North Up vs. Track up

[+CacheMiner72]

So I am still fairly new to my GPS and geocaching. As the topic is listed I am looking for the difference between these options. I remember reading somewhere that North Up is the way to go but I'm wondering why and what the difference is? I own a Legend HCx if it matters. Asking here instead of on Garmins site because this site has people with the best info I have ever gotten for my GPS questions. Thanks.

[+the hermit crabs]

It's completely a personal-preference decision. I like North-up, so that what I'm seeing always corresponds to what a paper map would like like. Other people like Track-up, so that a left turn on the screen correponds to a left turn in real life.

[+Miragee]

I use North Up when I am hiking so the map stays put when I stop, instead of turning around and confusing me . . . However, when I am driving long distances, I change it to Track Up so I can see what is coming up in the direction I am traveling.

[+briansnat]

I use north up on my handheld. Otherwise the display is constantly spinning and can get confusing and annoying.

 

My car GPS uses track up and that seems to work for it. I guess you do a lot less turning in your car. With a handheld the display will spin with nearly any movement.

[+Team Cotati]

Track up works best since that matches the direction of travel.

[+BilLow]

Having worked with paper maps for 30 years, I only use North up. The brain has been trained to know, the same as working with a compass.

[+GEO*Trailblazer 1]

I like North up.

I learned how to read maps that way so it is just natural to have a known direction.

[+boda]

I use North up on my handheld and track up on the car nav. Our caching partners, however, use track up on both. They can't understand why I don't on the handheld.

 

I do get twisted around at times when we head south while I'm navigating..."Turn left, turn left! Oops, make that a right...dang, now you're in the wrong lane."

[+JohnnyVegas]

So I am still fairly new to my GPS and geocaching. As the topic is listed I am looking for the difference between these options. I remember reading somewhere that North Up is the way to go but I'm wondering why and what the difference is? I own a Legend HCx if it matters. Asking here instead of on Garmins site because this site has people with the best info I have ever gotten for my GPS questions. Thanks.

I use North up when I am trying to locat an area on the GPS such as a city. I use track when I am navigating to a cache or POI.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I use North up on my handheld and track up on the car nav. Our caching partners, however, use track up on both. They can't understand why I don't on the handheld.

 

I do get twisted around at times when we head south while I'm navigating..."Turn left, turn left! Oops, make that a right...dang, now you're in the wrong lane."

..."Turn left, turn left! Oops, make that a right...dang, now you're in the wrong lane."

Try Track up, that should solve the problem

[+theosus]

I use North up on my handheld and track up on the car nav. Our caching partners, however, use track up on both. They can't understand why I don't on the handheld.

 

I do get twisted around at times when we head south while I'm navigating..."Turn left, turn left! Oops, make that a right...dang, now you're in the wrong lane."

..."Turn left, turn left! Oops, make that a right...dang, now you're in the wrong lane."

Try Track up, that should solve the problem

 

I've always used track up. I was taught to always hold a map the direction you're travelling, not the direction of north. It just seems more natural to compare map features to those on the ground. Now when you stop somewhere to plan... it might be easier to have north up. Or - just walk a few yards north, stop, and get your bearings.

Its all personal preference though.

[+Renegade Knight]

I use track up since when I'm driving I'm using one kind of map on the GPS and track up works better for driving. When I'm hiking I'm using another pointer where it really doesn't matter that I'm still Track up, but if I did have to use the map that I was using in the car North Up would be what I'd do IF it were easy to switch. If not easy I'd just live with Track Up.

 

Paper maps are always north up.

[+desync0]

Since the weather's been crap I've been trying to snag a few "drive up" caches and find my explorist gets a little dizzy when I navigate through parking lots so I've been using north up.

 

Out walking about track up works better for me.

[+Team Cotati]

I use North up on my handheld and track up on the car nav. Our caching partners, however, use track up on both. They can't understand why I don't on the handheld.

 

I do get twisted around at times when we head south while I'm navigating..."Turn left, turn left! Oops, make that a right...dang, now you're in the wrong lane."

..."Turn left, turn left! Oops, make that a right...dang, now you're in the wrong lane."

Try Track up, that should solve the problem

 

Exactly.

[+StarBrand]

I use to LOVE North up but have come to understand that Track up works better (for me) in many situations.

[+boda]

I use North up on my handheld and track up on the car nav. Our caching partners, however, use track up on both. They can't understand why I don't on the handheld.

 

I do get twisted around at times when we head south while I'm navigating..."Turn left, turn left! Oops, make that a right...dang, now you're in the wrong lane."

..."Turn left, turn left! Oops, make that a right...dang, now you're in the wrong lane."

Try Track up, that should solve the problem

 

Exactly.

I know that!! I should have put a smiley face to show I was kidding. I do prefer north up on the handheld; but occasionally I slip up. I can live with that.

[+coggins]

Paper maps are always north up.

Always??? Generally.

[+WRASTRO]

Definitely north up. We have tried using track up but the constant spinning was awful.

[+DanOCan]

I started out using North Up since that is the way I always read paper maps. I switched to Track Up when driving because that worked better for my wife who is directionally-challenged. I have since come to always use Track Up now and I like it a lot better.

[+The Bongtwashes]

I always use track up on my GPS, then everything is referenced to the way I am facing. If I am using a map I generally use it North up, simply because that's the way it's printed, but just like the baseplate of my compass, I can rotate the map.

[+Crew 153]

Paper maps are always north up.

Always??? Generally.

 

Thats the map we always use in Australia

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Interesting replies.

 

I've always lived in a "map" world, so north up works great for me, as it's how I view the world.

 

It occurred to me that someone who has grown up in a "first person game" world may do much better with track up, as it's a viewpoint they're used to seeing.

 

One thing that was pointed out to me when I first tried track up...the GPS is redrawing the map every time you turn, which will eat through the batteries, and slow down the processing ability(decreasing accuracy?)

 

It takes a lot of power to track all those sats and redraw the map at the same time. the same is true if you have the map set for more detail, and zoomed at a level with lots of things to draw.