| View previous topic :: View next topic |
| Author |
Message |
fashoom
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Nov 07, 2004
Posts: 5
|
 Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 6:52 pm Post subject: tracking in the woods? |
 |
|
Hi, I've got a Garmin Quest portable GPS. Works well on the road w/ City Select. I'm not going to spring for the offroad/parks maps but was wondering if it would be useful on day hikes through woods.
I'd like to park my car on a mapped road or parking lot somewhere and set the coords then shoot off into the woods on foot. Would the Quest be able to backtrack me to the car just based on its coordinates?
Tnx |
|
| Back to top |
|
 |
mikealder
Pocket GPS Moderator
Joined: Jan 14, 2005
Posts: 19638
Location: Blackpool , Lancs
|
| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 7:13 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| It all depends upon how heavy the foilage is - I have tried my set up using OS maps under heavy evergreen at a place called Beacon Fell Nr preston - good for 75% of the time but under the trees its real hit and miss, to get good positional accuracy you need clean line of sight to the sky - give it a try it might work it might not - Mike |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fashoom
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Nov 07, 2004
Posts: 5
|
| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 8:12 pm Post subject: |
|
|
Tnx. Does OS = "off street"? I don't have an off street or parks map so
assuming I can get to a clearing and have a good signal, can the GPS track me just based on coordinates? I guess I'll be in an unmapped area of a town map. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
Skippy
Pocket GPS Verifier
Joined: 24/06/2003 00:22:12
Posts: 2946
Location: Escaped to the Antipodies! 36.83°S 174.75°E
|
| Posted: Sun Jul 10, 2005 9:58 pm Post subject: |
|
|
| fashoom wrote: | | Tnx. Does OS = "off street"? |
No, it means Ordinance Survey. This is the name of the UK government department which does the mapping. It won't mean anything to you if you live in the rest of the world.  Where are you?
The thing to do is mark a waypoint (Hold down Enter and then save the position) when you leave your car and then calculate a route using the "Off Road" setting when you come back. The Quest will give you a compass pointer showing you which direction you are heading. I use it all the time when parked in an unfamiliar area or large (outdoor) car park! It's a pretty cool feature. :D
You can also switch track logging on, leave your GPS running and when you get to your destination you can do a "track back" which will allow you to retrace your steps from the track log recorded by the GPS, rather than just following a straight compass pointer.
If you look at your paper map, you can often read the co-ordinates or grid reference and program a waypoint into the GPS so it can direct you to it.
How well does it work under trees? It depends. You do need a view of the sky but if the trees aren't too heavy then you should get some sort of fix. Try it and see is the best answer, you can see how good the fix is by looking at the GPS info screen.
Good luck! 
_________________
Gone fishing! |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
fashoom
Occasional Visitor
Joined: Nov 07, 2004
Posts: 5
|
| Posted: Mon Jul 11, 2005 3:04 am Post subject: |
|
|
Nice one Skippy, that's great info. I'm in Boston stateside but will be west of here in the Quabbin Reservation. I'm not sure how thick the trees are, haven't been there in many years. Guess I'll give it a try. Hope it works, I'm cluess in the woods.
I didn't know there was an offroad setting, sounds good. The logging I think will not do me much good as I'll be zigging and zagging a lot but will want a straight shot back.
Tnx again. |
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
![]() Posted: Today Post subject: Pocket GPS Advertising |
|
|
We see you’re using an ad-blocker. We’re fine with that and won’t stop you visiting the site.
Have you considered making a donation towards website running costs?. Or you could disable your ad-blocker for this site. We think you’ll find our adverts are not overbearing!
|
|
| Back to top |
|
|
|
Forum FAQ
Search
Usergroups
Profile
Log in for private messages
Log in
