what good is a gps if..........

[flfirefighter]

What good is it if the dadgum thing doesn't ALWAYS show your correct heading. I can be pointed dead East and it will show me NE or SE, maybe a tad closer to East but still if it can't show you at all times the direction you are heading how would one find their way out of the jungle........A few degrees off can certainly matter.

 

76csx

[Dale_Lynn]

What good is it if the dadgum thing doesn't ALWAYS show your correct heading. I can be pointed dead East and it will show me NE or SE, maybe a tad closer to East but still if it can't show you at all times the direction you are heading how would one find their way out of the jungle........A few degrees off can certainly matter.

 

76csx

 

What do you use to determine "dead east"?

 

Dale

[Grasscatcher]

You do know that you must be MOVING for the GPS to determine your heading don't you. Not just "pointed". If you are standing still, you are not HEADING anywhere, so the unit cannot determine where your track is second by second, and thereby determine your "heading". It's likely to tell you anything standing still.

 

Leave the compass turned off (press Page, and hold for a couple of seconds) and be sure you have your unit set to display "Bearing Pointer" and NOT "Course Pointer", also have display set to North up , not Track up.

 

Standing still, if you turn the compass ON then it will tell you which direction you have the unit pointed. Be sure it has recently been calibrated.

[flfirefighter]

You do know that you must be MOVING for the GPS to determine your heading don't you. Not just "pointed". If you are standing still, you are not HEADING anywhere, so the unit cannot determine where your track is second by second, and thereby determine your "heading". It's likely to tell you anything standing still.

 

Leave the compass turned off (press Page, and hold for a couple of seconds) and be sure you have your unit set to display "Bearing Pointer" and NOT "Course Pointer", also have display set to North up , not Track up.

 

Standing still, if you turn the compass ON then it will tell you which direction you have the unit pointed. Be sure it has recently been calibrated.

 

I will give that a try, I would have to say when we were kayaking when trying to determine the right way to go,we were sitting still. So with the compass off, is the only way to know which way you are headed by the North arrow on the map page? If not, how do

 

you knowN,S,E,W? Thanks

 

By the way.......I meant by poing the unit East etc, it would be off by several marks

Edited November 18, 2006 by flfirefighter

[+S.A.R 29]

You do know that you must be MOVING for the GPS to determine your heading don't you. Not just "pointed". If you are standing still, you are not HEADING anywhere, so the unit cannot determine where your track is second by second, and thereby determine your "heading". It's likely to tell you anything standing still.

 

Leave the compass turned off (press Page, and hold for a couple of seconds) and be sure you have your unit set to display "Bearing Pointer" and NOT "Course Pointer", also have display set to North up , not Track up.

 

Standing still, if you turn the compass ON then it will tell you which direction you have the unit pointed. Be sure it has recently been calibrated.

 

I will give that a try, I would have to say when we were kayaking when trying to determine the right way to go,we were sitting still. So with the compass off, is the only way to know which way you are headed by the North arrow on the map page? If not, how do

 

you knowN,S,E,W? Thanks

 

By the way.......I meant by poing the unit East etc, it would be off by several marks

[+S.A.R 29]

You do know that you must be MOVING for the GPS to determine your heading don't you. Not just "pointed". If you are standing still, you are not HEADING anywhere, so the unit cannot determine where your track is second by second, and thereby determine your "heading". It's likely to tell you anything standing still.

 

Leave the compass turned off (press Page, and hold for a couple of seconds) and be sure you have your unit set to display "Bearing Pointer" and NOT "Course Pointer", also have display set to North up , not Track up.

 

Standing still, if you turn the compass ON then it will tell you which direction you have the unit pointed. Be sure it has recently been calibrated.

 

I will give that a try, I would have to say when we were kayaking when trying to determine the right way to go,we were sitting still. So with the compass off, is the only way to know which way you are headed by the North arrow on the map page? If not, how do

 

you knowN,S,E,W? Thanks

 

I always carry a regular compass with me. I trust it more.java script:emoticon('', 'smid_26')

By the way.......I meant by poing the unit East etc, it would be off by several marks

[Grasscatcher]

You do know that you must be MOVING for the GPS to determine your heading don't you. Not just "pointed". If you are standing still, you are not HEADING anywhere, so the unit cannot determine where your track is second by second, and thereby determine your "heading". It's likely to tell you anything standing still.

 

Leave the compass turned off (press Page, and hold for a couple of seconds) and be sure you have your unit set to display "Bearing Pointer" and NOT "Course Pointer", also have display set to North up , not Track up.

 

Standing still, if you turn the compass ON then it will tell you which direction you have the unit pointed. Be sure it has recently been calibrated.

