Help! Multi-Cache Coordinate Dilemma

[+McFlyAway]

Earlier today, I had biked to a local park to find a multi-cache I had never gotten. With my new GPS reciever, I was, not surprisingly, able to find the first stage. However, it's the coordinates that confuse me . There was a two digit number, followed by a another two digit number, and then a three digit number. So my question is, how do you convert over from this system (example 39 37 109) over to degrees (example 65.36598). I'm really not familiar with this, and I really need some help.

 

Thanks,

geoguy14

 

P.S: By the way, here's the coordinates I'm trying to convert:

N- 39 37 156

W- 84 22 904

Edited December 25, 2011 by geoguy14

[jholly]

Why don't you set your GPS to HDD MM.mmm format and not worry about conversions?

[+Isonzo Karst]

It sounds like your gps is set to Decimal Degrees.

 

On Geocaching.com, what's in use is Degrees MinutesDecimal Minutes, and that's what this is:

N39 37.156 W084 22.904

 

It will be easier to simply find the menu for coordinate formats on your device and change it to DD MM.MMM - that's usually how it is displayed. Then you can simply enter those coordinates, and proceed. The next set of coordinates will be in that format as well. You can load Geocaches from Geocaching.com in that format, in fact that's the default format.

 

Or, once you find the menu on your device (it's probably under "set up") you can switch back and forth, let the device make the conversion.

[Pup Patrol]

Are you sure you need to "convert" the coordinates?

 

I think maybe it's just the way the cache owner wrote them.

 

Take for example GC1RBTE. The coordinates for that on the cache page are:

N 39° 40.490

W 084° 26.997

 

Take the coordinates you're looking to "convert" and write them in the same format:

N- 39 37 156

W- 84 22 904

 

would be:

 

N 39° 37.156

W 084° 22.904

 

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=208

 

10.3. WGS-84 and HDD(D)° MM.MMM Datum and Format

 

Why do we use WGS-84 and HDD(D)° MM.MMM Datum and Format?

 

Most GPS receivers are set coming out of the box with WGS-84 and HDD(D)° MM.MMM Datum and Format. Using this setting will be less likely to confuse new GPS owners.

Edited December 25, 2011 by Pup Patrol

[+kunarion]

With my new GPS reciever, I was, not surprisingly, able to find the first stage. However, it's the coordinates that confuse me . There was a two digit number, followed by a another two digit number, and then a three digit number. So my question is, how do you convert over from this system (example 39 37 109) over to degrees (example 65.36598).

As mentioned, if you set your GPSr to "decimal minutes", the numbers may work as shown. 39 is degrees, 37.109 for the minutes. However, not all caches will be that straight-forward. You need to be sure what the numbers are for. Do you need to add them to some other numbers, for example? Are they coordinates at all? If the cache description doesn't spell out how to work with the numbers, that adds a level of difficulty (it's more like a puzzle).

 

I have only one puzzle cache, but I describe clearly how the numbers will be used when found -- how they form coordinates. On my page, the puzzle involves finding the numbers, not deciding what to do with them.

 

If there's some info missing, you should ask the Cache Owner. A lot of us were probably confused by that cache, too.

Edited December 25, 2011 by kunarion

[+McFlyAway]

OK, Pup Patrol, I see your system. That makes sense. The only problem is the reciever; it doesn't do conversions (I'm surprised it doesn't). I can ONLY do latitude and longitude in degrees.

 

Anyway, how do you take the coordinates you just gave me and turn it into decimal degrees? Also, what's the mathematical formula to do this?

 

Thanks,

geoguy14

 

P.S: By the way, kunarion, these numbers are the coordinates to the second stage of the multi. It's a multi-cache, not a puzzle cache.

Edited December 25, 2011 by geoguy14

[+NanCycle]

OK, Pup Patrol, I see your system. That makes sense. The only problem is the reciever; it doesn't do conversions (I'm surprised it doesn't). I can ONLY do latitude and longitude in degrees.

 

Anyway, how do you take the coordinates you just gave me and turn it into decimal degrees? Also, what's the mathematical formula to do this?

 

Thanks,

geoguy14

 

If that's the case, your new GPSr is not going to be very convenient for geocaching. Maybe you'd better take that up with Santa.

[Pup Patrol]

How did you find the first stage? Did you use the "other conversions" on the cache page?

 

If it were me, I would just change the gps to the HDD MM.mmm format as suggested by jholly and Isonzo and be done with it.

 

Uh, no one has asked yet...what make and model of gps are we talking about?

 

But, if you still want to convert coordinates, there's an article in the Knowledge Books for that:

 

10.2. Convert Decimal Coordinates to DDD MM.MMM

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=207

Edited December 25, 2011 by Pup Patrol

[+Dgwphotos]

You could try FizzyCalc, as well.

[+McFlyAway]

Well yes, I did find the first stage using the conversions. Like I said, my GPS only does latitude and longitude in degrees, not minutes, seconds, or anything else.

 

By the way, the receiver I now have is the Ecco GPS Keychain by Audiovox(on the account page, it doesn't show up as Audiovox, it shows up as Ecco). It's actually really handy.

 

So, I checked out the page Pup Patrol was talking about, and the solution was right there. Thanks for the info. How do I close this topic?