[Az-Geocaching] Re: EasyGPS and coordinates being off

[Karl Smith]

Did some experimenting this morning and here is what I found...

I am using EasyGPS 1.1.6 and a Garmin Etrex Venture.

Problem: waypoints downloaded from www.geocaching.com are not being
transfered to GPS unit accurately. May be a rounding problem.

Settings:
EasyGPS set on COM2, model - eTrex (vista, legend, venture), coord - Deg,
Min.Min
GPS unit: WGS-84, Garmin protocol

Example1: load this cache point into EasyGPS
<http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=270> coordinates show:
33š46.201 -111š51.943. After sending the waypoint to GPS, coordinates on GPS
show 33š46.200 -111š51.942. Appears there is a rounding error either in
EasyGPS or my GPS unit.


Example2:load the following XML file
-----------------------------
<?xml version="1.0"?>
<gpx version="1.0" creator="Snaptek - http://www.azgeocaching.com">
<wpt lat="33.77001" lon="-111.86571">
 <name>GC010E</name>
 <cmt>Bob Renner</cmt>
 <desc><![CDATA[CONE MOUNTAIN]]></desc>
 <url>http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.asp?ID=270</url>
 <urlname><![CDATA[Cache Details]]></urlname>
 <sym>Geocache</sym> <type><![CDATA[Active]]></type>
</wpt>
</gpx>
------------------------------
The coordinates in EasyGPS show the same as example 1, 33š46.201
-111š51.943. After sending waypoint to GPS, coordinates on GPS show
33š46.201 -111š51.943. This is correct!


This is the strangest part, in my GPS (from the original d/l of the entire
state of AZ cache points) the point for GC010E was 33š46.222,-111š51.969.
This accounts for being approx 300 feet off.

So I cleared all the waypoint out of the GPS unit and reloaded them. THIS
TIME, they (GC010E, and the others I checked) are correct, sort of. They are
off by the rounding condition explained above.

My best guess is that the transfer was not accurate from EasyGPS to my GPS
unit, but I can't repeat the problem so I can't confirm which is the
problem.

PS- I sent the above message to EasyGPS support. Will let everyone know if
they reply.

-- 
Karl Smith +-+ Threadhead
threadhead@mac.com