Getting geocache friendly coordinates

[+nutlady]

No kidding, I used to be able to find the site easily, I just wasted an hour. ANYWAY...from what I remember, is that I just need to use some simple math to get geocache friendly coordinates from the ones I got from Googlemaps. I know that I do not use the first 2 numbers N, or the first 3 W.

 

Here are the coordinates from google maps. N 36 07.1200 W 119 01.7027.

 

Now whats the magic number I need to convert those? Please, and thank you, I can not believe I could no find this info out myself! I have before.....this time I will write it down somewhere, maybe my forehead.

( And I am sure this is nothing new, here, but my search efforts returned ziltch.

[+lee737]

They appear to be in the correct format - ie DD MM.MMMM, just with an extra decimal place. Just exclude the last digit (and round up/down as appropriate), so use N 36 07.120 W 119 01.703.

Are you getting cache coordinates from google maps?

[+HHL]

[...]

Are you getting cache coordinates from google maps?

 

Which part of "... from the ones I got from Googlemaps ..." do you not understand?

 

Hans

[+lee737]

[...]

Are you getting cache coordinates from google maps?

 

Which part of "... from the ones I got from Googlemaps ..." do you not understand?

 

Hans

 

Hans - do you have anything constructive to add? If not - POQ.

 

 

[+nutlady]

They appear to be in the correct format - ie DD MM.MMMM, just with an extra decimal place. Just exclude the last digit (and round up/down as appropriate), so use N 36 07.120 W 119 01.703.

Are you getting cache coordinates from google maps?

 

No, the coordinates from google maps do not work. I need to multiply some number times something....I vaguely remember it. Anyway, I placed the cache earlier, and it is a multi, the coordinates for this stage need not be 100% accurate, ( In a library) so to save another hour trip to town, I thought I would kinda reverse look them up to get the cache published.

[+HHL]

[...]

Are you getting cache coordinates from google maps?

 

Which part of "... from the ones I got from Googlemaps ..." do you not understand?

 

Hans

 

Hans - do you have anything constructive to add? If not - POQ.

 

 

Du mich auch. ;-)

[+lee737]

What do you mean 'do not work'.....

[+The A-Team]

nutlady, can you explain exactly what you're trying to do? Are you hiding a cache? Are you trying to load coordinates into a device? Are you trying to solve a puzzle? If you can explain more about what you're trying to do and at what stage things "do not work", we'll be able to give you more guidance.

[+nutlady]

nutlady, can you explain exactly what you're trying to do? Are you hiding a cache? Are you trying to load coordinates into a device? Are you trying to solve a puzzle? If you can explain more about what you're trying to do and at what stage things "do not work", we'll be able to give you more guidance.

 

I think I just found my answer....

View PostSuperKrypto, on Mar 18 2010, 07:30 AM, said:

although now, how do i change those lats and longs into geocaching gps coordinates? - ie: long -122.43684' rel='nofollow noopener noreferral' target='_blank' class='external-link'>-122.43684 lat 37.80474 into gps style like N 36° 17.520 W 115° 17.514

 

if you need them for a cache listing, switch the textbox to decimal degrees and then you can enter them directly. otherwise i'm sure there's plenty of converters online, or do it manually: from -122.43684 take the decimal part off, that's .43684, and multiply by 60, yielding 26.2104. that's your minutes, giving you W 122° 26.2104'. (negative longitude is west, positive is east - positive latitude is north, negative is south)

[+nutlady]

nutlady, can you explain exactly what you're trying to do? Are you hiding a cache? Are you trying to load coordinates into a device? Are you trying to solve a puzzle? If you can explain more about what you're trying to do and at what stage things "do not work", we'll be able to give you more guidance.

 

To try to explain what I was trying to do.....I needed approximate coordinates for the final stage of a cache. Instead of driving back, I took general coordinates from googlemaps. But then I needed to convert those coordinates into geocache coordinates. Sorry, I do not know the correct terminology. Anyway, after a lightbulb moment, I remembered that over a year ago, I helped a geocacher hiding their first geocache, and they had sent me coordinates as found on google maps, which do not work with geocaching. Am I confusing enough? LOL. Anyway, I finally went back through Groundspeak message center and found that post where I had re-calculated her coordinates by taking the last 5 numbers from googlemaps, and multiplying them by 60. It worked.

 

Phew! I need to really keep notes! Thanks!

