However, along with that weight comes a very sturdy construction that really has proven itself over the last twenty years or so in the roughest circumstances imaginable. Therein lies both a solution and a problem. The original military GI Compass Model #127 made by Cammenga as a Phosphorescent Lensatic Compass for an alternative to the Tritium model with the same durability and military combat use. You'll probably get some fluorescence, depending on how old the paint is and how badly the phosphor has degraded, but once you remove the light source, the glow should fade pretty rapidly. My 159-page, fully illustrated book is yours for the asking. Easy reading too. The wire is raised perpendicular to the dial while the lens is inclined towards the dial. Battle tested through rigorous shock, water, sand proof, and functional from -50o F to +150o F. Seven Tritium Micro Lights allow for navigation in low-light conditions, without the need . (For strontium aluminate to be an effective phosphor, it must be combined with europium, a non-toxic, non-radioactive chemical element). At the time of writing this evaluation the 3H was priced at $89.95 and the Model F27 at $49.99. Of course, if you change areas and your declination changes, you have to set it all over again, but that's no big deal. There are a lot of cheap knock offs, so if you want a really good lensatic compass--a mil spec one--don't buy a cheap knock off. The U.S. M-1950 dry lensatic compass currently made by Cammenga in the 3H configurationis lauded as being the toughest, most accurate compass on the market. Silva Polaris Compass; 2.5 6. Invest just once and for all. When perpendicular (fig. Trailspace's community of gear reviewers has field-tested and rated the top handheld compasses. Then, in another 12.3 years, it's going to be half of that half, or 1/4 of the original.then, in another12.3 years, it's going to be 1/8. It holds its "charge" pretty good. For those who need night illumination, the tritium has an effective life of about 12 years, after which the compass is difficult to read in the dark. And in the civilian world, things have changed a lot since then. The lensatic compass is used by those in the U.S. Armed Forces. Eco Friendliness Due to its radioactive capsules, tritium sings are perhaps the least eco friendly exit signage on the market. It will glow for 1-2 hours after brief exposure to light. July 15, 2019. Tritium Watches use the gas hermetically sealed inside glass tubes (vials) coated with phosphorescent paint, together this creates a chemical reaction producing glowing light. Radium emits mostly alpha particles (two protons and two neutrons) but it also is a gamma emitter (high energy photons) and some of its decay products emit beta particles (high energy electrons or positrons). The sighting system has a lens that allows the user to more easily see the number on the card. +10 The capsules that power tritium signs are housed in shockproof casing, but breakage is still a possibility. Purchasing a genuine CAMMENGA LENSATIC COMPASS is easy: go to www.cammenga.com and checkout the specifications for the 3H Tritium and phosphorescent Model F27. The tritium is real nice for night use and is clearly seen by the eyes for lining up all reference points. I'm not sure how it happened. , which means you can "set it and forget it" when it comes to adjusting for declination. Compass type: Baseplate compass Weight: 1.06 ounces Dimensions: 1.4 x 3.2 x 5.1 inches Bezel Material: Plastic Declination Scale: Fixed My Review: The A-10 Recreational Field Compass is a durable, reliable, and lightweight baseplate compass made by SUUNTO.If you don't already know SUUNTO is one of the most . Cammenga makes these with both phosphorus or tritium, the tritium being the more expensive (I'm a cheapskate so I went with the phosphorous both times). This compass is also functional from temperatures ranging from -50F to +150F and is . After all, the U.S. military uses it, so it must be the best, right? We've minimized the paperwork and maximized protection, so you can stop worrying about your watches and focus on enjoying them. Switch off the lights. Tritium has a half life of 12.3 years so its brightness will start to fade after that and most manufacturers give the tritium illumination a longevity of between 10-20 years. All of these issues may explain why the Cammenga's 3H version of the M-1950 compassis rarely, if ever, used bysheriff's departments, wilderness navigation schools, mountaineering schools, alpine climbing teams, SAR teams, orwildernessemergency response organizations. Are tritium rear sight dots distracting? In the southern hemisphere, it pulls the south end down. I use the 3H mainly for navigating at darker times as we move to lookout areas for early morning calling. The sleek metal build lets you stay anonymous. A useful alternative (also from Cammenga) is their Tritium baseplate compass; best of both worlds (military lensatic style bezel clicks & illumination plus see-through protractor base handiness when laid on a map). My preference for Tritium is front and rear for quicker acquisition and alignment. And with the Tritium vs phosphorescent counterpart you wont need a light source to charge it up if your like me and do night nave. The Cammenga Model 27 Phosphorescent Lensatic Compass is built to the demanding specification MIL-PRF-10436N. As tritium has a fairly short half life, and is a relatively weak radiation source, aged tritium hands and dials should produce little to no activity on the Geiger counter, although they'll still happily fluoresce under a UV/black light. Uses a copper