Satellite coordinates

[Nelly]

Hi all,

I am having a bit of confusion with satellite coordinates.
My sat nav wants me to input them in this format
0 00'00.00"N
0 00'00.00"E

I am trying to find a place on the net that is listed like this:

53.34971, 6.22822

Not being much of a Frank Worsley I need some advice please?
What's the difference between the two formats?

Nelly

 

[texcollect]

The first is referred to as DMS (Degrees Minutes Seconds) and the others are Decimal degrees.

45.5 in Decimal equates to 45 30' 00.00
like wise 38 45' 00.00 equates to 38.75.

Hope that helps

Of Course you could always just Google it !! That gives this

 

[greg]

there might be a prferences option to change the style of coordinates you use

or use an online converter

Convert Latitude / Longitude in Degrees/Minutes/Seconds to/from Decimal (FCC) USA

 

[ozzieboy]

Just take the bit after the decimal point, and multiply by 60. This gives you decimal minutes. Then Just take the bit after the decimal point, and multiply by 60 again. This gives you decimal seconds.

53 20'.9826
06 13'.6932

53 20'58.96
06 13'41.59

you may want to check the actual figures I've got here, as I am keeping my eyes open with match stick presently...lol.

 

[Nelly]

Thanks guys very helpful.
Why are there two systems, and what's the advantage of one over the other?

Nelly

 

[texcollect]

There is the "correct one" (DMS) and the one for people who can't do base 60 maths

I used to work in a place that made you clock in and clock out (British Government flex time). When I clocked in the first day I clocked in at 8:30 and the clock stamped 8.50. I thought I had been done out of 20 mins, but when I clocked back out at 5:30 pm it stamped 17.50 so I guessed the clock was out by 20 mins. This all went well until day 3 when I clocked in at 8:45 and the clock stamped 8.75. Now I know I'm not the sharpest knife in the drawer, but even I know there are only 60 minutes in an hour.

Turns out that when I checked with the timekeeper they had changed the stamping disk in the time clock for a decimal hours one rather than hours and minutes as there were too many people that couldn't do addition and subtraction in base 60 so they couldn't work out their own time cards.