Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

3 meters for a low end unit CAN be seen on a good day, with clear skies. One
thing you need to remember is that GPS units do not work well (or even at
all) under shade trees. If you're trying to locate things on a wooded lot,
you're not going to be pleased. They MUST have a clear view of the sky to
work, and they MUST pick up at least 3 satellites to work (the more
satellites they can see, the better the accuracy).

Eric R Snow wrote:
Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

The el-cheapo ($100) one that I have experience worked fine as long as
there was blue sky in all directions. Standing under a tree blinded it
to the satellites. They work at 2.5GHz (IIRC), which is strongly
attenuated by wood, either still in a tree or dried and made into a house.

A more expensive unit could probably handle the attenuation, but then
it'd be more expensive...

It may be more effective in the end to discretely mark the trails, and
note them on your map.

--

Tim Wescott
Wescott Design Services
http://www.wescottdesign.com

Posting from Google? See http://cfaj.freeshell.org/google/

Eric R Snow wrote:
Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

Eric,
I have used both the Garmin ETREX and the GPS60 (non-mapping version)
for a use similar to what you describe. Either worked perfectly for
that use, the etrex is sold for around 90 bucks in lots of places. The
GPS 60 has a few more features for around 150.00. Both let you mark
points you want to save and allows you to navigate to them, and can
create a record of the path you walk. The etrex is simpler, so that may
actually be an advantage. I like the USB port on the GPS60, as I often
upload and download stuff, but the etrex will do that also vis RS232
(you need a special connector, garmin wants 30 bucks for it, so I made
my own. Using a mill. Machine shop content). I use my GPS 60 all the
time and love it. Most excellent unit for that type of use. The GPS 60
seemed to have the best battery life for the "big name" units of
similar cost, at least when I got mine (early last year), but that may
have changed by now. I have not used any other brands, so I cannot give
an opinion on any of them.

There is freeware/shareware on the web that allows you to
upload/download locating and waypoint data from your computer, that is
better than the stuff that Garmin bundles with the GPS60. It will
download topos and ariel photos from the web (mostly USGS data) and
then put your waypoint data on it. Way cool.Works with other brands of
GPS also, I think. The name is escaping me at this moment, but I can
find it at home, if anyone is interested.

Hope that helps,
AL

"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

Hi Eric

Find a friend who already owns a GPS receiver. Walk around in your woods
with him and his receiver so he can tell you if his receiver works in your
environment.

Jerry

Eric sez:

" . . .I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. . . ."

I've had GPS since it wasn't cool - Garmin GPS 45. I still have it. If I
understand your question correctly you wish to locate specific points in
your parcel of land and then reference those points to a map. In order to
do this you must have a highly detailed map to begin with. I can't say with
any certainty how detailed that map should be. I don't know of any sources
that have maps of sufficient detail for one to pinpoint locations within a
10 acre parcel. The DeLorme maps of residential areas are an exception,
but I assume your parcel is not residential.

The GPS will give you the latitude and longitude coordinates of any point
you pick to "waypoint". This means you hit the waypoint key and the GPS
records the current location as a point for future consideration. Then to
find that waypoint on a map the map would have to show sufficient detail to
discern a specific plot of 10 acres. That would be a very detailed map,
indeed. AFAIK, such a detailed topo map doesn't exist. Maybe there'd be an
aerial map of the specific area, maybe not - I'm not sure about that.

So, getting back to "waypointing". You could walk the parcel and "waypoint"
as many spots as you'd like. This in essense, stores a map of the parcel in
your GPS. You could then open the "page" that contains the map you just
drew and walk over it and see a moving cursor defining your present position
on the map.
Some GPS's can be read on a PC and allow printing of the maps (pages). This
would allow you map the area with as much detail (numbers of way points) as
you desire and download the map to a PC and printer.

Bob Swinney

On 20 Mar 2006 08:24:15 -0800, wrote:


Eric R Snow wrote:
Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

Eric,
I have used both the Garmin ETREX and the GPS60 (non-mapping version)
for a use similar to what you describe. Either worked perfectly for
that use, the etrex is sold for around 90 bucks in lots of places. The
GPS 60 has a few more features for around 150.00. Both let you mark
points you want to save and allows you to navigate to them, and can
create a record of the path you walk. The etrex is simpler, so that may
actually be an advantage. I like the USB port on the GPS60, as I often
upload and download stuff, but the etrex will do that also vis RS232
(you need a special connector, garmin wants 30 bucks for it, so I made
my own. Using a mill. Machine shop content). I use my GPS 60 all the
time and love it. Most excellent unit for that type of use. The GPS 60
seemed to have the best battery life for the "big name" units of
similar cost, at least when I got mine (early last year), but that may
have changed by now. I have not used any other brands, so I cannot give
an opinion on any of them.

There is freeware/shareware on the web that allows you to
upload/download locating and waypoint data from your computer, that is
better than the stuff that Garmin bundles with the GPS60. It will
download topos and ariel photos from the web (mostly USGS data) and
then put your waypoint data on it. Way cool.Works with other brands of
GPS also, I think. The name is escaping me at this moment, but I can
find it at home, if anyone is interested.

