GPS Aided Christmas Tree Hunt

[+homer_AT]

We went to one of those Christmas Tree farms where you look over the field and cut your own. I brought my GPS for the road trip. I had it in my pocket and we started walking and looking. Of course you spot some that seem reasonable, but you need to look over the whole stock so that you don't miss the best one. But it is hard to keep track of the special ones. We found a good one, and my wife said let's remember this one and look some more. So I just pulled out my Garmin Etrex Legend Cx and marked a waypoint. We marked 5 trees in all , perhaps 200 yards apart, then I selected Find Waypoint and we walked back to each and ranked them again - and then picked the one my son like the best. I got back to within 2 ft of each.

 

It's good for the GPS toy to aid the wife from time to time.

 

Homer-AT

[TinyMoon & The Pumpkin King]

We went to the New York State Fair this summer. While there, we used our GPS to find caches that were hidden there. We also used the GPS to guide us back to our car in the parking lot, a parking lot that was filled with something like twenty thousand other cars! Came in pretty handy!

[+redtailfalconer]

It's good for the GPS toy to aid the wife from time to time.

 

Homer-AT

 

Now only if I can find a way to mark the shoes we look at and keep trying to find again.

[Jeepstr]

We went to one of those Christmas Tree farms where you look over the field and cut your own. I brought my GPS for the road trip. I had it in my pocket and we started walking and looking. Of course you spot some that seem reasonable, but you need to look over the whole stock so that you don't miss the best one. But it is hard to keep track of the special ones. We found a good one, and my wife said let's remember this one and look some more. So I just pulled out my Garmin Etrex Legend Cx and marked a waypoint. We marked 5 trees in all , perhaps 200 yards apart, then I selected Find Waypoint and we walked back to each and ranked them again - and then picked the one my son like the best. I got back to within 2 ft of each.

 

It's good for the GPS toy to aid the wife from time to time.

 

Homer-AT

Wow! 2ft was that your accuracy or an internal map?

[+Klemmer]

Going back to a waypoint you have just marked, within a couple hours, you take out many errors (some atmospherics, the units internals, etc). A couple or maybe 3 or 4 feet is not unusual. Someone else, or even the next day - that's a different story.

[+homer_AT]

We went to one of those Christmas Tree farms where you look over the field and cut your own. I brought my GPS for the road trip. I had it in my pocket and we started walking and looking. Of course you spot some that seem reasonable, but you need to look over the whole stock so that you don't miss the best one. But it is hard to keep track of the special ones. We found a good one, and my wife said let's remember this one and look some more. So I just pulled out my Garmin Etrex Legend Cx and marked a waypoint. We marked 5 trees in all , perhaps 200 yards apart, then I selected Find Waypoint and we walked back to each and ranked them again - and then picked the one my son like the best. I got back to within 2 ft of each.

 

It's good for the GPS toy to aid the wife from time to time.

 

Homer-AT

Wow! 2ft was that your accuracy or an internal map?

I made a point of standing on the sunny side of each tree I marked, because you are really between multiple trees most of the time, to keep straight which one I was marking. And all these measurements were during one hour, with the GPS left on, out in the open with good signal, using WAAS. The 2 ft was the distance to waypoint displayed when I thought I was standing in the same place as when the waypoint was recorded.

 

Homer_AT

Edited December 3, 2006 by homer_AT