Curvimeter: what it is and how the device helps you navigate the terrain

Odometer. Perhaps someone first heard this word, and for sure it did not cause any associations. The only thing that comes to mind is that this device is somehow connected with measuring length. The first part of the name of the device comes from "curvus" in Latin and means "curve", and the second means "measurement". So it turns out that the curvimeter is a device designed to measure curves. Today, in the review of the homemaster.techinfolux.com/en/ editorial staff, we will tell you what a curvimeter is, and we will conduct a small educational program on how to use it correctly.

The ability to own this device, perhaps, will change the worldview of couch geographers, who only know how to use a navigator from Google

Curvimeter: what is it and what is it for

This simple mechanism was invented according to one of the versions in China. Although there is no evidence for this. For the first time, such a device was seen in the hands of Lomonosov, and he called it a curve meter. Perhaps Mikhail Vasilyevich was very sorry that he did not possess such a device during his long journey to Moscow. However, the device received a second birth and a new name only at the end of the 19th century. Practical Germans started making Kurvimeter and selling it all over the world.

Curvimeter is a tool for measuring curves. And they use it to study routes on the map. Everyone who knows how to use the map knows that sometimes calculate distance it is not as easy as it seems. Roads are never straight, on car maps, of course, the lengths of the segments are indicated, but this must be written out and added. And if we are talking about a map of a hunter or fisherman, a search engine, then the segments have no designations. You can navigate only approximately, knowing the scale of the map.Considering that all these approximations significantly affect the walking route, it is better, of course, to know everything for sure.

Fans of traveling through the endless expanses of our homeland know that navigation systems and interactive maps do not cover all routes. It's better not to risk without a good old card

If you don't have such a mechanism, you can, for example, take a wet thread, carefully lay it out along the route, mark a segment and then relate it to the image scale. But with a compact, simple device, everything is much easier. And this will be confirmed by the military, geologists, hunters, fishermen, travel lovers. A curvimeter in mountain tourism is an irreplaceable thing.

What is it: the device of the curvimeter and the photo of the device

For one and a half hundred years, this simple device has not undergone significant changes. It consists of a body, now plastic, with a scale and a small wheel. In some cases, when you scroll the wheel, the entire dial with a scale moves, in others, the arrow. In the standard version, the length of the scale is 100 cm, and the error of the device is 0.25 by 50 cm.

If you purchased a measuring instrument made abroad, the scale may be in inches. Some models have two scales - in centimeters and inches. There are models in which the scale is initially prepared for a specific scale. Modern models are equipped with a reset button, it returns the arrow to zero. If there is no such button, you will have to turn the measuring wheel of the curvimeter in the opposite direction to return to the starting point.

Now you can find on sale and electronic models of the curvimeter. They have a display, control buttons and additional functions

What does the curvimeter measure and how does it do it

As already mentioned, the curvimeter measures distances on the map and allows you to quickly determine the length of certain curved lines. To calculate, you need to scroll the instrument wheel along the winding line of the route and correlate the result with the scale of the drawing.

The more accurately you repeat the route with the wheel, the more accurately you will get the result.

Types of curvimeters by calculation method

The human desire to make all devices electronic often fails. There is nothing more reliable than simple and straightforward mechanics, but does anyone care? So, in addition to simple mechanical models, electronic models appeared on sale. Let's deal with both the first and the second.

Mechanical device

The primitive device of a mechanical curvimeter was mentioned above. You can only add that the scale can be not only circular, but rectilinear. Such a device weighs no more than 50 g and easily fits in the palm of your hand. In this unchanged form, it has been produced for 50 years and is a must-have device in the officer's tablet of any troops.

The main advantages of the mechanical model are its reliability and undemandingness to the conditions of use.

In frost, heat, heavy rain or hurricane wind, you can safely use a mechanical device. You don't need to think about charging it, it is not afraid of water and mechanical stress. You can buy a mechanical curvimeter for 300-500 rubles. In general, we can say that such a simple device is intended for use in harsh field conditions.

Electronic models

Digital meters are a tool for working at a desk. It is suitable for a laboratory assistant, geographer or chief of military staff. Such gadgets are programmable and can produce a finished result without manual calculations. That is, you enter the scale of the map into the settings and, rolling the wheel along the route, you get the distance in kilometers or meters, if necessary, in acres or miles.

