Understanding Waypoint for beginers

[+Rickeyru]

Another newbie question. When I search of Waypoints I input my coordinates i.e. N 47 02.072 W 065 33.894 and the coordinates are inputted another waypoint coordinate is automatically created i.e. GC8BA5. My question is can I enter the second coordinate in my etrex Legend CX? I see other referring to waypoints just using the second option.

rick

 

By the way thanks to info on my gowing pains those who replied were very helpful.

[+Prime Suspect]

Another newbie question. When I search of Waypoints I input my coordinates i.e. N 47 02.072 W 065 33.894 and the coordinates are inputted another waypoint coordinate is automatically created i.e. GC8BA5. My question is can I enter the second coordinate in my etrex Legend CX? I see other referring to waypoints just using the second option.

rick

 

By the way thanks to info on my gowing pains those who replied were very helpful.

 

A waypoint is a set of coordinates. You can attach a label or name to the coordinates. That's all the "GC8BA5" is. It's just a waypoint name that the system generates. It doesn't mean anything, except as a unique identifier. You can use it, if you wish, or name the waypoint anything you like (within the limits inherit in your GPS).

[+citonyc]

yes i agree with " Prime Suspect" that GC8BA5 is only a identifier.

 

if you go to the geocaching homepage, then hide and seek cach, scroll down to where it says other search options, then where it says by waypoint just enter the identifier and hit go..

it will bring you to the cache page and the lat. and long. coordinates will be the same as those you have entered manually

[+briansnat]

A waypoint is any location on the face of the earth that can be referenced by coordinates (meaning everywhere). Where you are sitting now is a waypoint, where your car is parked is a waypoint and your home is also a waypoint.

 

Say you marked the location of your home and it was at the coordinates N 47 02.072 W 065 33.894. The next time you went to look up your home on the GPS how would you find those coordinates among dozens or hundreds of others unless you memorized them? You couldn't. So you would assign a "waypoint name" to those coordinates (perhaps "home"). So the next time you needed to find the coordinates for your home you just have to look on your GPS for the waypoint "home", call that up and you will see the coordinates for "home" are N 47 02.072 W 065 33.894.

 

So its simply a shorthand tag for the coordinates. This website happens to use a standard of GC followed by numbers and letters to be the waypoint name for each geocache. Its a unique name. There can be 50 caches called "Between a Rock and a Hard Place", but there can only be one GC8BA5. When you call ub GC8BA5 on your GPS you will see the coordinates for that cache.

Edited December 5, 2006 by briansnat