GPS won't settle down

[+Crafty Turtle]

Wanting to place my first cache, I did a test of the spot, and hit "Mark" on my Garmin. But the signal drifts around, and while I was there, I put the "Mark" in half a dozen spots. I tried walking away and coming back, but I still get different readings.

They are all within 5-7 metres, so how do I determine what the actual coordinates are? Do I pick a spot in the middle/median of all the "Marks"?

[+burtsbodgers]

Hi

Try visiting the location again and take 6 or so more waypoints, and average these against the ones you took originally and and create an average waypoint.

Then punch this average one into your GPS and re approach the cache from different directions.

If this waypoint takes you to the cache use it.

If you can find it with the waypoint then others should be able to as well.

 

The signal from the satalites can vary from day to day, hour to hour as well as weather tree coverage and many other things.

But an average is probably best, some GPSr's have a Waypoint Averaging setting and this can be useful when setting caches.

Hope this helps

[+Crafty Turtle]

Hi

Try visiting the location again and take 6 or so more waypoints, and average these against the ones you took originally and and create an average waypoint.

Then punch this average one into your GPS and re approach the cache from different directions.

If this waypoint takes you to the cache use it.

If you can find it with the waypoint then others should be able to as well.

 

The signal from the satalites can vary from day to day, hour to hour as well as weather tree coverage and many other things.

But an average is probably best, some GPSr's have a Waypoint Averaging setting and this can be useful when setting caches.

Hope this helps

 

I hadn't though of that. Of course! It seems simple now.

 

Thanks.