GSAK Home Location

[+rob.marsh]

Help!

 

I have just downloaded GSAK, but when I set my home location, the distances are all wrong.

 

I even created a waypoint on my garmin (checked it was set to use wgs84) and uploaded it as a waypoint into GSAK. I then added the co-ords of that waypoint in GSAK as my home location, and that waypoint is coming up as 24.76 miles away!

 

Caches I know are nearby are also showing incorrect distances away.

 

Help!!

 

Cheers peeps,

 

Rob

[norsch]

Help!

 

I have just downloaded GSAK, but when I set my home location, the distances are all wrong.

 

I even created a waypoint on my garmin (checked it was set to use wgs84) and uploaded it as a waypoint into GSAK. I then added the co-ords of that waypoint in GSAK as my home location, and that waypoint is coming up as 24.76 miles away!

 

Caches I know are nearby are also showing incorrect distances away.

 

Help!!

 

Cheers peeps,

 

Rob

Have you got your east and west right way round?

[+Matthew 7:7 Too]

Try setting cache GC16XFG (East Grinstead Railway Station) as the centre point and ad as a location? There's no obvious reason why GSAK would get these calculations wrong unless you've mistyped the coords and using a local cache avoids that problem.

 

Chris

Edited March 3, 2010 by Matthew 7:7 Too

[+redsox_mark]

All I can think of is either:

 

1. Your home coordinates are not entered correctly, or

2. It is using a different location than "home" as the "Centre point". (Click on "Centre Point", then click on "Home", and see if that makes a difference.

 

Mark

[+rob.marsh]

All I can think of is either:

 

1. Your home coordinates are not entered correctly, or

2. It is using a different location than "home" as the "Centre point". (Click on "Centre Point", then click on "Home", and see if that makes a difference.

 

Mark

 

East & West were correct, and I copied and pasted the co-ords straight from the waypoint. I have now used redsox_mark's work around. Which has worked!

 

Cheers!

[+dino-irl]

Any chance you have the wrong datum set in your GPS?

[+rob.marsh]

Any chance you have the wrong datum set in your GPS?

 

as mentioned, its set to wgs84. I also tried my home co-ords set on geocaching.com and got the same result. WOrked around with the center point now though.

[+rutson]

"Work around"???

[+Bear and Ragged]

GSAK.

Tools >Options >Location. Add co-ords. Don't put # in front -that tells GSAK to ignore it!

 

Doesn't matter if you put in the degree sign or not, just leave a space N?? ??.??? E??? ??.???

[+Master Mariner]

Are you using the same format on your GPS and in GSAK, ie DD MM.MMM (degrees and minutes) OR DD.ddddd (decimal degrees). For example if you have Lat 51.35000N; Long 001.45000E (in decimal degrees) and you enter it as Lat 51 35.000'N; Long 001 45.000'E (the more normal degrees and minutes) then you will get an error of about 20 miles. Worth checking.

 

Edited to add: Lat 51.35000N; Long 001.45000E = Lat 51 21.000N; Long 001 27.000E when correctly converted from decimal degrees to degrees and minutes.

Edited March 3, 2010 by Master Mariner

[+Lost in Space]

"Work around"???

 

I didn't have the nerve to say it......

[+rob.marsh]

Thanks peeps,

 

I'll check the format type, that may be the operator error thats causing it!

 

Whats wrong with the term work around?

 

The "work around" was to use the home waypoint I uploaded and set it as the center point. It was the work around not being able to get the home location to work!

[+rutson]

One uses a "work around" when something doesn't work as it should as a temporary measure. Setting the centre coordinates is how GSAK should work.

[+redsox_mark]

The OP wants to set the centre point to his defined location of home, and can't get that to work. He can get it to work if he creates a waypoint with his home coordinates (rather than a location).

 

Using either a location or a waypoint as the centre point in GSAK are both valid; but as he wants to use the location method, the waypoint method is seen as a "work around".

 

Mark

[+rob.marsh]

Yikes, some people can be picky on here. Sorry if people didn'y like the term work around. Aternative fix may appease those who have an issue with the term.

 

Thanks again Redsox_mark for your help earlier, and also defending my terminology! Odd how people pick up on little things and get funny about them in this place!

Edited March 4, 2010 by rob.marsh

[+teamhillside]

I think something is being lost in translation here.

 

In simple terms, "home" (in GSAK terms) is a "special" location that is hard-coded into GSAK, so that when you add a location with the name "Home" into the locations box that will map straight through to the item called "home" on the centrepoint menu in GSAK. All other locations are dynamically added to the locations menu.

 

What it doesn't do is automatically start up GSAK with the centre point as "home". GSAK will keep the centre point the same as you last set it, and only when you choose "centrepoint > home" will you centre the database on your home.

 

So, this isn't a work around, its the designed way it is supposed to work!!

 

Matt

[+rob.marsh]

 

What it doesn't do is automatically start up GSAK with the centre point as "home". GSAK will keep the centre point the same as you last set it, and only when you choose "centrepoint > home" will you centre the database on your home.

 

I wasn't aware of it not automatically centering on home upon startup, so thanks for that info. That could well be the issue.

 

I have to say, i only downloaded it last night, but what a cracking bit of kit. the ability to filter and print multiple cache info on a page is wonderful. I'm sure I have only touched the surface at the moment, but its great.

 

it gets a 10/10 from me.

[+teamhillside]

 

What it doesn't do is automatically start up GSAK with the centre point as "home". GSAK will keep the centre point the same as you last set it, and only when you choose "centrepoint > home" will you centre the database on your home.

 

I wasn't aware of it not automatically centering on home upon startup, so thanks for that info. That could well be the issue.

 

I have to say, i only downloaded it last night, but what a cracking bit of kit. the ability to filter and print multiple cache info on a page is wonderful. I'm sure I have only touched the surface at the moment, but its great.

 

it gets a 10/10 from me.

 

Just read about East Grinstead, and noted that it is on the greenwich meridian. And then wondered, how far is that from Greenwich observatory? Is it about 24.7 miles or so??

 

I think that GSAK auto-centres on the observatory by default (certainly the very useful GSAK101 help document says "Unless you live on the Greenwich meridian in England (very few of us do!), you’ll need to set up a “home location” that reflects where you live.")

 

Its a good piece of software, no doubt about that! I recommending reading the GSAK101 doc, and also the GSAK forums (which incidentally might be a better place to ask basic GSAK questions than here?)!

 

Enjoy!

 

Matt

Edited March 4, 2010 by teamhillside

[+Northirishdiver]

hi having read this over and over i still cant get my home location set its 54.35,429 -6.28,224 but shows im 540km away from a my 510.86kms away

 

can any one help

as well tryed using my ppost code which helps as a center point but would like to get my home set in stone lol

 

Andy

[+Flyfishermanbob]

Home, N54 35.429 W6 28.224

 

Copy above line and go to GSAK tools ;options ;locations

paste .

 

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