Retro Review: Calculated Industries NautiCalc Plus
Quick Facts:
Model: NautiCalc Plus
Company: Calculated Industries
Years: 1996-1998
Type: Nautical
Batteries: 1 x CR-2032
Operating Mode: Chain
Memory Registers: 10
Features
For a company that produces specialized calculators, the NautiCalc Plus is a rare calculator. I purchased mine from Calculator Source's eBay page. Calculations that the NautiCalc offers are:
* conversions of time
* conversions of distance
* conversions of speed
* triangulation calculations: course direction, 1st bearing, 2nd bearing, distance of the bearing object, distance abeam
* solver: speed, distance, time
* solver: tank capacity in gallons, fuel efficiency (statute miles per gallon), range (how far can you travel with a fuel tank)
* paperless tape with the capacity of 10 entries, accessed by the [ Rcl ] [ = ], which is not marked on the calculator. Scroll the entries by the plus and minus keys.
Memory Registers
The NautiCalc has ten memory registers, M0 through M9. What is unusual is that the [ Stor ] key acts a memory-plus for M0. For example:
[ Conv ] [ + ] (Clr Mem)
25 [ Stor ] 0 (M-0 25)
[ Stor ] 1 (M-1 25)
50 [ Stor ] 0 (M-0 50)
[ Stor ] 1 (M-1 50)
[ Rcl ] 0 (M-0 75) 75 is stored in M0, 50 and 25 were added together
[ Rcl ] 1 (M-1 50) 50 is stored in M1, 50 replaced 25 in M1
Miles
There are two measurements for miles: statute miles and nautical miles. Statue miles, also known as survey miles, are miles related to road distance, equal to 5,280 feet. Nautical miles, which are used in sailing and air travel, are measure from 1% of 1 degree of the Earth's curvature (see source, "What Are Statute Miles?").
Statue Miles: [ Conv ] [ 7 ]
Nautical Miles: [ Miles ]
1 nautical mile ≈1.1507794 statute mile
Entering Time
Time can be entered with several ways:
* [ AM ] and [ PM ] keys. We can use the shortcut method hhmmss or hhmm format to enter time.
* The colon [ : ] key.
* The use hours, minutes, and second keys ([ Hr ], [ Min ], [ Sec ]).
The [ Conv ] [ : ] changes the time format between 12-hour and 24-hour military time format.
If we want to enter degrees-minutes-seconds, we must use the [ d:m:s ] key.
Stopwatch
The stopwatch can be started and stopped with the [ Timer ] key twice. The stopwatch also has a split/lap feature with the [ S/Lap ]. While the stopwatch is running, a clock icon is on the display.
Timer
The timer is started with pressing the [ Timer ] key, entering the time, then pressing the [ Timer ] key again. The NautiCalc Plus has a buzzer, not very loud, that can be turned on and off. While the timer is going, we see a clock and star on the display. The entire display flashes when the timer is completed.
Not many calculators as a whole have the stopwatch and timer, so to have it is a nice feature.
Now let's demonstrate some of the main calculations that are done wiht the NautiCalc Plus.
Example: Fuel Efficiency
If a tank can carry 15 gallons and has an average efficiency of 30 miles per gallon, what is the range?
[ On/C ] [ On/C ]
15 [ Conv ] [ Speed ] (Cap) (display has GAL)
30 [ Conv ] [ Time ] (Eff) (display has MPG)
[ Conv ] [ Dist ] (Range)
Result: RNG: 450 MI S (450 statute miles)
Example: Distance of Objects and Abeam
Traveling with 30° course with bearings reading 45°12' and 58°42', respectively. You have traveled 5 nautical miles. Find the distance bearing from the bearing object and distance abeam.
[ On/C ] [ On/C ]
30 [ Course° ] (CRSE)
45 [ d:m:s ] 12 [ 1stϕ ] (BRG1)
58 [ d:m:s ] 42 [ 2ndϕ ] (BRG2)
5 [ Miles ] [ Dist ] (DIST 5 N MI)
[ Dist ] (Display: TRVL 5 N MI)
[ Dist ] (Display: DOBJ 5.6156432 N MI)
[ Dist ] (Display: BEAM 3.1139547 N MI)
TRVL: distance traveled
DOBJ: distance from object
BEAM: distance abeam
Example: Speed/Time/Distance
If a boat travels 13.5 nautical miles and it took 2 hours 23 minutes, what is the speed of the boat?
[ On/C ] [ On/C ]
13.5 [ Miles ] [ Dist ]
2 [ Hr ] 23 [ Min ] [ Time ]
[ Speed ]
Display: SPD 5.6643357 K NO T (5.6643357 knots, 6.5184011 miles an hour)
Closing Thoughts
The keyboard is solid with the keys have a nice feel to them. The NautiCalc Plus comes with a protective wallet, where the user guide can fit in the pockets.
I really like this calculator and how Calculated Industries makes calculators for specific applications. I would have loved to have seen the NautiCalc had a longer life than it did. It's really cool to collect.
I'm now retired from purchasing vintage calculators online. I still will be posting retro reviews in the next few months, including the recently purchased the Texas Instruments TI-57 LCD (1982) and HP 45 (1973). I am also going to include calculators that have been sitting in the garage that I didn't get a chance to do a review on, such as the Radio Shack EC-4026 (Casio fx-4500P equivalent) and TI-65.
Source:
Bollman, Mark. "NautiCalc Plus" April 21, 2013. Last Accessed March 24, 2022. http://mathcs.albion.edu/~mbollman/CI/NCalc+.htm
Jones, Louise. "What Are Statute Miles?" Sciencing. April 25, 2017. Last Accessed March 27, 2022. https://sciencing.com/statute-miles-8358166.html
Until next time,
Eddie
All original content copyright, © 2011-2022. Edward Shore. Unauthorized use and/or unauthorized distribution for commercial purposes without express and written permission from the author is strictly prohibited. This blog entry may be distributed for noncommercial purposes, provided that full credit is given to the author.