 

However, I do wonder if it is possible to get coordinates that work for geocaches through googlemaps? That would be handy.

[+lee737]

Using google maps may be handy, but notoriously inaccurate. Use a GPS...... please....

[+nutlady]

Using google maps may be handy, but notoriously inaccurate. Use a GPS...... please....

 

I do use a gps. This was an exception today, after placing the cache, I needed coordinates for the "final" to submit the cache. I could have posted coordinates for the north pole on this one, as it is inside a library, and the clue needed to find the cache was in stage one outside of the building. So,..to save an hours drive, I thought, hmmm, why not get general coordinates using googlemaps . Anyway, I got it figured out, finally. Thanks!

[+kunarion]

To try to explain what I was trying to do.....I needed approximate coordinates for the final stage of a cache. Instead of driving back, I took general coordinates from googlemaps. But then I needed to convert those coordinates into geocache coordinates. Sorry, I do not know the correct terminology. Anyway, after a lightbulb moment, I remembered that over a year ago, I helped a geocacher hiding their first geocache, and they had sent me coordinates as found on google maps, which do not work with geocaching. Am I confusing enough? LOL. Anyway, I finally went back through Groundspeak message center and found that post where I had re-calculated her coordinates by taking the last 5 numbers from googlemaps, and multiplying them by 60. It worked.

 

Phew! I need to really keep notes! Thanks!

 

However, I do wonder if it is possible to get coordinates that work for geocaches through googlemaps? That would be handy.

Google Maps accepts several common formats if pasted into the address box, but it only displays one format.

 

Here's one site that converts formats: http://boulter.com/gps/

You enter most anything you've copied (for example, from Google), then look at the various outputs for the conversion that looks right. The one labeled "GPS Latitude and Longitude" is the one the Geocaching.com web site uses.

 

I only do the multiply-by-60 if I'm in the field working on some puzzle. For serious calculations, I let the calculator do it for me.

Edited June 29, 2017 by kunarion

[+Mudfrog]

Google earth lets you choose the coordinate format. Didn't look at any other map but i would be surprised if it didn't give the same option.

[+Sherminator18]

If you're just looking to convert one type of coordindates to another you can use a website to do that. Like this one: http://www.earthpoint.us/Convert.aspx

[+NYPaddleCacher]

Using google maps may be handy, but notoriously inaccurate. Use a GPS...... please....

 

I do use a gps. This was an exception today, after placing the cache, I needed coordinates for the "final" to submit the cache. I could have posted coordinates for the north pole on this one, as it is inside a library, and the clue needed to find the cache was in stage one outside of the building. So,..to save an hours drive, I thought, hmmm, why not get general coordinates using googlemaps . Anyway, I got it figured out, finally. Thanks!

 

I also think it's quite reasonable to use coordinates from Google Maps as temporary coordinate when creating a new cache listing. You can "right click" any location on the map, the select "What's Here?" and it will display the coordinate in Decimal Degrees format.

 

For future reference, what you describe as "geocache coordinates" is just a format that GS uses for *displaying* coordinates. The format is "Degrees Decimal Minutes". It's displayed as N/S/E/W DD MM.MMM, or a single character for the hemisphere, followed but 2-3 digits for degrees, a space, then the minutes expressed as as decimal value.

 

Under the hood, Decimal Degrees is actually used (it's a bit easier to work with for coordinate "math") when passing coordinate information around.

 

A search for "coordinate conversion" will show a bunch of sites for converted formats. A few years ago every cache listing had a link to a coordinate conversion page but for some odd reason they've removed it.

 

 

[+bflentje]

If you can multiply or divide numbers by 60 you too can convert coordinates.

[+niraD]

If you can multiply or divide numbers by 60 you too can convert coordinates.

Yep. Degrees minutes and seconds work exactly the same way as the hours minutes and seconds that you're familiar with.

 

20° 30' (20 degrees 30 minutes)

= 20.5° (20.5 degrees)

 

20° 20' 30" (20 degrees 20 minutes 30 seconds)

= 20° 20.5' (20 degrees 20.5 minutes)

 

And so on.

[+nutlady]

Thanks, all!

[+Die Nemos]

Thanks, all!

Hi Nutlady,

you can use this map for getting the coordinates.

Just pull the marker to the position and the coordinates are displayed in serveral forms.

http://www.thomas-kuehn.de/geocaching/koordinaten.php