Electronic models are equipped with a battery capable of working up to 400 hours. The dimensions of the gadget are the same compact as that of a mechanical brother

The advantage of having such a device is that you are relieved of the need to perform calculations.To attract buyers to their product, manufacturers have added a compass, calculator and flashlight to electronic devices. It should be remembered that any digital device does not tolerate careless handling, is afraid of water and can be capricious at sub-zero temperatures. You can buy an electronic curvimeter for 800-1500 rubles.

Varieties of curvimeters according to the task performed

An important point: curvimeters can be designed to work with maps or to work directly with the surface, the so-called road meters. Let's figure it out in more detail.

Topographic curvimeters for maps and drawings

All the compact devices that we talked about above are devices for measuring topographic distances according to a plan, drawing, map. Mechanical models are suitable for hiking, electronic models are more useful for office work.

They can look in a variety of ways, are equipped with additional devices

Wheel-shaped road curvimeters

This device is also called a curvimeter, but with the prefix "road". It looks completely different, but the principle of operation does not differ from its cartographic brother. A travel tool is a dimensional device consisting of a wheel with a diameter of 30 cm, a folding handle and a counter. The meter can be mechanical or electronic, depending on the model. Outwardly, the device is somewhat like a children's toy, which is often bought for babies: they push the wheel in front of them.

Such an adult toy is used by road workers and surveyors.

The device weighs about 2 kg. The task of the road wheel of the curvimeter is to determine the length of the distances on the ground. You can buy a road curvimeter in specialized stores, and it costs from 2,000 rubles.

How to use the curvimeter correctly: instructions and video

It is simple to use the road curvimeter - it is rolled along the road and the meter readings are taken.

We are more interested in how to use the cartographic model correctly, because it is she who is the travel companion

Important points:

Seasoned tourists get two-hundred-meter General Staff maps for their travels

And now a small video on how to use a topographic device and make calculations with it:

Popular curvimeter models

Let's figure out which model of the card curvimeter is better to buy. Consider the most popular options and reviews from real users.

Curvimeter of the Zlatoust watch factory KU-AM

Back in 1975, this model was awarded the quality mark. And you probably know that in those years this was taken very seriously. So the curvimeter from the KU-AM plant is a classic.

Compass LX-1M with curvimeter

A miracle of Chinese manufacturers, in which, in addition to a compass, there may also be a thermometer for measuring air temperature.Like most Chinese 3-in-1 products, only one of the built-in devices works - and this is a curvimeter. You can buy this handheld device through Yandex.Market or in a well-known Chinese online store.

Curvimeter Silva Map Measurer Plus

A rare model of an electronic, but waterproof device. Even the speed of movement can be entered into its digital memory, and in this case it will calculate the time that you will spend on the route.

At what price and where is it profitable to buy a curvimeter: an overview of prices and offers on the market

Cartographic curvimeters can usually be bought at retail outlets specializing in the sale of goods for tourism, or military trade. Yandex.Market offers a wide range of cartographic and road models. We have selected the most popular and offer you to compare prices and the best offers, excluding shipping costs.

Model	Main characteristics	Average price (as of April 2018), rubles	Best deal
Compass Curvimeter PF-TCP-03	Manual, mechanical, with a compass.	335	alfatservice.ru
Compass Curvimeter PF-TCP-03
Curvimeter Silva Map Measurer	Manual, mechanical.	1090	kant.ru
Curvimeter Silva Map Measurer
Curvimeter Silva 2017 Map Measurer Plus	Electronic, compass, flashlight, calculator.	2990	kant.ru
Curvimeter Silva 2017 Map Measurer Plus
BOSCH GWM 32 road curvimeter	A road device with a high-precision counting mechanism.	5999	220-volt.ru
BOSCH GWM 32 road curvimeter
Road curvimeter KP 230 RDT	Travel instrument with digital counting device.	19800	toolb.ru
Road curvimeter KP 230 RDT

As you can see, a hand-held curvimeter can be purchased at a price of 300 to 3000 rubles, and the cost of a professional road tool can reach 20 thousand or more.

Summing up

How necessary a cartographic device is in everyday life is a purely individual question. In any case, the readers of this article can definitely win a couple of bets on the explanation of the meaning of this word. Whether this knowledge will be superfluous, or you use this information for practical purposes, it's up to you.

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