Utm

[CombatEngineer]

Hey, does anyone use UTM Coordinants in caching? For those who don't know UTM is the coordinant system used by the military on their maps.... Just wondering because I was going to try and place a couple.

 

CombatEngineer

[+Nazgul]

I use UTM. The only time I don't is when I switch to enter a geocache clue or some other tidbit that's not in UTM format, then I switch back to UTM when I'm done. Fortunately, the main cache location is always in UTM as well as hddd.mm.mmm.

 

UTM has several advantages from my point of view, not the least of which is that it's standard for most all SAR including my team.

[+blindleader]

For the most part I don't use coordinates at all, when caching. My GPSr does. I use EasyGPS to download waypoints to the receiver and rarely, if ever look at the actual coordinates.

 

If there's some puzzle or calculation using coordinates needed to solve the cache, then the format is usually dictated by the problem itself.

 

I suppose, I'm most familiar with DD-MM.MMM, so that's what my default displays show, but it really doesn't matter. They are not numbers I'm interested in looking at.

[+Renegade Knight]

I use UTM for calculations. Nothing else. Were I ever to start using maps to estimate distances etc. UTM would be very handy. Since I read maps and geocache, eyeball distances are just fine. Section lines work perfectly for that and are accuate enough for my purposes.

Edited April 12, 2004 by Renegade Knight

[+bigethespe]

i find UTM handy for when I can't get a good fix in a given location - just move so many meters one direction or the other... very handy since my GPSr doesn't have an electronic compass. anyone else do this?

[+Vader]

When I used to hike and 4 wheel, I would use UTM all the time !!!

 

Then came along this Geocaching thing and it took a while to break myself of that habit.

 

I have now gotten used to the DD MM.MMM format, but I still use UTM when using 7.5 min topos

[+Team GPSaxophone]

There are a couple of cachers in my area that use UTM for their multi/puzzle caches. I have NG Topo, so I can just enter the coords there and see where it is on the map. I also know how to switch my legend to display UTM, so I don't have much trouble on these types of caches.

 

In any case, my GPS handles the coords for me, I just follow the arrow.

[+shawhh]

for travel using map and compass, or map and gps i use utm. for caching i usually stick with degrees and minutes. -harry

[bnolan]

I use UTM because:

 

- I can read the coordinates pretty darn close off the 7.5 min quads

 

- I like that the unit is always 1 meter, no matter what latitude you are at. I don't do cosines in my head very well.

 

- I like that the coordinates are over then up, just like the Cartesian coordinate system (x,y) used in Algebra.

 

The UTM vs. Lat Lon debate always reminds me of the Algebraic vs. RPN debate among calculator users. Each person is going to like what they like and no quantity of logical argument will change their mind.

[CombatEngineer]

Hey, thanks! What do you guys do? spend all day on the 'net???? Just kidding. Ok, second question: how do you get the UTM coordinants?.... I figured out how to switch to UTM with my GPSr (Garmin eTrex Legend) but changing the lat/lon over? Then third: what is the best way to get UTM grid maps?

 

Any advice would be helpful.

 

CombatEngineer

Edited April 13, 2004 by CombatEngineer

[Tahosa and Sons]

Then third: what is the best way to get UTM grid maps?

 

Look at National Geographics TOPO, you can put in UTM grids and do them with 1000 mtr or 500 or what ever size you want.

 

Here is an example of what you can do with this software.

[+shawhh]

delorme TOPO can be gridded with utm as well. if you're ordering usgs 7.5 minute series maps, some of them are already gridded and the others have tic marks along the borders that allow you to draw in your own grid lines. as to converting to utm, the simplest would be to enter the coords in degrees and minutes and then change to utm in the gpsr as it will change them automatically. -harry