Will the 62s display the correct declination for current location

[+khumbu_calypso]

Does anyone know if there is a way to get the 62s to display the declination for your current position? I have started to print my own maps on waterproof paper but they don't include the declination info as topos maps do. I can always look it up and write it on the map for my own reference but it would be cool to know that I can use my Garmin to get the number for the odd time that I forget to do so during the planning/printing stage.

 

I'm lead to believe that the 60 series would do this (unconfirmed) when you set the North reference to magnetic, but it doesn't seem to behave the same on the 62s.

[+ArcherACT]

I don't believe that any GPS will display declination.

For three reasons.

1. It's not constant from place to place.

2. It changes as the poles move.

3. It's irrelevant for the functioning of a GPS device.

 

In order to display declination, there would need to be a declination data overlay. This would need to be constantly upgraded to be accurate.

And lets face it, if you've got a GPS on you to display declination, why would you need a compass?

 

If you've got a compass, you need declination ONLY if you've got a map. On that map will be declination.

 

So there is absolutely no reason for anyone to go through the pain of providing declination on a GPS.

[xyzee]

For the 60 series, download the pdf for the discontinued GPSMap 60c from Garmin, and check out pg 55 for that Headings feature. If not available, pg 75 for the 60Csx.

On my entry level, yellow, GPS60, introduced in 2005, I can set the North Reference to Magnetic, then to System> Demo Mode>Sat Page>Menu>New Location>Use Map, then pan around the world to any location, Entr, then System>Heading and view the Magnetic Variation for that location.

I returned my 62s before I could ck out some of the other features, as it was screwing up on the basic stuff.

One might try the Classic Profile and ck out everything under System, menu, etc, for the Heading choices, if any.

[Grasscatcher]

If you are out in the field with only your GPS and your compass it should take less than maybe two minutes to determine the declination with your GPS to put on your compass.

 

It ONLY took 25 "posts" in another nearby "declination" thread for someone to finally "get it".

 

For some of the "answerers" ......When you turn your GPS on ......turn your brain on also, or learn to use a GPS yourself before answering .

[+myotis]

In order to display declination, there would need to be a declination data overlay. This would need to be constantly upgraded to be accurate.

And lets face it, if you've got a GPS on you to display declination, why would you need a compass?

 

If you've got a compass, you need declination ONLY if you've got a map. On that map will be declination.

 

So there is absolutely no reason for anyone to go through the pain of providing declination on a GPS.

 

While I agree the need for declation would be extremly rare, I cannot agree there could never be a need. If you need extreme accuracy in a bearing, you have to use a compass with a site. There could be a ? cache where you need to get inforamtion about something with bearing using true North.

 

Since teh GPS has the declation data and needs it to show true north, perhaps there could be a Wherigo cartidge that shows the declation.

[+fizzymagic]

So there is absolutely no reason for anyone to go through the pain of providing declination on a GPS.

While I agree the need for declation would be extremly rare, I cannot agree there could never be a need. If you need extreme accuracy in a bearing, you have to use a compass with a site.[sic]

 

You can't get extreme bearing accuracy from a compass with a sight. Compass accuracy is typically around a degree, as the bearing is affected by local magnetic field variations that wouldn't show up in a declination chart anyhow.

 

Unless you are on a completely wooden boat out in the middle of the ocean, that is. Then the declination might be good to better than a degree.

[+khumbu_calypso]

Wow Grasscatcher, that's a bit harsh. I participated in the previous thread but started this one as the previous one was specifically about the 60 series. I did, through the helpful suggestions of others in that previous thread eventually "get it" and come to one possible way to get declination. That solution was to navigate to set way point and subtract the True North referenced bearing from the magnetic referenced one to get declination. I suppose I could have come to that workaround had I "turned my brain on" myself, but I am one who appreciates the collaborative learning experience of online forums. If you don't, maybe you shouldn't participate in them. I am also one who is just as frustrated, as many other Groundspeak community members, with the lack of good documentation that Garmin GPSr's come with. If you had read the original question, you would see that it still has not been answered. The question is not whether there is a way to figure out the declination, but if there is a function of the 62 series to display that information. It has been suggested in the previous thread that the 60 series does this, and so my purpose is more to flesh out whether the 62 series does as well and I just haven't come across it yet in my hunting, or if that function has been removed from the functionality.

