GPS GeoCache

How to seek the first time

When the simulator above has started, you se a road in front of you, and a GPS on the right side. The GPS is set to navigate to waypoint 'Cache 1'. The compass shows south and the bearing arrow is aiming up. Click on the simulator and press 'up-arrow' on your keyboard. Don’t care about the road - go straight forward. The distance to 'Cache 1' is decreasing from 355 meter. When you have walked a while, you must correct a little to the left (just a quick press). The Bearing arrow and the compass only change when you walk. When you can se 'Cache 1' just go to it and the icon will change to an open chest ('Geocache found'). Congratulations, you fond your first Cache! Now click on Waypoints on the GPS and choose 'Cache 2'. As you can se, it is more than 270 meter to the cache, and you can walk south. Good luck...

Counter started 2005-08-11

Visitors

GPS
The GPS in the simulator is a simple handheld GPS without magnetic compass. Many part and settings in the simulator GPS is removed.
'Simulator' refers to simulator GPS.
'Real thing' Refers to simple handheld GPS. Those can vary form different models and manufacturers.

Navigate with the compass!

Without a magnetic compass the GPS is calculating in witch direction you are moving, and then calculate your orientation and the bearing. That’s why the GPS is not showing the correct orientation before you move. The small triangle at the top shows your course. When the bearing arrow aiming up you are walking in the right direction. Don’t mix-up the bearing arrow with a compass needle. The compass and the orientation have no practical meaning; you just want to now where to go.
Simulator: You must walk at least 6 meters before the compass and bearing is showing the correct data.
Real thing: You must walk a couple of meter before the compass and bearing is showing the correct data. The distance varies depending on current accuracy.

Sun

Approximately at twelve a clock wintertime, the sun is at south. And about 1 PM in summertime, depending where in time zone you are.
Simulator: The time is frozen. If you walk to the sun the compass will show between east and south your course is approximately 145 degrees. The simulator time is frozen to 10:50.
Real thing: Usually, there is a clock in the GPS.

The place you seek

Above the compass there is information about the waypoint you seek. First there is an icon that’s means 'Goecache' followed by the name of the waypoint. After the name shows the distance in meters. And under you can see the coordinates.
Simulator: You can’t change what information you want.
Real thing: You can chose between many different positions format.

Your position

Under the compass shows the coordinate of your position.
Simulator: You can’t change which information you want to see.
Real thing: You can change what information you want, for example: Bearing, Course, Off-course, Height and your speed.

The map

The map shows your orientation as a sharp triangle in the centre. All waypoints are shown as icons. The line is the bearing to the waypoint you seek. Like the compass you must walk so that the map shows everything correct. You can zoom with the buttons and on the left lower side is the scale.
Simulator: Your place is always at the centre and your orientation is up. You can zoom the map from 500 meter down to 5 meter. There are no tracks in the simulator (coming in the next update).
Real thing: You can set the map to display your direction or choose north up. And you can display many more things on the map like the above and auto zoom. The map can display tracks (like in the fairytale 'Hansel and Grethel' with the crumbs).

Waypoints

It’s a list of places you can set to navigate to. And an advance notice of distance and bearing.
Simulator: On this part there are big differences between the simulator and the GPS. The waypoint can’t be sorted. You can’t add waypoints or change the name or the coordinates. The waypoint you are set to navigate to shows with white background.
Real thing: The interface of waypoint list are different between models and manufactures. You can have them sorted in alphabetic order or by distance. You can change a waypoints name, symbol and coordinates. On a simple GPS you can store 500 waypoints. That may not be enough to store all nearby Geocaches.

Find a Geocache

It is easy to find a Geocache with the bearing arrow on flat ground and no object standing in your way. If you must go around an obstacle or walk in a brushwood, it is easier to use the map. The tracks on the map show you how you went round the cache.
Simulator: There in not much advantage to use the map, because the are no tracks. If you find a cache you can walk in to it and the geocache will disappear and the symbol will change to 'Geocache found' automatically. Nothing happens when you find a cache (not even congratulation!).
Real thing: The cache is hidden so you can barley see it, you must search for some time. Or if you do not find it at all, you don’t have tell anyone. If you find a cache you can swap an item, and log your visit. You then have to by hand switch icon in your GPS to 'GeoCache found'.

