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Magnetic or True North


SkellyCA

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Do the coordinance posted on geocaching.com use magnetic or true north as a reference?

 

I'm having trouble finding a cache...Happy Birthday JoeSpaz #38(GC11Q7X)

 

and I'm wondering if this why? I have my software and GPSr set to magnetic north.

 

Do you know how much of a difference that would make?

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I'm having trouble finding a cache...Happy Birthday JoeSpaz #38(GC11Q7X)

Hi, Skelly. I found this cache today and noticed your DNF when I was logging.

 

The cache is there. Use the hints. But the coordinates are not very precise - it led me to the middle of a bush, and that is definitely not what the hint was referring to. Someone posted better coordinates but I didn't use them because I forgot to bring them along :D But it is not very far off.

 

As for true north vs. magnetic north, it's only to do with bearing, not coordinates. If you go from N 33 W 122 to N 34 W 122 your bearing is true north.

 

Edit : so far the only cache I've encountered around this area that uses bearings is GeoWomyn's puzzle cache Nefertiti's Pyramid in Dry Creek. The instructions say to bring a magnetic compass for the final stage. I'm sure there are more.

Edited by Chrysalides
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To be honest Geocaching..com uses neither. Angles are only shown on a search page and there it has to be True since they refer to a great circle path from your coordinate to the caches coordinates.

 

What you use on youtr GPS is up to you since it's you using just your GPS, or a GPS and a compass, or your GPS and the position of the Sun and Moon (like I do)...

When it comes to puzzle caches, it all depends of the hider, and if he doesn't say which to use, then that's part of the puzzle, LOL.

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Very nice. I knew all that stuff actually. Silly Army map training. :D But one thing I notice on that page, Markwell links to Jeeep coordinate translation, and it works! The link had disappeared for quite some time, to the point where Geocaching.com even went out and made their own at www.geocaching.com/wpt but the Jeeep translation is finally back, new and improved.

 

Markwell also does a great job of explaining how true and magnetic North differs according to where you are on the globe. If you're ever in Columbus, Georgia, you'll never have to worry about the true and magnetic thing. It's the same. :D A few other spots on earth too, I'd imagine.

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I'm having trouble finding a cache...Happy Birthday JoeSpaz #38(GC11Q7X)

Hi, Skelly. I found this cache today and noticed your DNF when I was logging.

 

The cache is there. Use the hints. But the coordinates are not very precise - it led me to the middle of a bush, and that is definitely not what the hint was referring to. Someone posted better coordinates but I didn't use them because I forgot to bring them along :D But it is not very far off.

 

As for true north vs. magnetic north, it's only to do with bearing, not coordinates. If you go from N 33 W 122 to N 34 W 122 your bearing is true north.

 

Edit : so far the only cache I've encountered around this area that uses bearings is GeoWomyn's puzzle cache Nefertiti's Pyramid in Dry Creek. The instructions say to bring a magnetic compass for the final stage. I'm sure there are more.

 

The map on the page shows it on side of the pond, the coordinace too me to the other side. Hmmmm

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The map on the page shows it on side of the pond, the coordinace too me to the other side. Hmmmm

The other side of the pond?? :) When did you last update your PQ? I noticed that in July 27 the CO incorrectly updated the coordinates to somewhere in the middle of the lake, but he quickly changed it back on the same day.

 

According to Google Maps, the correct coordinates should be : N 37° 34.435 W 121° 59.144

 

I e-mailed the CO about this and a separate cache, he mentioned that he will be checking the coordinates.

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The map on the page shows it on side of the pond, the coordinace too me to the other side. Hmmmm

The other side of the pond?? :) When did you last update your PQ? I noticed that in July 27 the CO incorrectly updated the coordinates to somewhere in the middle of the lake, but he quickly changed it back on the same day.

 

According to Google Maps, the correct coordinates should be : N 37° 34.435 W 121° 59.144

 

I e-mailed the CO about this and a separate cache, he mentioned that he will be checking the coordinates.

 

I used these posted august 6th in the logs...

 

N 37* 34.435 W 121* 59.146 I cnoverted them to decimal on the Other Conversion page and got...

 

Decimal W 37.57392 - N 121.98577

 

so maybe the conversion is wrong?

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I used these posted august 6th in the logs...

 

N 37* 34.435 W 121* 59.146 I cnoverted them to decimal on the Other Conversion page and got...

 

Decimal W 37.57392 - N 121.98577

 

so maybe the conversion is wrong?

No, they check out for me (using a calculator). Did you enter them incorrectly into your GPSr? By the way, why do you use decimal degrees? Just wondering, because it adds an extra step to the process.

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I used these posted august 6th in the logs...

 

N 37* 34.435 W 121* 59.146 I cnoverted them to decimal on the Other Conversion page and got...

 

Decimal W 37.57392 - N 121.98577

 

so maybe the conversion is wrong?

No, they check out for me (using a calculator). Did you enter them incorrectly into your GPSr? By the way, why do you use decimal degrees? Just wondering, because it adds an extra step to the process.

 

I use decimal because I can't figure out how to get my Magellan Triton 400 to do degrees, minutes and seconds

 

and yes, I've checked the coordinace in my GPSr a couple dozen times anfd they are correct.

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