Talk:Fluxgate compass

Two queries

I have two queries.

Perhaps someone who knows the subject well can include the answers to my questions in the article:

1. What is meant by "changing magnetic disturbances" in the third paragraph?

2. Correct me if I am wrong, but it seems that when using a fluxgate compass there is no deviation curve (as is the case when using a magnetic compass), though there might be a constant error (similar to a gyro error).

Andrew8 03:23, 6 October 2007 (UTC)

The article could use a discussion of the theory.--76.81.180.3 (talk) 17:28, 22 November 2007 (UTC) Hmm...actually there's more theory at Magnetometer. I think this article should just be a redirect to that one.--76.81.180.3 (talk) 17:48, 22 November 2007 (UTC)

Vertical component

The article mentions that the vertical component of the flux can be an issue if the device isn't kept level. Couldn't one construct a device with at least three perpendicular coils that could output the 3-D flux vector, thereby removing the need for the compass to stay level? —Ben FrantzDale (talk) 15:08, 6 January 2009 (UTC)

Is a separate Fluxgate Compass page necessary at all?

The measurement method is already explained much more clearly in Magnetometers. I think it would improve overall clarity if the Fluxgate Compass was simply included in the 'Solid State Compasses' section of Compasses, and that section renamed 'Electronic Compasses'. The remarks on the particular application of the Fluxgate Compass at sea do add useful knowledge, but they would be better placed in Autopilot and/or Self-steering gear.

JohnTamar (talk) 18:59, 26 July 2010 (UTC)

I've just replaced this page with a redirect into the appropriate section of Magnetometers. As JohnTamar points out, that section provides much more detail than this article. I don't believe there is anything salvageable from this article. It is completely lacking in *any* citations, and most of its text dates back ten years ago, before the smartphone era. I suspect this technology is no longer state of the art, and if it is, that no one would ever consider anything but the 3-D version - why build a device inferior to a $200 phone? -- Wingedsubmariner (talk) 04:27, 3 October 2016 (UTC)

I've restored the article, such as it is. A fluxgate magnetometer isn't the same thing as a fluxgate compass, although one does incorporate the other. A compass gives a directional indication, not just a measure of field strength. Andy Dingley (talk) 11:47, 5 November 2017 (UTC)