Microsoft Streets & Trips 2004

[+JohnTee]

Is there anyway to encourage M$ Streets & Trips 2004 to use WGS-84 (NAD-83) data instead of "decimal values" or "degrees, minutes and seconds"? With GC coord's being in decimal minute format (thats WGS-84 (NAD-83), right?) it's inconvenient, no, impossible, to enter data without converting it first.

 

Thanks!

 

JohnTee

[+badlands]

I can't answer your question, but as an alternative you can, as a premium member, can create pocket queries and load them into GSAK. You still have to convert them but GSAK does all the work for you. GSAK is well worth the $20 (free if you don't mind the nag screen).

[+PDOP's]

Is there anyway to encourage M$ Streets & Trips 2004 to use WGS-84 (NAD-83) data instead of "decimal values" or "degrees, minutes and seconds"?

You can use GPSBabel (which GSAK uses "Under the Hood") as described at Importing waypoints to Microsoft Streets & Trips.

 

BTW Datum and the format of the coordinates (that you're describing) are two very different things.

[+Ole Cache]

Just to make things a bit clearer, I think you are confusing format with datum. WGS84 coordinates can be expressed as DD.ddddd or DD MM.mmmm or DD MM SS. For example, although I think it's not documented, you can create a waypoint in google earth and edit its coordinates using any format you wish, GE will understand what you mean, and those coordinates will belong to the WGS84 datum.

 

edit: Typos

Edited March 29, 2006 by Ole Cache

[+DocDiTTo]

Is there anyway to encourage M$ Streets & Trips 2004 to use WGS-84 (NAD-83) data instead of "decimal values" or "degrees, minutes and seconds"? With GC coord's being in decimal minute format (thats WGS-84 (NAD-83), right?) it's inconvenient, no, impossible, to enter data without converting it first.

 

Thanks!

 

JohnTee

 

As someone said, it's not the map datum you're referring to but the coordinate format. And no, MS S&T doesn't do minute decimal format, even though it's the most popular (and standard) format for GPSr's and geocaching. I've been hoping to see this change in MS S&T, but not even the 2006 version uses minute decimal format. As others have said, you can import cache data just fine, but it's a real pain when you want to set a waypoint based on minute decimal coords, or to quickly punch a location from the map into the GPSr.

 

As an alternative to Streets & Trips, you could use Delorme Street Atlas USA, which does handle minute decimal format.

[+The Jester]

Is there anyway to encourage M$ Streets & Trips 2004 to use WGS-84 (NAD-83) data instead of "decimal values" or "degrees, minutes and seconds"? With GC coord's being in decimal minute format (thats WGS-84 (NAD-83), right?) it's inconvenient, no, impossible, to enter data without converting it first.

 

Thanks!

 

JohnTee

 

As someone said, it's not the map datum you're referring to but the coordinate format. And no, MS S&T doesn't do minute decimal format, even though it's the most popular (and standard) format for GPSr's and geocaching. I've been hoping to see this change in MS S&T, but not even the 2006 version uses minute decimal format. As others have said, you can import cache data just fine, but it's a real pain when you want to set a waypoint based on minute decimal coords, or to quickly punch a location from the map into the GPSr.

 

As an alternative to Streets & Trips, you could use Delorme Street Atlas USA, which does handle minute decimal format.

Just remember you can easily change the co-ord display on your GPSr. Change it to decimal degrees, enter the numbers from SnT, change back (if you want) and go! Or divide the decimal minutes by 60 to get the decimal portion of decimal minutes (another thing PDAs are useful for).

 

As someone once said, if SnT did everything well it would be a $200 package instead of a $20 package.

[+JohnTee]

Thanks to all of you for the answers. Yes, I was confusing format with datum. Since coord's are commonly in DD MM.mmmm, I was hoping I could have the ability to enter them in MS S&T. I've run across a couple of puzzle caches that have multiple coord's to manipulate. I can go to JeEep.com, enter coord's, convert them, copy the DD.ddddd coord's and past them into MS S&T for each coord. Ends up being a lot of steps.

