GPS to calculte acres?

[fishing 101]

I need to buy a GPS that will calculate acres. Does anyone know of any GPS's that will measure area?

Thanks

[Jarrod32]

I'm quite sure the Garmin E-Trex series of GPS will (Legend, Vista, Venture) and the Rino series. Maybe not the cheapest version, but most of them will.

A quick internet search found this:

Track Log Method (Etrex Venture, Legend, & Vista models; and all Rino models)

�� As you travel the perimeter of an area, the GPS unit records track points and uses the resulting

GPS track log to internally calculate the size of the enclosed tract. This method works well

when you can reasonably transport the receiver directly along the boundary of the tract.

�� On small and irregularly shaped tracts of land, you might want to increase the track log interval - the frequency at which tracks points are recorded. Otherwise, you will lose accuracy when the receiver occasionally "cuts corners" as you travel the boundary. Go to: MAIN MENU > TRACKS > highlight & click on Option Menu button at the top > select SETUP TRACK LOG. You have choices here. The default setting for Record Method is: Auto (a combination of distance and time) and Interval: Normal. If you choose to keep the Auto

setting, you can set the Interval to More Often or Most Often to increase the frequency of track points. Instead of Auto, you can choose to record by Distance or Time, each with its own Interval choices.

�� Generally you should clear the current active track log just before you begin laying tracks. Go to: MAIN MENU > TRACKS > CLEAR. [if you wish to save the previous track log, first select SAVE, then clear the log].

�� Now go to: MAIN MENU > ACCESSORIES > AREA CALC. Click on START

and begin traveling along the perimeter of the tract. The screen displays your progress. Zoom in or out as appropriate to view your tracks. Slightly before you return to your starting point, click on STOP. Your receiver will automatically complete the loop with a straight shot from your current position to your starting point. Both perimeter distance and enclosed area will be displayed in appropriate units. To change area units, highlight and click on the unit abbreviation to bring up a selectable list of choices.

�� If the calculated solution is of value to you, name and SAVE the track. However, before you hit save, you should record the data elsewhere. Once a track log is saved, the total number of track points is condensed (to max. of 750) and less precision is displayed (fractions are rounded to one decimal point). The eTrex models allow a maximum of ten saved tracks; the Rino models allow up to twenty saved tracks.

�� Don't despair if heavy tree cover causes you to occasionally lose contact with the satellites as you track. These receivers will "connect the dots" and link your recorded track points in an attempt to estimate the enclosed area. View the saved track screen to decide whether or not the integrity of the track was maintained.

�� To view all of your saved tracks, go to: MAIN MENU > TRACKS. Highlight and click on the desired track. Note that these GPS models will loop the starting and ending points in an attempt to calculate acreage on all saved tracks, even those not intended for area measurement.

[BobT]

I've used my Garmin Rino120 to do this quite often. I set it up to record my track with high resolution (many points for higher accuracy) and then either walk or ride my ATV around the perimeter of my acres. My GPS displays the length of the track as well as area inside in acres.

I mapped my neighbor's rented acres once. When I got done I uploaded the tracks to my PC. Mapsource has a feature where you can merge the data with Google Earth. This allowed me to overlay those tracks on satellite image of his property. He thought it was pretty cool.

[Tom7227]

My Garmin 78s has this feature but I have never used it. Great rig.

[Big-Al]

All the garmin models that I have used from the the low end 12 (discontinued I think) to the higher end models all have an acreage calculation features.