A GPS Question...for you novice Surveyors

[Buckrub]

OK, maybe someone here can figure this out for me.

This is for the woods at the farm......just FYI.

The woods is 80 acres, and lies as two forty acre areas back to back.....it's 80 deep, and 40 wide. The land boundaries are pretty much exactly N, S, E, and W lines.

I have the GPS coordinates of the NW corner. That is easily accessible, and is at the gate to the property off of a county road. The other end of that 40, the SW corner of the plot.......is also on the road and I have that GPS coordinate.

I have the SE GPS coordinate because got a guy to take me onto a fellow's property and we asked permission to drive down his side of the South line........because he's cleared his side out and it's down a 'road' accessible by wheely.

So, now I have 3 of the 4 GPS coordinates of a 80 acre rectangle. I have never been, to my knowledge, at the NE corner. It is possible it's in the middle of a slough.........

One additional piece of info...... I also have the midpoint of the north line marked. In fact, I have the north line marked with flagging tape to the end of the first 40........ Going past that point may require napalm, a D9 Cat, and a respirator. Not sure. But when I stand at that point, halfway down that line, it is approx 440 yards to the NW corner (gate), and 6XX yards to BOTH the SE and SW corners. That tells me I'm about halfway down that line.

(When I walked it last week, it took forever.......grown up, etc........and I knew I was on the line because there's an old barbed wire fence down it. It's up enough spots I can find it and mark it or trees next to it.)

Now...........if (IF IF IF) I can somehow get to the exact NE corner/waypoint, I should then be 880 yards from the NW corner while simultaneously being 440 yards from the SE corner/waypoint. I know that's correct, but getting to that point is the first problem. So here's my questions:

1) I have a marked straight line down 1/2 of the Northern boundary line. How do I use a GPS to continue that path exactly, through thick woods, and walk a straight line without getting too far off course, since I don't know the GPS coordinates of where I'm headed?

2) One I somehow accomplish the problem of finding the NW corner.........and know the GPS waypoint of the SE corner........I should be able to walk the correct path of the Eastern boundary and head to the SE corner/waypoint........ RIGHT?? I think I know this one.

#1 is what is throwing me. I know how to tell once I'm there........but I don't know how to use the GPS to help me get there. What I'd LOVE to know how to do is take the GPS coordinates of the first 3 corners, and extrapolate the GPS coordinate of the NW corner, and then I could walk straight to it.

Ideas? Help????notworthy

[LJ3]

Is taking a compass heading an option to stay on course to the NE point? The compass on my iphone is pretty dang accurate from what I can tell. All that comes to mind is using a compass, shooting an azimuth and staying on that line but don't think that's as accurate as you need. What's your end game? fencing the proppity or just marking it?

[Buckrub]

marking.

zero cell service

[Buckrub]

Well, no. I ain't..........

At some point in time, I WILL stand at that NW corner, and I will know it because of the simultaneous distance to the two far corners. I am just looking at a fast way to find that NW corner given what info I have already.

And the NW corner exists. The surrounding landowners know that boundary.......but I can't get through their property to access it. I'm paying taxes on it, and the legal description of the 80 exists......just not the GPS of that corner (yet).

[Captain]

Surveyors make a living and feed their families locating such "points". Call one, tell them to find it and ribbon a trail in to it. Go to the junk yard and get an old truck axle, carry it and a big hammer to the location and drive the axle up on his mark. Save yourself a LOT of problems.

[Big Muddy]

Ditto, what Cap said....I got an axle off a 1954? Studebaker that I'll give ya. ;)

[Captain]

Eddie. I mark all corners with truck axles. They are generally about 3 foot long and I drive them all the way flush with the ground. That way you can drive over them without harm to equipment and a metal detector will find them from several feet away.

[Big Muddy]

Yep, they work great !!!

[Thumper]

Actually, I'm sure it's been surveyed at one time or another. If you could find a way to get the way points, I'd assume there may already be old markers on the property someplace. I understand what you're trying to do and I agree there must be a way, but I don't have a clue. You're the math major, can't you figure it out? ��

[Egghead]

Google Earth? I'd think for anything exact you'd want a surveyor. But if you have three of the four corners marked, then I think you could rough out the last on Google Earth and then put that resultant coordinate in your GPS. Once you have that, then ask your GPS to point you to that waypoint.

[Captain]

But he would argue with the results.... ;)

[Buckrub]

Can't afford a surveyor right now. And if I could, I would only go there as a last resort. This can't be this hard. Don't need to be exact, just close. When I get there I'll know I'm at the right point, assuming I can get the GPS coordinates of what I do know correct.

