Wrong coordinates transfered

[Roadtorque]

I have recently not been able to find a few caches. For one reason or another I decided to check the GPS lat and long coordinates that are posted on the cache page of geocaching.com compared to my GPSr. I realize that a few of my coordinates have been transferred wrong. When I find a cache on the internet i want to search for I push the send to gps button. Everything works fine except apparently every now and then the coordinates that are transferred onto my garmin 60csx gps are a little off(... 33.199 instead of what it should be at ... 33.200). Why would this be and how can it be fixed. Is it a common problem?

[Keystone]

There are different rounding conventions and conversion conventions used in different site tools. This is a known quirk.

 

But the difference between .199 and .200 is about six feet... well within the margin of error. If you went to where your GPS said .200, looked down, and didn't see a cache, you are going to have a lot of DNF's.

[Roadtorque]

There are different rounding conventions and conversion conventions used in different site tools. This is a known quirk.

 

But the difference between .199 and .200 is about six feet... well within the margin of error. If you went to where your GPS said .200, looked down, and didn't see a cache, you are going to have a lot of DNF's.

 

Thanks for the fast reply. I understand that I should be looking around and not just stare at where the gps points. Sometimes the coordinates a further off then that the most being about ... .. .59 off which could be a ways off and on top of that you have the typical 12-25' error of the GPS anyway. I most the time the transfer is dead on and was wondering why sometimes it was off. Apparently this is a common thing. This only became an issue when looking for two different micro caches on the side of two separate hills that were covered with thousands of large to small size rocks with tons of dirt and gravel. Not being able to find these when a lot of others have got me investigating what could be wrong. You can imagine a micro like this would allow a thousand hiding spots in every square yard. If the coordinates have me off as the obviously do I could search the hill side all day and never find them. I reloaded the coordinates tonight and will go try to find it in the morning. This is a pretty annoying "quirk" and should be fixed. After all a large part of the game relies on accurate GPS coordinates, otherwise it could be done with a compass

[+pppingme]

about ... .. .59 off

Do you have your GPS set to display coords in the DD MM.MMM format or the DD MM SS.SS or DD.DDDDD format?

 

It should be DD MM.MMM if you want the "display" to match whats on the pages here

 

This is only how the unit "displays" the coordinates.

 

So, all of the following are the same:

 

35.091283 (dd.ddddd format)

N35 05.477 (dd mm.mmm format)

N35 05 28.62 (dd mm ss.ss format)

 

or another example that really shows the point:

 

35.99999

n35 59.999

n35 59 59.96

Edited January 12, 2009 by Potato Finder

[jholly]

There are different rounding conventions and conversion conventions used in different site tools. This is a known quirk.

 

But the difference between .199 and .200 is about six feet... well within the margin of error. If you went to where your GPS said .200, looked down, and didn't see a cache, you are going to have a lot of DNF's.

 

Thanks for the fast reply. I understand that I should be looking around and not just stare at where the gps points. Sometimes the coordinates a further off then that the most being about ... .. .59 off which could be a ways off and on top of that you have the typical 12-25' error of the GPS anyway. I most the time the transfer is dead on and was wondering why sometimes it was off. Apparently this is a common thing. This only became an issue when looking for two different micro caches on the side of two separate hills that were covered with thousands of large to small size rocks with tons of dirt and gravel. Not being able to find these when a lot of others have got me investigating what could be wrong. You can imagine a micro like this would allow a thousand hiding spots in every square yard. If the coordinates have me off as the obviously do I could search the hill side all day and never find them. I reloaded the coordinates tonight and will go try to find it in the morning. This is a pretty annoying "quirk" and should be fixed. After all a large part of the game relies on accurate GPS coordinates, otherwise it could be done with a compass

 

You don't say what type of GPS, but I'll take a stab that it is a garmin. When you do a find>waypoint, select a waypoint and then scroll over to map hit enter and hit enter again you enter the edit waypoint mode. You can MOVE the waypoint in the gps. When you hit enter again the moved waypoint is saved. I bet that is what is happening. After transferring 1,000's of waypoints on several GPS both for marine and geocaching I have never had a waypoint transferred incorrectly. Errors in transferring waypoints simple does not happen.

 

Jim

[Roadtorque]

yes it is in the DD MM.MMM format Potato Finder

 

I think you may be onto something there jholly I will have to watch that. By the way I as stated in post #1 I do have a garmin 60csx. I'm going to have to watch what I do I'm guessing that is it, other than 2 caches I have never had them transfer wrong either.

[+Isonzo Karst]

Let me second the notion that you've probably moved the waypoint while on the map screen. When my husband and I first started caching with 2 different receivers we would sometimes end up in different places; I would be near the cache, and he would somewhere else. ;-) Both units loaded from the same point file via GSAK.

 

I learned here in the forums that it was likely his ability to shift that waypoint on while on the map screen that was causing him to wander...

[+markandsandy]

Let me second the notion that you've probably moved the waypoint while on the map screen. When my husband and I first started caching with 2 different receivers we would sometimes end up in different places; I would be near the cache, and he would somewhere else. ;-) Both units loaded from the same point file via GSAK.

 

I learned here in the forums that it was likely his ability to shift that waypoint on while on the map screen that was causing him to wander...

Since you seconded this notion, I'll third it. Been there, done that.

[jholly]

Let me second the notion that you've probably moved the waypoint while on the map screen. When my husband and I first started caching with 2 different receivers we would sometimes end up in different places; I would be near the cache, and he would somewhere else. ;-) Both units loaded from the same point file via GSAK.

 

I learned here in the forums that it was likely his ability to shift that waypoint on while on the map screen that was causing him to wander...

Since you seconded this notion, I'll third it. Been there, done that.

 

The reason I mentioned it is that I got the T shirt.

 

Jim

[+fizzymagic]

Let me second the notion that you've probably moved the waypoint while on the map screen.

Since you seconded this notion, I'll third it. Been there, done that.

It was this single issue that dissuaded me from ever buying a 60 series GPS. Despite the other problems with the UI, I am happy to report that it is not an issue with the PN-40.

[+edscott]

After all a large part of the game relies on accurate GPS coordinates, otherwise it could be done with a compass

 

Really??