GPS Coords question?

[CDRacingZX6R]

Just wondering how close I am to a particular meeting place if I can only get this many digits onto my Eclipse navigation. EXample:

It should be this..
LAT 33 38 14.9N
LON 117 25 17.2W

It only lets me put in this

LAT 33 38 14N
LON 117 25 17W

How far off from the original location will I be? Feet, miles? I know nothing at all about how this crap works, but I'm attempting to find an easiyer way to start local trails than word of mouth instructions.

Thanks!!

[eljugador]

Not sure, but I can tell you that there are lots of different ways to present coordinates and some are radically different so you need to make sure the datum in your GPS matches the map you are looking at.

The GPS for dummies books go in to all that, but I don't remember.

[1911]

CDRacingZX6R previously said:

Just wondering how close I am to a particular meeting place if I can only get this many digits onto my Eclipse navigation. EXample:

It should be this..
LAT 33 38 14.9N
LON 117 25 17.2W

It only lets me put in this

LAT 33 38 14N
LON 117 25 17W

How far off from the original location will I be? Feet, miles? I know nothing at all about how this crap works, but I'm attempting to find an easiyer way to start local trails than word of mouth instructions.

Thanks!!

The coordinates you are giving are formatted in Degrees Minutes Seconds, so you need to know how much distance on the ground one second (or fraction thereof) represents. In Latitude, this is a constant, about 6,800 feet (rounded off). In Longitude, the distance on the ground varies with how far north or south you are - because the earth is curved, a second of longitude is a longer distance at the equator than it is near the north pole.

The quick but not perfectly accurate answer to your question is, using 6,800 feet per second of latitude, that is your greatest margin of error if you can only read seconds and not tenths of seconds on your GPS. You could be 1.3 miles off. If your GPS will read in tenths of a second, you cut your maximum error down to about 680 feet.

All of the GPS's I've ever had would display D:M:S at least in tenths of a second, but I prefer to work in decimal degrees and most of them will display five or six decimal places that way. Somewhere in your setup menus, you should be able to change the lat/long format.

[waterdog]

I love Google Maps

About seventy two feet.

The map datum is going to be more important than precision for rounding errors of this scale. Make sure everybody is using the same datum. The default datum for most GPS units is WGS 84.

[Aslan]

Also, if working from a topo map, your best bet would be to use UTM and not lat-lon, as UTM can be directly read from the map - you'll have to make adjustments if trying to read lat-lon from a topo map. (I recommend you look at a map aid, like a waypointer - this makes adjusting for lat-lon a snap.)

remember lat-lon is for a curved surface and maps are flat meaning adjustments will need to be made. UTM is a coordinate system for maps (like military grid) and so can be read directly off the map and entered into a GPS.)

[txdennis40]

Depending on how accurate the person's GPS cordinates are , and what I mean is did he use the highest resolution he could to mark his GPS spot that he gave you. You will be off no more than 100' If he did his homework and how well he GPS his readings . I offer this advise on using a Delorme software with a Garmin GPS on a daily baises. Depending on what type of GPS , also a Standard American Version is accurate within in 50' a Military version are alot more accurate but not sold to the general Public. At work we do alot of what are called one calls in the state of Texas and play with how accurate the reports are when they are coming in. It all depends on how accurate the user was with his GPS. The readings are readings are of Degrees.Minutes.Secounds the Delorme will take most readings and convert them for you making it easier to find things that are not GPS. In this format. And you do not need to put the N or W in the format .

[jnava121]

Map + compass

Use your FJ for pace count = free GPS System