+TEAM G&V Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 (edited) Is there any way that I can speed up my GPS!! When i am geo caching I may walk 50 yards past the cache and then my alarm goes off that I am with in 10 yards from cache!! Edited October 9, 2004 by TEAM G&V Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Turn off WAAS. Works in Garmins anyway. It might work in Magellans. Quote Link to comment
+sledgehampster Posted October 9, 2004 Share Posted October 9, 2004 Are you using a Magellan? Both of mine have been quilty of that. I just had to learn to slow down about 25 or so feet ahead and keep my eyes on it. No cure that I know of. Quote Link to comment
CharlzO Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 also make sure that if your unit has a "battery saver" feature, you turn it off. When it's on, it doesn't actively seek the sats as fast. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted October 11, 2004 Share Posted October 11, 2004 If you are using a Magellan, that's the boomerange effect. A trick that seems to work (for me anyway) is to take a couple of steps backwards as you near the cache location. Quote Link to comment
+skeeter-n-lucy Posted October 14, 2004 Share Posted October 14, 2004 (edited) Try walking in circles, keeping your directional arrow at right angles to your direction when you get into the 30-50 foot range, and spiral in in concentric circles...works for me! Edited October 14, 2004 by skeeter-n-lucy Quote Link to comment
+junglehair Posted October 15, 2004 Share Posted October 15, 2004 Try buying a Garmin next time! Quote Link to comment
+Cherokeecacher Posted October 18, 2004 Share Posted October 18, 2004 This thread does not belong in GPS in Education. Quote Link to comment
+Scott Johnson Posted January 2, 2005 Share Posted January 2, 2005 Try walking slower, stopping once in a while. Also check your GPS refresh setting, some are by time, some by distance. Set the distance as low as you desire (i.e. 0.01 miles or 0.10 miles etc). Quote Link to comment
+bikehikecache Posted January 2, 2005 Share Posted January 2, 2005 Is there any way that I can speed up my GPS!! drive faster...lol actually, do as mentioned before. once I get about 40-30 feet from the cache, I stop and just stand there. It lets the unit decide what its position really is. You'd be amazed that the cords keep changing for about five seconds... hope this helps. Bike Hike Cache Quote Link to comment
+robert Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 A few others have said it half-jokingly, but are you using a Magellan? The way the GPS averages your position can sometimes cause this to occur. When using my Magellan, when within about 50' of the cache, stop moving. You'll see the distance to the cache start to decrease even though you're not moving. When it has settled down, go ahead and proceed to the cache site. Hope that helps. Quote Link to comment
+TotemLake Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Is there any way that I can speed up my GPS!! Move faster. GPS receivers need about 2-3MPH in order to accurately record movement smoothly. Otherwise, your updates will be in jumps and jolts. Quote Link to comment
+Marky Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 Magellans get a bad rap on the slingshot effect. I notice it now and then, but for the most part, I rarely over shoot the cache by more than 20 feet. I've never, ever overshot a cache by 50 yards (except when I was talking and not looking at my GPS ). --Marky Quote Link to comment
4x4van Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 (edited) I agree with Marky. I believe that the so-called "slingshot effect" is caused by Magellan's slightly slower processing time, and I have seldom seen it at more than 4-5 seconds. If someone is overshooting the cache by 50 yards in that 4-5 seconds, they are alot faster on their feet than I am! What model are you using, and is it upgraded with the latest firmware? Edited January 3, 2005 by 4x4van Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 (edited) I agree with Marky. I believe that the so-called "slingshot effect" is caused by Magellan's slightly slower processing time, although I have seldom seen it more than 4-5 seconds. If someone is overshooting the cache by 50 yards in that 4-5 seconds, they are alot faster on their feet than I am! There is more to it than than just processing speed. I tried to get Magellan to comment on it but they acted clueless. Meanwhile ST users often walk by a cache then come back to it (20-40' is normal, not 20-40 yards) while Garmin users don't. Behavior in other areas (which we have discussed) leads me to believe that Garmin and Magellan process the signal and determine your current position differently but without a white paper on the programming and the philosopy behind their approach, we will be hard pressed to have the definitive answer. How they process signal and location causes the sling shot effect in magellan, but at the same time, magellans don't bounce around as much in the woods as a garmin does. It's related to the same thing as the slingshot effect. One thing that would account for the behavior is if Magellan averaged your 5 last locations and used the resulting number as your reported postion. If it was a raw average it would not account for your movement in that time, you would then walk past the cache then come back. However signal bounce in the woods would also impact any one position less on Magellans. That's speculation and will remain that until Magellan or someone in the know says what is going on. Edited January 3, 2005 by Renegade Knight Quote Link to comment
+JohnnyVegas Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I very can only recall a couple of times I have seen the slingshot effect on an of my Magellans. those times were when I was using my Mt Bike to get to the cache so I was moving a lot faster than when I am in the Biped function. Quote Link to comment
+MedicP1 Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 (edited) Meanwhile ST users often walk by a cache then come back to it (20-40' is normal, not 20-40 yards) while Garmin users don't. That is cause the Garmin owners are standing at the edge of the woods trying to keep their SAT locks, while the Maggie owners are treking through the woods with their 10 bird lock on. Edited January 3, 2005 by MedicP1 Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 I very can only recall a couple of times I have seen the slingshot effect on an of my Magellans. those times were when I was using my Mt Bike to get to the cache so I was moving a lot faster than when I am in the Biped function. As 4x4Van has said it could relate to speed. It's reported more with Sport tracks than Meridians. If the time between each update was less, and they did use a simple average, then you would see less of it with the faster models. Quote Link to comment
+Renegade Knight Posted January 3, 2005 Share Posted January 3, 2005 ...That is cause the Garmin owners are standing at the edge of the woods trying to keep their SAT locks, while the Maggie owners are treking through the woods with their 10 bird lock on. In the past I've posted a link to a Forest Service study on this very topic. Garmin won. But after all this time all the GPS's used are outdated. Quote Link to comment
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