Hope that helps,
AL
Greetings Al,
The Garmin web site said that most GPS units will not work indoors,
but will work in the woods. Posts previous to yours said that woods
will block the signal. Of course, the density of the trees will
determine the blocking potential. Your post is great though because
you are using the GPS with success just the way I want to.
Thanks,
Eric

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 16:32:43 GMT, "Jerry Martes"
wrote:


"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
.. .
Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

Hi Eric

Find a friend who already owns a GPS receiver. Walk around in your woods
with him and his receiver so he can tell you if his receiver works in your
environment.

Jerry

Greetings Jerry,
That was my first thought. But the only guy I know who has one told me
he broke it.
Thanks ,
Eric

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 11:17:34 -0600, "Robert Swinney"
wrote:

Eric sez:

" . . .I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. . . ."

I've had GPS since it wasn't cool - Garmin GPS 45. I still have it. If I
understand your question correctly you wish to locate specific points in
your parcel of land and then reference those points to a map. In order to
do this you must have a highly detailed map to begin with. I can't say with
any certainty how detailed that map should be. I don't know of any sources
that have maps of sufficient detail for one to pinpoint locations within a
10 acre parcel. The DeLorme maps of residential areas are an exception,
but I assume your parcel is not residential.

The GPS will give you the latitude and longitude coordinates of any point
you pick to "waypoint". This means you hit the waypoint key and the GPS
records the current location as a point for future consideration. Then to
find that waypoint on a map the map would have to show sufficient detail to
discern a specific plot of 10 acres. That would be a very detailed map,
indeed. AFAIK, such a detailed topo map doesn't exist. Maybe there'd be an
aerial map of the specific area, maybe not - I'm not sure about that.

So, getting back to "waypointing". You could walk the parcel and "waypoint"
as many spots as you'd like. This in essense, stores a map of the parcel in
your GPS. You could then open the "page" that contains the map you just
drew and walk over it and see a moving cursor defining your present position
on the map.
Some GPS's can be read on a PC and allow printing of the maps (pages). This
would allow you map the area with as much detail (numbers of way points) as
you desire and download the map to a PC and printer.

Bob Swinney
Greetings Bob,
My plan is to use the legal description which gives the latitude and
longitude descriptions. And the county also has recent aerial photos
it uses for keeping track of changes. My brother, the geologist and
cartographer, is going to use this info to draw a map which will
basically be a rectangle with the outline of the triangular parcel in
question within. A grid will be drawn on this. The line spacing of the
grid will be either 10 or 20 feet. Then I can place marks on this map
and show my wife where things will be in relation to existing roads
and structures.
Thanks,
Eric

buy a delorme map for seven bux.

Eric R Snow wrote:
from the web (mostly USGS data) and
then put your waypoint data on it. Way cool.Works with other brands of
GPS also, I think. The name is escaping me at this moment, but I can
find it at home, if anyone is interested.

Hope that helps,
AL

Greetings Al,
The Garmin web site said that most GPS units will not work indoors,
but will work in the woods. Posts previous to yours said that woods
will block the signal. Of course, the density of the trees will
determine the blocking potential. Your post is great though because
you are using the GPS with success just the way I want to.
Thanks,
Eric

Hi Eric,
The website is correct, it won't work indoors, the signal is heavily
attenuated by most construction. I generally use mine in the woods. How
the new england woods compare to where you are, is hard to guess. I am
not any sort of expert, but as I said, i generally use mine in the
woods, when hunting, hiking, etc. I've never had occasion to try it in a
rain forrest, but it has worked around here for me thus far. I still
carry a map and compass if I am in unfamiliar areas. I usually only want
to be able to navigate back to my truck, camp, stand or whatever, should
I get completly turned around, so the mapping is not a big deal to me.
My unit gets me plenty close for that. I have not had problems getting
reception in the woods. Where I am, there are usually 5 or more
satelites in view, so perhaps that gives the unit enough "choices" that
at least 3 are useable most of the time. I understand that can all be
very area and terrain dependent, so YMMV, as we say.

Someone else gave an excellent bit of advice, find someone you can
borrow one from, and try it out. That is exactly what I did. I tried a
friends etrex and loved it. I got the gps60 because my wife liked it a
bit better than the etrex (longer battery life rating & better antenna),
and bought it for me. Great woman, she is. I'm keeping her.

-AL

Go for it, Eric! GPS's are very practical devies. Lots of fun also. I got
into GPS many years ago from a limited background in celestial navigation.
It was a natural step - I bought a GPS instead of a new sextent. I'm still
interested in celestial, though. One of my shop dreams is to build a
sextent.

Bob Swinney

Bob Swinney
"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 11:17:34 -0600, "Robert Swinney"
wrote:

Eric sez:

" . . .I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. . . ."

