Gps problems!

[iansd12345]

hi i have a garmin Etrex gps and i am sure it is not set up right, for one main reason in the town that i live in i found a caache that was on the coast and i did not need the gps to find it. i worked it out from the discription but i put it in my gps anyway, when i got near the cache it said to me i was half a mile away and i need to be half a mile away in land. can some one tell me if i have it set up right my settings are

 

POSITION FORMT BRITISH GRID

MAP DATUM WGS84

UNITS STATUTE

NORTH REF GRID

VARIANCE 002 W

 

Thanks to anyone who can help me out

[+Yorkie30]

hi i have a garmin Etrex gps and i am sure it is not set up right, for one main reason in the town that i live in i found a caache that was on the coast and i did not need the gps to find it. i worked it out from the discription but i put it in my gps anyway, when i got near the cache it said to me i was half a mile away and i need to be half a mile away in land. can some one tell me if i have it set up right my settings are

 

POSITION FORMT BRITISH GRID

MAP DATUM WGS84

UNITS STATUTE

NORTH REF GRID

VARIANCE 002 W

 

Thanks to anyone who can help me out

 

It should be on:

 

Postision Format: hdd.mm.mmm and then Map Datum should be WGS84.

 

When it said you are 1/2 mile away was that the arrow pointing to the mark or was it on the basemap if you have one. I find the basemap on my vista is about 1/2mile out putting me leaving iside the M25 when I live on outside of the M25.

 

Hope it helps.

[+Yorkie30]

hi i have a garmin Etrex gps and i am sure it is not set up right, for one main reason in the town that i live in i found a caache that was on the coast and i did not need the gps to find it. i worked it out from the discription but i put it in my gps anyway, when i got near the cache it said to me i was half a mile away and i need to be half a mile away in land. can some one tell me if i have it set up right my settings are

 

POSITION FORMT BRITISH GRID

MAP DATUM WGS84

UNITS STATUTE

NORTH REF GRID

VARIANCE 002 W

 

Thanks to anyone who can help me out

 

It should be on:

 

Postision Format: hdd.mm.mmm and then Map Datum should be WGS84.

 

When it said you are 1/2 mile away was that the arrow pointing to the mark or was it on the basemap if you have one. I find the basemap on my vista is about 1/2mile out putting me leaving iside the M25 when I live on outside of the M25.

 

Hope it helps.

 

Also the North Ref is Mag and the variance is 003W and Angle is degrees.

[+The Blorenges]

You can do a simple test. Go outside the front of your house and make sure you have a good satellite signal. Then mark your location. Now, walk about 1/4 mile away and then select the waypoint for your house and go back there. It should read about 0 feet when you arrive!

 

For more information about GPS and setting them up have a look at my resource website for UK Geocachers.

 

Chris (MrB)

Resource website www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk

[+karrimore]

You can do a simple test. Go outside the front of your house and make sure you have a good satellite signal. Then mark your location. Now, walk about 1/4 mile away and then select the waypoint for your house and go back there. It should read about 0 feet when you arrive!

 

For more information about GPS and setting them up have a look at my resource website for UK Geocachers.

 

Chris (MrB)

Resource website www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk

 

Thanks for this link, very interesting has answered most questions. Just a couple more:

If using Garmins OS 1.50 Discoverer Maps on Oregon would one still use WGS84 or OS British Grid for Geocaching.?

Will the European Gallilaeo Sat become operational in 2010, if so will that do the same thing as EGNOS ?

Thanks in anticipation.

[+The Blorenges]

Thanks for this link, very interesting has answered most questions. Just a couple more:

If using Garmins OS 1.50 Discoverer Maps on Oregon would one still use WGS84 or OS British Grid for Geocaching.?

Will the European Gallilaeo Sat become operational in 2010, if so will that do the same thing as EGNOS ?

Thanks in anticipation.

 

We use Lat and long and WGS84 because all the coordinates you download from the cache page or manually enter are in that format so it's easier. You can certainly run the Oregon in British Grid and the coordinates will show up in that format. But it becomes difficult then to enter say a waypoint from the cache page as N51°33.096', W2°33.153' when you are running the GPS in ST 61785 83780. This is why most cachers keep their GPSr's on lat/long WGS84.

The new Galileo system should provide the same positioning information as EGNOS - but until it is operational who can say!

 

Chris (MrB)

[+karrimore]

Thanks for this link, very interesting has answered most questions. Just a couple more:

If using Garmins OS 1.50 Discoverer Maps on Oregon would one still use WGS84 or OS British Grid for Geocaching.?

Will the European Gallilaeo Sat become operational in 2010, if so will that do the same thing as EGNOS ?

Thanks in anticipation.

 

We use Lat and long and WGS84 because all the coordinates you download from the cache page or manually enter are in that format so it's easier. You can certainly run the Oregon in British Grid and the coordinates will show up in that format. But it becomes difficult then to enter say a waypoint from the cache page as N51°33.096', W2°33.153' when you are running the GPS in ST 61785 83780. This is why most cachers keep their GPSr's on lat/long WGS84.

The new Galileo system should provide the same positioning information as EGNOS - but until it is operational who can say!

 

Chris (MrB)

 

Many Thanks for your informed response, thats cleared up my understanding.

Cheers.