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Different GPS Formats


CSavvy

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Hi,

I am having loads of difficulty understanding the different GPS formats and need some help with them. I use a Garmin Etrax and on it you can select:

 

UTM/UPS

hddd.dddd

hddd mm.mm

hddd mm'ss.s

 

WHAT DO THEY ALL MEAN OR STAND FOR??????? and what format is the cache coordinates in that are used on the Geocache website?

 

At present, I mainly use the UTM/UPS format, but when it comes to hiding caches, I find it so hard to convert the UTM coordinates between formats that the end coordinate is always wrong and people cant find my caches because of that!!

 

Can someone please explain it all to me and help me out coz its giving me a massive headache!! :laughing:

Thanks!

Wonderboy.

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Hi,

I am having loads of difficulty understanding the different GPS formats and need some help with them. I use a Garmin Etrax and on it you can select:

 

UTM/UPS

hddd.dddd

hddd mm.mm

hddd mm'ss.s

 

WHAT DO THEY ALL MEAN OR STAND FOR??????? and what format is the cache coordinates in that are used on the Geocache website?

 

At present, I mainly use the UTM/UPS format, but when it comes to hiding caches, I find it so hard to convert the UTM coordinates between formats that the end coordinate is always wrong and people cant find my caches because of that!!

 

Can someone please explain it all to me and help me out coz its giving me a massive headache!! :laughing:

Thanks!

Wonderboy.

 

Since you "mainly use the UTM/UPS format" I assume you know that Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) covers between 80° S latitude and 84° N latitude, and Universal Polar Stereographic (UPS) is used at the North and South poles. Enough said?

 

For the three Latitude/Longitude questions you have referenced:

h = Hemisphere (North, South, East, or West )

d = Degree

m = Minute

s = Second

 

hddd.ddddd is Decimal Degrees Format

hddd mm.mmm is Degrees, Minutes, Decimal Minutes Format (the Geocaching standard).

hddd mm ss.s is Degres, Minutes, Seconds.

 

Realize that the relationship of Degrees and Hours to Minutes and Seconds is identical.

40.35500 Hours

40 Hours, 21.300 Minutes

40 Hours, 21 Minutes, 18.0 Seconds

Can you see that those are all identical lengths of time?

 

40.35500 Degrees

40 Degrees, 21.300 Minutes

40 Degrees, 21 Minutes, 18.0 Seconds

Can you now see that those are all identical coordinate positions?

 

But you don't even have to understand it. Determine the UTM hide coordinates with your GPS set to UTM/UPS if you insist. Then switch the GPS to the hddd mm.mmm Format, and use those as the actual hide coordinates that will now be displayed on the GPS. No matter what format you choose, the GPS will display the correct conversion for that format.

 

Of course you could just set the GPS to hddd mm.mmm when you are collecting the data. And be sure that you are using the WGS84 Datum (another Geocaching standard).

 

Have I managed to clear this up for you?

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