 

I'll check that thread for Importing waypoints to Microsoft Streets & Trips. That could be something that will help.

 

Google Earth does accept coord' in any of the formats and that IS a good answer. However, at home I'm on dial-up and GE is not practical to use.

 

JohnTee

[+JohnTee]

Used GSAK to export benchmark and geocache data, in two different files, for MS S&T yesterday. Then imported it into S&T . . . THAT IS TOO COOL! It's still not exactly what I was trying to do (one can always wish, right ) but that is far and away a most useful tool. Be a big help for road trips and geocaching.

 

Thanks guys.

 

JohnTee

[+Right Wing Wacko]

As someone once said, if SnT did everything well it would be a $200 package instead of a $20 package.

 

Actually... SnT is a stripped down version of Mappoint, which includes a ton of additional features... and which happens to sell in the $200 range. Unfortunalty even at that price, Decimal Minutes is not one of those features.

[+TerraTrekkers]

We use GeoCalc to make the conversions for one or two sets of coords then just cut and paste into S&T. We use GSAK for big GPX pocket querry files.

 

Jim

[+resomaniac]

Thanks for the tip on GeoCalc TerraTrekkers. It is more convenient than using JEEEP and I can use it if I am in my car with my laptop. I am just getting started and so far lovin' it!!

[+Red Sky]

Is there anyway to encourage M$ Streets & Trips 2004 to use WGS-84 (NAD-83) data instead of "decimal values" or "degrees, minutes and seconds"? With GC coord's being in decimal minute format

 

You can change to degrees, minutes, seconds on the Tools/Options pull down settings.

[+hurley_108]

Personally, I don't understand why geocaching uses degrees and decimal minutes. Decimal degrees is far better. It's more compact (no extraneous characters and spaces), and slightly more accurate for the same number of significant figures (minutes divide a degree in 60, decimals divide it in 100, so 1.67 times the resolution on the last figure).

[+jjb79792]

Personally, I don't understand why geocaching uses degrees and decimal minutes. Decimal degrees is far better. It's more compact (no extraneous characters and spaces), and slightly more accurate for the same number of significant figures (minutes divide a degree in 60, decimals divide it in 100, so 1.67 times the resolution on the last figure).

 

Amen excellent point I wish every one would go "Metric" and use decimal Degrees

[The Man]

Personally, I don't understand why geocaching uses degrees and decimal minutes. Decimal degrees is far better. It's more compact (no extraneous characters and spaces), and slightly more accurate for the same number of significant figures (minutes divide a degree in 60, decimals divide it in 100, so 1.67 times the resolution on the last figure).

 

Amen excellent point I wish every one would go "Metric" and use decimal Degrees

 

I concur. It is much easier I typically leave my GPS set on that format. All my geocaching way-points are uploaded anyway.

[+Team Cotati]

I think that the answer is .....no. I have tried to find a way but have found none. S&T like the majority of information providers that I have encountered use the nn.dddddd format. Perhaps GC will convert someday.

[+PDOP's]

Personally, I don't understand why geocaching uses degrees and decimal minutes.

 

IIRC the reasoning was that most consumer GPSr's are setup that way at the factory and so to avoid confusion for newbies Geocaching.com adopted that format.

[+The Jester]

Personally, I don't understand why geocaching uses degrees and decimal minutes. Decimal degrees is far better. It's more compact (no extraneous characters and spaces), and slightly more accurate for the same number of significant figures (minutes divide a degree in 60, decimals divide it in 100, so 1.67 times the resolution on the last figure).

 

Amen excellent point I wish every one would go "Metric" and use decimal Degrees

And how is Decimal Degrees any more "Metric" then Decimal Minutes?

 

If you want metric, use UTM. Which only seems fitting, as we use a US Military satellite system shouldn't we be using a US Military grid system also?

[+Team Cotati]

Personally, I don't understand why geocaching uses degrees and decimal minutes.

 

IIRC the reasoning was that most consumer GPSr's are setup that way at the factory and so to avoid confusion for newbies Geocaching.com adopted that format.

 

"The rest of the world be damned."