Question about offset waypoints

[+HortonK]

I am a newbie currently working on a multi-cache. At my current stage, I have a message to go 100 pace at 265 degrees.

 

Can someone tell me if there is a general understanding of the distance for 100 paces? I am 6ft4in, so I think my stride may be slightly longer than most.

 

Also, from which direction does the 265 degrees apply. I assume I should be facing the current stage (or clue), but which way do I rotate, right or left?

 

Thanks for any help!

[+Bear and Ragged]

A compass helps, 265 deg is a west-ish direction. (Just slightly south of west)

 

I would work on a "Pace" being about 3 feet.

 

Based on the accuracy of the GPS system I would go from the current stage 300 feet in a west direction, and look to your left.

 

G

Edited November 2, 2006 by KandG

[+Renegade Knight]

Ditto on the pace.

 

The 265 degrees is from North. The trick is if they are using t rue north or magnetic north. Normally if they want you to use your compass it's magnetic as that's simpler. If you can't find it...use true.

[+HortonK]

Thanks for the help! I'll solve this multicache yet!

[+The Leprechauns]

A compass helps, 265 deg is a west-ish direction. (Just slightly south of west)

 

I would work on a "Pace" being about 3 feet.

 

Based on the accuracy of the GPS system I would go from the current stage 300 feet in a west direction, and look to your left.

 

G

Interesting. I've always defined a "pace" as two steps. I count one pace each time my right foot hits the ground. When pacing I try to make my pace five feet for easier multiplication.

 

For more details about paces as a measurement of distance, see this article.

 

Of course, what matters here is the HIDER'S definition of a "pace."

[Tahosa and Sons]

Set your waypoints up as a route.

Then you can do the distance and bearing with your GPS. Once you have that figured out give them a back bearing from the waypoint. And you'll see a few cachers go the wrong way, instead of the right way. Its your option wheather you want to make the bearing Mag or True.

[+briansnat]

I did a cache recently where you had to use the waypoint projection feature of your GPS. It eliminates any question about what a pace is. When you arrived at ground zero there were instructions on how many feet away the cache was and at what bearing. Using the waypoint projection feature you entered both into your GPS which gave you the waypoint of the cache.

 

The only downside is that some popular units (Magellan eXplorist I think) don't have the waypoint projection feature so owners of those units will have to estimate.

Edited November 3, 2006 by briansnat

[+Fish Below The Ice]

The only downside is that some popular units (Magellan eXplorist I think) don't have the waypoint projection feature so owners of those units will have to estimate.

I did a cache today that used a projection to calculate one of the stages, so I brought along my laptop and used GeoCalc to do the math for me. Now to get FizzyMagic to port GeoCalc to the Palm...

 

dave

[+GIDEON-X]

I just re-did one of my caches that went missing to a off-set (of sorts) Look-Here .............on the GPSr Projecting a Waypoint it ask for a # in a tenth of of a mile.....I used the converter in "Cachemate"....................

[+Isonzo Karst]

Every formal definition of "pace" as a unit of measurement will be step/step

~ 6 feet, not 3. Unfortunately, so many people say "pace" when they mean "step" that you have to assume either could be the cache owner's meaning. I'd probably post a question to the cache page, asking the cache owner directly.

 

BTW I own an explorist500 (I wouldn't recommend it either - proprietary file types make data transfer kludgy) you can simply move the cursor on the map screen - it'll give you a bearing and distance read out from your current postition, when it's correct to the degrees and distance you're needing hit "go to". Not real elegant, but functional. I did a long complicated orieenteering cache this way (27 stages, some across distances in excess of .6 miles) worked okay.

Edited November 3, 2006 by Isonzo Karst

[cliff_hanger]

Now to get FizzyMagic to port GeoCalc to the Palm...

 

dave

 

Not GeoCalc, but very small and works for the Palm very nicely - and FREE

http://fermi.jhuapl.edu/navigate/index.html

 

Calculates lat/lon > brg/dist = lat/lon or lat/lon > lat/lon = brg/dist

Uses decimal degree, decimal minutes, or degree/min/sec and nmi, km, mi, meters, yds, ft

Does UTM conversion. Has a whole load of datums. Nine user memories.

[+EScout]

The only downside is that some popular units (Magellan eXplorist I think) don't have the waypoint projection feature so owners of those units will have to estimate.

I did a cache today that used a projection to calculate one of the stages, so I brought along my laptop and used GeoCalc to do the math for me. Now to get FizzyMagic to port GeoCalc to the Palm...

 

dave

The Explorists 400,500,600 can project a waypoint. For a good Palm OS program, get Navigate as recommended by Cliff Hanger. It should be on every Palm PDA.

 

The key as many mentioned is whether to use True or Magnetic north. The cache owner should specify. If you can deteremine what a pace is, just project this distance.

[+Sputnik 57]

I just re-did one of my caches that went missing to a off-set (of sorts) Look-Here .............on the GPSr Projecting a Waypoint it ask for a # in a tenth of of a mile.....I used the converter in "Cachemate"....................

If you use a Garmin C-type unit, you can change that field, but it isn't very intuitive. When projecting a waypoint (MARK->MENU->Project Waypoint), cursor over to the little 'mi' in the lower right corner and hit ENTR. A hidden menu pops up right there and lets you change the projection units to mi, ft, yd, km, m, nm, allowing you to select miles, feet, yards, kilometers, meters or nautical miles. This thread talks more about it, and offers a screen shot.

 

I'm with Lep et al. that a pace is two steps. Since the cache placer may have meant steps, you'll probably need to try both.

[+nfa]

a pace, as measured by the roman army, works out to 5.28 feet...this is the unit of measure behind the mile that is used today...mile...mille = 1000...1000X5.28 feet = 5,280 feet...

 

given that you are 6'4", and not trained as a roman soldier, I would pace out 90 left/rights, and then start looking for a likely cache-hiding-spot as your paces may be slightly longer than standard...

 

edit...to add...HOLY CARP, I'm a geek!!!

 

Jamie - NFA

Edited November 3, 2006 by NFA