Post Reply 
Help with G.P.S. Coordinates!
09-10-2014, 10:29 PM
Post: #1
Help with G.P.S. Coordinates!
As if not having GRAD was bad enough, there has been another annoyance about HP PRIME discovered:

Lack of ability to directly enter so-called GPS coordinates; instead dd, mm, and ss.sss are ALL required before a hexadecimal value conversion can be displayed!

42 degs 17 mins 50 seconds, "DMS format", can also be represented by:
42 degs 17.833333333 mins, which I am calling "GPS Format"

I am looking for a clever way to efficiently enter "GPS Format" using a single variable if possible! (This is how my Casio fx9860GII, and OLDER-GENERATION! calculator handles it).

HP PRIME forces us to use 2 variables for every "GPS Pair" right now.
(although an optimal way of accomplishing this might be possible, I don't have it yet)

Consider this, and easily verified:
On Casio fx9860GII (and CG10), this actually works!
OPTN, > (more), ANGL, 4th option over for D|M|S entry,

42<ANGL>17.83333<ANGL> ENTER --> 42.29722222

42<ANGL>17.83333<ANGL>0<ANGL> --> 42.29722222

When dealing with Radio/TV Direction Finding, Boating, Aircraft, and other navigation problems, we are given coordinates solely in GPS_Format! HP PRIME requires I use intermediate steps, or my fx9860 FIRST, just to accommodate HP PRIME's limitations!

Casio's Deg/Min/Sec manual data-entry format seems to UNDERSTAND how to
cope with "GPS Format".

Caveat: Try this with Negative Degrees, or Minutes :-)

Oh! And guess what! Casio fx9860GII (and LOOK! even CG10 !!) are
"whole calculators" in that they still have their GRAD mode!
DEG/RAD/GRA are available in SETUP !! It was never short-changed!

I see no way right now on an HP PRIME to avoid using TWO VARIABLES for every
single GPS_Cooridate needed.... Even using a FOR-LOOP ? Sheesh. 9860 just takes it!

Golly.... Gee Batman! Even TI-nspire has GRAD? What were THEY thinking that HP PRIME could not also see? Makes you wonder what else is removed, given limitations, or otherwise seen as pedantic, obsolete or otherwise passe just because HP PRIME developers are not actually in the field where these calculators could potentially be used!

Now where'd I put that FORTRAN manual....
Find all posts by this user
Quote this message in a reply
Post Reply 


Messages In This Thread
Help with G.P.S. Coordinates! - Richard Wagner - 09-10-2014 10:29 PM
RE: Help with G.P.S. Coordinates! - jebem - 09-11-2014, 05:30 PM



User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)