I've had GPS since it wasn't cool - Garmin GPS 45. I still have it. If I
understand your question correctly you wish to locate specific points in
your parcel of land and then reference those points to a map. In order to
do this you must have a highly detailed map to begin with. I can't say
with
any certainty how detailed that map should be. I don't know of any sources
that have maps of sufficient detail for one to pinpoint locations within a
10 acre parcel. The DeLorme maps of residential areas are an exception,
but I assume your parcel is not residential.

The GPS will give you the latitude and longitude coordinates of any point
you pick to "waypoint". This means you hit the waypoint key and the GPS
records the current location as a point for future consideration. Then to
find that waypoint on a map the map would have to show sufficient detail
to
discern a specific plot of 10 acres. That would be a very detailed map,
indeed. AFAIK, such a detailed topo map doesn't exist. Maybe there'd be
an
aerial map of the specific area, maybe not - I'm not sure about that.

So, getting back to "waypointing". You could walk the parcel and
"waypoint"
as many spots as you'd like. This in essense, stores a map of the parcel
in
your GPS. You could then open the "page" that contains the map you just
drew and walk over it and see a moving cursor defining your present
position
on the map.
Some GPS's can be read on a PC and allow printing of the maps (pages).
This
would allow you map the area with as much detail (numbers of way points)
as
you desire and download the map to a PC and printer.

Bob Swinney
Greetings Bob,
My plan is to use the legal description which gives the latitude and
longitude descriptions. And the county also has recent aerial photos
it uses for keeping track of changes. My brother, the geologist and
cartographer, is going to use this info to draw a map which will
basically be a rectangle with the outline of the triangular parcel in
question within. A grid will be drawn on this. The line spacing of the
grid will be either 10 or 20 feet. Then I can place marks on this map
and show my wife where things will be in relation to existing roads
and structures.
Thanks,
Eric

Robert Swinney wrote:

I bought a GPS instead of a new sextent. I'm still
interested in celestial, though. One of my shop dreams is to build a
sextent.

I'm still trying to figure out the C.Plath sextant my wife bought me a
couple years ago.

Eric R Snow wrote:

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 11:17:34 -0600, "Robert Swinney"
wrote:

Eric sez:

" . . .I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. . . ."

I've had GPS since it wasn't cool - Garmin GPS 45. I still have it. If I
understand your question correctly you wish to locate specific points in
your parcel of land and then reference those points to a map. In order to
do this you must have a highly detailed map to begin with. I can't say with
any certainty how detailed that map should be. I don't know of any sources
that have maps of sufficient detail for one to pinpoint locations within a
10 acre parcel. The DeLorme maps of residential areas are an exception,
but I assume your parcel is not residential.

The GPS will give you the latitude and longitude coordinates of any point
you pick to "waypoint". This means you hit the waypoint key and the GPS
records the current location as a point for future consideration. Then to
find that waypoint on a map the map would have to show sufficient detail to
discern a specific plot of 10 acres. That would be a very detailed map,
indeed. AFAIK, such a detailed topo map doesn't exist. Maybe there'd be an
aerial map of the specific area, maybe not - I'm not sure about that.

So, getting back to "waypointing". You could walk the parcel and "waypoint"
as many spots as you'd like. This in essense, stores a map of the parcel in
your GPS. You could then open the "page" that contains the map you just
drew and walk over it and see a moving cursor defining your present position
on the map.
Some GPS's can be read on a PC and allow printing of the maps (pages). This
would allow you map the area with as much detail (numbers of way points) as
you desire and download the map to a PC and printer.

Bob Swinney
Greetings Bob,
My plan is to use the legal description which gives the latitude and
longitude descriptions. And the county also has recent aerial photos
it uses for keeping track of changes. My brother, the geologist and
cartographer, is going to use this info to draw a map which will
basically be a rectangle with the outline of the triangular parcel in
question within. A grid will be drawn on this. The line spacing of the
grid will be either 10 or 20 feet. Then I can place marks on this map
and show my wife where things will be in relation to existing roads
and structures.
Thanks,
Eric

Maps, check for USGS maps online, possibly available for download
from a university site. The USGS maps and photos for the CT area are
available on one of the UCONN servers, check universities in your area
for similar.

Reception, if you do have trouble getting reception in the woods, an
external GPS antenna mounted to the end of a telescopic painting /
window washing pole may elevate the antenna enough to get a decent
signal.

Pete C.

"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 11:17:34 -0600, "Robert Swinney"
wrote:

Eric sez:

" . . .I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. . . ."

I've had GPS since it wasn't cool - Garmin GPS 45. I still have it. If I
understand your question correctly you wish to locate specific points in
your parcel of land and then reference those points to a map. In order to
do this you must have a highly detailed map to begin with. I can't say
with
any certainty how detailed that map should be. I don't know of any sources
that have maps of sufficient detail for one to pinpoint locations within a
10 acre parcel. The DeLorme maps of residential areas are an exception,
but I assume your parcel is not residential.

The GPS will give you the latitude and longitude coordinates of any point
you pick to "waypoint". This means you hit the waypoint key and the GPS
records the current location as a point for future consideration. Then to
find that waypoint on a map the map would have to show sufficient detail
to
discern a specific plot of 10 acres. That would be a very detailed map,
indeed. AFAIK, such a detailed topo map doesn't exist. Maybe there'd be
an
aerial map of the specific area, maybe not - I'm not sure about that.

