Kotelok & Exaktus
Exaktus
I’ve been charting minute variations in compass deviation across latitudes—any recent data from your routes that we could compare?
Kotelok
Got a log from last month’s trek through the northern ridge. At 45°N the needle drifted about +0.3°, and at 50°N it went down to -0.1°. On the southern pass, around 30°S the deviation spiked to +0.6°—the old magnetite deposit is probably doing the trick. Send over your own figures, and we’ll see if our compasses are still playing tricks.
Exaktus
Here’s what I logged: at 44°N +0.2°, 48°N +0.1°, 52°N -0.05°. Southern side: 28°S +0.55°, 32°S +0.58°. Looks like your drift curves align, but the spike at 30°S still exceeds my tolerance margin of ±0.04°. If that deposit is shifting, we’ll need a new reference point.
Kotelok
Looks like the old magnetite deposit is still pulling the strings. If you’re willing to pick a different reference line—maybe the ridge line or a fixed iron stake—I can mark it up on my map. Otherwise, we’ll just keep a tally and hope the Earth doesn’t get any more whimsical.
Exaktus
Let’s use a steel stake buried at 48°12'N, 123°34'E as our reference—no nearby ore veins, no nearby wiring. That will give us a constant baseline. Once you mark it on your map, we can both log deviations relative to that point. No more hoping for Earth's whimsy; we’ll just measure and adjust.
Kotelok
Steel stake at 48°12'N, 123°34'E? Got it. I’ll carve that spot into my notes. From now on we’ll read the needle off the stake and adjust on the fly. No more surprise magnetism—just solid rock and numbers.
Exaktus
Nice. Make sure the stake stays truly inert; even a slight micro‑fracture can skew readings. I’ll keep a log of every swing from that spot—precision over speculation.
Kotelok
Will keep the stake buried deep enough that it’ll shrug off any micro‑fractures, and I’ll log every swing like a hawk. Precision’s the only game in town.