Jump to content

British Grid on Cache Pages


Recommended Posts

I have found that the British Grid shown on UK cache pages is virtually useless cos it rarely seems to be correct or in the correct format.

 

In the UK our grid references are in the format

 

AAxxxyyy

 

AA = Two letters which shows a main area

xxx = Three numbers for east/west coordinates

yyy = Three numbers for the north/west coordinates

 

On the cache pages there is a variety of numbers (up to ten sometimes) and they do not always work.

 

This web page 'Ordnance Survey' is where you would go to get the map.

 

As you can see it requires coordinates in the format I have stated above.

 

Can you please change the coordinates on the cache pages to match the required system in the UK please?

 

And take out the spaces so we can just copy & paste it straight into the map page please?

 

WoodSmoke

 

[This message was edited by Wood Smoke on March 17, 2003 at 12:22 PM.]

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Wood Smoke:

In the UK our grid references are in the format

 

AAxxxyyy

 

AA = Two letters which shows a main area

xxx = Three numbers for east/west coordinates

yyy = Three numbers for the north/west coordinates

 


 

The 6 figure grid reference is useless for geocaching as it only gives a location to the nearest 100 metres. Grid references in geocaching.com are 10 figure references with 5 digits for eastings and 5 digits for northings.

 

quote:

 

On the cache pages there is a variety of numbers (up to ten sometimes) and they do not always work.


There should always be 10 figures. There may be a problem with displaying leading zeoes on gc.com maybe.

quote:

 

This web page http://www.getamap.co.uk/frames.htm is where you would go to get the map.

 

As you can see it requires coordinates in the format I have stated above.


Well it's crap then. It should understand 10 figure references.

quote:

Can you please change the coordinates on the cache pages to match the required system in the UK please?


You're talking to the wrong people. We have no real say in how the site looks. I doubt if many of us would want it changed anyway.

quote:

And take out the spaces so we can just copy & paste it straight into the map page please?


The spaces make 10 figure refs more human readable. I don't think we should lose this just because of some website's poor parsing software.

 

-------

jeremyp

The second ten million caches were the worst too.

http://www.jeremyp.net/geocaching

Link to comment

Visit Teasels interactive map on the Geocacheuk web page, when you click on a cache location you get a version of the web page with full ten digit refs correctly formatted with leading zeroes. If you need three figure refs just simply take the first three digits from each five figure group. If you find it convenient to use grid refs with your gps you need the full ten digits for best accuracy.

Link to comment

The Get-a-map page is actually working on the more accurate grid references, as this is what the postcode address file database uses for locations. I assume it is only asking for the AAxxxyyy grid reference because that is what the general public would be used to. The confusing thing is that it is quoting the more accurate location in an entirely numeric form converting the AA to a number.

 

For example my post code is at the following reference according to Get-a-map:

 

Co-ordinates at centre - SU764654 (476488, 165421) GB Grid

 

Hope that clears things up a bit!

 

By the way, one interesting thing I've spotted on the site is that the OS are now using the 1:25,000 rasters on their public site - the ones which MemoryMap can't get hold of, and that StreetMap and MultiMap can't use either.

 

Richard

 

[This message was edited by Richard & Beth on March 17, 2003 at 01:52 PM.]

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Richard & Beth:

By the way, one interesting thing I've spotted on the site is that the OS are now using the 1:25,000 rasters on their public site - the ones which MemoryMap can't get hold of, and that StreetMap and MultiMap can't use either.


But they are so tiny that they are pretty much unusable.

 

-

Link to comment

I've been using the OS grid references on the geocaching pages to pinpoint (!) a rough area where the search will be. The standard mapping on my Garmin eMap is useless and whilst I save up for better maps for it and an interface cable I don't want to end up the wrong side of a main road from the cache I'm looking for - particularly with two small children!

 

I tend to use the grid refs with Streetmap.co.uk and then print out a copy to take with me. The only time I came upstuck (and almost divorced) was when I repositioned the map (and the arrow that I assumed was pointing to the cache) before printing it out. My husband was not amused when I made him walk our children along a dual carriageway to get back on course! icon_redface.gif

Link to comment

Hi All,

 

Thanx for all the replies :-)

 

It's nice to know that some of you can post helpful information......unlike some others!!!

 

I think someone should get it documented about the 'leading zero' problem as this is what I have had trouble with.

 

It was also useful to know that I can put 10 digit refs into 'Get a Map'.

