Switching Grids

[+shunra]

Next month, I'll be traveling to Europe, and I might e able to fit in some time for geocaching there.

 

My question: will I need to switch the GPSr from WGS84 to something else? If so, to what? Or will that happen automatically?

 

PS - I'm talking about a Map76S

 

Thanks!

[+TeamK-9]

As far as I know, as long as the GPS coordinates are the same format, you should be fine.

 

But I could be wrong...

[WH]

GC.com uses WGS84 format which is valid anywhere in the world. Just input the coordiantes as usual and go find the darn thing.

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Funny thing about GPS...it stands for Global Positioning System. Your GPS should work anywhere on the planet without having to change the settings.

 

Although, you may want to change your time zone so it reflects the local time while you're on vacation.

[+IVxIV]

Yup I took my magellan 315 to Finland a few years ago and, all I did was reset the clock for the timezone & it worked fine

 

Sadly I learned of geocaching AFTER returning back, doh it would have been fun to have searched a few caches over there..

Edited April 3, 2004 by IVxIV

[+shunra]

Funny thing about GPS...it stands for Global Positioning System. Your GPS should work anywhere on the planet without having to change the settings.

 

Although, you may want to change your time zone so it reflects the local time while you're on vacation.

Now *That's* something the GPS does automatically, as well as clock adjustments. And indeed it should. After all, it knows in which part of the world I am, so it knows which time zone I'm in.

 

My problem is as to whether it will actually know where I am. Why are there so many networks to choose from, some of which are country- or continent -specific? Is WGS84 really used by geocachers all over the world, when they hide caches? And if they use something different, how big will the error be? Or does WGS84 go under different names in different places, and is it actually the same?

 

My son took my old Blazer12 to California, and forgot to tell it that he was there. He never got a lock on satellites. I took it to Florida, and back. After every transition, I told told it in which general area I was, and then it worked fine. I haven't taken my significantly more sophisticated Map76S out of state yet. (Well, I've taken it to BC, but that's just down the road).

[+Team GPSaxophone]

Funny thing about GPS...it stands for Global Positioning System. Your GPS should work anywhere on the planet without having to change the settings.

 

Although, you may want to change your time zone so it reflects the local time while you're on vacation.

Now *That's* something the GPS does automatically, as well as clock adjustments. And indeed it should. After all, it knows in which part of the world I am, so it knows which time zone I'm in.

No, the time zone is a user preference. I could tell my GPS that I'm on GMT if I wanted to. It doesn't matter to the inner workings of the device.

 

However, if I'm travelling, I should tell the GPS what time zone I'm travelling to so it know which satellites will be overhead when I get there. If I don't adjust my time zone, the GPS will figure it out but it will take longer.

[+crzycrzy]

Been caching all week in Germany.

Used the same methods I use in Southern California...

You need not change anything...

But beware !

Other countries have different tastes in caches.

German people (And especially people in Frankfurt) love to build complicated

multi stage plans in the form of multi caches...

You just about need to be a rocket scientist to solve some...

So do your research up front as much as possible.

Figure out the general location of your cache area, and try to translate the cache

hints (If you are going to be in a location that has a language you are unfamiliar with.)

But above all... Have a great time !