GPS, only 4 numbers not 5?

[Puffin2525]

Hello all,

 

I recently purchased a GPS and for some reason it only lets me enter 5 numbers after the dot, instead of 6 as listed on the geocaching website (after having done the conversion). Why is that? And wouldn't that make the position inaccurate? I think I pressed all the buttons I could and still can't change it. I have magellan explorist 310.

 

UPDATE: OK, I can see in the settings I can change the coordinate system, coordinate type, map datum, etc. Is there anything that I should be changing? I am in Canada. thanks!

Edited April 19, 2017 by Puffin2525

[+on4bam]

Hello all,

 

I recently purchased a GPS and for some reason it only lets me enter 5 numbers after the dot, instead of 6 as listed on the geocaching website (after having done the conversion). Why is that? And wouldn't that make the position inaccurate? I think I pressed all the buttons I could and still can't change it. I have magellan explorist 310.

 

Look at your settings it should be DD MM.mmm (also, set datum to WGS84)

For easy navigation you should only see 3 numbers after the dot and no conversion is needed.

[Puffin2525]

Hello all,

 

I recently purchased a GPS and for some reason it only lets me enter 5 numbers after the dot, instead of 6 as listed on the geocaching website (after having done the conversion). Why is that? And wouldn't that make the position inaccurate? I think I pressed all the buttons I could and still can't change it. I have magellan explorist 310.

 

Look at your settings it should be DD MM.mmm (also, set datum to WGS84)

For easy navigation you should only see 3 numbers after the dot and no conversion is needed.

 

Thanks. It is set to WGS84. I have toyed around with it, and tried several different settings but nothing shows as accurate (location is different than what is shown on geocaching.com).

 

I currently have it set on xx xx.xxx which is degree/minutes

if I set it on degree/minutes/seconds it shows up as xx xx'xx.x

I'm assuming when you say "DD MM.mmm" you're referring to the degree/minutes (first above) setting? Somehow that doesn't show accurate position either.

[+Mudfrog]

Hello all,

 

I recently purchased a GPS and for some reason it only lets me enter 5 numbers after the dot, instead of 6 as listed on the geocaching website (after having done the conversion). Why is that? And wouldn't that make the position inaccurate? I think I pressed all the buttons I could and still can't change it. I have magellan explorist 310.

 

Look at your settings it should be DD MM.mmm (also, set datum to WGS84)

For easy navigation you should only see 3 numbers after the dot and no conversion is needed.

 

Thanks. It is set to WGS84. I have toyed around with it, and tried several different settings but nothing shows as accurate (location is different than what is shown on geocaching.com).

 

I currently have it set on xx xx.xxx which is degree/minutes

if I set it on degree/minutes/seconds it shows up as xx xx'xx.x

I'm assuming when you say "DD MM.mmm" you're referring to the degree/minutes (first above) setting? Somehow that doesn't show accurate position either.

Yes, sounds like you have it set to the same format geocaching.com uses. Just be aware that our consumer GPSRs (your Magellan is one) aren't as accurate as military or the more commercial grade units. The cache owner that placed the cache normally tries to get the best coordinates they can but even so, they can be off several feet/meters from what the next finder's GPSR shows. It's not unheard of to have a 30 or 40 foot discrepancy between where the listed coordinates take a person and where the cache actually is.

[Puffin2525]

Hello all,

 

I recently purchased a GPS and for some reason it only lets me enter 5 numbers after the dot, instead of 6 as listed on the geocaching website (after having done the conversion). Why is that? And wouldn't that make the position inaccurate? I think I pressed all the buttons I could and still can't change it. I have magellan explorist 310.

 

Look at your settings it should be DD MM.mmm (also, set datum to WGS84)

For easy navigation you should only see 3 numbers after the dot and no conversion is needed.

 

Thanks. It is set to WGS84. I have toyed around with it, and tried several different settings but nothing shows as accurate (location is different than what is shown on geocaching.com).

 

I currently have it set on xx xx.xxx which is degree/minutes

if I set it on degree/minutes/seconds it shows up as xx xx'xx.x

I'm assuming when you say "DD MM.mmm" you're referring to the degree/minutes (first above) setting? Somehow that doesn't show accurate position either.

Yes, sounds like you have it set to the same format geocaching.com uses. Just be aware that our consumer GPSRs (your Magellan is one) aren't as accurate as military or the more commercial grade units. The cache owner that placed the cache normally tries to get the best coordinates they can but even so, they can be off several feet/meters from what the next finder's GPSR shows. It's not unheard of to have a 30 or 40 foot discrepancy between where the listed coordinates take a person and where the cache actually is.

 

Thanks. I understand but it seems to be a lot more than just a few feet. It shows as about 1km away! Basically, the cache is supposed to be in the parking lot, and it shows somewhere deep in the bush lol. don't know what to do.. maybe just get out there and see where it leads me?