[Grasscatcher]

Sorry 'bout that if it sounded harsh. It wasn't meant to be harsh, it was meant to cause you (and others)to THINK.....like.... why would I want my GPS to DISPLAY useless (to it) information if I can use it's present capabilities to easily determine that info.....for whatever unknown reason.

 

My point was that it took 25 posts to get the answer......and I hope that this doesn't sound harsh again, but you still didn't "get" the solution......it is not as you described. What about if your location is on "the other side" of the 0 declination line? Would you still subtract True from Magnetic?

 

This is NOT difficult.....it is purely the DIFFERENCE between the numbers and your GPS will show you whether you should add or subtract from True.

 

Just look at the (true)bearing to any saved waypoint in your unit.....now, change the unit's setting to magnetic, and look at the bearing to the same waypoint. Did it increase.... or did it decrease ....and by how much....

[+dfx]

Sorry 'bout that if it sounded harsh. It wasn't meant to be harsh, it was meant to cause you (and others)to THINK.....like.... why would I want my GPS to DISPLAY useless (to it) information if I can use it's present capabilities to easily determine that info.....for whatever unknown reason.

 

One of the main purposes of electronics is to make your life easier. The GPS device doesn't just show you the coordinates for its current location and then leaves determining distance and direction to the destination based on that information to you, no, it does that for you and shows you the result, even though to the device, the result is "useless". It also doesn't just tell you the direction to the destination in degrees and leaves it to you to figure out where that is, no, it shows you a nice arrow on the screen instead, even though that arrow is "useless" to the device itself. So yeah, you do want your GPS to display information that's "useless" to itself all the time. That's its whole purpose.

 

Of course, the current declination is far from actually useless to the GPS, as opposed to all the other information that it does show you.

Edited June 2, 2011 by dfx

[+khumbu_calypso]

Thanks grasscatcher. I get it. I got it the first time in fact. And yes sometimes I would subtract one from the other and vice versa. I was being brief. A mathematical solution is one way figure out declination. I was half way there, and would probably have come to that solution on my own if that was what I was pursuing. But, once again, I have been trying to flesh out whether the 60 series has a function that the 62 does not or if the 62 has the same function but it is just "hidden" to me at this point. A mathematical workaround was not my intention, although it is a good idea and will give me the info I am looking for in a round about way if it turns out that the 62 series does not have the function discussed.

 

You call it useless information, but once again, read the original post. If I happen to forget to write the declination for a custom printed map, where the printing process does not automatically inlcude it and I find myself needing that info while out and about, relying on my map, compass and GPSr, then the information is not totally useless. Yes the GPS will guide me regardless but I'm not quite ready to discard my map and compass and rely on a battery powered, electronic device.

Edited June 2, 2011 by khumbu_calypso

[sparksd]

Back to the original question... I have the 62st and I can't find any explicit display of declination. I was able to get a very close approximation of local declination by setting the GPS to True North and then sighting on a tree due north of where I was standing. I have a Silva mirror sighting compass and by sighting on that tree with the compass I was able to determine declination by looking at where the compass needle is pointing. Not accurate enough to survey with but good enough to set the compass declination with. A side observation - the GPS unit does create some electromagnetic interference as I could cause the compass needle to swing almost 20 degrees by bringing the GPS and compass close together.

 

Dave

[Grasscatcher]

The OP said he wants his GPS to display declination to be used with his compass and HIS maps.

HIS maps that HE printed.

If HE printed them then that must mean that he has mapping software on his computer.

If that is true then that software has "preferences" to be set that will define whether bearings are "magnetic" or "true" on displayed maps.

