How to map StreetPilot III latitude/longitude on Google maps?

Yes, for all those reasons some may find UTM a pain!
Only one of those reasons has any relevence for my use of UTM, (which
would be hiking), and that would be the edge of a zone! So far, in
the several years that I have been using a GPS, it has never come
up! I may have to go out of my way sometime to see what that would
be like????

Unlike trying to figure how far and what direction it is to a set of
waypoints in lat/long format, It is a pleasure dealing with that same
set of locations in UTM!!! I carry, but seldom use, my compass!
It is so easy to determine when you are drifting from your goal, which
is really cool when you have to skirt around obstacles,,, a pain in
the rear when trying to stay on course using compass headings!! You
can use lat/long in a similar way with the GPS, but you have to do a
conversion in your head to how many feet, yards, or meters there are
to the degrees difference to your goal!!! Of course, if you set a
waypoint as a goal, the GPS takes care of all that,, with UTM I very
seldom bother to set a goal, since I always have my goal waypoints on
a card anyway!!!!

When using lat/long on a paper map, you have to do a slant reading
with your scale to find the longitude, the farther north you go the
bigger the slant,, with UTM it is the same scale whether you are at
lat. 10 or 40, etc.!!!

On the rare occasion that I might want to do something regional, or
global with my data, it is a simple task to reset my GPS to lat/long
and get the data in that format, or simply use one of the web
converters!!!

I do thank you for pointing out some of its weaknesses, but because
of its simplicity, (once you get a handle on it), it is my personal
preference, and it is easy to convert, for other purposes!!
SKM

wrote:




Simple is exactly what UTM ain't! And it is the hidden complexities
that make it a bad choice. If you want a metric coordinate system (and
all your reasoning is based on that), there are literally millions of
better choices. In the USA, your local state-plane coordinate system
would be the system of choice; elsewhere it would be the national grid
system for your country. All of these should be implemented in your
GPS.

Paul

I can't imagine anything more simple than reading meters directly off
the GPS and since all the web based maps that I use are based on UTM,
I can't imagine why I would want to learn someing new that I would
have to convert to use???? The UTM data is already printed on the
maps!!! Do you have links to free web based maps that print out
USnational grid or state plane grid????
SKM

On Tue, 21 Aug 2007 09:41:41 +0100, Paul Cooper


It's extremely simple. It's a kilometric grid very similar to the UK
Ordnance Survey National Grid in its application. We've used maps in
Norway using UTM with no problems at all because of that similarity. By
comparison, I've found that maps using a Lat/Long grid quite cumbersome.

--
Alan White
Mozilla Firefox and Forte Agent.
Twenty-eight miles NW of Glasgow, overlooking Lochs Long and Goil in Argyll,
Scotland.
Webcam and weather:- http://windycroft.gt-britain.co.uk/weather

Scotland.

FYI,, I did a little search and discovered that the USNG is nothing
more than the UTM grid modified with Alpha letters to replace the
first few numbers of the UTM grid to make a unique set of numbers
nation wide, which could also be exteded to the world??? the last 5
digits are the same as UTM because they are using the UTM grid! It
does make it handy in that you can forget the letters which makes it
easier to keep track of 5 numbers, for a local area, rather than 6 or
7 for the UTM grid!!
I might even start using the USNG grid just for that reason,, ha!!!

But, for me, on the big scale, the letters just add another layer of
complication ,,, with UTM, I know how far we are from the equator
and the center grid,, with letters, I don't have a clue????

Years ago, before I knew about UTM, I attended a class on how to read
USNG with my son who was involved with search and rescue,, I never
did get a handle on it,, now that I understand how it fits, I might
be able to get a handle on it if I ever get involved again with
emergency services??? Otherwise it is just another level of
complication that I don't need!!! I've used my GPS with UTM in Maui,
Calif, Nevada, Utah, southern Idaho, Ohio, and it has severed me
simply and without any problems!!! I can't even imagine the danger
that was implied earlier?????
SKM