So, getting back to "waypointing". You could walk the parcel and
"waypoint"
as many spots as you'd like. This in essense, stores a map of the parcel
in
your GPS. You could then open the "page" that contains the map you just
drew and walk over it and see a moving cursor defining your present
position
on the map.
Some GPS's can be read on a PC and allow printing of the maps (pages).
This
would allow you map the area with as much detail (numbers of way points)
as
you desire and download the map to a PC and printer.

Bob Swinney
Greetings Bob,
My plan is to use the legal description which gives the latitude and
longitude descriptions. And the county also has recent aerial photos
it uses for keeping track of changes. My brother, the geologist and
cartographer, is going to use this info to draw a map which will
basically be a rectangle with the outline of the triangular parcel in
question within. A grid will be drawn on this. The line spacing of the
grid will be either 10 or 20 feet. Then I can place marks on this map
and show my wife where things will be in relation to existing roads
and structures.
Thanks,
Eric

Hi Eric

I've got it -- Buy your brother a GPS with a USB connection so he can use
it with his lap top. They cost about $100.00. A geologist should have
something like that anyway. It'll identify your location on an overlay map
so you can track yourselft as you move.

Jerry

My son and I use an eTrex, and we host the AustinMusicBox cache - check out
www.geocaching.com for 78731 or
http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache...9-5a70153f5ed2

geocaching is a lot of fun

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 21:37:58 GMT, "Pete C."
wrote:

Eric R Snow wrote:

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 11:17:34 -0600, "Robert Swinney"
wrote:

Eric sez:

" . . .I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. . . ."

I've had GPS since it wasn't cool - Garmin GPS 45. I still have it. If I
understand your question correctly you wish to locate specific points in
your parcel of land and then reference those points to a map. In order to
do this you must have a highly detailed map to begin with. I can't say with
any certainty how detailed that map should be. I don't know of any sources
that have maps of sufficient detail for one to pinpoint locations within a
10 acre parcel. The DeLorme maps of residential areas are an exception,
but I assume your parcel is not residential.

The GPS will give you the latitude and longitude coordinates of any point
you pick to "waypoint". This means you hit the waypoint key and the GPS
records the current location as a point for future consideration. Then to
find that waypoint on a map the map would have to show sufficient detail to
discern a specific plot of 10 acres. That would be a very detailed map,
indeed. AFAIK, such a detailed topo map doesn't exist. Maybe there'd be an
aerial map of the specific area, maybe not - I'm not sure about that.

So, getting back to "waypointing". You could walk the parcel and "waypoint"
as many spots as you'd like. This in essense, stores a map of the parcel in
your GPS. You could then open the "page" that contains the map you just
drew and walk over it and see a moving cursor defining your present position
on the map.
Some GPS's can be read on a PC and allow printing of the maps (pages). This
would allow you map the area with as much detail (numbers of way points) as
you desire and download the map to a PC and printer.

Bob Swinney
Greetings Bob,
My plan is to use the legal description which gives the latitude and
longitude descriptions. And the county also has recent aerial photos
it uses for keeping track of changes. My brother, the geologist and
cartographer, is going to use this info to draw a map which will
basically be a rectangle with the outline of the triangular parcel in
question within. A grid will be drawn on this. The line spacing of the
grid will be either 10 or 20 feet. Then I can place marks on this map
and show my wife where things will be in relation to existing roads
and structures.
Thanks,
Eric

Maps, check for USGS maps online, possibly available for download
from a university site. The USGS maps and photos for the CT area are
available on one of the UCONN servers, check universities in your area
for similar.

Reception, if you do have trouble getting reception in the woods, an
external GPS antenna mounted to the end of a telescopic painting /
window washing pole may elevate the antenna enough to get a decent
signal.

Pete C.
Thanks Pete. I'll check out both.
ERS

"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

I bought a Garmin 12XL, about $150, and I love it. It is such a good GPS
that it is standard equipment in USAF survival gear packs.

It will get you within 10' on a good day. The accuracy varies. Depending
on what you want to locate, this may or may not be acceptable.

If you have landmarks you can enter, like corner markers, a big rock, a huge
oak, and the like, it can give you a pretty good idea. I have seen the
smaller $100 ones by Garmin, and they have a smaller screen that doesn't
give you as good an idea. The top of the line ones have maps and all, but
you don't need all those bells and whistles.

I vote for the Garmin 12XL, and you can probably get one on ebay for cheap.
Download cables, car power supplies, nimh rechargeable AA batteries
........... all relatively inexpensive compared to some models and brands.

I use mine on trips as an accurate speedometer, and distance traveled to
figure mileage.

Once you use one and get the hang of it (a short time), you will be
surprised how often you use it. You can even use it to get back to a spot
on the water where you caught fish, like over a cliff, or some bushes, and
be pretty accurate. If you find some mineral deposit out in the desert or
in the woods, you mark it, and you can get back within spitting distance of
it the next trip.