 

The big advantage to 'Get a Map' for me is the size of the maps. I am on holiday in Wales atm, and connecting to the net with my laptop and mobile at 9.6k. The maps at 'Get a Map' are so much smaller that 'Streetmap' that is why I use them.

 

I also transfer them to my PDA for use when out, small is good :-)

 

I also do use Teasels site, but it links straight to a very large map on 'Streetmap', I have worked out how to get a smaller one, but it is still much bigger than 'Get a Map'

 

WoodSmoke

 

Yours Roy

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Richard & Beth:

quote:
Originally posted by jeremyp:

I've seen less complicated explanations!


 

And as you can see that was explanation MKII!

 

Richard


 

Ah, no. You must have been editing your reply at the same time as I was writing mine. My comment was wrt the original reply.

 

-------

jeremyp

The second ten million caches were the worst too.

http://www.jeremyp.net/geocaching

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Wood Smoke:

The big advantage to 'Get a Map' for me is the size of the maps. I am on holiday in Wales atm, and connecting to the net with my laptop and mobile at 9.6k. The maps at 'Get a Map' are so much smaller that 'Streetmap' that is why I use them.


Have you considered buying a paper map of the area? Landranger sheets are generally about £10. The little tiles on getamap are useless except for the final approach to the cache. A full sized paper map will help you with the approach to the location as well.

 

-------

jeremyp

The second ten million caches were the worst too.

http://www.jeremyp.net/geocaching

Link to comment

I don't need paper maps thanx :-)

 

My PDA can hold as much mapping as I want and I only use them if the cache is well off the track.

 

The quality of the maps is fine, and I can go anywhere in the UK without having to collect loads of paper ones which you will never use again.

 

Anyway, a better option to the paper maps is to buy the OS CD which contains the whole of the UK, you can then print or copy whatever sections you want, and that's only £20 :-)

 

WoodSmoke

 

Yours Roy

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Wood Smoke:

Anyway, a better option to the paper maps is to buy the OS CD which contains the whole of the UK, you can then print or copy whatever sections you want, and that's only £20 :-)


 

The issue I've always had with the OS CD is that there are only 'selected extracts' at 1:50,000, and even less at 1:25,000. Most of the UK is covered at 1:250,000 which isn't overly useful. Depending on your PDA you might want to take a look at Memory Map which although it is more expensive covers the whole of the country.

 

Richard

Link to comment

Due to inaccuracies in the conversion routine provided by the Ordnance Survey, none of the grid references on either GC.com or G:UK are accurate to within 5m. Using them to program your GPS would double the uncertainty and potentially give you four times the area to search.

 

Most pages on G:UK therefore provide only 6 figure grid references. The references I added to the GC.com pages are 10 digits, but this does not mean that they are the same quality as the original cache coordinates in WGS format.

 

Summary: use OS maps to get close (they are the best in the world!), but use the original WGS coords for the last 10m.

Link to comment

I find the OS reference very useful on the GC page. I just copy and paste into Street map, delete the spaces, select landranger, and add leading zeros as required.

 

Then click the (-) button (to go to 1:50000, not London) and then click printer friendly.

 

I take the printout with the cache page to the cache.

 

Works for me icon_biggrin.gif.

 

Andy.

 

----------------------------------------

All our science, measured against reality, is primitive and childlike-and yet it is the most precious thing we have - Albert Einstein

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Subarite:

Then click the (-) button (to go to 1:50000, not London) and then click printer friendly.


 

I must be missing something. Where's the "printer friendly" button? I've been looking for ages!

 

=====

There's no such thing as a free lunchbox!

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by washboy:

 

I must be missing something. Where's the "printer friendly" button? I've been looking for ages!

 

=====

_There's no such thing as a free lunchbox!_


 

Bottom Right underneath the map itself. Find the hotspot that says 'Large Map' and it is just below that. The text says 'Click here for a printer friendly map'

 

No trees were harmed during the production of this posting, but a large number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced....

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Subarite:

I find the OS reference very useful on the GC page. I just copy and paste into Street map, delete the spaces, select landranger, and add leading zeros as required.


 

I do something similar, except I make use of the co-ordinate conversion linked from the cache page to Jeeep.com. This gives the lat and lon in a couple of formats that Streetmap accepts, which I can then use to produce a similar map to that which Subarite uses.

