Ask Ian. In this months Podcast we test Ian's tech knowledge, as he answers some of the listeners questions.

Questions -

Anthony Tranter - In the Basecamp software when I look at the GPS unit I see the recorded Tracks. The strange thing is the unit has recorded two tracks with different naming conversations. For example one might be named 2021-02-21-11:00:31 (consistent naming convention with Saved Tracks in the unit) and another might be named 21/02/2021 09:42:24. This looks like it’s the same track but notice the difference in naming. By can you tell me what the differences between these two tracks is please and which one do I keep?

Forward facing date – FIT fileBackward date - gpx file

Anthony Tranter

Allan Humphrey - The Garmin eTrex 32x I recently purchased from you is doing what I wanted and expected it to do - recording walk timings, distance covered, etc., but there is an issue with the walk mapping that is troubling me.

At the end of a walk I check that the route taken is clearly drawn onto the map, then I switch the unit off. No problem so far.

On arrival home, even with the unit turned off, I find that the system has drawn a straight line connecting my home to the end point of my walk. Sometimes this can be many miles, and the actual walk route is then a tiny section at the end of a very long connecting line, making it unreadable.

Is there a way of preventing the GPS from drawing this unwanted connecting line, and why does it do it?

Allan Humphrey.

Save the track before heading home/switching the GPS off

Elaine Savage - I use an Oregon 600 GPS to record the tracks that I walk and I have noticed a discrepancy in the distances I am recording once I transfer my walk to BaseCamp on my Mac. I am always careful to clear my tracks before starting to record, to start recording and then to stop recording and save the track before I step inside my house (if walking from home) or get into the car (if travelling to a walk). So I am fairly confident that I am not adding extra data that I haven’t walked.

The discrepancy can be observed by comparing the following screen shots:

In the first shot, I have highlighted all the index points:and you can see that the total distance is recorded as 5.8 miles. In the next screenshot, I have excluded the final index point:

and the distance is recorded as 5.5 miles even though the leg distance is only 16 feet. In the same way, if I exclude the first index point, with a leg distance of only 1 foot, the total distance comes out as 5.5 miles.

I have noticed this discrepancy for some time, especially when trying to understand why a fellow walker’s GPS came up with a different measurement to mine. But it has been highlighted today when I decided to export the gpx file to my OSMaps application. The route recorded on OSMaps taken from the gpx file recorded by my Oregon 600 comes out as 5.5 miles.

So where has my 0.3 of a mile gone? And is there something I can do to ensure that my Oregon 600 is measuring my tracks accurately?

Do hope you can help.

Kind regards

Elaine Savage

GPS variability, different satellites being received

Peter Chapman - GPS Training Clinic question I have a GPSMAP64S with Snowdonia OS 1:250 000 from you.

I’ve learnt by using and have confidence in my position in Lat/Long; how do I convert to OS coordinates for rescue purposes etc?I now also want to locate specific sites located on sheet maps but do not know how.

Can you help please?

Thanks so much

Kind RegardsPeter Chapman

Setup>Position format>British Grid

When I replied top Peter saying his question would be answered in tonight’s GPS Training clinic he came back with the following question –

Thanks for that

Extra query; when exploring and trying to sort best route on the ground, or identify something just seen at a distance, need to use paper map to get overview before zooming in on GPS.

Is there a better way??

Thanks!