicates a small systematic error. This makes the Mark 3 not only a great tool for vision training, but also as a backup ditch bag, for measuring horizontal angles when flying, or even as a primary navigational aid if that's the task you're looking for. a rapid series of six ground-based images of the Sun averaging a position line error of 0.1 miles with an error of one mile. Call it a coincidence, but still. At sea, of course, it's a different story, but it's the same for all sextants.) with a thoughtful little guide that explains the basics of finding latitude and longitude using sun visors and watches. It also includes an almanac of approximate solar declinations and an equation of time. In fact, this is enough to travel the whole world, but for the niceties you will have to look elsewhere. ("Astronomical Navigation in the Age of GPS” by John Carl is my favorite book on the subject to date.) A few minor caveats. Mark 3 is sensitive to handling and temperature changes because it's made of plastic. So remember to note the index error often when there is a temperature gradient between the sextant and its surroundings. I've found that getting to a good baseline is kind of an iterative process with pauses in between. The reason seems to be that once adjusted, the two set screws take time to equalize as they are balanced with the plastic and mirror clips. .As other reviewers have noted, the combined hues can become darker than when photographed in the sun. I'm surprised the manufacturer didn't address this as it would have been an easy fix. Some notice the shift in the horizon mirror. It is pressed in and not adjustable. Mine is perfect so it seems to be due to manufacturing tolerances. In this case, the manufacturer is willing to send you a new sextant, so it is not new. In summary, the Davis Mark 3 Sextant is a serious tool with elegant simplicity that can serve a variety of motives: student of the timeless art, a backup in case your GPS fails, an item for your ditch bag, a tool for piloting or just for sports . The addition of an artificial Davis skyline allows you to practice day or night in your backyard or on the roof of your home. If your goal is pinpoint accuracy or owning a high-precision device, then pay attention to the Astra IIIb.