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Does any of the new GPS Technology account for elevation when they calculate distance. I live in a mountain state, and like to hike. The GPS I have now is old and does not give accurate distance calculations. Example: From the bottom of the hill to the top is .5 miles. If I calculate it using my GPS it will only register .2 miles. This is because it measures distance on a flat plane. Are the newer GPS units able to account for rises and falls in the elevation making them more accurate in measuring the distance a person walks?

That is one steep hill.

Jeff T

The distance calc is based on the horizontal and there can be many different "types" of horizontal distance and mostly the differences between these can be ignored (in most cases) in a recreational situation.

It's assumed then that you know the height of where your going before you actually get there?

Slope type distances are not a fundmental GPS requirement and in a practical situation would not match the distance walked up a hill unless of course the hill was a perfect continuous grade with no rises and falls.

Well, actually, I wouldn't call it steep, because I'm from here, so it is normal. But most people will say it is steep. It's in the hills of WV.

So what you all are telling me, is if I want to do land navigation military style, I really can't expect the GPS to be accurate as far as the distance from one point to the next unless the terrain is fairly flat.

I guess that is okay, I just need to know what to expect. At least I will be able to plot coordinates with one.

I appreciate the info.

Timbowr64

From your details at first posting the incline is at about 66° and that would be considered extreemly steep to all except mountaineers and rock climbers. What would you consider steep?

Well, I guess it's what your used to. I'm not sure how you calculate that degree of angle, but 66 degrees for here isn't really that steep. I would consider anything steep that I couldn't take my 4-wheeler up, and I've went up some pretty steep inclines before. I don't know where you are from, but it must not be from any mountainous state. WV has some fairly rugged country, nothing like Colorado and those western states though.

Calculating degree of incline here is not a precise procedure. You could get close I suppose, but because of so many variations in the terrain all you can do is to figure an overall estimate. The route that I take when I walk or ride my 4-wheeler to the top of the hill, proably doesn't have any steeper incline than maybe 60 degrees, and then only in a couple of places. Also, my route is not a direct straight line to the top; it kind of meanders back and forth a bit. If you walked a straight line it would probably be about .35 tenths to 4 tenths of a mile.

Timbowr64

I wonder if you're getting degrees and percent mixed up? 27° is about the most a dozer will work on (be able to back up).

Okay, 90 degrees is straight up and down and of course 45 degrees is half of that. I appreciate the kind way you are trying to tell me I might be wrong. I guess you would just have to see the crazy things we do around here. I guarantee you that a dozer will climb more than a 27 degree incline. I've seen them go up some of these gas lines around here, along with tractors they use to brush hog those same lines. I used to go hill climbing on motorcycles as a kid, some of those hills we used to ride up, were quite difficult to just walk up. I don't think I would be exaggerating if I said some of them were at least 70 to 75 degree inclines. I know, it might be hard to believe; most people I would never convince, you would just have to see it to believe it.

I do appreciate the info though.

Timbowr64

I have always wondered the same thing. To put the question another way: If I had strong legs and jumped in the air 5,280 ft, will my garmin show 2 miles distance traveled? If not you will need to calculate your track as a hypotenuse, i.e., your distance would be the square root of the sum of the squares of "distance" and elevation gain

Hiker,

You are right and that would probably get it pretty close, C (squared) = A (squared) + B (Squared).

One important thing I've found, which some may over look, is that even with a GPS, you should take you a map of the area you will be hiking in, if it's not familiar territory.

I do Land Nav. in the Army National Guard, and it really works well to have a compass, a map and a GPS. A GPS really comes in handy if you already have your points marked.

I'm waiting for the day when they make a GPS that you can enter the Coordinate to where you want to go, then have it guide you there.

I'm looking to buy a new GPS, but haven't decided which one to buy yet.

Thanks

Perhaps you should explain that comment further as that is a fairly simple process that most GPS can handle?

Okay, I guess my answer is that my GPS that I have was purchased in the late 90's. So, I don't think they are capable of entering a coordinate, such as you would plot on a map. I would like to be able to plot my coordinate on a map, then enter that coordinate into my GPS, so it can guide me there, without having to pace count. Pretty simple process, yes, but I haven't really studied GPS's a lot. One of these days, I'll buy me a new one, and hope to get one that will do that.

I take it from you message, that most of the new ones will do this.

How about a megallan 210, or a Garmin legend CX?

I don't think I need a high priced unit for what I do with one.

Let me know if you have any suggestions.

Thanks,

I have several units from the late (and early) 90s, and if I understand what you're looking for they will all do it. What model do you have?

I do have both the eXplorist 210 and the Venture Cx (same unit as the Legend Cx) and they will certainly do what your describe. Between the two I would go with the Venture/Legend.

I have a unit that I purchased in 1994, a Garmin-45. It will do what you want. I also have a Magellan-300 that I got for free in 1999 for test driving a SUV. It can also do that too.

For these units, all you have to do is to enter the LatLon of the place you want to go, and that is about it. Any units, even the most low cost units, will do that.