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I am playing with the locationless cache "Where's In A Name" (GC3153) and need the help of someone who knows mapping software.

 

To do this cache you must convert your name to a coordinate using the numbers and letters from a telephone keypad.

 

Normally this would give you a coordinate, which you can use as Latitude or Longitude.

 

Whichever you choose, the mission is to find someone on an intersecting coord to partner with (If your name = latitude your partner must intersect at his longitude, etc.)

 

But, my name is multi-part, and you know I can't do anything easy, so I want to use one part for Lat. and one for Long.

 

So, dropping "The", Alabama = 25° 22.262 and Rambler = 73° 02.537

 

25° 22.262 N

73° 02.537 W

 

Puts me in India

 

73° 02.537 N

25° 22.262 W

 

Puts me in the Kara Sea north of Finland

 

25° 22.262 S

73° 02.537 E

 

Puts me in the middle of nowhere in Greenland

 

73° 02.537 S

25° 22.262 E

 

Puts me in the North Atlantic east of Nassua

 

Questions:

 

1) I can't find any accurate maps of the world - MapQuest and the like require that you round the seconds to two digits - I have three and want to work at that level of accuracy if I can. Do you know of any online maps that allow for 3-second accuracy?

 

2) I want to be able to determine distances - one combination of these coords puts me just off the coast of Iran - but I can't tell exactly how far off the coast. If it's at or beyond the Maritime Border then US warships will cruise the area and I can work with friends in the Navy; if it's inside that border there's not much I can do...I don't know any Iranian geocachers with boats...or US special ops types that will admit to being there (trust me - they are!)! How can I get precise distances from maps?

 

3) Lastly, my poor wee little brain can't figure out all the permutations and combinations of the two coords - since either can be Lat. or Long., and either can be N, S, E or W, then 2 coords x 4 directions tells me there are at least 8 combinations - but how many are there actually?

 

Lat. can be N or S

Long. can be E or W

so that's 8 - right?

 

But, either coord can be Lat. or Lon., so that's 16, right??

 

So, since I have plenty of time, I want to get a picture from every possible intersection these coords might lead me to!

 

Thanks for any help!

Ed

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This cache only asks you to match either the longitude or latitude not both. It is easier than you are making it...

 

You can choose any point along the 73° 02.537 W coordinate. This runs just east of Burlington VT, for example.

 

The *partner* who takes the photo can be anyone.

Edited by Tharagleb
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But, my name is multi-part, and you know I can't do anything easy, so I want to use one part for Lat. and one for Long.

 

 

Yes, I know I am making it harder using lat/lon intersections, but I thought it might be fun.

 

If Alabama = 25° 22.262 and Rambler = 73° 02.537 AND either coord can be Lat OR lon AND can be lat N or S and lon E or W then we have a whole buncha places to intersect!

 

;)

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I think I know what your problem is.

 

You think that the last three digits (the Zs) in a XX YY.ZZZ coordinate are the seconds, but that's not the case.

 

Thare are many formats for expressing Coordinate, and the one we use in geocaching that looks like the one above is actually degrees and decimal minutes, not Degrees, minutes and seconds.

 

For example:

 

N43 32.500

 

this is NOT 43 degrees, 32 minutes, and 500 seconds

it is literally 43 degrees and 32-point-five-oh-oh minutes

or 43 degrees, 32 and a half minutes

 

Since there are sixty seconds in a minute, thiis can also be expressed in degrees, minutes, and seconds like this:

 

n 43 32 30

 

I think what is happening is you have coordinates in degrees and decimal minutes, and you are trying to use a web site that only takes degrees, minutes, and seconds. Well you need to convert first.

Edited by BigWhiteTruck
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Well, if the latitude can be north or south, and the longitude can be east or west, i think that is 4 different combinations

 

NE

NW

SE

SW

 

Also, since longitudes can but up to 180 degrees, and latitudes can't be more than 90, you may run into trouble swapping them around, depending on how you are caclulating the coords from your name, it may take care of that.

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