Accurate GPS coordinates

[Greenman222]

How does one find accurate GPS coordinates? The app compass seems to give me a different reading. Everytime I try to locate a spot.

Is there any external websites I can use to get a more accurate GPS coordinates?

Edited September 15, 2019 by Greenman222

[+funkymunkyzone]

52 minutes ago, Greenman222 said:

How does one find accurate GPS coordinates? The app compass seems to give me a different reading. Everytime I try to locate a spot.

Is there any external websites I can use to get a more accurate GPS coordinates?

 

The best way is to use a dedicated GPS receiver (Garmin, Magellen, etc).  They generally have a coordinate averaging feature, which will determine over a few minutes, the best coordinates it can get for that spot.  I believe there are also coordinate averaging apps for smartphones.

 

Remember though that at the best of times, you're looking at about 4m of accuracy, meaning that whatever coordinates you have, they will be within a circle roughly 4m radius.

 

[Greenman222]

At present a hand held GPS receiver is out of my reach. That’s why I asked about external websites. Somewhere I have an old Tomtom SatNav. Would that help?

[+Viajero Perdido]

Websites are at a different location than you; they can't help, other than to report back the location your phone's already figured out.

 

You can help by mentioning whether you're on iOS or Android.

 

Edited September 15, 2019 by Viajero Perdido

[Greenman222]

I’m on iOS, I have found my old SatNav and thankful it has a GPS status page. I will try using it. When I hide my next cache. Thanks for your help.

[+Bear and Ragged]

2 hours ago, Greenman222 said:

I’m on iOS, I have found my old SatNav and thankful it has a GPS status page. I will try using it. When I hide my next cache. Thanks for your help.

 

 

Take several readings, over a period of time.

Then average them yourself.

 

Move away from the site, and see if what you have takes you to, or close to, where you've hidden the cache.

 

 

[+niraD]

If you don't trust your coordinates, then test them.

 

Enter your coordinates into your device, and then approach the cache location from at least 100ft/30m away. The arrow should point right at the cache location as you approach. Repeat the process, approaching the cache location from various directions, from at least 100ft/30m away each time. No matter which direction you approach from, the arrow should point right at the cache location.

 

If it doesn't, then adjust your coordinates until it does.

 

Bonus points for repeating the test on another day when the GPS satellites are in a different configuration.

 

Also, the Help Center article How to Get Accurate Coordinates should prove useful.
 

[Greenman222]

Thank you, that very good advice.

[+funkymunkyzone]

10 hours ago, Bear and Ragged said:

Take several readings, over a period of time.

Then average them yourself.

 

Or use a waypoint averaging app on your iPhone.  Over several minutes it will average the coordinates to give as accurate a reading as it can.  Best practice to do that again at least a couple of hours later, but doing it even once will be better than just reading the coords off the screen once or twice.

[+gginnj]

I have IOS and I have been using the app "GPS Averaging" (I found this better than the" GPS Averager" app) and it seems to give me good results - especially if I walk around the tree if it's at the tree while it's averaging.  And also as said, have come back on multiple days. Ive found that when looking for caches, my phones GPS is very odd at times. It will say the cache is 200 feet behind me, and as I keep walking further away, the number goes down???? then it suddently switch to pointing in front of me. I found with my iphone7 that if I change the orientation of the phone it really screws with the GPS - like if I have it horizontal in front of me, then put my hand at my side with the phone now pointing up and down when I bring the phone back to horizontal it takes a little bit for the GPS to figure itself out. Not sure if it's the Iphone7 specificially or just my phone.

Edited September 16, 2019 by gginnj

[+DerDiedler]

22 hours ago, niraD said:

No matter which direction you approach from, the arrow should point right at the cache location.

 

If it doesn't, then adjust your coordinates until it does.

There´s one Problem with this method. If the electronic compass is not adjusted well, the arrow might not poin straight to the cache, no matter how accurate you r coordinates are.

That´s a not so rare problem, especialy after longer journeys. They compas must be calibrated once in a while oder after long trips, especialy when using a mobile phone.