How to input the correct declination ?
To compensate for the declination one must know the declination at the location where the compass is going to be used. Declination is not constant and changes with time, but in general you can forget about this detail. In any case, you can always find the correct declination at the following site (for US sites only) http://www.ngdc.noaa.gov/seg/geomag/jsp/Declination.jsp where you can select “compute your declination”. It will prompt you to type the ZIP code of your location in the USA you will be using your compass at and it will give you the declination. For example, if I plan to use the compass in downtown Minneapolis (ZIP 55455, elevation 850 feet) on Mar 15, 2006, the computer tells me that the declination is 1 degree and 14 minutes East. So, on my compass I will enter the mode COMPASS, then the sub-menu COMPASS and then the sub-sub-menu DECLIN where I will input East and 1.0 degrees. The elevation is not dramatically important as long as it is within several hundreds of feet, but