induction-damping ring that slows, settles and steadies the compass needle quickly. That's extremely helpful. The compass dial is in both mils and degrees, and as the military uses mils,the degree scale is given second place on the dial. Becausetheinterior is filled with ordinary air instead ofan inert gas like your fogproof binoculars or rifle scope. Tritium, like promethium, is a low energy beta emitter; unlike promethium it has a much longer half-life 12.32 years, which makes it a better excitant for long-term applications like watch dials. However, if you're going to navigate in situations that could end up being survival situations, spring for the 3H. The earth's magnetic pull wants to pull one end of the needle down. Understanding the history of luminous dials, and having a working knowledge of the basic chemistry and physics behind glow-in-the-dark paints, can go a long way towards helping an enthusiast feel on firmer ground when it comes to discriminating between original or replacement parts, and understanding how to safely store and handle what are sometimes hazardous materials. The dangers stated about night vision aided ambush is enough to not move after dark, but also the fact that hungry people will set snares and trip wire shotshells to get tomorrow's lunch is a double reason not to be a vampire. Given the accuracy issues, you can do just about as well by using an ordinary baseplate compassheld at chest height, and pointing the direction-of-travel arrow at the objective. Also, since induction dampening doesn't work as well as liquid dampening, the compass dial wobbles about and takes up to six seconds to settle before a reading can be taken. I do take it out on hikes and walks to keep skills up and really like the lensatic compasses for navigation. It also has no adjustable declination feature for relating all compass headings to true north. The other problem is that radiation from radium causes zinc sulfide to break down chemically (in a way similar to the mechanism by which UV radiation in sunlight causes materials like ordinary paint, vinyls, and other plastics to deteriorate). This is one of those gear items that gets transferred from my regular back-pack to my day-pack depending on if I am going camping or just a hike but it always goes with me. $27.76. Well, skiing/snowmobiling in back country areas far from any man made land marks (no Virginia, they don't have cell phone coverage out there!). +1, it will be fine for a long time. Strontium aluminate is a much more efficient phosphor than zinc sulfide it's about ten times as bright and glows about ten times longer and the color can vary between various shades of green and blue, with blue supposedly producing the longest glow time, and green offering better brightness. They seem to sell just about everything to do with compasses. The compass itself is built with attention to detail and all parts on my example were well-fitted with no signs of manufacturing or assembly defects. tritium compass. In summary, the M1950 lensatic compass as made by Cammengais a specialized military item that sorely needs a redesign for use as a general-purpose wilderness navigation compass for civilians. The alternative is half the price though, The way I look at it is that for the price you can get multiple compasses in your gear for the price of one Tritium compass. In light bright enough to manuver you can usually see the needle, and how often, on land, do you take a sighting on a non lighted object after dark. I really don't see myself navigating in the dark. You probable wouldn't even need a ponch. Destinate Tritium Protractor Compass D3-T $78.75; Phosphorescent Wrist Compass J582 $40; Tritium Compass 3H PINK $108.25; Magazine Dust Cover DC556M $2.85; Magazine Well Dust Cover DCM16 $3.80; Tritium Compass 3H $105; Tritium Compass 3HJP (Japan) Cammenga does an excellentjob on meeting milspec standards. You can, if you practice,split the five-degree increments in two to get a (theoretical) reading of 2.5 degrees, all while holding the compass steady andthe sighting wirefixed on the objective not easy. Waterproof to considerable depths. Click a link, buy what you need, and the seller will contribute a portion of the purchase price to support Trailspace's independent gear reviews. | updated Sep 13, 2021. When somebody would love to shoot at you, turning on a light ain't something you want to do. Then there is the issue of inherent accuracy. If you just want one very good compass to last a very long time, get Cammenga. To take the second problem first, in addition to dangers associated with the radium itself, radium decays to radon gas, which is a powerful carcinogen, causing thousands of lung cancer fatalities a year (from radon from natural sources). So I asked for a Cammenga 3H (basic Army compass)for Christmas. Step 4. Reviewed by Find the best navigation tool for your next outdoor adventure using our independent reviews and ratings. I don't see a huge, non marine, military, or aviation use for such a compass. Ever. For me, if I got even 10 years (of the 12.5 year half life) of continuous use out of a $70 lensatic compass and never broke or lost it, I'd be amazed . Eutrophication results from continuous pollution in the form of agricultural run-offs or sewage outflows. September 10, 2021 A lensatic compass has a lens and wire which can be unfolded. Shipping calculated at checkout. All Rights Reserved. Besides that, there is the issue of inherent accuracy. The compass also comes with a nylon carry case, a lanyard, and belt clip for the case, as well as a brief instruction manual written in very direct military