Theodolite

[Rdutton]

Thanks for the swift replies.
Can you tell me how fine a sighting is possible with one of these? I've seen many that can't do better than 15' though maybe there is a trick I don't know about.
Not that I think I'll wind up with a transit of my own very soon but things have a way of turning up at a flea market or garage sale at just the right moment on occasion.

My general interest is in the old N.African desert explorers of the '20s and '30s. Bagnold, Almasy et al and going into the desert navigation of WWII and of course that thrill of locating my place here by points of light out there.

TJA,

If my memory serves me correctly the horizontal limb of my K&E could be read down to 0° 01' (1 minute of arc).  That's the best I can remember.

Most of the difficulty in using a transit (sextant, too) is leveling it and keeping it level after setup.  The remaining complications are often just related to reading the vernier.

You have a very unusual interest to say the least.  North African explorers!  Do you mean Ralph Bagnold?!  What a man he was!

Have you followed anything about the LRDG's during WW II?  

Though related to problems in air navigation, have you ever seen the movie, "Sole Survivor" with Richard Basehart?  It's a movie loosely based on the flight of the "Lady B-Good" during WW II.

Here's the entire movie- Sole Survivor


Yard sales are great as eventually someone wants to sell "some old mechanical thing with a telescope on it" owned by their now long gone uncle.

Good luck,

Roland