 

I will give that a try, I would have to say when we were kayaking when trying to determine the right way to go,we were sitting still. So with the compass off, is the only way to know which way you are headed by the North arrow on the map page? If not, how do

 

you knowN,S,E,W? Thanks

 

By the way.......I meant by poing the unit East etc, it would be off by several marks

 

My personal choice is to have "map only" on map page (no data fields) and with unit set on "North Up". That way you can line up (the map) with terrain features just like with a paper map. If the "breadcrumb trail" shown on the map is moving straight up the page from bottom to top then your direction of travel is,or has been, North. Angling left is NW, angling right is NE, going from top to bottom is S, etc.....

Note : If you hold the unit crossways of your body or any other position, it will still show the same "breadcrumb" trail because it is tracking your "direction of travel", NOT the direction you are pointing the unit.

HOWEVER, When you stop moving , turn the compass on and hold it very level, and the compass pointer will show you which direction you are pointing the unit.

 

I just did a trial experiment. I have a 76CS, a 76CSx, and a Magnetic Silva compass(with declination set). I laid all three on the floor to maintain level, pointed the Silva as close to due North as I could read the scale, and then lined up the two GPSs as close to parallel ( but separated) to the Silva as eyeball could get them.

All three matched EXACTLY. I had to separate them physically approx 3-4" to eliminate apparent magnetic or electrical interferrence.

[+NightPilot]

Short answer - a GPS is NOT a compass. To determine the direction you're facing, you use a compass. They are two entirely different tools, although some models of GPS receivers do incorporate an electronic compass. That has to be calibrated, though. You often need more than one tool for geocaching, and for many other tasks. Sometimes you need a saw in addition to a hammer, and you need nails for the hammer. But if you only have a hammer, then everything looks like a nail.

[John E Cache]

I will give that a try, I would have to say when we were kayaking when trying to determine the right way to go,we were sitting still. So with the compass off, is the only way to know which way you are headed by the North arrow on the map page? If not, how do you knowN,S,E,W? Thanks

 

By the way.......I meant by poing the unit East etc, it would be off by several marks

OK, now your question is confusing me. Maybe it is terminology. If you are standing still you have no heading, meaning "direction of travel". The GPS gives instantaneous heading, not the direction of the track line you leave on the map. You are not traveling when sitting still. The map with heading up flips all over the place because your location drifts due to accuracy and the GPS thinks you are moving. That is the beauty of the compass. The north arrow points north when standing still, even if you rotate the GPS.

[+DyverDown]

Unless you have a GPS with a compass that still functions while standing still (the Magellan Meridian Platinum and some of the newer Magellen's - I am sure the Garmin's do as well)

 

 

I will give that a try, I would have to say when we were kayaking when trying to determine the right way to go,we were sitting still. So with the compass off, is the only way to know which way you are headed by the North arrow on the map page? If not, how do you knowN,S,E,W? Thanks

 

By the way.......I meant by poing the unit East etc, it would be off by several marks

OK, now your question is confusing me. Maybe it is terminology. If you are standing still you have no heading, meaning "direction of travel". The GPS gives instantaneous heading, not the direction of the track line you leave on the map. You are not traveling when sitting still. The map with heading up flips all over the place because your location drifts due to accuracy and the GPS thinks you are moving. That is the beauty of the compass. The north arrow points north when standing still, even if you rotate the GPS.

[GreatCanadian]

What good is it if the dadgum thing doesn't ALWAYS show your correct heading. I can be pointed dead East and it will show me NE or SE, maybe a tad closer to East but still if it can't show you at all times the direction you are heading how would one find their way out of the jungle........A few degrees off can certainly matter.

 

76csx

 

If you wanted to get out of the jungle, then you must have some idea where your target is. Place a waypoint there and set a "Go To" .Once you you get moving your compass arrow will point you in the right direction. Or ignore the compass screen and follow the line on your map screen. POOF!! Out of the jungle!

[GermanSailor]

What good is it if the dadgum thing doesn't ALWAYS show your correct heading. I can be pointed dead East and it will show me NE or SE, maybe a tad closer to East but still if it can't show you at all times the direction you are heading how would one find their way out of the jungle........A few degrees off can certainly matter.

 

76csx

Hi firefighter,

 

can you be a bit more specific about what you thing is wrong with your GPS!

 

Some people confuse the terms, heading, bearing, course and track. If you GPS doesn't have an inbuilt compass, it can't tell you where North is, since there is now way the unit can figure out how it is orientated. GPS angular measurements work by the movent of the unit. The GPS can tell you where a waypoint in relation to your current position is. Like 045° - 10 nm away, but it takes a compass to figure out where 045° is unless you move.