HTH

Steve

"daniel peterman" wrote in message
...
buy a delorme map for seven bux.


I like hunting for meteorites. When you find one, there is usually a pear
shaped debris field where you can find more fragments of the main body. You
then set up search grids with those orange soccer cones.

If I have to leave, I know that I can come back next weekend, and find this
needle in a haystack. Within ten feet. Try that with a seven bux map.

Would that be like putting an X on the bottom of the boat when you find a
good fishin' hole?

Steve

"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 11:17:34 -0600, "Robert Swinney"
wrote:

Eric sez:

" . . .I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. . . ."

I've had GPS since it wasn't cool - Garmin GPS 45. I still have it. If I
understand your question correctly you wish to locate specific points in
your parcel of land and then reference those points to a map. In order to
do this you must have a highly detailed map to begin with. I can't say
with
any certainty how detailed that map should be. I don't know of any sources
that have maps of sufficient detail for one to pinpoint locations within a
10 acre parcel. The DeLorme maps of residential areas are an exception,
but I assume your parcel is not residential.

The GPS will give you the latitude and longitude coordinates of any point
you pick to "waypoint". This means you hit the waypoint key and the GPS
records the current location as a point for future consideration. Then to
find that waypoint on a map the map would have to show sufficient detail
to
discern a specific plot of 10 acres. That would be a very detailed map,
indeed. AFAIK, such a detailed topo map doesn't exist. Maybe there'd be
an
aerial map of the specific area, maybe not - I'm not sure about that.

So, getting back to "waypointing". You could walk the parcel and
"waypoint"
as many spots as you'd like. This in essense, stores a map of the parcel
in
your GPS. You could then open the "page" that contains the map you just
drew and walk over it and see a moving cursor defining your present
position
on the map.
Some GPS's can be read on a PC and allow printing of the maps (pages).
This
would allow you map the area with as much detail (numbers of way points)
as
you desire and download the map to a PC and printer.

Bob Swinney
Greetings Bob,
My plan is to use the legal description which gives the latitude and
longitude descriptions. And the county also has recent aerial photos
it uses for keeping track of changes. My brother, the geologist and
cartographer, is going to use this info to draw a map which will
basically be a rectangle with the outline of the triangular parcel in
question within. A grid will be drawn on this. The line spacing of the
grid will be either 10 or 20 feet. Then I can place marks on this map
and show my wife where things will be in relation to existing roads
and structures.
Thanks,
Eric

You have essentially asked a two part question.

1. What's a good GPS?
2. Can I take the info and transpose it to a map?

1. Garmin 12XL will work for this
2. Yes, it has a cable and you can transpose all waypoints onto a map. You
might have to buy a map program, or pay to have a map made of a specific
grid. You would have to research that, as I don't know. I have a mapquest
CD of the western United States, and when I go out on my ATV, I can take
waypoints, and bring them home and transpose them to a map for storage.
Most handheld GPSs will store 500 waypoints. A lot.

HTH

Steve

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 15:28:04 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm, Rex
B quickly quoth:

Robert Swinney wrote:

I bought a GPS instead of a new sextent. I'm still
interested in celestial, though. One of my shop dreams is to build a
sextent.

I'm still trying to figure out the C.Plath sextant my wife bought me a
couple years ago.

There's a good straight-line there somewhere, I'm sure. g

Has anyone looked into Google Earth? You can see your property down to
one meter resolution through the satellite's eyes. It's downright
muckin afazing.

www.earth.google.com Download the app and view away!




--
Impeach 'em ALL!
----------------------------------------------------
http://diversify.com Website Application Programming

"Al A." wrote in message
. ..
snip

Hi Eric,
The website is correct, it won't work indoors, the signal is heavily
attenuated by most construction. I generally use mine in the woods. How
the new england woods compare to where you are, is hard to guess. I am
snip

Some GPSs have better sensitivity than others. The Garmin Nuvi 350 will
lock onto satellites inside our 2-story house, apparently due to its SiRF
receiver, which I gather is a fairly new development in the GPS market. I
do know that it works a heck of a lot better than the Earthmate GPS units
I'd used previously.

Mike

I took my Garmin 176 out to find the corner steaks of my property. With a
clear view of the sky it will get you within 8-10' but under the trees it is
only good to get you within 25' of so but the big problem was that I spent
to much time looking at the GPS and not enough looking where I was going.
Got the worst case of poison ivy I have ever experienced!

--
Glenn Ashmore

I'm building a 45' cutter in strip/composite. Watch my progress (or lack
there of) at: http://www.rutuonline.com
Shameless Commercial Division: http://www.spade-anchor-us.com

"Eric R Snow" wrote in message
...
Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

On Mon, 20 Mar 2006 07:57:23 -0800, Eric R Snow
wrote:

Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

Garmin or Magellen with external patch antenna. The better antenna
makes a huge difference because it shags more satellites at lower
angles under forest canopy, which results in less geometric error.
Garmin does an excellent job of dealing with an over-constrained
problem, perhaps with singular-value decomposition. Whatever, it
works. Magellen is probably as good, my experience is with Garmin.
Minimal Garmin. I don't need or want all that fancy map crap, I just
wanna know where the hell I am. I don't need or want a GPS any
bigger than a pogeybait candybar.

