Position incorrect on map

[Jim Scrudder]

I apologize if someone covered this elsewhere, I did a search and did not see anything exactly like this. On the map my Lat & Lon are correctly noted, the numbers match my GPS and my smartphone GPS. The Lat & Lon match my home in Google Earth, right on my roof. The problem is the aprs.fi map shows those coordinates about .5 of a mile away from my actual house. When I place my mouse cursor over my hgome loaction on the site map, the Lat & Lon are incorrect. I am using a Kenwood TM-D710, and location ambiguity is already turned off. IT is transmitting the correct coordinates. I am at a loss as to how to fix this. Any ideas? Just for info, my actual coordinates are: N18.24.40 / W 66.07.50. On Google earth that snaps to my actual house (yard). The aprs.fi map shows that same location as N18.24.68 / W66.07.84. The map shows me off base to the south east.

73,

Jim
KE5LNG

[Heikki Hannikainen]

I'm guessing you entered the coordinates manually to the TM-D710, and
you haven't attached a GPS to the radio. Right?

N18.24.68 is an odd and ambiguous way to write coordinates. From that
it's hard to tell if you mean to enter the coordinates as degrees and
decimal minutes (18°24.68'), or
degrees, minutes and seconds (18°24'68"). If you mix that part up by
entering seconds as the decimal part of minutes, you're going to end
up with a small offset like you're seeing - 60 seconds are equal to
one minute, while the decimals go up to .99 (or .999 or... you know).

The APRS standard notation is degrees and decimal minutes (18°24.68').
I'd guess it's probably also the more common notation used on paper
maps. Some GPS devices display degrees+minutes, and most let you
select it. Your Kenwood probably asks you for degrees and decimal
minutes, and maybe your GPS device is now showing you
degress+minutes+seconds. My iphone's default "compass" application is
stupid enough to not let me make a choice, it always shows
degrees+minutes+seconds.

aprs.fi lets you make a selection between decimal degrees (18.4067 N),
degrees+minutes+seconds (18°24.40' N) or degrees+minutes (18°24'24"
N), all of those examples meaning the same, just in different units.
Click on "Preferences" on the right side of the map, open the Units
tab, and then adjust "Coordinate format". Make sure you have selected
"Deg°MM.MM (APRS)", which is also the default setting.

Then, look up your house position on the map, point the mouse cursor
at it. Look at the coordinates at the top left corner of the map, and
enter those in your TM-D710, and your house symbol should jump to the
right position.

Afterwards, for fun, you can select "Deg°Min'Sec" from the
Preferences, and aprs.fi will show something close to 18°24'40" N
66°07'50" W as you'd expect.

- Hessu

[Jim Scrudder]

You're absolutely correct, is was manually input. Here is what the two external GPS devices I used show:

N 18°24'40" / W 066°07'50", which is what Google Earth shows.

 

Now Kenwood seems to want it like this N 39°49.31'

 

I downloaded another GPS app and it gives me coordinates in the APRS format. I should be good to go when I get home this evening.

 

Thank you very much for the help! It was driving a bit insane.

 

73,

 

Jim KE5LNG

[Heikki Hannikainen]

On Thu, Aug 8, 2013 at 6:02 PM, Jim Scrudder <scru...@gmail.com> wrote:
> You're absolutely correct, is was manually input. Here is what the two
> external GPS devices I used show:
> N 18°24'40" / W 066°07'50", which is what Google Earth shows.
>
> Now Kenwood seems to want it like this N 39°49.31'
>
> I downloaded another GPS app and it gives me coordinates in the APRS format.

It's actually easy to convert with a calculator of some sort. It's not
a surprise that there are 60 seconds in a minute, and your N 18°24'40"
has 40 seconds... which is the same as 40/60 = 0.66666 minutes. Much
like 30 seconds is 0.5 minutes. So, N 18°24'40" (18 degrees, 24
minutes, 40 seconds) can also be written as N 18°24.67' (18 degrees,
24.67 minutes - .66666 rounds up to .67).

- Hessu

[Jim Wallace]

I'm am AEC for Prince George's Co, MD ARES. Looking at the map, I see our Winlink Packet station W3PGC-10 in the wrong location.
I think some one used our address: PGARES/RACES, 6820 Webster St., Room 113, Landover Hills, MD 20784-1474 which puts in the wrong location on all GPS locators.
The correct address is PGARES/RACES, 6820 Webster St., Room 113, Hyattsville, MD 20784-1474. Different city Post Office.
Our Lat/Lon coordinates are 76.900063W 38.94586N or 76°54'02"W 38°56'45"N
Could some one make the change to the map database for W3PGC-10
Tnx & 73
Jim Wallace-N3ADF
AEC Web Master
http;//pgares.org

[Tom Hayward]

On Aug 17, 2013 10:39 AM, "Jim Wallace" <n3...@verizon.net> wrote:
>
> I'm am AEC for Prince George's Co, MD ARES. Looking at the map, I see our Winlink Packet station W3PGC-10 in the wrong location.
> I think some one used our address: PGARES/RACES, 6820 Webster St., Room 113, Landover Hills, MD 20784-1474 which puts in the wrong location on all GPS locators.
> The correct address is PGARES/RACES, 6820 Webster St., Room 113, Hyattsville, MD 20784-1474. Different city Post Office.
> Our Lat/Lon coordinates are 76.900063W 38.94586N or 76°54'02"W 38°56'45"N
> Could some one make the change to the map database for W3PGC-10

Jim,

You're asking the wrong group. Aprs.fi is for viewing data, not sending it. You'll have to figure out who is advertising your Winlink station and ask them to make the change to their system.

Tom KD7LXL