[+on4bam]

Try to put it in an open place (clear skies 360°) for half an hour and note down the coordinates, then check a mapping application (Google Earth/maps, OSM...) where you can enter these coordinates and see if it shows the same location. A new GPS may take a while to get the current satellite data to know where sats are supposed to be.

[+kunarion]

it seems to be a lot more than just a few feet. It shows as about 1km away! Basically, the cache is supposed to be in the parking lot, and it shows somewhere deep in the bush lol. don't know what to do.. maybe just get out there and see where it leads me?

You must enter (or at least verify) the correct Geocache coordinates on the Magellan. If all you did was change coordinate format, you're still in the wrong place.

 

Remember that if the cache is a "?" Mystery cache, the displayed location is often not where the cache is hidden.

Edited April 19, 2017 by kunarion

[+on4bam]

??? I'm still confused.. Does the GPS, on the map, put you 1 Km from where you really are or is the cache icon not where you think it must be?

[Puffin2525]

??? I'm still confused.. Does the GPS, on the map, put you 1 Km from where you really are or is the cache icon not where you think it must be?

 

The cache icon is not where I think it must be.

 

So, on the geocache website it shows at the parking lot. But when I enter the coord's (while at home), it shows about 1km into the bush, away from the parking lot...

 

I think the coord's for my home location are pretty correct, it takes a few seconds to a minute for it to place my home on the map, even when im inside the house.

[+on4bam]

The cache icon is not where I think it must be.

 

So, on the geocache website it shows at the parking lot. But when I enter the coord's (while at home), it shows about 1km into the bush, away from the parking lot...

 

I think the coord's for my home location are pretty correct, it takes a few seconds to a minute for it to place my home on the map, even when im inside the house.

 

Go to Google Earth, look up your home location, enter the coordinates in your GPS, look at where on the map your home coordinates are. If they are off by 1 Km also you are using a wrong format or not using WGS84.

[Puffin2525]

The cache icon is not where I think it must be.

 

So, on the geocache website it shows at the parking lot. But when I enter the coord's (while at home), it shows about 1km into the bush, away from the parking lot...

 

I think the coord's for my home location are pretty correct, it takes a few seconds to a minute for it to place my home on the map, even when im inside the house.

 

Go to Google Earth, look up your home location, enter the coordinates in your GPS, look at where on the map your home coordinates are. If they are off by 1 Km also you are using a wrong format or not using WGS84.

 

My home location shows fine in all three formats...

[+on4bam]

My home location shows fine in all three formats...

 

Do other caches show at the correct location?

What's the GC code of the cache that's "off"?

[+kunarion]

It is set to WGS84. I have toyed around with it, and tried several different settings but nothing shows as accurate (location is different than what is shown on geocaching.com).

 

I currently have it set on xx xx.xxx which is degree/minutes

if I set it on degree/minutes/seconds it shows up as xx xx'xx.x

I'm assuming when you say "DD MM.mmm" you're referring to the degree/minutes (first above) setting? Somehow that doesn't show accurate position either.

Would you mind posting pictures of some particular screens on the Magellan Explorist?

 

This is extra work for you, but I hope it's OK. It will greatly assist this conversation, and someone might even spot a wayward setting and fix the whole problem. And it will help in future Threads. I see a lot of Magellan threads about the factory default coordinate formats, but no actual screen shots. I can usually find that kind of thing.

 

I hope to have access to an Explorist sometime, to take pictures. But I don't know when that might happen.

 

One screen is the coordinate settings that show “WGS84”, “DD MM.MMM”, etc. Another screen is the currently selected cache with the format like “N 33° 25.754 W 084° 27.125” in view. Here's more detail from the manual:

 

Under the “Navigation” settings, these 3 screens:

1: Primary Coordinate System

2: Primary Coordinate Datum

3: Primary Coordinate Type

 

One more: The screen showing coordinates in view while navigating to a cache.

 

AND, once this is all sorted out, the same screens again, showing exactly the right setup for Geocaching. If someone had ever posted that, you'd be caching by now.

 

If you don't want to spoil a cache by showing coordinates, you may use my cache:

https://coord.info/GC4K32W (don't worry that it's far away. It's just for an example).

You can also upload the photos there (in a note log) or email them to me. My email is shown in my profile.

Edited April 20, 2017 by kunarion

[+Mudfrog]

??? I'm still confused.. Does the GPS, on the map, put you 1 Km from where you really are or is the cache icon not where you think it must be?

 

The cache icon is not where I think it must be.

 

So, on the geocache website it shows at the parking lot. But when I enter the coord's (while at home), it shows about 1km into the bush, away from the parking lot...

 

I think the coord's for my home location are pretty correct, it takes a few seconds to a minute for it to place my home on the map, even when im inside the house.

You're not looking at parking coordinates, are you? That could explain the parking lot on the map but the cache in the woods.

 

Can you give us the GC number of the cache? And if it is a traditional, the coordinates you are trying to input into the gpsr?