Marvin sez:
" A friend of mine in the UK is building his own sextant and has put
together a
web page covering his efforts.

http://www.geocities.com/richardandtracy/SextantPage1.htm"

Thanks Marvin for the great ref. to building a sextent. It was quite
informative.

Bob Swinney

Larry Jaques wrote:
Has anyone looked into Google Earth? You can see your property down to
one meter resolution through the satellite's eyes. ...

I don't have the PC power to run "Earth", but I've looked up our house
on the sat pix in Google Map's. There is a stone wall running down the
middle of our back yard. It's 2' wide max and I can see it on the
Google pix!!.

So, if that's the resolution available to the public, for free(!), I'll
bet the military satellites can see when my shoe lace is untied!

Bob

Mike Henry wrote:
"Al A." wrote in message
. ..
snip

Hi Eric,
The website is correct, it won't work indoors, the signal is heavily
attenuated by most construction. I generally use mine in the woods. How
the new england woods compare to where you are, is hard to guess. I am
snip

Some GPSs have better sensitivity than others. The Garmin Nuvi 350 will
lock onto satellites inside our 2-story house, apparently due to its SiRF
receiver, which I gather is a fairly new development in the GPS market. I
do know that it works a heck of a lot better than the Earthmate GPS units
I'd used previously.

Mike

I've had a Garmin Vista C for about 6 months now. It will often lock
on indoors.

My only bitch about them - other than battery life - is the cost of the
maps. The map that comes with it shows interstates and state routes,
but not much more detail than that. For traveling, you can buy
Garmin's detailed road map with destination service info - for about a
hundred bucks. Want topo information but without the destination info?
- that's about a hundred bucks. Want more detailed topo maps for just
the national parks and some other areas? - that's about a hundred
bucks. Per region - east, central and west. Want nautical charts? -
those are a bit more. They give you a pretty wide range of charts on
the CD, but it costs you to unlock each area. Want maps for non-US
areas? They've got 'em - for a price.

I've got some older DeLorme topographical CDs, but of course the Garmin
unit won't accept them. At least not that I've been able to find.
Yet.

John Martin

On Tue, 21 Mar 2006 20:00:53 -0500, with neither quill nor qualm, Bob
Engelhardt quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques wrote:
Has anyone looked into Google Earth? You can see your property down to
one meter resolution through the satellite's eyes. ...

I don't have the PC power to run "Earth", but I've looked up our house
on the sat pix in Google Map's. There is a stone wall running down the
middle of our back yard. It's 2' wide max and I can see it on the
Google pix!!.

So, if that's the resolution available to the public, for free(!), I'll
bet the military satellites can see when my shoe lace is untied!

They can also tell you what color your next door neighbor's areola is
when she sunbathes nekkid. Ah, what a job those poor guys must suffer
through when running one of the Keyholes...

--
-------------------------------------------------------
Never underestimate the innate animosity of inanimate objects.
----
http://diversify.com NoteSHADES(tm) laptop privacy/glare guards

On Tue, 21 Mar 2006 20:00:53 -0500, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote:
Has anyone looked into Google Earth? You can see your property down to
one meter resolution through the satellite's eyes. ...

I don't have the PC power to run "Earth", but I've looked up our house
on the sat pix in Google Map's. There is a stone wall running down the
middle of our back yard. It's 2' wide max and I can see it on the
Google pix!!.

I can see senior son's kitchen door from here and he lives in the
other London (UK)

So, if that's the resolution available to the public, for free(!), I'll
bet the military satellites can see when my shoe lace is untied!

Bob

Gerry :-)}
London, Canada

On Tue, 21 Mar 2006 20:00:53 -0500, Bob Engelhardt
wrote:

Larry Jaques wrote:
Has anyone looked into Google Earth? You can see your property down to
one meter resolution through the satellite's eyes. ...

I don't have the PC power to run "Earth", but I've looked up our house
on the sat pix in Google Map's. There is a stone wall running down the
middle of our back yard. It's 2' wide max and I can see it on the
Google pix!!.

So, if that's the resolution available to the public, for free(!), I'll
bet the military satellites can see when my shoe lace is untied!

Bob


When I stop to take a pee in the back yard..I always look up and wave

Gunner



"A prudent man foresees the difficulties ahead and prepares for them;
the simpleton goes blindly on and suffers the consequences."
- Proverbs 22:3

"John Martin" wrote in message
oups.com...

Mike Henry wrote:
"Al A." wrote in message
. ..
snip

Hi Eric,
The website is correct, it won't work indoors, the signal is heavily
attenuated by most construction. I generally use mine in the woods. How
the new england woods compare to where you are, is hard to guess. I am
snip

Some GPSs have better sensitivity than others. The Garmin Nuvi 350 will
lock onto satellites inside our 2-story house, apparently due to its SiRF
receiver, which I gather is a fairly new development in the GPS market.
I
do know that it works a heck of a lot better than the Earthmate GPS units
I'd used previously.

