RE: [Philmont]: GPS

Jason,

GPS does take into account altitude. My main experience with GPS is
with an old Eagle unit that was about the size of a telephone (NOT a
cell phone either!!) It would tell us instantaneous speed, direction of
travel and kept distance travelled as well. These things were all based
on the accuracy you could set in the unit.. whether it took a point
every second (BIG drain on batteries) 2 sec, 5 sec, 10 sec, 30 sec, 1
min, 2 min, 5 min etc etc... up to hmmm.... maybe an hour (don't
remember for sure.) As long as the unit is set to a reasonable accuracy
it takes points and calculates these things (whether you're looking at
them or just watching the bearing to the next way point.) If the
accuracy of the unit was set very low (like taking a reference point
every several hours) then the effect you mention would likely be
noticable but depending on the planned length of the trek it would not
likly end up being on the order of 50% off.

Just my thoughts.

Kevin Mineart
SM T214 - West Burlington, Iowa
Off to Philmont 8/1/03 for the first time... can't wait!!

--- "Jason A. Cotting" <p2ranger@anvilgear.com> wrote:
> When you say at each stop, do you mean the end of the day?
>
> My first impression would be that it is only calculating distances
> one point
> to the next in a straight line. GPS doesn't know how to follow
> trails, it
> just measures distance on a straight line. Last time I hiked the
> trails at
> Philmont, not many of them were all that straight. I don't think it
> takes in
> all the altitude changess into consideration during each day.

__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Tax Center - forms, calculators, tips, more
http://taxes.yahoo.com/

-------------------------------------------------------
Scouting E-mail Discussion Lists @ usscouts.org
Subscribe/Unsubscribe at http://usscouts.org/lists/
Listserv Commands at http://usscouts.org/lists/lc.asp
-------------------------------------------------------
Send listserv commands to: listserv@troop47.com
Send postings to: philmont@troop47.com
List FAQ found at: http://usscouts.org/lists/faq.asp
List Administrator: philmont_owner@troop47.com
-------------------------------------------------------
As you gather around this virtual campfire with fellow
Scouts and Scouters, do your best to be trustworthy,
loyal, helpful, friendly, courteous, kind, obedient,
cheerful, thrifty, brave, clean and reverent.
-------------------------------------------------------

 
Received on Wed Mar 12 16:54:45 2003