DanNautic

Adjustments and Repairs:
In the UK, all adjustments should be made by a compass adjuster who holds a Certificate of Competency as Compass Adjuster issued by the UK Government.

If a qualified compass adjuster is unavailable and the Master considers it necessary, then adjustments may be made by a person holding a Certificate of Competency (Deck Officer) Class 1 (Master Mariner). The compass must be re-adjusted by a qualified compass adjuster at the next available opportunity.
The date of any adjustment and other details should be noted in the compass deviation book.

The position of correctors should be recorded in the compass book and on deviation cards.
Because the distances from the coefficients B and C correctors to the standard compass card and to the transmitting element are different, a transmitting magnetic compass will be overcompensated resulting in an error, which can be as much as 2½° and cannot be corrected. Separate deviation cards should be prepared for the standard compass and the transmitting magnetic compass repeater by comparing headings.

Portable Equipment that may interfere with Compasses:
Masters and Officers are advised that portable electrical equipment (e.g. radios and tape recorders) or items made of steel can affect the performance of a compass. Care should be taken to ensure that such items are kept away from the compass position. (See regulation 17, paragraph 3.)

Spare Bowl:
When a spare magnetic compass bowl is required, it should be carefully stowed, together with its gimbal units, away from the bridge structure so that they are unaffected by any casualty disabling the bridge.

Transmitting Magnetic Compasses (TMC):                     

If a new or existing standard magnetic compass is modified to provide a transmission output then each device must be individually certified or re-certified with the transmitting element in place. Re-certification of modified existing compasses should be made, with the transmitting element attached to the compass bowl. 

Modifications should be made by an experienced compass technician, who should ensure that the transmitting element is compatible with the binnacle. The performance of the equipment cannot be relied upon until the compass has been re-certified (as described above) and adjustments have been made by a certified compass adjuster.

Ancillary equipment included in the modifications (e.g. electronic units, displays and power supplies) should be type tested to establish safe distances from the compass. In particular, care should be taken to avoid the effect on the compass of spurious radio frequency transmissions. Guidance can be found in IEC 60945. See Regulation 17, paras. 1 & 2.

If a transmitting magnetic compass provides heading information, i.e., it is read by the helmsman at the main steering position, then the spare bowl must be fitted with a transmitting element, and individual testing is required. Alternatively, if heading information is provided by the reflected image of a standard compass or a separate steering compass, and a transmitting compass is fitted voluntarily to provide a repeater facility to navigation equipment, then the
spare bowl does not require a separate transmitting element.

Emergency Steering position:
Regulation 19, paragraph 2.1.9, requires a telephone or other means to communicate heading information to the emergency steering position, if provided. On ships over 500GT a visual reading of the ship’s heading must be supplied to the emergency steering position if provided. (See regulation 19, paragraph 2.5.2).