Mike

I've had a Garmin Vista C for about 6 months now. It will often lock
on indoors.

My only bitch about them - other than battery life - is the cost of the
maps. The map that comes with it shows interstates and state routes,
but not much more detail than that. For traveling, you can buy
Garmin's detailed road map with destination service info - for about a
hundred bucks. Want topo information but without the destination info?
- that's about a hundred bucks. Want more detailed topo maps for just
the national parks and some other areas? - that's about a hundred
bucks. Per region - east, central and west. Want nautical charts? -
those are a bit more. They give you a pretty wide range of charts on
the CD, but it costs you to unlock each area. Want maps for non-US
areas? They've got 'em - for a price.

I've got some older DeLorme topographical CDs, but of course the Garmin
unit won't accept them. At least not that I've been able to find.
Yet.

That's a major annoyance. So far as I can tell the Nuvi has a full map of
the US and Canada built into it and the map seems to be detailed down to all
the minor roads and tons of POIs like food, hotels, recreation, etc.
Updates to the US/Canada or new maps to other continents/geographical areas
apparently require the same sort of fees that you discuss.

Have you tried the Garmin GPS newsgroup to see if anyone else has figured
out a way to convert other databases?

Mike


--
NewsGuy.Com 30Gb $9.95 Carry Forward and On Demand Bandwidth

In article ,
Tim Wescott wrote:

Eric R Snow wrote:
Greetings All,
It looks like using a GPS for locating features on my 10 wooded acres
would be a real bonus. Especially since my wife cannot tell where she
is on the parcel. There are many available for around $100.00. I don't
really want one for driving directions, or that has a bunch of maps in
it. I just want to know, with reasonable accuracy, where I'm standing
in relation to a map of the parcel. It looks like a 3 meter circle is
standard accuracy for the $100.00 units. I think this will be OK. So,
opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.
Thanks,
Eric R Snow

The el-cheapo ($100) one that I have experience worked fine as long as
there was blue sky in all directions. Standing under a tree blinded it
to the satellites. They work at 2.5GHz (IIRC), which is strongly
attenuated by wood, either still in a tree or dried and made into a house.

It's more like 1.5 GHz.


Joe Gwinn

On Tue, 21 Mar 2006 23:53:41 -0600, "Mike Henry"
wrote:


"John Martin" wrote in message
roups.com...

Mike Henry wrote:
"Al A." wrote in message
. ..
snip

Hi Eric,
The website is correct, it won't work indoors, the signal is heavily
attenuated by most construction. I generally use mine in the woods. How
the new england woods compare to where you are, is hard to guess. I am
snip

Some GPSs have better sensitivity than others. The Garmin Nuvi 350 will
lock onto satellites inside our 2-story house, apparently due to its SiRF
receiver, which I gather is a fairly new development in the GPS market.
I
do know that it works a heck of a lot better than the Earthmate GPS units
I'd used previously.

Mike

I've had a Garmin Vista C for about 6 months now. It will often lock
on indoors.

My only bitch about them - other than battery life - is the cost of the
maps. The map that comes with it shows interstates and state routes,
but not much more detail than that. For traveling, you can buy
Garmin's detailed road map with destination service info - for about a
hundred bucks. Want topo information but without the destination info?
- that's about a hundred bucks. Want more detailed topo maps for just
the national parks and some other areas? - that's about a hundred
bucks. Per region - east, central and west. Want nautical charts? -
those are a bit more. They give you a pretty wide range of charts on
the CD, but it costs you to unlock each area. Want maps for non-US
areas? They've got 'em - for a price.

I've got some older DeLorme topographical CDs, but of course the Garmin
unit won't accept them. At least not that I've been able to find.
Yet.

That's a major annoyance. So far as I can tell the Nuvi has a full map of
the US and Canada built into it and the map seems to be detailed down to all
the minor roads and tons of POIs like food, hotels, recreation, etc.
Updates to the US/Canada or new maps to other continents/geographical areas
apparently require the same sort of fees that you discuss.

Have you tried the Garmin GPS newsgroup to see if anyone else has figured
out a way to convert other databases?

Mike

I saw some do-it-yourself stuff a while back. My Garmin is
just one generation too old for map uploads, so I didn't
bookmark it. A quick search turned up this:

http://www.gpsinformation.org/adamne.../gpsmapper.htm

I can't remember now if that was the exact page or not, but
there are some free programs out there to create your own
maps for uploading.

--
Leon Fisk
Grand Rapids MI/Zone 5b
Remove no.spam for email

Eric R Snow writes:

opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.

I've used the Garmin GPS 72 (WalMart sporting goods, about $150) on my
boats for about a year. Nice, basic unit.

My kids use it to measure jogging speeds and distances, so maybe you can
justify it as an exercise device!

Some spoiled kids, I say. Let 'em use a sextent and sight reduction tables
.. . . they'd get more excercise G.

