Help with my gps

[Snake charmers]

Hi,

I have not been able to use my Garmin Etrex successfully. It takes me on a wild goose chase. Someone said I needed to configure it. How do I do this?

 

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Snake charmers

[+OldNickCov]

Hi,

I have not been able to use my Garmin Etrex successfully. It takes me on a wild goose chase. Someone said I needed to configure it. How do I do this?

 

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

 

Snake charmers

 

Hello, welcome along. You'll find plenty of people will help you on here, but (mainly) we're not mind readers. The more you can help us with describing the problem, the more we'll help you.

 

'Someone' said something almost totally meaningless, and you described your problem in terms so vague as to be even less use. It might be worth asking someone what they meant. It would be worth telling us what is actually going wrong.

 

One possibility, grasping at straws, is that your GPSr has been configured using the wrong datum. The geocaching glossary http://www.geocaching.com/about/glossary.aspx explains this. You'll need to read your GPSr manual to find how to check and change this.

Edited April 8, 2009 by OldNickCov

[+Bill D (wwh)]

As OldNickCov says, it's difficult to help without more information.

 

The commonest problems, though, are having the gps set to the wrong datum and/or the wrong co-ordinate settings.

 

Your gps should be set up to use the datum WGS84, and the co-ordinates should be set to Degrees, Decimal minutes, e.g. N 50 27.500 W 001 24.250, not Degrees, Minutes, Seconds, e.g. N 50 27 30 W 001 24 15. Both of those point to the same spot, but geocaching uses the first format.

 

Also, make sure that you're using N or + for the latitude, and E/+ or W/- for the longitude, depending on which side of the Greenwich Meridian the co-ords are.

[+PSHAX]

As OldNickCov says, it's difficult to help without more information.

 

The commonest problems, though, are having the gps set to the wrong datum and/or the wrong co-ordinate settings.

 

Your gps should be set up to use the datum WGS84, and the co-ordinates should be set to Degrees, Decimal minutes, e.g. N 50 27.500 W 001 24.250, not Degrees, Minutes, Seconds, e.g. N 50 27 30 W 001 24 15. Both of those point to the same spot, but geocaching uses the first format.

 

Also, make sure that you're using N or + for the latitude, and E/+ or W/- for the longitude, depending on which side of the Greenwich Meridian the co-ords are.

 

I have first hand experience of using the wrong format for the co-ords...

Several years ago, I got hold of a second hand magellan GPS315, and promptly entered some co-ords for a location in Lincolnshire.. Or so I thought...

Not having the user manual, I entered HH MIN.SEC co-ords ie, 49°30'00"N, 123°30'00"W, into a unit configured to use Decimal Co-ords ie 49.5000°,-123.5000°... Suffice to say I was MILES out and eventually 3 hours late getting to my destination!

 

If in doubt, RTFM..