Hi folks it's been a while since I last posted. I had some computer problems and lost the password to my first account but I'm back and I have a question.

Does anyone here use a pocket reference book such as the pocket ref book or would you recormmend a different book?

I have the pocket ref and the pcpocket ref books. The Pocket ref is a trove of info on a variety of stuff. For an all around, "maybe it's in here" book, get it.

The PCref I have is outdated - it was probably outdated the day before it was printed. Wouldn't recommend it now.

I got this one last weekend
http://www.adventurepublications.net/tek9.asp?pg=products&specific=jrioeoc0

I like that book enough to have a copies at home, at work, and in my truck. I also keep it's offshoot, Handyman Pocket Ref, in my toolbelt. I also keep a copy of JJ Keller Hazardous Materials Compliance Pocket Guide in my truck, but only because I have to deal with those regulations at work and so I get free copies.

-Blast

Pocket Ref is good. I also have the SAS Survival Handbook in that same size; it has its uses.

I have the older 2nd ed. of the Pocket Ref and also the Handyman Ref. -- they come in handy in the construction industry and for home projects. I also have the Canadian Wood Council Span Book for designing structures. All good technologists/architects should have this at their side. BTW, the link is to the Americanized version of the book with both American/Canadian tree species instead of just Canadian.

It sits right beside my pocket sized dictionary and Roget's pocket thesaurus and the other staple = Collins Gem SAS Survival Guide

And since my close vision isn't what it used to be, I've got a credit card Fresnel lens lodged between the pages.

Can anyone tell me if the Pocket Ref has a tangent table for angles? A google search on "tangent table" will give you an idea of what I'm after.

There is a technique I like to use when orienteering that uses the tangent of an angle to calculate the distance to an object.

Thanks for looking in your copy of the book and telling me!

In my 2nd edition there is a table of tangents, sines and cosines and radians on pp 301-308 for 0* to 360*.

Example tangent on 25* = 0.46631

The bad news, I've forgotten 90% of my geometry and I don't what to do with this!

Thanks for looking.

An example of what I'm talking about can be found at:
http://www.mathsisfun.com/algebra/trig-finding-side-right-triangle.html



The third to the last example on that page is the formula I use most often while orienteering. Basically, let's say you are standing at the lower left corner of that triangle and you want to find the distance to a tower or other landmark (which would be side (a) in the example. What you would do is starting walking left or right about 200 or more yards or so away from that line (which is shown as "7" in the example, and you would measure the angle to the target from your new position using your compass (which is shown as "53" in the example. You would then use the tangent table to calculate the side "a" which gives you the distance to the landmark.

I don't recommend using tangent calculations by themselves though. If you're going to do advanced orienteering using trigonometry, you need to combine it with maps, time, compass, wind direction, Sun/Moon/Planets, beads (or other counting methods), altitude, temperature, etc. Using trig is only a small part of the whole and it shouldn't be used as a primary tool, only as a secondary tool to support what you see on your map and compass.

What is the difference between the two Collins Gem SAS pocket references? Is the 2e/"climate" one that much preferred for EDC? Any others? Is there much scientific info in the Pocket Ref? Thanks.

Thanks for all the responses. I've got a copy on order with amazon, it should be with me in a few days.

I found the Pocket Ref 4th Edition - paperback version - on Amazon and it's 864 pages. Can anyone tell me the dimensions of the book?

Pocket Ref 4th Edition [Paperback]
http://www.amazon.com/dp/1885071620

The 2nd Edition is shown as being a bit smaller at 768 pages.

Doh! Answered my own question...

Dimensions: 3.2" x 5.4" x 0.9"

Here's a page with a really good description...
http://www.thinkgeek.com/books/nonfiction/c289/

Not really sure, mine is the older 1st ed. The link is to the newer version. I suspect the e has something to do with the Iphone app of the book.

Finally got that Pocket Ref and the mini SAS books (ordered with other things that weren't in stock). What great little books! I am in geek heaven, I actually like reading numbers and facts and crap. And the SAS book, though tiny, is quite impressively done, much more than I expected (I certainly didn't expect glossy color pages). The ones I got are dated 2010 and 2011 editions.

Thanks for the recs, very nice.

I purchased a copy of the EMS Field Guide from Informed guides.

http://store.informedguides.com/medical/ems-field-guider-bls-versiontm.html

I find it to be quite detailed and concise. Also, the pages are waterproof (Tyvek maybe?) and allow you to make notations with a sharpie that can be wiped off later.

Have been waiting for the backlog to clear from the Canada Post strike before ordering the Pet Emergency and NIMS field guides.