Latitude Longitude

[Tim Mackey]

Being a bit of a thicko on these things, can someone tell me how to "convert" the various formats of sat co-ordinates etc. I have the decimal figures of a location but my silly car wants degrees /minutes/ and seconds.

 

An example is as follows

CAR data is

LAT: N52 47' 57" and LONG: W4 45' 32"

This apparently equates to

LAT: 52.802169 and LONG: -4.7576385

 

In another example google maps shows my destination as

LAT: 52.797187 and LONG: -4.5377616

Now I know the +/- symbols refer to NSEW conversions, but what are my sat nav inputs for the above?

 

Confused of Lat 53.287567 Lon -3.7333134

[Danny Fenton]

Well I would hardly call you a thicko Tim.

 

I googled this utility that might help?

 

Cheers

Danny

 

[Malcolm Fisher]

It's mathematics Tim,

A minute is a sixtieth of a degree and a second is a sixtieth of a minute so it's a case of converting base 60 units to base 10.

You should be able to convert the minutes and seconds to decimals or decimals to the other base...

Malcolm

[Ross Clarkson]

I have been flying for 5 years Tim and have never worked it out! We at work use a converter similar to that Danny has provided a link too, then we just play with it until we get a location we know is in the right area!!!!!

I know this doesn't help you, sorry.

[PatMc]

Treat the figures the same way as time converting minutes & seconds to hours or vice versa.

 

Your Lat is N53 17' 15" Lon -3 44' 0" - yes ?

 

[Tim Mackey]

Thanks fir the replies guys, but maths and me were never friends - so the biggest thanks go to Danny, just what this thicko needs .

PatMc, show me the method for your result

[PatMc]

 

53.287567 degrees multiplied by 60 would give the lat in minutes & that multiplied by 60 would give it in seconds. However if you remove the integer each time before multiplying you will get the answer in deg, min, sec

 

Lat 53.287567 = 53 deg + (.287567 x 60)'

= 53 deg 17' +(.25402 x 60)"

= 53 deg 17' 15"

 

Lon 3.7333134 = 3 deg + (.7333134 x 60)'

= 3 deg 43' +(.998804 x 60)"

= 3 deg 44' (rounded up)

 

[Tim Mackey]

Thanks Pat, Im off for a lay down now

[Pete B]

 

Thanks for that, PatMc. I am in awe of someone to whom a mathematical concept is always as clear as daylight!

 

Seems you have a brain something like mine, Timbo - I scraped a Maths 'O' Level 42 years ago (blimey, that many years? ) and it has never come naturally, either before or since..........

Unfortunately, my brain is more attuned to writing, so I have the handicap of being able to spot a grammatical error or spelling mistake from about 200 yards.........

My grandson has just become only the second pupil ever to get 100% for his Maths Sats at his primary school and he has been signed up on some gifted pupils scheme.

 

I don't know where he got that from - it wasn't from me and sure as heck it wasn't from his grandmother!

Pete

[PatMc]

Pete, you have one more maths 'O' level than me.

[Dusty]

Tim,

 

Just incase you want to explore the world more here is a calculator to work out some "Rhumb Lines" here crossing all meridians of longitude at the same angle.

 

"flying is easy, navigation is not"

[flytilbroke]

Unfortunately, there are many systems all of which claim to use LAT/ LON. Very stupid I think as the location varies unless one knows and uses the exact system a set of numbers relate to.

 

So far, Google Earth and my cheapie Satnav agree with each other

[Tim Mackey]

Err, thanks Dusty...I think

[Former Member]

[This posting has been removed]

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

So they don't get littered with junk mail?

[Tim Mackey]

The post code system on my incar sat nav is useless, my Tom Tom is better.