NorthStar 961 Reference Manual page 377

Glossary
loran receiver
An electronic position-finding device that receives pulses from
loran stations.
magnetic variation
The difference between magnetic North and true North. In the
continental U.S., this varies from more than 20 west (in
Maine) to more than 20 east (in Washington state). Because
the difference varies according to geographic location, the
Northstar 961/962 automatically calculates magnetic
variation, and uses it to display bearings as magnetic north.
The variation at any location changes slowly over a period of
years, and the 961/962 compensates, according to the current
calendar year.
master station
The one loran transmitter in a chain of at least three stations.
The master station initiates the series of coded pulses
emulated by the secondary transmitters.
meter A unit of measurement (length) equal to 39.37 inches, slightly
more than a standard yard.
mile
A unit of measurement (distance) equal to 5,280 feet (1,609.3
meters).
nav aid
Aids to navigation often used on coastal and inland waters.
Buoys, lighthouses, and daymarkers are nav aids.
)
An international unit equal to 6,076.115 feet (1,852 meters)
nautical mile (nm
used officially in the U.S. since 1959. A nautical mile is about
800 feet more than a statute mile.
NMEA
National Marine Electronics Association. The industry group
that has established standards for exchanging data between
electronic navigation equipment. NMEA 0183 is the standard
that's currently in wide use. It specifies the format for
sentences containing specific types of data.
NOAA National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
north-up An orientation of the CHART screen in which any charts that
were originally skewed to fit a particular coastline or harbor
are rotated so that true north is up; north-up is usually, but
not always, the same as chart-up.
NOS National Ocean Service.
paper plotter A traditional navigation device that uses a paper chart and a
needle to determine position.
961/962 Operations and Reference Manual, Rev. A Page G-5