Recording Time When Marking A Waypoint?

[+aketch]

A humble appeal to your collective expertise:

 

I want to be able to record the time I mark a waypoint.

 

I downloaded some waypoints to my ArcGIS using some freeware from the Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources. I had marked them using my Garmin eTrex yellow, and to my dismay I don't seem to have a record of the time that I marked them. So question 1: Do any gps units actually record the time of the waypoint mark? Or is this an issue with the software I'm using?

 

Question 2: In the event that I'm not going to find any units that record time, I could probably guess what time I marked these bc the tracks have times assigned to them so I could just select the track closest or coincident to the waypoint, but it's not ideal. Any other suggestions?

 

-aketch

[Neo_Geo]

By default, the GPSMAP 60C/S automatically records the date and time in the comment field of the waypoint properties. I imagine the 76C/S does too, and probably the LegendC and VistaC as well, but I'd check with an owner of one those models first.

 

I'd be willing to bet that the "X" series of these models prabably do it as well.

[packerfan1964]

my lowrance ifinder go records the time

[+The Jester]

My Rino's record the time/date, and so did my old GPS 12. When you download the waypoint, that data may not be transferred - check the GPSr itself.

[+GOT GPS?]

When you "MARK" a waypoint on most Garmin handhelds, you get something like:

"CRTD 17:10 26-OCT-03" <On my GPS IIIplus

 

04-MAR-06 03:49" <On my GPSmap76S

 

04-MAR-06 3:48:53" <On my GPSmap60Cx

 

Don't know if there is software to extract the Date and Time from Garmins though.

 

I believe that the eTrex'es will work with GSAK, in that if you download waypoints to GSAK that the Comment field of the waypoints is preserved, then you will be able to write a macro within GSAK to extract the Date and Time from the eTrex.

 

It looks like eTrex yellow waypoints may not have a comment field, which I find important, and not a single page in the eTrex manual shows a comment field for waypoints, so back to square one.

Edited March 4, 2006 by GOT GPS?

[+Timpat]

Aketch, I work in the GIS/GPS field and use ArcGIS and love DNRGarmin using it all the time. My Map 60 and 60CX will record the Date/Time when marking waypoints, and DNR allows this data to be exported and saved as a shapefile, with the Date/Time attribute in the comment field. Very cool program that I've thanked DNR many times for creating and sharing! Did you know you can upload shapefiles, in particular lines and polygons, and save them as "saved tracks"?

[Grasscatcher]

If you are downloading waypoints...

In DNRGarmin when it first opens up , go to waypoint, then Waypoint Properties...be sure the Comment field is checked to download. That field is where the time/date is shown.

 

If you are downloading Tracks and are wanting the time on the trackpoints..... Tracks that are "saved" and then downloaded have the timestamp stripped away. If you download the "active log" (without saving) it will still have the time data.

[+aketch]

Thanks all for feedback and suggestions - I'll check out some of yr suggestions, and report back. Tricky Garmin etrex yellow.

[vfrpilot]

A humble appeal to your collective expertise:

 

I want to be able to record the time I mark a waypoint.

 

I downloaded some waypoints to my ArcGIS using some freeware from the Minnesota Dept of Natural Resources. I had marked them using my Garmin eTrex yellow, and to my dismay I don't seem to have a record of the time that I marked them. So question 1: Do any gps units actually record the time of the waypoint mark? Or is this an issue with the software I'm using?

 

Question 2: In the event that I'm not going to find any units that record time, I could probably guess what time I marked these bc the tracks have times assigned to them so I could just select the track closest or coincident to the waypoint, but it's not ideal. Any other suggestions?

 

-aketch

My 60c marks the time, date & has a spot for notes as well (When marked from the unit that is)

[+aketch]

So here's my report-back - it's definitely not the software, it's the etrex GPS yellow unit itself that doesn't seem to be recording time, and indeed as got_gps guessed, doesn't seem to have a comment field. I wish I'd checked before I purchased. I should explain, I'm trying to learn how to use GPS for the purposes of data collection.

 

Looks like the GPS12 might be the cheapest unit that records time (I froogled it at ~$150 per unit).

 

If anyone has a different opinion, or if any computer-savvy soul (timpat??) has any ideas about whether or not I might be able to extract the data somehow, lemme know.

[+hardwire]

So here's my report-back - it's definitely not the software, it's the etrex GPS yellow unit itself that doesn't seem to be recording time, and indeed as got_gps guessed, doesn't seem to have a comment field. I wish I'd checked before I purchased. I should explain, I'm trying to learn how to use GPS for the purposes of data collection.

 

Looks like the GPS12 might be the cheapest unit that records time (I froogled it at ~$150 per unit).

 

If anyone has a different opinion, or if any computer-savvy soul (timpat??) has any ideas about whether or not I might be able to extract the data somehow, lemme know.

 

The only way I can use the Yellow Etrex for something like that is to hook it to my Laptop and run a map tool like Nroute, Mappoint, Topofusion, etc and use the laptop to log the time/date for the waypoint...

Edited March 6, 2006 by hardwire