hi guys, i have a garmin dakota 20, and when using google maps to pinpoint a place a want to go it gives you the co-ordinates, yet when i try to input these co-ordinates on my dakota, its a different way the numbers are set out, ie where there are 4 numbers to input on my dakota, there are only 3 numbers given for the section on google maps???? i assume all co-ordinates should read the same for any given map?? please help as this is an ideal way of me finding routes to exact places….surely somebody else must have tried this, or am just being retarded 🙂

i thought the more numbers it had the more accurate the co-ordinates. I think you just round up the 4 numbers to 3 numbers.
Don't quote me on that though.

More likely it's a different co-ordinate system.

Could simply be Googlemaps using decimal coordinates instead of degrees, minutes & seconds

EDIT – look at this
http://boulter.com/gps/#50%2050%2056%20-%201%2056%2015

Post an example and I'm sure we'll be able to help.

hi guys cheers for the replies, just had a click on the link, and the co-ordinates that google maps chucks out are set out in a different way to that of dakota, but it seems that this link changes the parameters to match the way the dakota wants me to do it 🙂 so i'll give it a shot..

these are the sorts of co-ordinates from google maps : 52.682813,0.103873

and these are the sort that are on my dakota : N 38'51.573' W 094'39.495

those are just examples no where in particular but thats the layout,

obviously i need the bottom type ones for my dakota? any ideas if that sites correct and i should be able to translate the way google maps does it to garmin type one i need?

cheers again guys!

The link I posted above will convert them for you

Like this [your example]
http://boulter.com/gps/#52.682813%200.103873

Didzy, assuming you are in GB, you would be better using OS National Grid coordinates. You would then be able to (more easily) cross reference your position on a paper OS Map.

I'm not sure google maps, provides these coordinates, but streetmap.co.uk does. http://www.streetmap.co.uk/idgc.srf?x=299726&y=741230

HTH

Have you set up the Dakota to British OS grid reference? Assuming it's the same as the Etrex.

Would be interested to hear how you get on with the Dakota 🙂

Are the original co-ordinates not in Latitude and Longitude, and the second set in British National Grid format? If so you just need to change the settings on your unit. A once only operation. Should be somewhere in the setup page.

thanks for the super fast repsonses! 🙂

hmm ive never ever used the co-ordinates before to be honest, always plotted online then just downloaded the .gpx file to my dakota, however when i dont know an exact route and what to pinpoint a very specific place i saw you could input the co-ordinates….which are different, so you are saying that streetmap used the same grid type references as the dakota unit?

i had a look to see if there were any settings i could change in the setup menu but couldnt see anything to change the way it reads to GB i assumed it would automatically as its got the gb discovered map running….

yeah im in the uk also…using GB discoverer maps, so its a proper OS map just on the screen 🙂

if street map actually uses the same reference system as the dakota then that will do me fine…

I'm puzzled where you get 3 or 4 numbers from the above, in both cases I see 2

52.682813 = 52 degrees + (.682813 * 60) minutes =
52°40.96878'

hi simon, they were examples, not specifically the one i need….

the unit reads like this N 38'51.573' W 094'39.495 , and after the W you have to input 3 numbers 2 numbers then another 3 as above, you cant change the amount, or shorten it, yet any co-ordinates off google maps were set out like this 52.682813,0.103873 ….simply inputting the numbers as they read didnt work….sorry im not doing a great job explaining but i dont really understand them myself hah! so any help much appreciated 🙂

Just had a play with Memory Map and there are several variations of position format in there. All the same, but all different. Think OP should decide which format he wants, and set his Dakota to that.

My legend has a whole plethora of position formats inbuilt. Maybe RTFM would help?

ahh right, ill have another look on the device itself tonight in the menus, there is a position format button there im positive, didnt click that though, as i said ive no idea….

so what do i want it set to? if im using google maps and its set out like this 52.682813,0.103873 what is the name of that type of co-ordinate?

cheers again guys, most helpful 🙂

Looking on Google Earth (Is that the same as Google Maps?) and there are four different position formats, but all for Lat/Long. (Tools/Options/3D view). Unsurprisingly for a creation of Uncle Sam British OS does not feature, but your unit should do the conversion for you.

you need to distinguish between numbers and digits.

yet any co-ordinates off google maps were set out like this 52.682813,0.103873

ie latitude (North/South),longitude (East/West) 2 numbers 15 digits. Multiply the decimal part by 60 to get the number of minutes – there are 60 in a degree

that is:
OS X (Eastings) 542317
OS Y (Northings) 311534
Nearest Post Code PE13 4NE
Lat (WGS84) N52:40:58 (52.682813)
Long (WGS84) E0:06:14 (0.103870)
LR TF423115
mX 11562
mY 6890535
which is HERE just outside Wisbech…

cheers simon, i really dont understand that though ha! sorry 🙁

i just want to be able to input the numbers like they are on google maps and input the same number on my dakota 🙁 why cant things be straight forward, any body who owns a dakota 20 has any idea?

sorted it out thanks guys, the settings on my dakota allow me to set to GB os map readings, though i couldnt understand that the numbers didnt make sense in the slightest, so i had a bit of a play on the unit and tried a few different settings managed to match the figures with the one on the street map site and it worked a treat, using the co-ordinates conversion thing on there site, it corresponds and matches to the co-ordinates i need to input on the dakota….so now i can be guided exactly to where i wanna be even in the car, as some postcodes dont work! happy days and thanks for your input guys! tried a few different destinantions and they were extremely accurate 🙂 chuffed!

to elaborate on what SFB said…

lat/long references are given in degrees north from the equator, and degrees east or west from greenwich. [sorry for stating the obvious]

the degrees can be expressed several ways, which caused the original problem:

51deg 31'45'' is in degrees, minutes, and seconds. like time, minutes are 1/60th of a degree, seconds 1/60th of a minute.

51deg 31'45'' could be written 51deg 31.75' (45 seconds are three quarters of a minute, so .75)

also as 51.5292deg (30.75 divided by 60 is 0.5292)

as said above, and it sounds like you're doing now, in the uk if you have OS, then try to use grid references instead, as it's much easier to compare to a paper map.

HTH