birding-aus

not getting lost in the scrub, despite using a GPS

To:
Subject: not getting lost in the scrub, despite using a GPS
From:
Date: Tue, 16 Oct 2001 08:51:53 +1000
I do not seem to have the same problems with vegetation affecting my GPS
unit as espoused by others. In fact when first playing around with my
Magellan 315 in my bedroom, I managed to lock onto enough satellites to get
a 'fix'.

As for selective availability, the errors purposely introduced by the US
military, my understanding is that these are no longer worldwide but rather
imposed over a theatre of operations. We can probably assume that there
would be errors introduced over SW Asia at the moment but I should still be
able to find the car park after birding here in Oz. Indeed last week while
birding at the Weddin Mountains, I returned to my campsite almost to the
metre. The 315 also gives an indication of error (Estimated position error
EPE) and this is routinely at 4m.

Regards
Alastair 
 -----Original Message-----
From:   Andrew Taylor  
Sent:   Sunday, 14 October 2001 11:51
To:     
Subject:        not getting lost in the scrub, despite
using a GPS

On Sat, 13 Oct 2001, Laurie & Leanne Knight wrote:
> If you want to learn how to navigate, take up orienteering, or if you
> are after night birds, rogaining.
> 
> An interesting thread for bushwalkers to follow. We normally navigate by
> sight when out in the open, and then emphasis is more on route-finding
> when we burrow through the bush like a scrub bird / cassowary.
> 
> Generally we are following a ridge or water line, and when we aren't we
> often keep our bearings in relation to a ridge or water line.
> 
> We rarely venture into mallee for the purpose of bushwalking, and when
> we can't see where we are going [because of the vegetation blocking the
> view] a GPS is generally as useful as hot beer ...

Early this year, I tried chasing frogs on rainy nights off-the-track in
reasonably rugged country in the Blue Mountains.  My navigation skills
could be better, but I'd navigated these areas easily in daylight just
using the topography.  But in the rain at night I found it much more
difficult.

The vegetation might not be as heavy as where Laurie walks - but I could
get GPS fixes intermittantly with my Garmin 12XL.  It was great for saving
the locations of frog breeding locations that I might want return to,
and generally very comforting to confirm where I was.

Even as a technophile, I agree with recommendations to also carry a
compass.  When walking I always have a compass in my a pocket (tagged to
a belt loop) - convenient so it takes only a few seconds to glance at it.

I also have one of those little combination compass/thermometers (with
wind chill table on back) sold by the Australian Geographic store,
attached to my daypack.  It seems like a useful emergency backup - I
haven't had to use it but its a few years old and the compass still works.

Andrew Taylor

Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to 
Birding-Aus is on the Web at
www.shc.melb.catholic.edu.au/home/birding/index.html
To unsubscribe from this mailing list, send the message
"unsubscribe birding-aus" (no quotes, no Subject line)
to 


<Prev in Thread] Current Thread [Next in Thread>
Admin

The University of NSW School of Computer and Engineering takes no responsibility for the contents of this archive. It is purely a compilation of material sent by many people to the birding-aus mailing list. It has not been checked for accuracy nor its content verified in any way. If you wish to get material removed from the archive or have other queries about the archive e-mail Andrew Taylor at this address: andrewt@cse.unsw.EDU.AU