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North up or Track up?


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I use Track up. I also turn maps so the direction I'm heading is up and continue to turn the map as I turn. When I was in high school some of my friends made fun of me for turning the map. Since then I took a beginners orientering course and one of the first thing the instructor said to do was orient the map to your direction. So that's the way I've used my GPSr. Hope that helps.

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I use both. Track up is nice because you can see where the caches are in relationship to where you are heading. However sometimes the map bounces around too much while using Track Up, and it can be very annoying. If I go a place I haven't been, I prefer using North Up, so I learn the layout of the area while I'm caching. If I'm using North Up I can simply turn the GPS so the arrow faces the direction that I'm going to accomplish the same thing that Track Up does.

Edited by TrailGators
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WHo uses what. I have noticed I get confused in the woods with North up cause north gets confusing in deep cover. However, Track up is easy to follow to a specific target, like a geo cache, but Northup is easier for me when driving. Any input on what others do? I've been using a gps now for one week, getting the hang of it.

I use track up with my 2610 and with my hand held when geocaching. It just seems more natural to me.

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If I already have a mental map of the area I'm in, such as local streets or forest preserves, I find it more comfortable to use north up, but when in a new area, where no such mental map exists in my brain, I find track up easier.

 

One of the problems with track up is that it prevents me from getting a "north up" mental map in my brain. For example, when visiting Phoenix, I used track up to guide me to me destination, but right now I can't picture which way is north in that area.

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Normally I only use the map screen while driving, so the GPS is always set to north up. It's just easier for me to keep everything straight at a glance. During times where I am using the map while not driving, I keep it set to north up, but will sometimes physically turn the GPS to orient the map with where I'm headed...similar to what TrailGators mentioned.

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I use my Magellan XL on my Suzuki 700 cc King Quad on a Ram Mount for navigation when I am riding in the BoonDocks. With the GPS set for Track Up, the road/trail that I am following unfolds right in front of me on the ToPo 3D mapping large screen of the XL. With North Up it gets confusing as the direction you are going is not consistent with what is shown on your GPS screen,...unless you are going North.

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Always North up. Doing so, you build up a mental picture of the map that you could use in case your GPS fails and you have to rely on your spare compass or sun and analog watch if not simply tree moss !

 

I agree but my wife likes Track up more so when she uses the GPS we switch it. She has convinced me that track up is better when our GPS is being used in the car though.

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I first started using north up until I read about it in a forum question. I thought I would give it a try so I put in on track up. It sure is easier when driving because the turns are the same way I'm driving. It doesn't make too much difference when walking as I usually use the compass arrow for when I'm that close. I really like track up and expect I'll stay with it.

 

:unsure:

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I generally like north up if I'm just viewing my location on a map and track up if I'm navigating a route, but I've really become a fan of the highway mode now. I use a 2610 on a motorcycle and use track up (0.2 or 0.3mi scale) to warn me of hairy corners coming up (but I don't *rely* on it). I once saw a hairpin coming up on the GPS... the guy in front of me didn't... and he went down :unsure:.

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I am a north upper.

 

Though I use my gps's more for mountain biking than geocaching, and I keep it in my backpack - so whenever we stop to see where we are, the gps does not seem to always stay oriented in the direction we were traveling. So with north up I just pull out my trusty compass and all is well B)

 

Otherwise, with track up, I have to start hiking until the track up is actually up!

 

Though if it was handlebar mounted I might go track up.... :huh:

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For me it's always North Up (mostly on Topo Maps) when hiking/caching, Track up (on Road Maps) when driving. I also change data fields and a couple of other settings. Would really be nice if the GPS manufacturers would come up with user definable presets that store the whole set of settings so I can just define a personal 'hiking' and 'driving' mode...

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this was an ongoing debate decades ago when i was an OOD and a navigator in the Navy. some people think in "true" (north up) and some think in "relative" (track up), especially submariners. i have always thought that it is easier to always keep north up, especially when maps are involved and when using a compass. i have found the same to be true using a gpsr.

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originally I always used track up because I could tell which way to turn by looking at the map. now with garmins autorouting software even with north up the upcoming turn pop ups and turn warnings show the turns properly and I can still use north up.

North up is very easy to use, similar to using a map or mapping software on the PC. north is obviously up, right hand of screen is east, left hand west and bottom south. when I study my route & cache hides on pc I get familiar with map in north up, with track up setting on the GPSr the map orientation keeps changing so it can get confusing in new locations. With the small screen of the 60cx and vistacx the map turning I can loose any reference points I pick when glancing at the map, which when driving is annoying.

Edited by hogrod
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