Bob Swinney
"Richard J Kinch" wrote in message
. ..
Eric R Snow writes:

opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.

I've used the Garmin GPS 72 (WalMart sporting goods, about $150) on my
boats for about a year. Nice, basic unit.

My kids use it to measure jogging speeds and distances, so maybe you can
justify it as an exercise device!

On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 03:19:13 -0600, Richard J Kinch
wrote:

Eric R Snow writes:

opinions and advice please because there are so many options and so
many well educated folks reading this NG.

I've used the Garmin GPS 72 (WalMart sporting goods, about $150) on my
boats for about a year. Nice, basic unit.

My kids use it to measure jogging speeds and distances, so maybe you can
justify it as an exercise device!

I found a Garmin Geko 101. I think they sell for $89.95. Downloaded
a manual to figure out how to find the various menus. Took it on a
walk, on a route I know to be about 1.2 miles. The Geko said more
like 2 miles. Oh well, I didn't really expect it to be much good.

Tried it again the next day. It was spot on. ????? I then
realized that the first time I didn't have a pocket on my shirt so I'd
just carried it in my hand. It had measured the total distance my
hand had moved, swinging back and forth like it does while walking.
Second time I had it in my shirt pocket.

I don't know how well it would work under heavy tree canopy. My
walking path is what you might call "residential wooded" -- some trees
but I can always see some sky.

Larry Jaques writes:

That's amazing accuracy, isn't it? What a trip. Your hands move 66.66%
more/farther than your body during walks/hikes.

Peak vs RMS, eh? Good thing we don't measure athletic performance like
vacuum cleaners or stereos or air compressors.

On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 21:25:35 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm,
Richard J Kinch quickly quoth:

Larry Jaques writes:

That's amazing accuracy, isn't it? What a trip. Your hands move 66.66%
more/farther than your body during walks/hikes.

Peak vs RMS, eh?

Close. (.5998 vs. .707)


Good thing we don't measure athletic performance like
vacuum cleaners or stereos or air compressors.
^^^^^^^^^^^^^^^
Is that real horsepower or Searz horsepower? Let's see: 6.5hp is
claimed on a 120v/20a circuit. I _don't_ think so. g

--
-------------------------------------------------------
Never underestimate the innate animosity of inanimate objects.
----
http://diversify.com NoteSHADES(tm) laptop privacy/glare guards

On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 10:26:16 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 10:58:44 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm, Don
Foreman quickly quoth:

I found a Garmin Geko 101. I think they sell for $89.95. Downloaded
a manual to figure out how to find the various menus. Took it on a
walk, on a route I know to be about 1.2 miles. The Geko said more
like 2 miles. Oh well, I didn't really expect it to be much good.

Tried it again the next day. It was spot on. ????? I then
realized that the first time I didn't have a pocket on my shirt so I'd
just carried it in my hand. It had measured the total distance my
hand had moved, swinging back and forth like it does while walking.
Second time I had it in my shirt pocket.

That's amazing accuracy, isn't it? What a trip. Your hands move 66.66%
more/farther than your body during walks/hikes.

I'm sure it wasn't an accurate measure, but I was still impressed
that it could even respond to small motions like that.

"Don Foreman" wrote in message
...
On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 10:26:16 -0800, Larry Jaques
wrote:

On Fri, 24 Mar 2006 10:58:44 -0600, with neither quill nor qualm, Don
Foreman quickly quoth:

I found a Garmin Geko 101. I think they sell for $89.95. Downloaded
a manual to figure out how to find the various menus. Took it on a
walk, on a route I know to be about 1.2 miles. The Geko said more
like 2 miles. Oh well, I didn't really expect it to be much good.

Tried it again the next day. It was spot on. ????? I then
realized that the first time I didn't have a pocket on my shirt so I'd
just carried it in my hand. It had measured the total distance my
hand had moved, swinging back and forth like it does while walking.
Second time I had it in my shirt pocket.

That's amazing accuracy, isn't it? What a trip. Your hands move 66.66%
more/farther than your body during walks/hikes.

I'm sure it wasn't an accurate measure, but I was still impressed
that it could even respond to small motions like that.
Like most items, you get what you pay for. I use a Quest 1 on my bicycle. It
has a recent feature, WAAS Satellite reception that assure better position
reception than gps without this feature.
A big perk is the chance to make things in my machine shop for the gps. The
latest, a mount for the bicycle with a Luexon 5 watt light is here.
http://www.billcotton.com/luxeon_lig..._gps_mount.htm I previously
made mounts from PVC and Plexiglas for weight saving. However, the 5 watt
Luxeon requires a minimum of 4 X 4 surface for heat sink. With this aluminum
mount the entire bicycle share in the heat transfer.
O yes. It is great for the car also.
This is the third unit that I have owned. the first gps, a Garmin II+ didn't
have a map inside and I used it in 1999 for a bicycle trip from Phila., PA
to Wellesley MA. I used a Libretto computer for moving map on that trip. I
also carried a 4 pound sealed lead acid battery.
http://www.billcotton.com/bike.htm