If the OP is printing the maps, then the OP MUST DECIDE.....which is it? Mag or True?

Only the OP knows for sure which way it was set when HE printed the map.

 

Moral: OP, just print them the way you want them.

 

Or just get a compass that you can set the declination on and always use "true"

[+khumbu_calypso]

Thanks again Grasscatcher. I have a compass that has declination adjustment thanks. And I always do use true North as my reference. I also have mapping software. MemoryMap to be specific. When I print a map from MemoryMap, there is no option to print on the map, as any topo map has, an indication of declination. As I have said, I could hand write it on the map after printing, but also was just curious as to whether my wonder of technology called a GPSr would tell me the declination for a given position, without a having to do extra math (yes, I avoid math when I can), in case I happen to neglect to write it on the map at time of printing. At any rate, thanks for your input. It seems that the consensus is that the 62s does not have the functionality that the 60 series is rumored to have. Nobody has confirmed for certain that the 60 series does this either I might add.

[+myotis]

The OP said he wants his GPS to display declination to be used with his compass and HIS maps.

HIS maps that HE printed.

If HE printed them then that must mean that he has mapping software on his computer.

If that is true then that software has "preferences" to be set that will define whether bearings are "magnetic" or "true" on displayed maps.

If the OP is printing the maps, then the OP MUST DECIDE.....which is it? Mag or True?

Only the OP knows for sure which way it was set when HE printed the map.

 

Moral: OP, just print them the way you want them.

 

Or just get a compass that you can set the declination on and always use "true"

 

Grasscatcher, have you ever used a map and compass? First, topo maps do not display bearings. You use your compass and map to determine bearings and the brearing you get this way is a true bearing.

 

The top of a topo map is always true North and the grids (such as the UTM grid) of the map are alligned with true North. A compass points to magnetic North. When you are looking at a topo map in the field you normally want the map alligned properly. It makes it much easier to apply the map to the terrian you see. You need the declation to do this accutately. If its is 15 degree west you would set your compass for 345 degrees and then get your needle to line up with North. Then you can use your compass to allign the map. When you purchase a USGS 24K topo map, in the bottom it will give you the declation. If you use a computer to print a topo map, you do not have the part of the map where it has declation (and datum). I have ExpertGPS. It allows me to print topo maps, but there is no way to tell with ExpertGPS what the declination of the map is.

 

If your GPS dies and you do not know where you are at on a map, you can take bearings of peaks and triangulate your position-but for this to work, you need to know the declination.

[+khumbu_calypso]

Hence, the reason I want my GPSr to tell me declination. I didn't think we had to spell it out, but thanks for doing that myotis. I am glad that someone else "gets it".

[Grasscatcher]

Myotis, Yeah, Expert GPS uses only "True"....but try Mapsource or NG TOPO or others. I don't know about Basecamp.....and Yep, I know how to use'em....both software and a mag compass.

 

OP, When your "Electronic Device" fails in the field and you need your declination number to use with your map......how you gonna read the invisible number on the failed screen ?

 

My original (and only) real point is / was that if you get into the field with an unknown declination map and "really need" your actual declination, it can easily be determined with your GPS........(hopefully before the electronic device fails).....however, Murphy's Law says that you won't remember to do it until JUST AFTER it fails.......

[+khumbu_calypso]

That is a point not lost on me. Boy scout motto. "Be prepared". My current practice, before setting out, is to pull out my topo, check the declination, set my compass, and off we go. Of course I am glossing over a few steps,so please don't call me on "didn't you forget to tie your boots?" My thought here was if I pull out that map and it doesn't have my hand written delination on it for some reason, I could use my GPSr to get that info. Of course, if at that point the GPSr is already dead, I might think twice about heading out. I am hoping it at least makes it to the trailhead. If I find myself out in the middle of who-knows-where with a map with no declination noted, a compass with the wrong declination dialed in, and a dead GPSr, then I am obviously not a very good boy scout, but hopefully a better pray"er".