GPS Coordinate Help

[jstrozier]

I have some cordinants from a guys. However they just plain dont work in my GPS and was told they just need to be converted. I cant figure it out. There seems to be numbers missing. Ill post one and see if someone can help me out. Thanks.

N38-27-62, W77-16-24

[Creel Limit Zero]

I would assume he left off the last number, as those are fine tune points. 

Use

38 degrees, 27'62.00" N
77 degrees, 16'24.00" W

[-Shawn-]

Yep thats what it looks like to me also!

[Creel Limit Zero]

Not sure if you changed the numbers or not, but that location is on the Potomac...

[jstrozier]

Ok,
Thank for the help...

Now I am trying to put it into google earth and not working..

hmmmmmmm

[jstrozier]

Not sure if you changed the numbers or not, but that location is on the Potomac...

I know

[jstrozier]

Strarting to get aggrivated...

[Creel Limit Zero]

I've caught some nice fish there.   

[Zuk]

I think you can change the settings on you dept finder, More digits, different decimel places! Try it but there are conversion fromulas in the net.

[coldfront]

I think you can change the settings on you dept finder, More digits, different decimel places! Try it but there are conversion fromulas in the net.

yep...many formats for lat/long...what you'll need to do is determine the format Google Earth uses...and convert to THAT format...pain in the neck?  yes.

but it's what you'll have to do...unfortunately..

Now, if he'd just give you his chips with all his saved waypoints...

[jstrozier]

yep...many formats for lat/long...what you'll need to do is determine the format Google Earth uses...and convert to THAT format...pain in the neck?  yes.

but it's what you'll have to do...unfortunately..

Now, if he'd just give you his chips with all his saved waypoints...

I hear ya, I wish!

I have to figure out this conversion. Not good with this stuff..

[jstrozier]

I've caught some nice fish there.   

Creel...how did you find it? Did you use google earth? What lat/long did you use?

[Canesfan]

Way back before GPS's when I had a small boat, I used to fish Lake Okeechobee all the time by using landmarks and just "remembering" where I caught fish before plus asking locals  where the fish were.  I never fished tourneys so it wasn't that big of a deal and I 99% of the time always caught fish.

It's scary though because you can be out there and not see land and get disoriented which is why I did rely on a compass even though I pretty much "knew" where I was.

[coldfront]

Creel...how did you find it? Did you use google earth? What lat/long did you use?

stroze...check out this site...  http://www.csgnetwork.com/gpscoordconv.html

in the meantime, I found a better one...here's a screen shot...you can see the 'net address in the image...and I entered your coordinates in (see the entry fields)...hit calculate...and it converted to a bunch of different formats...which should also help you find it/fly to it in Google Earth...

You will need to get comfortable with whether the 'value' is positive or negative...as if really impacts where the spot actually 'is'...



since it's hard to see...here's the website address:  http://boulter.com/gps/

I typed in '38.27.62, -77.16.24'  no quotations...but did use the comma as a term separator...

this should get you on your way.

[jstrozier]

ColdFront.......

You are the Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks dood! 

[coldfront]

ColdFront.......

You are the Man!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Thanks dood! 

actually, we should all bow down and thank Al Gore.  The inventor of the internet.

All Hail!   

(seriously, 'Google' makes life a lot easier ... )

[screwballl]

There are 3 primary formats for coordinates (and several different "datums" and side layouts which confuses things sometimes).

Here are the 3 main styles using the newest/most widely used WSG84 format (and all 3 of these point to the exact same place):

Decimal    30.53457 -86.43987
DDD MM.MMM    N 30° 32.074 W 086° 26.392
DDD MM SS.SSS    N 30° 32' 04.4412" W 86° 26' 23.5212"

I myself being a computer guy tend to prefer the decimal format, but one problem I found is that different items and devices may use a slightly different format. For example, my Garmin GPS uses decimal for waypoints, BUT it needs to be entered in backwards, like the above mention would need to be entered like  -86.43987,30.53457 with the East-West entered first.

Anyways, as this pertains to the original post, I believe those coordinates relate to the second set (DDD MM.MMM).

[coldfront]

it's goofy screwball...in many ways...I'd think it would make sense to take the

'X,Y' approach...where longitude is X (like on the horizontal X-axis) and Y is lattitude (vertical Y-axis)

but we typically talk about 'lattitude and longitude' with lattitude in first position...no wonder I'm always confused.