ETE

[PoohTig]

I hear a lot about ETE. What is it, and how do I use it to GeoCache??

 

It's not about getting there, it's about the journey!!!

[+bradtal]

Hello-

 

ETE stands for Estimated Time Enroute.

 

It is actually my favorite and most used option on my GPS.

 

What it does is tell you how long it's going to take you to get to where you are going. For example, say you are traveling from point A to point B. Your GPS knows where point B is, and as you are walking or driving toward point B, it tells you it will take 3 more minutes, 2 more minutes, 1 more minute, 30 seconds, etc until you get to point B.

 

My wife & I used this on our trip from Colorado to Oregon. I entered most of the cities along the way as waypoints. As we drove, the ETE would tell us how many more hours or minutes it would take to get the the next city. This was handy as we were getting tired, we could look at the GPS and say, "Well, it's only 45 more minutes away..."

 

Hopefully this answers your question..

 

Brad

[+MrGigabyte]

You may have meant EPE, which gets far more than its share of discussion in these forums.

 

If this is the case, EPE means Estimated Position Error.

 

EPE on consumer grade GPSr is more of a marketing tool than a reliable indicator of ones accuracy.

 

[+Centaur]

But if it is ETE, then its something like this:

 

Time Now + ETE = ETA

 

ETE = Estimated Time Enroute

ETA = Estimated Time of Arrival

 

With the GPS updating these figures at some regular inerval based on a formula comparing your average speed VS your distance to your destination.

 

Example: if you were traveling at an average speed of 60 MPH and you were 1 mile from your destination, and it was now 8:59AM, your ETE would be 1 min, and your ETA would be 9:00AM

 

-Centaur

[+apersson850]

It also takes into account the possible difference in bearing (direction to the destination) and heading (direction you are moving). At least my Vista does.

 

So if you are moving at a certain speed towards your target, dead on, you get one ETE, but if you deviate from the correct bearing, you get another. Or at least the ETE will not go down that fast, depending upon how much of a detour you take.

 

Should you go the wrong way, you'll even see the ETE increase while you move, since you are really longer away from your target, the more you travel. Until you are approaching from the other way, at least. Or maybe the world is flat?

 

Anders

[+Centaur]

Very true. My example in my previous message made the assumption you were traveling in a straight line to your destination.

Im not a GPS programmer, but I am aquainted with computer programming and mathamatical calculations. I should have more correctly said that the ETE can be based on distance to target, and your _relative_ speed twords the target, all averaged out over some period of time. Programmers have to build in some limiting values into the display, so that things like standing still, or going in a circle around a point, where you are actually never getting closer to your destination, dont display an ETE of infinity. (More likely it just displays -- or something.)

 

Sorry if this is more technical then one needed to know.

-Centaur

[+Centaur]

Very true. My example in my previous message made the assumption you were traveling in a straight line to your destination.

Im not a GPS programmer, but I am aquainted with computer programming and mathamatical calculations. I should have more correctly said that the ETE can be based on distance to target, and your _relative_ speed twords the target, all averaged out over some period of time. Programmers have to build in some limiting values into the display, so that things like standing still, or going in a circle around a point, where you are actually never getting closer to your destination, dont display an ETE of infinity. (More likely it just displays -- or something.)

 

Sorry if this is more technical then one needed to know.

-Centaur