I have a 2013 RDX base. I cannot figure out how to access the compass calibration menu and neither can my dealer at this time. Anybody have any experience with this? I have referenced the manual but it is vague.

Thanks.

 

Start the engine. Might be helpful to turn the radio off so you don't lose the screen while you are adjusting it. Push and HOLD the setup button. It is to the right of the large round knob in the center. Set to the proper zone first the calibrate.

 

I got it. I am a little embarrassed as this is what the manual says. I have found a zone map for an MDX. Do you know if they are the same for the RDX?

Thanks for you help GRDX.

 

Zones are the same for either vehicle. It is based on geographical location in relation to true/magnetic north so the model does not matter.

 

As said zone info is geo specific but it is worth noting the zones will drift over time so after maybe five to ten years you may be more accurate to choose an adjacent zone. Back to the map, if you have the OM open for the calibration instructions turn the page, the map should be on the next one.

 

The button to the right of the knob is not the SETUP button if you have Navigation. Where is the SETUP button with Nav?
Do versions with Nav even have a magnetic compass?
Thanks!

 

I would like to resume this old thread because on my 2016 RDX I noticed my compass was slightly off (going south it was displaying SSE instead).
I hope this two pictures might be helpful in case any of you has the same problem on newer two screen infotainment system.

 

I have a new 2016 Advanced Package and am trying to figure out how to get to the compass cal. menu but can't seem to figure it out. My compass it off by a bit.

If I look in the 2016 manual I downloaded or came on the CD with the car it tells me to press the "Setup Button" but my car doesn't have that. It has a "Menu" in that and pressing it for 5 seconds doesn't bring up the compass menu.

giovane, thanks for those pages. Where did they come from I curious? The procedure and page numbers don't match my manual.

Anyway, maybe I just dense but I can't get that procedure to work either. I turn the car on, get an audio source playing and displayed on the upper screen. Then I press the controller knob for 5 seconds but that doesn't bring up the compass menu either. It just selects something on the upper screen depending of what audio source I'm listening to.

What am I missing?

 

I'm pretty sure that if you have navigation, the compass indicator is controlled by the GPS and there's no way (or need) to calibrate it. I think it says that somewhere in the manual, maybe in the navigation section. A GPS compass should not need calibration since it's not magnetic.

 

Honestly I admit I posted those pictures I found on the tlx forum too fast, before I could try it myself. Sorry. It doesn't work on the RDX. The manual gives pretty much the same information.
My RDX starts with the compass slightly off, and I see that after the car makes a full 360 (like driving around the block) the compass displays the right direction.
I wish I knew how to get to the calibration setup screen. I'm quite positive if I found the way to set the zone it would be calibrated from the engine start.

 

Thanks guys.

It would make sense that the compass uses the GPS. I never thought about it.

Mine is a little off sitting in the garage. Should be dead "E" but reads "ESE". But that is just after sitting there a while. I'm going to see what it says after driving around and pulling in the garage.

Either way, no big deal. Just my OCD side wanted it to be perfect at all times

 

A GPS compass might not be accurate until you move...then it will be able to determine the direction you're moving. Until then it probably points in the direction you were last moving. I guess that's one of the drawbacks of it. If you're standing still and want to know which way is north you'll have to look for moss on trees or something.

 

Which we have an abundance of here in Chandler and Gilbert

 

The GPS compass reads incorrectly. Period.

 

Magnetic north = apples
Grid north = oranges
True north = Grid north for now until the earth north pole axis rotates away from the north star Polaris. Five thousand years ago, the closest visible star to the celestial north pole was Thuban.

Think of Magnetic north as the Metric system and Grid north as the USA units of measurements. 10 miles doesn't equal 10 KM and you have to convert to get the same measurement of units or for our Navi system directions.

The compass uses magnetic north; which, originates just above the Hudson Bay and is drifting. The Navi system used grid north; which, uses Long/Lat lines from the north pole. There is a conversion of mag north to grid north if you need to use grid based navi map (magnetic declination to the magnetic bearing). The further away to the left/right from being in-line/below the Hudson Bay, the more you need to apply an east or west declination to convert for map usage. You might be seeing Magnetic north (apples) being displayed with map grid north (oranges) and they are both 100% correct.

I've always seen map based on Long/lat and most urban planners base everything on long/lat lines and the map cardinal grid directions not magnetic north lines. Plus, every map of a street, city, state, country, or planet is based on long/lat lines and we just assume there is only 1 north instead of 3 (mag, north pole, true).

I had problems in the military in the early 90s with magnetic readings are affected by power lines, metallic content of a mountain, cities, storms, and solar flares. We started using hand held GPS around 1990 and it made life a lot easier for navigation. It is probably worse now with cell towers, wi-fi, satellite TV, etc...

 

The GPS compass in my 2016 RDX seems to be right on. I found an intersection in my city where the two streets run north/south and east/west. The GPS shows all headings right on when traveling in all four possible directions.

As markAZ said, a GPS compass can only show the direction of travel when moving. A GPS receiver (GPSR) only knows where you are located on the face of the earth. It has no idea which way your head is turned. It rechecks your location approximately every second, and if it sees your position has changed, it will calculate the direction you have traveled, and also calculate your speed based on how far you moved during that one second interval.

A typical GPSR is only accurate to about 10 meters. The accuracy can change depending on the number of satellites that can be "seen" at any time, and their geometry in the sky(i.e. angles/locations). Even when you are not moving a GPSR can show you moving about within a 10 meter circle at a speed of a few KPH. In fact some GPSR's show a circle around your current location which represents the current estimated accuracy of the system. This is known as the Estimated Positioning Error (EPE). The circle indicates you could actually be anywhere within that circle.

To get the most accurate readings, you need to be moving at a speed high enough so that the EPE becomes negligible, and tall buildings and trees do not reduce the number of satellites that are available.

 

You might be lucky to live in a location where the conversion of mag and grid north is very small. Your GPS compass may match a magnetic compass which matches every thing else like streets and city orientation. The closer you are to the 0 degree declination line; the less the mag compass direction will vary from what you see on a map.

 

When I travel north on a north/south road the compass reads "N". When I travel south on the same stretch of road the compass reads "SSE".

 

I should have explained myself more clearly. The intersection I spoke of, runs N/S and E/W based on a handheld magnetic compass, not on the city map.

My observations show that the Acura GPS unit is displaying what a magnetic compass would display, by automatically including the deviation that is present at that location on the earths surface.

If you have any doubt this is possible, most handheld hiking style GPSR's have an option to display true north or magnetic north, so the technology is certainly possible and proven.

Having said all that, I would have preferred that the Acura compass show true North, or that Acura include the option that is available on much cheaper handheld devices. I can only assume they wanted to emulate a true compass.

 

Anyway you look at it, SSE is not the opposite of N.

 

Any particular screen that we Need to be in when we hold down on the settings button? Like does holding the Settings button do different things depending on what is on the screens @ the time of input?