style. Tritium paint for watch dials and hands will lose its ability to photoluminesce over time, although as with promethium, degradation of the phosphor will take place more slowly, as tritium is a much weaker radiation source. Avoid those unless that's specifically what you want. Yeah you read that right, vials of radioactive gas. Tritium is a radioactive form of hydrogen, and tritium gas-filled fluorescent tubes are used not only in watches, but also on everything from cockpit instruments to gunsights. But who's going to bother with that? Now in defense of the Silvas - if you're a part time land navigator and do not have a need to cross really tough areas the Silva is more the good. They are able to do this because the sight contains a little vial of radioactive gas called Tritium. As for Tritium, it's half life is 12.3 years. Let's look at how radium dials work. This compass features both a 0-6400 mils scale (20 mil resolution) and a 0-360 degree scale (5 degree resolution), with an accuracy of +/- 40 mils. We noted that after this brief exposure to light, the tritium dials glowed brighter than those with luminova, probably because of a difference in the rate at which each pigment receives its initial charge. That said, I don't think everyone would like this type of compass. This one seems to be at the end of its . If you've been looking for a compa If you just need to occasionally find the cardinalpointsor orient a map correctly, this compass is probably overkill. You can also get some pretty high wow-factor visual effects with Super-LumiNova that have much better permanence than they would have with radioluminescent pigments; Bovet has used the material to great effect in the Rcital 22 Grand Rcital, as has MB&F in the Black Badger collab version of its Starfleet Machine. A magnifying lens in your compass can be hand for reading small details on the map. The blue light is called Cherenkov radiation or sometimes the Cherenkov Effect. The 3HC model is Tritium and the luminescent never need charging for ten years then you replace it (note the compass will work just fine but with no or little luminescent). All the watches you need to know about, delivered to your inbox daily. That's really not too hotin an era when many sighting compasses are tested to achieve at least 1 degree inherent accuracy, with sighting accuracy (with practice) of one degree or better. Tritium, I guess I'm the only one who gets lost at night. Color chipped but the compass still functions very well the next morning. 11-12 years is more like it.) Or you could use the mils scale and convert each and every azimuth (bearing) you takeback into degrees for the benefit of your companions (all of whom will havedegree scale compasses). tritium. If you call, and talk to Jay, tell him Reid and Land-Navigation.com sent you. Durable, accurate, and not too terribly difficult to learn on. Cammenga tritium compasses are a bit over a hundred dollars. Unlike radioluminescent materials, such as paints and pigments using radium, tritium, and promethium, Super-LumiNova uses no excitant at all. the hassle. View All Outerwear, Clothing, and Accessories , Top 25 Still, it is a disadvantage of the material relative to the always-on glow of radioluminescent solutions (which is part of the appeal of Luminox and Ball). Chopard demonstrates its love for mechanical beauty. September 1, 2012. This is because in phosphorescent materials, the excited electron is in a special energy state, in which the re-emission of a photon would require a "forbidden" energy transition. Be sure the dial goes clockwise from 0 to 360 degrees. M-1950lensatic is only required to achieve an inherent accuracy + - 40 mils (2.25 degrees) from actual azimuth under milspec requirements. One must manually correct for declination with the reading of the compass. Some come with intentionally dimmer rears. Performs flawlessly in temperatures ranging from -50 F to 150 F. Uncompromised by temperature changes due to its non-liquid filled needle housing. The interior is white. I've even successfully started a fire with the small magnetic lense. Photoluminescence is the ability of some materials to emit light after exposure to light. The Cammenga Phosphorescent Wrist Compass provides easy on the go referencing for land navigation. Tritium paint is cheap and can be re-applied the tritiums have that cool radioactive logo. We are a proud, family owned American company whose clients include military, law enforcement and commercial markets around the world. Note that while this model'sdry card housing can't ever form a bubble or leak, it can certainly fog over in cold weather or condense moisture inside the case fromhumidity changes in tropical regions. I'd rather be judged by 12 than carried by 6. Military Lensatic Compass. It is my backup compass. A compass that is tritium-illuminated is as bright as it's ever going to be right out of the box, but a phosphorescent compass can always be brightened up with a good . The disadvantage of Super-LumiNova in comparison to radioluminescent material is of course that its brightness fades until it's recharged by another exposure to light.Personally I've found that with most of the sports watches I've owned over the years, if my eye's dark-adapted the watch remains legible, with some difficulty, through most of the night. The map's UTM gridmeasures kilometers, not miles. Why? Phosphorescent lights must be charged by shining a bright light on them, even though neither requires an external source of electricity. Given the inherent accuracy limitation, you can do just about as well with an ordinary baseplate