In regaurds to gps accuracy , You must remember to give the unit sufficient time to update the correct coordinates . Usually takes one minute of stationery movement to get the correctly display . While searching for survey corners , I was actually walking "past" or "over" monuments because the gps unit was not keeping up with My steps . If You are trying to confirm four courners , It's going to take You several minutes to correctly confirm 4 different coordinates . Just a thought .
Jerry WB5LHD
Hi Jerry!
You said:
If You are trying to confirm four courners , It's going to take You several minutes to correctly confirm 4 different coordinates . Just a thought .
Dave will only need to have the GPS at *one* location, which will be the intersection of the 4 grids (40 degrees North, 124 degrees West). As long as elements of his station are placed in all 4 grids around the intersection, he should be fine. As he mentioned yesterday, he is in contact with the ARRL Awards Desk to ensure that his station would meet with their approval - if they chose to review his operation.
Even if the GPS has been powered on for 20 to 30 minutes, it will probably take some amount of time to get the display to show the "all zeroes" readout - and have it stay that way long enough for the photos and/or video per the VUCC rules. I ran into that issue last year near Chicago, trying to get my GPS receiver to stabilize on the "all zeroes" display for a 4-grid intersection near the site of the AMSAT Symposium (EN51/EN52/EN61/EN62, west of O'Hare airport) long enough for the two photos. I had it powered on for some time, but it's like interior decorating - move the station a little this way, then a little that way, make sure the accuracy figure stays below 20 feet, quickly get the camera to snap the photos, and hope they are not blurry.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
On 8/3/11 11:28 AM, Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) wrote:
If You are trying to confirm four courners , It's going to take You several minutes to correctly confirm 4 different coordinates . Just a thought .
Dave will only need to have the GPS at *one* location, which will be the intersection of the 4 grids (40 degrees North, 124 degrees West). As long as elements of his station are placed in all 4 grids around the intersection, he should be fine.
I'm not a grid-square chaser so I'm not familiar with the customs, but doesn't this seem just a *little* out of touch with the spirit of the rules?
Hi Phil!
I'm not a grid-square chaser so I'm not familiar with the customs, but doesn't this seem just a *little* out of touch with the spirit of the rules?
I don't think it's out of touch with the spirit of the VUCC rules. If anything, it's exactly within the letter and spirit of the current rules. Once you know where the intersection or boundary line is located, you make sure your station occupies some part of each grid, as explained in sections 4(e) and 4(f) of the VUCC rules:
http://www.arrl.org/files/file/Awards/VUCC%20Rules%202011_Rev%2020110512.pdf
In the past, these sections were not as verbose as they are now. The VUCC rules previously stated that you had to be able to provide ARRL documentation if requested and that GPS was acceptable in determining your location on a boundary or intersection. There were no definitions of how a portable or mobile station had to be situated, no mention of the GPS accuracy or WAAS, and no mention of what would be acceptable documentation of a station on a boundary or intersection.
Using KB5WIA's trip as the example, what better way to know that your station is in all 4 grids than to determine where that intersection is, and then making sure equipment is in each of the grids? Dave went to some lengths with ARRL to make sure his plans would pass muster with them, even to the point of making it difficult for him to work many passes to his east while complying with the VUCC rules.
73!
Patrick WD9EWK/VA7EWK http://www.wd9ewk.net/
participants (3)
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jerry keeton -
Patrick STODDARD (WD9EWK/VA7EWK) -
Phil Karn