For anyone interested, I picked up a Wayfinder LC digital electronic compass
from K-Mart for $15 (regular price, _not_ on sale).  From the back:

>>>
Finally, a compass that works where others don't.
Most compasses cant handle the magnetic field of a car of boat.
The Wayfinder LC Digital Electronic Compass fixes this
problem by using a patented, advanced magnetic sensor
technology originally developed for the U.S. military.

SImply make a U-turn and the compass is calibrated
and you're ready to go.

Features an 8 point display readout
(N, NE, E, SE, S, SW, W, NW)

[..]

The compass feature in this product is made available to yuu by
PRECISION NAVIGATION< INC. patented magneto-inductive sensor technology.

<<<

I played with it for a bit while coming back from Ohio a few days ago. I
only calibrated it by turning it (simulating a very poor U-turn) and it
seemed stable and -- even though it wasn't calibrated properly -- usually
read the same as the electronic compass built into the minivan I was in. For
$15, it's worth a shot (the big LCD display is worth that).

No affiliation with K-Mart, Precision Navigation, etc., etc.

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                  Christopher Zguris  -  czguris@interport.net
                                HSTA, HRCA, AMA

           How many surrealists does it take to change a light bulb?
                                  Answer: fish

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