Jahresbericht Nr.14/1959 
Seite 82 
The Nautical Yearbook I960 maintains to G.M.T. as all year-books meant 
for practical purposes; in future its data will occasionally depart from 
those given in scientific yearbooks in ephemerides-time. 
With respect to ship's accidents in spite of radar, on speaks again 
and again of human failure. At the Psychological Institute of the Hamburg 
University it was therefore suggested to investigate psychologically the 
interpretation of the panorama on the radar screen. Psychologists of Hamburg 
and other places have shown themselves open to this suggestion and they 
intend to examine experimentally the psychological processes at the inter 
pretation of radar pictures; German shipowners have already generously 
permitted that psychologists board the vessels in order to get acquainted 
with radar. 
In co-operation with the "Ausschuss fiir Punkortung" and other bodies 
concerned the German Hydrographic Institute is compiling a dictionary of 
the terms of navigation. Considering the fast advancing engineering and 
the differences in aeronautic and marine navigation, this is a job that 
should not be delayed. 
To further improve the safety of ships at sea, numerous investigations, 
trials and tests of navigational equipment and instruments were carried 
our in the field of nautical engineering, thus for instance the measurement 
of the influence which outside magnetic fields have on the centre of the 
screen of a radar equipment; the examination of the influence which accelera 
tions exert on the accuracy of the indication in gyroscopic compass equip 
ments; the testing of numerous gyroscopic compass equipments and parts of 
the equipment; type-testing and single tests of radar and of radio direc 
tion finding equipments in ships; the development of radar reflectors as 
well as of depth recordings with echo-sounders operated on various frequen 
cies, pulse outputs and pulse length. The extent of testings for which fees 
are to be paid of nautical instruments and position lanterns carried out 
in the Institute and its agencies increased again in the year under review. 
To improve the facilities for compass adjustments, two bearing stations 
with VH]? telecommunication for counterbearings were established in the 
Bremerhaven region. The evaluation of approximately 1000 calibration dia 
grams of radio direction finders resulted in important aspects regarding 
the most suitable place for the frame-aerial, whereby non-adjusted calibra 
tion values of radio direction fixes will be reduced. In co-operation with 
the supplying firms and the "Funkamt" at Hamburg the regulations could be 
completed concerning the admittance, the installation and the testing of 
radio location equipments for sea-going ships, as well as the technical 
instructions for the calibration of radio direction finders. 
The holdings of the library were made more accessible by an index to the 
subject catalogue. From the periodically appearing publications received by