AshleyK Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 This may well be the wrong forum and if it is, please redirect me to the right one. However, I notice UK cache listings display the coords in WGS84 (I believe) but more importantly (or at least where I'm concerned) they give the OS Map reference. This is great as I have my garmin set up for GB OS as well, and the maps I use are GB OS. This means I can use the map straight away to decide which way to point the car in. (Actually, and again where I'm concerned, it means that I can mark the location on the map so when I'm out and about I can quickly locate places that might be close to where I am working that day) However when you read down any of the listings and the author mentions that perhap you should park at xxxx, the coords are always in WGS84 and no helpful GB OS reference is given Does anyone know if this: - can be rectified? - has been asked for so many times people have given up? - just illustrative of my ancient ways and I should throw out the map? Any help would be appreciated. Quote Link to comment
+Stuey Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 - just illustrative of my ancient ways and I should throw out the map? That's what I did Quote Link to comment
adrianjohn Posted August 9, 2004 Share Posted August 9, 2004 Try this, enter the coords as WGS84 then change the datum to OSGB and the gps will convert them for you. Or there is a geocaching spreadsheet somewhere but I cant remember the link right now. Can someone fill the gap? Quote Link to comment
+Stuey Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Can someone fill the gap? Filled: Chris n Marias Waypoint Workbench Quote Link to comment
AshleyK Posted August 10, 2004 Author Share Posted August 10, 2004 Can't quite bring myself to throw out the maps yet so I'm afraid they'll have to stay :-) Checked out the spreadsheet which seemed to give errors on the short initial testing I did (gave N 52° 17.064 W 000° 39.239 as being in the TL grid when it is in the SP grid [Waypoint GCHXQQ]) and then failed to work at all on second try On my Garmin GPS II+, changing datum systems is a little clumsy to have to do on a more than infrequent basis. As all of these kind suggestions are workarounds, does anyone know why GB OS ref are not used in body text for UK listings? I can't be the only bod who uses a map anymore! Quote Link to comment
+Pengy&Tigger Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Welcome to the modern age of computers..... Once you`ve been at it a while, you`ll realise that maps tend to come on computers/PDA`s. Way points get loaded into the GPS in huge chunks. And in car navigation is a must for getting from cache to cache. (or sending you up a bridalway... oh what fun the silicon twit has with us) I can say that we`ve never used OS grid references , never found the need to use them. Lon and Lat has served us very well. As long as it gets us to where we want to be, we wouldn`t care what number system it was.... Just stick a pin in the map and away we go..... Pengy Quote Link to comment
+Team Ullium Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 I combine my walking with geocaching and on more than one occasion I have found the addition of an OS map (and compass) in my backpack was more than welcome and indeed useful Also, to see where the cache recommended car parks are on MultiMap I have to convert the WGS84 to British Grid by running it through a small convertion program called 'Grid InQuest'. I must admit even the different formats of both WGS84 and OS can be a pain in the butt...but with use...one finds the best workarounds and gets used to them Ullium. Quote Link to comment
SlytherinAlex Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Any help would be appreciated. Buy a Magellan. They allow you to use two different standards at once. You can switch from WGS84 and OSGB and back with a single button push. Quote Link to comment
+Chris n Maria Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Checked out the spreadsheet which seemed to give errors on the short initial testing I did (gave N 52° 17.064 W 000° 39.239 as being in the TL grid when it is in the SP grid [Waypoint GCHXQQ]) and then failed to work at all on second try For West coordinates you need to enter them as minus numbers. If you enter 52 17.064 -0 39.239 it calculates correctly - positive numbers are East. As all of these kind suggestions are workarounds, does anyone know why GB OS ref are not used in body text for UK listings? I can't be the only bod who uses a map anymore! These are only really text in the listing, WW strips them out from a provided GPX file and will convert them to OS or if you view the cache on GC:UK site Teasle has created a filter that does the conversion on the fly - go to here and search for the cache then click on the waypoint...it should do the conversion there but its not working at the moment! Chris Quote Link to comment
+John Stead Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 Does anyone know why GB OS ref are not used in body text for UK listings? This is down to the owner of the cache, i.e. if he puts the OS coords in his text they are there - some of us did put OS coords in for parking places at one time, but gave it up as we got more used to Lat/Long coords. As has been pointed out Waypoint Workbench pulls out the coords if in WGS84 format and shows the OS equivalant. The only advantage I can now see to OS coords is that it is easy to see how far you have to go in the cardinal directions. If you want a map with both OS grid lines and Lat/Long, Memory Map has the facility of printing out with both sets. Quote Link to comment
+DomHeknows Posted August 10, 2004 Share Posted August 10, 2004 i think also the gcuk cache pages also seem to convert the two coordinates too. Quote Link to comment
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