North Up or Heading Up?

[Liming II]

Good afternoon,
Just wondering how everyone sets up their chart plotters. We were recently told by a professional captain (former Naval Officer) that north should always be up. All of our friends tell us they set up as heading up. Heading up seems more intuitive to me.

Thanks

Mike

[rslifkin]

Personally, I like radar as heading-up (as it's natural for correlating a radar target to a visible object). Charts are always north up, I can't stand having the chart rotate on me.

[Snore]

Originally Posted by Liming II

Good afternoon,

Just wondering how everyone sets up their chart plotters. We were recently told by a professional captain (former Naval Officer) that north should always be up. All of our friends tell us they set up as heading up. Heading up seems more intuitive to me.



Thanks



Mike

North up works on a huge vessel when each watch team has had plenty of sleep.

For the rest of us, heading up is easier. Picture this coming into Government Cut (Miami)- everything out the window is 90-100 deg from the plotter. Those radar and AIS targets? Turn them 90-100 degrees. The buoys for Dodge Island? Be sure to adjust them. And lots of luck with that little jog of the channel at the west end of Dodge!

Why invite error? Heading up gives you WYSIWYG.

[dcondit]

At the helm I like heading up. For other devices (nav station, TV in the saloon, iPad in bed, etc.) I use north up.

[aqfishing]

Originally Posted by rslifkin

Personally, I like radar as heading-up (as it's natural for correlating a radar target to a visible object). Charts are always north up, I can't stand having the chart rotate on me.

Everything he said! Spot on answer!

[glenn.225]

I don't know about the navy but in the army we always "orientated the map to the ground". I and do the same with my gps I don't so much care where north is I want to know where I'm going.

[Rumrace]

The navy officer is bang on if not poorly expressed because it’s instinct to him.
Also never argue with military types even when they are wrong. They did so many other things beyond the call they get a pass.

[Montanan]

North is an arbitrary reference direction. I go with heading up and that changes depending on whether going forward or reverse.

[Brian.D]

Let the map or display move around you and not you around the map or display.You ARE the center of your universe. Keep heading up and you will have your point of reference locked in. No need to look around to try and find the target or landmass.

JMHO

[japawil]

Personally, I tend to go by scale.
For larger scale/planning purposes….N up.
For running eyeball range….heading up.

[Brioche]

River or narrow space, heading up, open water, north.

[Stu Jackson]

N up, all the time. I tried H up and couldn't get used to the screen moving all the time.


I spent a long time before chartplotters came around, and I never moved a paper chart, it was, and remains, N up, too.


My wife in a car? Not so much...

[LoudMusic]

Asking these questions is going to get me divorced.

But I think I mostly agree with japawil.

Personally, I tend to go by scale.
For larger scale/planning purposes….N up.
For running eyeball range….heading up.

[sailorboy1]

Originally Posted by Liming II

Good afternoon,
Just wondering how everyone sets up their chart plotters. We were recently told by a professional captain (former Naval Officer) that north should always be up. All of our friends tell us they set up as heading up. Heading up seems more intuitive to me.

Thanks

Mike

I keep the one at the helm on course up to match what I am looking at.

I keep the one down at the nav desk in north up to match the chart I would be looking at if down there

[Frankly]

Heading/ course up at the helm, North up down below when entering waypoints and nav planning.

Did your father ever tell you "Look where you are going ".

Frankly