How to figure out your grid square.

[Garry Shapiro]

Rick Craig, N6ND wrote:
> 
> NI6T wrote....
> 
> >OTOH, the hand calculation from WB5VZL, posted a few days ago and
> >included in the N.E.W.S. page, certainly works, but it behooves one to
> >know his lat/long coordinates accurately. For example, my QTH is at
> >37.15N/121.98W--that is in CM97 but only about .57 mi from the meridian
> >border with CM87. I determined my QTH with a USGS 15 minute
> >quadrant--not everyone has one handy.
> 
> Another way to determine your Lat/Long is with Microsoft's AutoMap program.
> For $40 you get two CD-ROMs that have street maps of every city, town, burg, and
> wide spot in the road in the US.  You type in your address and it pops up a
> local map showing where it thinks you are.  It is remarkably accurate in
> finding really obscure places.  It will also give you the coordinates suitable
> for six digit grid square.
> 
> I looked up NI6T's address on the map and it says 20941 Nez Perce Trail is at
> 37.1626N, 121.9774W, but it wants to call Garry's city Lexington Hills instead
> of Los Gatos.  Regardless, it does give accurate numbers.  It will also let you
> print out a map in whatever scale you desire so that you can find the next
> antenna raising party without getting lost.  More toys....
> 
> 73 Rick, N6ND
> 
> Rick Craig, N6ND
> n6nd at n6nd.wanet.com
> Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable
> from magic. -Clarke's Third Law


Rick:

That is =remarkably= accurate--although four decimal places is a 
stretch. I was hard-put to discern more than two places on a 15-minute 
projection. Lessee, if 1 degree of lattitude is 60 statute miles, .0001 
degree is 31.7 feet. Better not move the shack to another room! :>). Of 
course, rural locations on larger parcels cannot be resolved to 0.1 deg 
on such a map, much less .01 or better.

(BTW, "Lexington Hills" is an unofficial appellation for the area 
surrounding a local reservoir, whose creation drowned a town called 
Lexington about 65 years ago. The software's curious decision may be due 
to my being outside the incorporated boundary of Los Gatos.)

I guess the solution has already been announced--if you don't copy the 
gridsquare, you get only 1 pt. for the QSO. And, generally speaking, if 
someone declares the wrong gridsquare, and it is only offset from the 
correct one by one, there is little harm done if he is consistent in 
declaring it.

-- 
Garry Shapiro, NI6T
Editor, The DXer
newsletter of the Northern California DX Club

>From w7ni at teleport.com (Stan Griffiths)  Fri Aug 23 09:59:44 1996
From: w7ni at teleport.com (Stan Griffiths) (Stan Griffiths)
Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 01:59:44 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Do away with all tests!
Message-ID: <199608230859.BAA09454 at desiree.teleport.com>

>I have nothing against doing math longhand, it is a wonderful tradition in
>education. I have many friends who know how to (insert one: add, multiply,
>subtract, divide), and whose skills I admire.

You forgot square roots!!  Everyone should know how to do square roots
manually.  Hey, I had to learn it high school which obviously means everyone
should have to learn how, right?  And sliderules!  Man, there is something
we can't let die!  You just never know if you might need to know the square
root of 69 (8 . . . something) right in the middle of the next earth quake
and you have no power for your calculator and the batteries are dead and you
have no pencil so you can't do it manually.  We gotta know sliderules . . .

Stan  w7ni at teleport.com


>From w7ni at teleport.com (Stan Griffiths)  Fri Aug 23 11:19:59 1996
From: w7ni at teleport.com (Stan Griffiths) (Stan Griffiths)
Date: Fri, 23 Aug 1996 03:19:59 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: Misrepresentation by AA5BT
Message-ID: <199608231019.DAA08339 at desiree.teleport.com>

>This is a hobby.  This is not a license for work purposes.  For those
>that want to get rid of the CW requirement, all I can say is GROW UP.  
>
>Those that would get rid of the CW requirement, would also have a rare
>1902 2-cent stamp reprinted, just so they could get one.
>
>73 de Roman, N2UCK

And for those who insist on keeping the Morse code requirement, they would
also insist on having us hand crank our cars to get them started.  Electric
starters would be banned in favor of the "benefits of having to stay
physically fit in order to drive a car".  Also, we would all have to relearn
how to do square roots manually (I think I already said this before!).
After all, "it's good for you" . . . . and you really should have to do it
"for your own good" . . . NO THANKS.

Stan  w7ni at teleport.com


>From n2uck at juno.com (Roman S Makuch)  Fri Aug 23 05:03:43 1996
From: n2uck at juno.com (Roman S Makuch) (Roman S Makuch)
Date: Thu, 22 Aug 1996 20:03:43 PST
Subject: CW & HF Licensing
References: <Pine.OSF.3.95.960822152554.29086I-100000 at gonzo.wolfenet.com>
Message-ID: <19960822.215753.5311.0.n2uck at juno.com>


On Thu, 22 Aug 1996 15:28:29 -0700 (PDT) hwardsil at wolfenet.com (Ward
Silver) writes:
>On Thu, 22 Aug 1996, Rich DiDonna wrote:
>
>> How about 4 classes -
>> Novice:  VHF only 50 mHz and up (200 watt limit)
>> 	No code required.  Skills tailored tests.
>> 
>
>This is pretty much the same situation as now.  The general intent of 
>my
>proposal is how to address no-code operation on HF and still preserve
>value in the licenses.
>
>73, Ward N0AX
>
>
To hell with No-Code operation on HF, if they want no-code HF, they can
go to  11 meters and practice their "skills" there!

73 de Roman, N2UCK