GPS Mapping With The Minelab CTX And GPZ Detectors ( Part Two )

[Steve Herschbach]

Just published at Minelab's Treasure Talk blog at http://www.minelab.com/usa/go-minelabbing/treasure-talk/gps-mapping-with-the-minelab-ctx-and-gpz-detectors-part-2

[goldbrick]

It is too bad these machines do not display coords in "decimal degrees " format. IMO its much easier to use.

[Woody]

Is there a way to merge your geo hunts into one file?

 

Steve

[Woody]

On ‎15‎/‎10‎/‎2016 at 7:40 AM, goldbrick said:

It is too bad these machines do not display coords in "decimal degrees " format. IMO its much easier to use.

As far as I can tell there are options in preferences to allow you to change the format, well at least there is on my GPZ7000

 

Regards Steve

[Steve Herschbach]

The Locations Format (CTX) or Coordinates Format (GPZ) lets you decide how to display Latitude and Longitude information. You may choose between Degrees, Minutes, Seconds (default) or Degrees, Minutes, Decimal.

I believe Merton would like full decimal as opposed to a degrees, minutes, decimal mix.

[Woody]

The GPZ has two options.

DD.MM.MMMM

DD.MM.SS.S

Yet Xchange2 has three options including Decimal degree's sorry for the confusion.

I am still curious to find out if Geo hunts can be merged? Any help would declutter my index

 

Regards Steve

[Steve Herschbach]

Hi Steve,

I am guessing you are referring to XChange instead of the GPZ itself? The GPZ has the two options I outlined above for on screen display. However, once the information is imported into XChange you can also display in full decimal.

No way to merge Geohunts without exporting the data, doing the merge manually, and then importing. With no built in export/import fundtion at this time this requires manipulating the database directly. Not a good idea unless you are familiar with such things but info needed to get a knoweledgeable person going on that can be found at 

 

[Steve Herschbach]

Oops, I was posting as you were editing!

[Woody]

Thanks for the info Steve I will look into the merging process and see if it is something I should make time for or not.

I like the inbuilt GPS for covering the ground on patches but it has some shortcomings. The screen is at times very difficult to see and the trail line left behind in 10x10 mode is a bit wide and patchy on the screen. Not being able to adjust the screen facing in direction of travel instead of always north can prove difficult at times winding through the trees. Not being able to save you path to a geo hunt even though it is on the screen.

But I am sure you like others have a list of things you would like to see changed added etc.

Regards Steve

[Steve Herschbach]

I never use 10 x 10 mode myself for the reasons you mention, just 20 x 20 or 100 x 100 for the big picture. I do indeed have many things I would change or improve but the focus of my articles is on what can be done with what we have. For example, in this day and age of cheap memory I sure would like to be able to hold more than 100 Findpoints in my unit at one time, and at least a full weeks worth of Geohunts. I may do a very detailed article on how to hack the GPZ and XChange databases directly at some time in the future but I keep hoping I can get Minelab to add an import/export function instead before then. The lack of import/export function is the number one thing holding the system back in my opinion.