 

Actually I do believe that it is possible to navigate with a GPS. (As well as without one ) As easy as it seems, it requires some training or at least time to get used to.

 

GermanSailor

[+Red90]

He states it is a 76CSX.

 

1) Make sure the compass is calibrated. You need to do this after changing batteries.

 

2) Make sure the settings in setup are set to "true north", so that the magnetic declination is automatically adjusted.

 

3) Make sure the unit is level. They only work level.

 

Once you are moving the compass should turn off automatically and use the GPS bearing.

[+Renegade Knight]

....I will give that a try, I would have to say when we were kayaking when trying to determine the right way to go,we were sitting still. So with the compass off, is the only way to know which way you are headed by the North arrow on the map page? If not, how do ....

 

A GPS with an electroniccompass will point to the correct NSEW direction even when standing still. When you have a GPS without an electronic compass just take a couple of steps and it should get it's act together and point the way.

[flfirefighter]

....I will give that a try, I would have to say when we were kayaking when trying to determine the right way to go,we were sitting still. So with the compass off, is the only way to know which way you are headed by the North arrow on the map page? If not, how do ....

 

A GPS with an electroniccompass will point to the correct NSEW direction even when standing still. When you have a GPS without an electronic compass just take a couple of steps and it should get it's act together and point the way.

 

Thanks to all for response. Helpeed a bunch.

[+gpsblake]

Actually there is a very accurate way to use a GPS as a compass and that is to use the waypoint projection feature.

 

An example: If you want to travel a mile East, project a waypoint a mile East and go to that point. you'll know for sure 100% that you just walked one mile east according to the crow.

[+KelticFrog]

Don't confuse heading with course like Garmin does. Heading is independent of direction of motion (think of a crab). Also, the compass must be calibrated quite often. I've seen deviations of up to 30 degrees between locations separated by only a few miles. Flux gate compasses are notoriously sensitive the presence of metal in the neighborhood.

[+Kabuthunk]

My theory is to just keep a small compass with me in my geocaching pack. That way, if the batteries die in the GPS, or it gets lost or broken, I'll still have a compass to work with. Hence... if you keep an actual compass with you while you're out, the GPS can be used in conjunction with the compass (looking at the map screen, set to north-up) to tell exactly where you're going.

Edited November 22, 2006 by Kabuthunk

[saw-saw]

I have a cheap compass from Wal-Mart. What is the opinion of other members on the accuracy of these compasses? Is there a place to find information on how to use the compass for navigation in conjunction with the GPS?

[+gpsblake]

There is another way to tell direction easily using a GPS and that is to use the Sun/Moon feature. If you see the sun, just use that feature to determine what direction the sun is in. You can do the same if you can see the moon. Then you can easily orient yourself east, west, north, south.

 

Using the waypoint projection feature on a GPS is more accurate than any magnetic compass on the planet.

 

Now of course if your GPS fails... then you'll stuck with either a magnetic compass or knowledge of the position of the sun. Any basic skills should keep you walking in one direction if you are lost.

[+SgtSue]

....

 

you knowN,S,E,W? Thanks

 

...

 

There is True North, Magnetic North, and Grid North. Which North you are using will determine where East is. Military maps will have a small picture in the margins showing all three and the degees seperating one from the other.

 

Life is never as simle as it seems.

[+dhbaird]

You do know that you must be MOVING for the GPS to determine your heading don't you. Not just "pointed". If you are standing still, you are not HEADING anywhere, so the unit cannot determine where your track is second by second, and thereby determine your "heading". It's likely to tell you anything standing still.

 

Leave the compass turned off (press Page, and hold for a couple of seconds) and be sure you have your unit set to display "Bearing Pointer" and NOT "Course Pointer", also have display set to North up , not Track up.

 

Standing still, if you turn the compass ON then it will tell you which direction you have the unit pointed. Be sure it has recently been calibrated.

 

I will give that a try, I would have to say when we were kayaking when trying to determine the right way to go,we were sitting still. So with the compass off, is the only way to know which way you are headed by the North arrow on the map page? If not, how do

 

you knowN,S,E,W? Thanks

 

By the way.......I meant by poing the unit East etc, it would be off by several marks

 

The CSX is very sensative to being held level to get a true bearing with the electronic compass. Even a bit off level and you can get some pretty wide fluctuations of heading and direction.

 

The person who talked about calibration is also very correct. I calibrate at least each time I power up and power off, sometimes more in swtiching modes from off road to on road and visa versa. The thing is just real sensative to changes in the way it is held and modes.