Help!! GPS illiterate

[Brute]

I'm extremely uninformed concerning GPS's.I need to know if a handheld unit can be used to help set up a 1000-1500 yd range. Can I set one waypoint at my bench location and then travel over rolling hills to my target location and get a straight line distance back to the bench ?What about a phone app for GPS ? Many thanks !

[rick523]

You could try using google earth. i know there are a couple of guys on here that went that route. Not sure about gps good question. Good luck.

[Topgun 30-06]

I know nothing about phone applications, but if you mark your bench as a waypoint and then go out to where you want a target and put a "go to" back to your bench it will tell you how far it is to within a few yards on a straight line.

[squirrelduster]

Phone aps will work if you have good cell coverage.

[Red Sparky]

You can but my gps is only accurate, depending on how many satellites I am picking up, to about 15 feet. So you may be 10-30 yards off actual distance.

[Topgun 30-06]

Not quite following you on that! Is that new math you're using? If it's accurate to within 15 feet, how did you come up with the comment that it's off 10-30 yards?

[tomt]

Make sure WAAS is enabled.
Make sure your Map Datum is set to WGS 84
Distance is Statue
Position Formay is hddd°mm'ss.s"

Now this is only true is Latitude.
Every minute of latitude has 1850+/- meters, there 60 seconds in a minute. So every time the seconds change once you have gone 30.83 meters (1850/60=30.83). But your seconds is broken down into tenths, so when the tenths change once you have gone 3.08 meters or about 10 feet. (30.83/10=3.08)

This all theroetical in a perfect world which we do not live in. Our handhelds CAN NOT measure that accurate, it can get us close. When you have a GO TO fuction, for the first tenth of a mile it will measure in feet, after the first tenth it measure in tenth of mile up to a mile. So if you want to measure a 1000 yds. and get it accurate, you will have to do it in increments of 500 ft. Now remember this only true north and south.

Or use your Range finder.