How much latitude?

GPS units can display latitude and longitude in several different formats. Take the location at the top of Mt. Bachelor (some great skiing in Central Oregon if you’re ever in the neighborhood) and see how it can be expressed.

• Degrees, minutes, decimal seconds (D° M’ S”): 43° 58’ 46.94” N, 121° 41’ 14.73” W
• Degrees, decimal minutes (D° M.M’): 43° 58.7824’ N, 121° 41.2455’ W
• Decimal degrees (D.D°): 43.9797069° N, 121.6874253°W

And just for fun, here are the UTM coordinates for that same location: 10T 0605273E, 48 70240N. Ouch! Is this confusing or what? Although it doesn’t seem like it, all these coordinates refer to the exact same location. Remember, just like converting locations from one coordinate system to another, you can also use your GPS receiver as a calculator to convert from different latitude and longitude formats. Suppose you have some coordinates in decimal degrees and need them in degrees, minutes, and seconds:

1. Change the coordinate settings in your GPS receiver to decimal degrees.
2. Manually enter the coordinates as a waypoint.
3. Change the coordinate settings in your GPS receiver to degrees, minutes, and seconds.

When you look at the coordinates of the waypoint that you entered, they’re now displayed in degrees, minutes, and seconds. (Note: Because changing coordinate systems varies from model to model, check your user manual for specific instructions.)