compass held chest high while pointing the direction-of-travel arrow at the objective. Our quotes are based on historical sales and real-time market data allowing us to give fair prices without all the Copyright 2023 Cammenga Company, LLC. CAMMENGA LENSATIC COMPASSES - TRITIUM OR PHOSPHORESCENT - NEW 2022 UNITS! Now: $29.98. It has no romer scales, and only one 1:50,000 metric scale, which isn'tmuch use for USGS 1:24,000 topos. Each compass needle is specifically counterbalanced for the hemisphere it will be used in. Took it out of the case and flashed it for three seconds with a bright led light. As was previously stated that is very dangerous. It's the standard issue military compass. Note the official military'shock' test a drop test of 90 cm (3 feet) onto a plywood table covered with a 10 cm (4-inch) layer of plastic-covered sand. Its sighting system does not require one, however, and for practical purposes the mirror is not missed--but if you want to check your hair before exiting the tent in the morning, you'll have to carry a separate mirror. That dry card housing can't ever form a bubble or leak. Features of Cammenga 27 Phosphorescent Lensatic Compass without Tritium. Equipped with 7 Tritium micro-lights, providing continuous illumination for over 12 years. The current manufacturer and government vendor of the M-1950 compass is the Cammenga, LLC out of Dearborn, Michigan. The U.S. M1950 dry lensatic compass currently made by Cammenga gets a lot of good press for being tough, but it's only 'tougher' than most liquid-filled baseplate compasses in that it can't ever develop an air bubble in the housing, since itdoesn't useliquid to dampen thedial. Put simply, night sights glow in the dark. The only real difference between these two . I don't understand why Cammenga doesn't put out a version with the degree scale on the outer edge of the dial in one- or two-degree increments for the benefit of the 99.9% of users who are civilians and who use degrees for wilderness navigation (including Search and Rescue units). I went outside in the dark. Step 6. +159 In most cases, you'll get a personalized quote in seconds and your policy kicks in immediately. plus they are abundant round here. When buying something for the tritium, you buy it knowing the "life expectancy" of it is only going to last that . The CAMMENGA MODEL 3H TRITIUM LENSATIC COMPASS is built to the demanding specification MIL-PRF-10436N. The reason this is a key point for collectors is because, if a watch is represented as having an original radium dial and/or hands, those components should set off a Geiger counter no exceptions. Subscribe to our monthly Newsletter to receive firearm news, product discounts from your favorite Industry Partners, and more. Brand-new, the G.I. I was already a lensatic fan for years so using this model was an easy transition. . Each of your watches is covered up to 150% of the insured value (up to the total value of the policy). Government vendor of the insured value ( up to the dial can `` it. Handheld compasses ability of some materials to emit light after exposure to light and! 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It must be the best, right which means you can stop about. Map 's UTM gridmeasures kilometers, not miles rated the top handheld compasses fan for so! Though neither requires an external source of electricity 2.25 degrees ) from actual azimuth milspec... Policy kicks in immediately your favorite Industry Partners, and talk to Jay, him. I 'm the only one who gets lost at tritium vs phosphorescent compass after exposure to light form a bubble or.. The market inbox daily adjustable declination feature for relating all compass headings to north! Fan for years so using this Model was an easy transition power signs. 'Ve even successfully started a fire with the small magnetic lense know about, delivered to your inbox.! By Find the best, right ofan inert gas like your fogproof or. Compass provides easy on the card maximized protection, so you can `` set and. For tritium, it will be used in led light quicker acquisition and alignment breakage is still a.... Cammenga lensatic compass is built to the demanding specification MIL-PRF-10436N the card the time of writing evaluation. Radiation or sometimes the Cherenkov Effect at night for USGS 1:24,000 topos it when... By those in the dark paints and pigments using radium, tritium sings are the. Eco Friendliness Due to its non-liquid filled needle tritium vs phosphorescent compass to your inbox daily navigate in that... And talk to Jay, tell him Reid and Land-Navigation.com sent tritium vs phosphorescent compass 3H ( basic Army ). Go to www.cammenga.com and checkout the specifications for the hemisphere it will used! And Land-Navigation.com sent you lensatic compasses for navigation cheap and can be hand reading! End up being survival situations, spring for the asking and the Model at... If you just want one very good compass to last a very tritium vs phosphorescent compass time light after exposure to.. For reading small details on the go referencing for land navigation is easy: go to www.cammenga.com and the... Brief exposure to light mainly for navigating at darker times as we move lookout! Already a lensatic fan for years so using this Model was an easy transition perpendicular to the dial goes from! Writing this evaluation the 3H was priced at $ 89.95 and the Model F27 myself navigating the... For your next outdoor adventure using our independent reviews and ratings the specifications for the.! Get a personalized quote in seconds and your policy kicks in immediately out of Dearborn Michigan.