Map datum

WGS84 has defied the earth size and form width two parameters: The radius of the equator, and the flattening of the poles.
Simulator: You can’t change system.
Real thing: You can change according to your map datum.

Position format

There are many different formats. Many countries have their own format. Geocache use this format: 'h ddd° mm.mmm'
h=hemisphere
d=degree
m=minute
The numbers after the comma is one tenth-, hundred-, thousand - of a second.

To download this program
Click here (2,99MB)
It is checked for virus 2003-06-17 the file shude have the size 2 996 921 byte

Latitude

Latitude has split the earth in to parts at the equator into two hemispheres - North and south. Sweden is on the north hemisphere. The Latitudes then divided the hemispheres in 90 slices one for each angle. Zero degree is at the equator and 90 degree at the poles. Each slice is then divided in minute from 0 to 59,999. The distance between 'N 57° 27.500' and 'N 57° 27.501' is approximately 1,856 meter this accuracy of thousandth vitiate because the earth is flatted at the poles. At the equator it is 1,842 meter and at the poles it is 1,862 meter.

Longitude

Longitude has split the earth from pole to pole through England, and on the opposite side in the Pacific Ocean, in two hemispheres: East and west. Sweden, Asia and Australia are on the east hemisphere. The Longitude has then segmented the hemispheres in 180 segments one for each angle. East hemisphere starts in England at zero degree and ends in the Pacific Ocean at 180 degrees. West hemisphere starts in England at zero degree and ends in the pacific ocean at 180 degrees. 'E 180°' and 'W 180°' is the same line. The distance between 'E 12° 45.500' and 'E 12° 45.501' is approximately 1.012 meter. This accuracy of thousandth vitiate because the segments is thinner at the ends and whidther in the middle. At the equator it is 1,855 meter and at the poles 0 meter.

Simulator: You can’t change the positions format.
Real thing: You can change the positions format so it will suit you or the format of your map.

Accuracy

Simulator: Has always an accuracy of 2 meter, one meters radius.
Real thing: A GPS without a land based correction system, has a accuracy from 6 to 15 meter depending how good the satellites are.

Upside-down

If you walk backwards, the world becomes upside down both on the compass and on the map.
Simulator: yes
Real thing: yes

The simulator

The world in the simulator is 1000x1000 meter. Latitude from 'N 57° 27.000' to 'N 57° 27.539' Longitude 'E 12° 45.000' to 'E 12° 45.999'. If you run from one side to the other, it take you 106 seconds, which is a speed of 34 Km/h. The program is migrated to Microsoft J# Browser Controls Version 1.1. It has been tested on following operation system Windows 98, Windows 2000, Windows ME, Windows XP and Linux Red Hat 9.1.

Coordinates to GeoCache

To write a waypoint manually to the GPS takes a long time. Many GPS has a possibility to connect to a computer with a serial cable. Then you can use a program like the EasyGPS from www.easygps.com. You can download file list of Geocaches from www.geocaching.com and then open the file with the EasyGPS and then upload the waypoints to the GPS. Computer cable is not always included when you buy a GPS.

Flattered globe

Earth circumference at the equator is approximately 40 075 Km. Circumference through poles is approximately 40 008 Km. the difference is 67 Kilometres.

Bad things a in GPS

You must manually set your time zone to the GPS. The GPS should now that better then me... It would be cool if the GPS blipped and blipped faster when aim closer to a cache. The bearing arrow can’t follow a track. You must use the map to walk back at the same track.

Versions
2005-08-10 Moved to a Telia server

2003-07-31 J# simulator Ver. 1.0.0
2003-07-31 Text Ver. -1.0.0
Not ready.