brody2 Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Hi: New user of a Garmin GPS. I've noticed that as I get close to a cache, I can't watch the arrow/pointer, but instead have to watch the "feet/mile" data. As I get closer to the cache, the "feet/mile" field is correct, but the arrow is invariably pointing in the wrong direction. Is this correct? And if so, why? TIA, Brody2 Quote Link to comment
+Cachetrotters Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 My Magellans do the same, and there have been mentions of it here before. Steering becomes unreliable at close range, so I too use only the distance window, along with a compass when required. Can't explain why, but seems to be like that for many types of nav systems, not just GPS. I remember that inertial and dead reckoning systems also seemed to behave similarly when I was an Air Force puke. Quote Link to comment
brody2 Posted January 6, 2003 Author Share Posted January 6, 2003 Thanks CacheTrotter I understand your answer, but am just amazed. You'd think that if you were walking closer (per feet/mile gauge) the GPS would know what direction you were going. Isn't technology wonderful!!!!!!!! Quote Link to comment
+Uplink Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Many Geocachers cary a compass, because when you slow down to hunt the cache, the arrow on the GPSR gets flaky. Just take the bearing to the waypoint off of the GPS, plug it into the compass, and follow the direction to travel off of the compass. The reason the GPs gets flaky is that when the distance to the waypoint is less than the Estimated Position Error, the position fix will dance around within the range circle. Hope this helps you... Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Here is the complex answer to a simple question. Your GPS is accurate to about 20' on a normal day. As you get closer where you are heading too doesn't change. However where the GPS think you are relative to that point does. When you are 100' away this doesn't make much different. When you are very close that 20' bounces you around relative to the waypoint. As you bounce your arrow changes direction and becomes worthless. Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 6, 2003 Share Posted January 6, 2003 Just read what uplink said. They said it better. Wherever you go there you are. Quote Link to comment
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