 

Richard

Link to comment

quote:

Bottom Right underneath the map itself. Find the hotspot that says 'Large Map' and it is just below that. The text says 'Click here for a printer friendly map'


 

Many thanks, MCL. I was certain I'd seen that link in the past but I've not not been able to find it recently.

 

The explanation appears to be that my most usual link to Streetmap is via Teasel's G:UK stats pages. If you follow one of those links, the printer-friendly link is NOT present!

 

Perhaps Teasel will find a solution (?)

 

=====

There's no such thing as a free lunchbox!

Link to comment

I have come up with a really simple solution to the non displaying of leading zeros in the British Grid :-)

 

If the grid reference was formatted without the two spaces in it, all the zeros would be shown :-)

 

This would also allow copy & pasting without having to alter it when you stick it into Get-a-Map or Uk Streetmap :-)

 

WoodSmoke

Link to comment

icon_rolleyes.gif

Hi all

Ive only found 6 caches but ive found them all using OS Grid. I normally use street map to verify the point but if i have any problem with the OS Grid that are on the Geocaching cache page i change my gps to work with WGS84 then put the location in then change my Gps back to OS Grid and it converts it back to OS Grid i havnt had any trouble yet and when i get close i use the location figures to take me right to the spot. So far ive been right on the button every time. I do get slightly different OS GRid numbers than are noted on the cache page. But only slightly

Cheers

Gorymorph

 

Strangers are only friends you have not met yet

Link to comment

Hi All,

 

I've only just noticed, but it may have been there a while now................there is now a clickable link to the maps on the main cache pages, using the British Grid and Streetmap and it's got all the zeros in the correct places :-)

 

Thanx to somebody who listened..........don't know who it was...........but thanx anyway :-)

 

WoodSmoke

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Wood Smoke:

 

I've only just noticed, but it may have been there a while now................there is now a clickable link to the maps on the main cache pages, using the British Grid and Streetmap and it's got all the zeros in the correct places :-)


 

So there is! Thanks, Woodsmoke!

 

------

An it harm none, do what ye will

soapbox.gif

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Wood Smoke:

Hi All,

 

I've only just noticed, but it may have been there a while now................there is now a clickable link to the maps on the main cache pages, using the British Grid and Streetmap and it's got all the zeros in the correct places :-)

 

Thanx to somebody who listened..........don't know who it was...........but thanx anyway :-)

 

WoodSmoke


 

Ummm... where, please? I can only find a link to Map Quest.

 

John

 

Age and treachery will always triumph over youth and ability.

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Pharisee:

Ummm... where, please? I can only find a link to Map Quest.


I think they're talking about the cache pages returned by GeocacheUK when you click on the name of a cache in a cache list, or click a cache on the interactive map.

 

G:UK will automatically insert OSGB grid references, with links to streetmap, into the GC.com cache description page. This includes all waypoints on the cache page, so it can be a useful way to find out where you're meant to park!

 

The GC.com page is retrieved "on-the-fly" by G:UK, so the cache details page will always be up to the second, even though the stats pages themselves are only updated once per day.

Link to comment

Pardon the intrusion, and someone may have already answered this, but I am "Lost"...

 

Anyhow, hubby and I choose walks out of the TRAIL magazine, and it is nice to see if there is a cache nearby. In TRAIL they give the British Grid reference.

 

What I would like to do, is convert the BGR to coordinates, and then do a search on this site for nearby caches. How do I do that?

 

[edit here]The internet is a really great thing!! I found it....http://www.obliquity.com/astro/osgb.html

 

[This message was edited by LostJacky on April 26, 2003 at 06:06 AM.]

Link to comment

quote:
Originally posted by Bounty Hunter1:

.... i change my gps to work with WGS84 then put the location in then change my Gps back to OS Grid and it converts it back to OS Grid


 

That will work fine, as the GPS is still (internally) working WGS84.... and it converts everything from that to (maybe not so exact) OS grid etc.

 

Of course, you will use the pointer to the waypoint.... and all that will still be (accurate) WGS84!

 

Paul

 

Noone in their right mind would place a cache THERE....

Link to comment

I use my gps to get the exact location, tomtom navigator to get me to the nearest road and the ordance survey map from streetmap, the close up one, to get the final approach. I didnt know that geocacheuk had the link to the map....any chance of getting a link added to the larger, close up version of the map (preferably on the geocaching.com site). either that, how do I convert from the os co-ordinates to the streetmap url (so i could write a bookmarket)

Link to comment

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

Loading...
×
×
  • Create New...