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Re: [RC] [AERCMembersForum] GPS - "As you know..." - rides2farI did notice that you failed to tell how you knew that the GPS mileage was wrong. I've been one of the GPS whiners, so I finally talked a friend into running a trail that I was sure was long while pushing a surveyer's wheel. The trail was supposed to be 12.5 miles and it was really 14. (I forget the exact tenths) What I remember is at first being disappointed, because that sounded pretty accurate, then I realized that over the course of a 50 miler it added about 5 miles...and that matters. Over the course of a 100 it adds close to 10 and that *really* matters! I think the major difference in this trail and a road is that the manager was trying to get the maximum trail onto a small piece of land. It twists and doubles back on itself CONSTANTLY. A meter to the right, shift back to the left, go 10 and shift back to the right just loses a meter now and then I guess. If I ride the same horse, at two different rides, both measured by GPS but the same working trot figures up to "X mph" on this ride and "X-2" on that one, I question it. In contrast, yesterday we rode the trail at the Chickamauga Battlefield. I have always figured that trail was closer to 8 miles than the 11 everyone claimed it was. My riding buddy had his GPS and at the end said, "8.2". That trail is *relatively* flat, or at least the hills are long ups or downs but not little ravines you go straight down on switchbacks and back up the other side. It's a fairly clear "directional" trail, it's actually going somewhere, so it's pretty linear. I believe the 8.2 measurement. It makes sense. There's a rides I just quit going to because I didn't care to trot 3.5 hrs. on their "16 mile" section. If you believe the distance (measured by GPS by the forest service so it's official) you just feel like you're trying to climb the escalator going the wrong direction. Very frustrating. It also happens to have lots of ravines. I had an old GPS and took it to a clinic on how to use them and they really rolled their eyes at that one and said it wasn't accurate and I needed a new one. I'm just wondering about all these trails that the Forest Service measured. When did they do it and with what model? I got a GPS for Christmas and if I find time I'll learn to use it, but if one day my horse covers what it calls 15 miles in 2 hours, and the next day we feel we travel the close to the same pace but it takes 3 hours, I'll definitely go with my gut feel as to how far we've been. P.S. My husband used to work for a surveyor (graduated up to running the instrument, not just holding the idiot end of the stick). I think surveyors are cute! >G< Angie =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-= Ridecamp is a service of Endurance Net, http://www.endurance.net. Information, Policy, Disclaimer: http://www.endurance.net/Ridecamp Subscribe/Unsubscribe http://www.endurance.net/ridecamp/logon.asp Ride Long and Ride Safe!! =-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=-=
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