Help with coordinates

[ignorance]

I have had my tomtom one for a long time but never really used it. Now i want to use it for geocaching but there seems to be an extra coordinate. For example it says my curent location is:

N41* 11.072
W112* 02.797
311*

I know I'm not the smartest person or an expert at GPS's but I thought it was only supposed to have latitude and longitude so what's the 311* part doing in there.

 

[pianoCM]

I have had my tomtom one for a long time but never really used it. Now i want to use it for geocaching but there seems to be an extra coordinate. For example it says my curent location is:

N41* 11.072
W112* 02.797
311*

I know I'm not the smartest person or an expert at GPS's but I thought it was only supposed to have latitude and longitude so what's the 311* part doing in there.

Right now, you probably think you are not a smart person, but a year from now, after playing with your device, you might well be an expert and willing to help other newbies, so don't feel bad. Noone ever just knows things right away, m8.
As for your question, I'm clueless the 311 all about but I'll dig into it.
Meanwhile, there will be many other feedback from other experts, just hang tight.

 

[sageuvagony]

Just to add in, anytime I have ever messed with coordinates on the TomTom, there has always been only 2 coords. I also don't have a clue as to what that 3rd number is doing there and why. I guess TomTom is planning for us to enter the center/core of the earth eventually.

 

[ignorance]

Just to add in, anytime I have ever messed with coordinates on the TomTom, there has always been only 2 coords. I also don't have a clue as to what that 3rd number is doing there and why. I guess TomTom is planning for us to enter the center/core of the earth eventually.

Haha thanks anyway. I'll see if I can contact Tomtom about it.

 

[mikealder]

I would have thought the 311 is your current heading in degrees? adjacent to this should also be your current speed, although if walking it is generally zero unless you walk at a quick pace, try walking around the edge of a large car park looking at the device and see if it varies from 0 to 360 - Mike

 

[ignorance]

I would have thought the 311 is your current heading in degrees? adjacent to this should also be your current speed, although if walking it is generally zero unless you walk at a quick pace, try walking around the edge of a large car park looking at the device and see if it varies from 0 to 360 - Mike

Thanks mike. I think it's something like that. It could be the satelite coverage I have in degrees. Either way it always stays below 360*.

 

[mikealder]

It will be your actuall heading based on the GPS information - Mike

 

[canderson]

I have had my tomtom one for a long time but never really used it. Now i want to use it for geocaching but there seems to be an extra coordinate. For example it says my curent location is:

N41* 11.072
W112* 02.797
311*

I know I'm not the smartest person or an expert at GPS's but I thought it was only supposed to have latitude and longitude so what's the 311* part doing in there.

I'm an avid geocacher (over 1700 finds - handle at geocaching.com is ecanderson), and use my TomTom extensively for the hobby. I hope I can give you a bit of perspective on how you can/can't make good use of your TomTom unit for this purpose. BTW, the above information you were given is correct on the numbers.

First, DO understand that your TomTom is designed as a "road" use device, and as a consequence, it is very a.n.a.l. about "road snapping". Until you wander so far off of the nearest mapped road that it finally just gives up, your TomTom will continue to supply you with coordinate data at a right angle to the ROAD you are nearest, not where you are standing with your TomTom. I think you will find this intolerable for finding most geocaches except those quite a distance from any mapped road. It's pretty much useless for most urban/suburban caching.

The TomTom is a fantastic tool for gross navigation, and can get you near a lot of caches, but you will need 3rd party software to use it for what I would call "near/off road" navigation that gives you your REAL current position instead of that of the nearest road. As far as I know, there is just ONE such 3rd party application that works this way with current TomTom firmware. It is called TripMaster. It will give you far more information than you want and need for this purpose, but it is the ONLY tool that I know that will enable you to use your TomTom CORRECT coordinates for where you're standing.

I could provide you with a wealth of neat things you CAN do with your TomTom for geocaching. Look into a program called GSAK. If you a subscriber at geocaching.com, you can create lists of caches that you need to find ("Pocket Queries") and they will email them to you. GSAK can convert all of the cache descriptions and coordinates in those lists to the TomTom OV2 (point of interest file) format, and you can copy those to your TomTom. Way cool - you can now create caching itineraries on your TomTom!

All of that said... I think you will find that your caching experience is GREATLY enhanced by the use of a purpose-built GPSr that is more caching-friendly. My own choice was the Garmin Summit HCx. It isn't very expensive compared to 60cx model, and nowhere NEARLY as expensive as the Colorado and Oregon models .. but it'll find caches as well as any of them. I won't go into which features lead me to this conclusion, but PM me and I'll add more detail.

Meanwhile, your TomTom certainly can be used (with less accuracy due to chip set) with TripMaster installed ... that is described on these boards in the "Tweaks" section, and be sure you get the most recent release. But I'd use my TomTom to get me in the ballpark and use a sturdy handheld for the close-in work. Yes, that's another consideration -- the TomTom is far more fragile.

 

[canderson]

It will be your actuall heading based on the GPS information - Mike

And it requires that you be in motion in order to obtain a direction (true of even certain Garmin handheld models), and is another reason I do not recommend the TomTom for this particular purpose. I can't tell you how many times I've made very good use of the magnetic compass feature in my Garmin Summit to triangulate a cache location when the satellite coverage was compromised at the actual cache site by a bridge or rock wall, or some other feature ... and the TomTom won't give you a valid reading when you're standing still to do this.

Then again, I can't tell you how many times my TomTom has kept me from getting TOTALLY lost in some subdivision or another trying to even get close to a cache site. Yes, Garmin has handhelds that will perform both road and close-in functions, but the screens are too tiny for an old fart like me to use for in-vehicle navigation, and the TomTom has several other really good features due to its open architecture that make my caching experience better.

 

[mikealder]

Its a shame you American chaps don't have access to the SatMap hardware and maps, the active10 is without doubt the best off road/ walking GPS device I have used to date, some of this is down to the excellent maps - Well worth considering if you ever plan a trip to the UK/ Europe for walking.

The TomTom isn't suitable for this type of activity, although in the absence of anything else I guess its better than nothing, just remember its a device that is optomised for on road usage and this might affect the results you get. I did use a TomTom 910 for geo cache work a few years ago, and whilst it works it is far from ideal - Mike

 

[ignorance]

Thanks for your help everybody! I went geocaching yesterday and had a lot of success though no doubt it would've taken less time with a better gps. I'll look into upgrading, but as for now, I'd rather not spend too much money.

 

[canderson]

Thanks for your help everybody! I went geocaching yesterday and had a lot of success though no doubt it would've taken less time with a better gps. I'll look into upgrading, but as for now, I'd rather not spend too much money.

Good for you! I've even had one of the locals here finding some of my hides using the limited GPS ability on his Apple iPhone, so if you're willing to put in the additional time in the search, almost anything is possible.

If you want to keep using your TomTom for this, I can't recommend TripMaster strongly enough. The author has been able to latch onto the real coordinate data, and I think you'll find that VERY helpful when dealing with caches in parks, parking lots, etc. Well worth the small donation price if you find it useful for this purpose. Link follows:

Le Web Bazar !!! Tripmaster !!!