This QGIS plugin draws lines from bearings and distances, often referred to as "CoGo" (Coordinate Geometry). This plugin is based on the "Azimuth and Distance Plugin" qgsazimuth.

This plugin:

• is tailored to the conventions common in deeds in the USA
• adds shorthand bearing entry that can be done entirely on a 10-key number pad
• uses less screen space than qgsazimuth

Installation

This plugin is not in the official QGIS plugin registry (yet) but can be downloaded from github. Then in QGIS:
    Plugins -> Manage and Install Plugins... -> Install from ZIP
Select the downloaded zip file.

Usage

Bearings start from either the north or south followed by an angle to the east or west. For example: N45°27'18"E. The shorthand entry is numeric: QDD.MMSS where:

• Q is the quadrant, 1=NE, 2=SE, 3=SW, 4=NW
• DD is degrees (must be 2 digits)
• a decimal point separates degrees from minutes
• MM - minutes, optional but must be 2 digits if entered
• SS - seconds, optional but must be 2 digits if entered

Examples:

• N45°27'18"E - 145.2718
• S05°12'38"E - 205.1238 (note that 5 degrees is entered as "05")
• S19°02'44"W - 319.0244 (note that 2 minutes is entered as "02")
• N79°55'"W - 479.55 (seconds are not required)

An angle relative to the previous course can be enter by using a "+" or "-" instead of the quadrant (first digit). For example, if the previous course was N20°E, entering +90 is evaluated as N70°W because the previous line is interpreted as the "back sight". Deflection angles can be entered by add to the deflection angle and prefixing it with "+" or "-" for deflection right or left, respectively. For example, assuming the last course was N20°E and a deflection left of 10°10' you would enter -190.10 which would be N9°50'E.

For curves, the bearing is the chord bearing, the distance is the chord bearing and the arc radius and direction are required. If you do not have all of the necessary curve components the missing one can be calculated from the curve calculator at https://greenwoodmap.com/tools/