Hello :)
I have a Suunto MC 2G compass, and I am learning about magnetic declination. First, the area I live in has a -8° declination. So, if I set my adjustment to reflect that, then orient my map in the traditional way, everything on my map should reflect exactly what I see in real life, correct? This appears to be true for me, but it is hard to tell given such a small declination.
Second, with my adjusted compass, do I take and measure bearings in the traditional way? If I take a bearing on an object that reads 340 at the index line, then I don’t have to worry about accounting for that -8, because I have already set it, correct? I suppose what I am asking is that, once my declination is set, I can just continue using my compass in all the ways I have before, and not worry about declination anymore.
You’ve got it right - once you’ve set the -8° declination on your Suunto, you’re good to go and can just use the compass normally without any extra calculations, the adjustment is esentially “baked in” to all your readings now.