Egg has the idea, but now I'm frustrated. Tried to put the coordinates from handheld GPS (Garmin Monterra) into Google Earth on the PC, and the danged Garmin is showing all zeroes for two of the corners I had marked previously!!! They are showing on the map, but show the coordinates as 00 0000. This thing hiccups, reverts to blanking the screen, and other craziness. So......next week I'll pretty much start over. Kids will be here, have help.

Plus........and I should have thought of this before.........my phone has a GPS. I don't need cell service, it'll hit the satellites. I used that at deer camp for all the stands before I got the Garmin. So, I'm gonna start over with a device in each hand!! Shoulda thought of this before, but haven't used that feature of the phone in so long.........senile.

I'll figure it out.

Thanks.

[Egghead]

Bucky - can you transcribe the three coordinates from your GPS and post them?

[Buckrub]

No, sorry. This dang thing lost two of them. I should have sent it back when it was in warranty. I'll get at least three of them next week when we go back to the farm.........and hopefully four.

I realize a surveyor would be nice, but the guys on 3 sides have already done that and marked their stuff. The 4th side is a county road. All I need to do is find the corners.........and I will.

Thanks anyways. Shouldn't have brought it up.

Thanks anyways.

[Arty]

Bucky - can you transcribe the three coordinates from your GPS and post them?

If he did that he'd have to buy another roll of tin foil to wrap his head in cause then the whole wide world would know where he's growing his "money crop"

[Arty]

The 4th side is a county road? So the marker you are looking for is on a road?

[Buckrub]

No. The county road side has two corners. I know both of those.

Walking away from the county road............down one side I had the coordinates, until my Garmin promptly zeroed them out today for some reason. Down the other side is where I need to find the corner.

This ain't 1,000 acres, and it ain't piney woods. It's thick, but I can walk it and I will figure it out. I should never have brought this up here.

[Arty]

Other than 1 zinger, you've been given advice and had questions asked to help you.

Maybe if you'd pull your panties up you'd be able to walk to that there post and find it.

(Ok now 2 zingers)

You're a math nerd. Ain't there some math you could apply to this to narrow down where it is and then walk to it using the gps on your phone?

[Big Muddy]

The marker will be described in your deed....i,e., example, "....the NW corner, being established by a metal stake, 147 feet east of the middle of the intersection of Booger Picker Rd. and the northern most property line."

[Arty]

The marker will be described in your deed....i,e., example, "....the NW corner, being established by a metal stake, 147 feet east of the middle of the intersection of Booger Picker Rd. and the northern most property line."
Yet another brilliant idea
But sometimes them can be confusing. I've seen a few that make you scratch your head.

And don't they sometimes say "being the land described and platted by Dick Limply in book 1 verse 33"?

[Buckrub]

Yeah. If I knew where the deed was. That's another long story. Spent yesterday at Lawyers office and she's clearing up alot of the farm legal descriptions, deeds, etc. I don't have it in hand at this time.

[Buckrub]

Other than 1 zinger, you've been given advice and had questions asked to help you.

Maybe if you'd pull your panties up you'd be able to walk to that there post and find it.

(Ok now 2 zingers)

You're a math nerd. Ain't there some math you could apply to this to narrow down where it is and then walk to it using the gps on your phone?

Hey. AT no point did I ignore the advice. I said I realize a surveyor would be ideal..........but I ain't got a grand to drop on one. Now, if I didn't know any corners, yeah, I'd have to borrow it and do it. That's a great idea.........but not for someone without current funds. And it may come to that, I realize. But it's not the best answer right now. I not only can't afford it right now, I need to find this corner next week. There's other things at play, that I don't always get into.

I said I was going to walk and find it, didn't I? Where did I say otherwise? I'm going next week. I was simply asking if there was a quick way knowing some of the data today.

As to your last question, I know the distance. That's not the issue. It's 880 yards from one corner, and 440 yards from the other. Math would get me those numbers, but not the location. And for the record, I've already talked at length to a surveyor about this, and his answer was "no, there ain't no math way to get to the answer". I didn't get into that either.

And I appreciated every answer, read every one, considered all the help, and am thinking. If I'm not smart enough to validly wade through it, that's on me.

But this is why I am a slow learner, and need to learn to not ask questions at this venue.

[Arty]

Before you pull up those panties, change your tampon dude. :)

I wouldn't pay for a surveyor either if I had 3 corners already marked.

GPS, compass, etc was offered as other solutions.

I can't believe there ain't some kind of math to put you there on a map. At that point it would be "dropping a pin" on that mark on your gps, and walkin to it.
But again. You the math guy.

I'd walk it for you but I'm busy yanking my toenails out with needle nose pliers this weekend.

[Captain]

Bucky when you are walking to look for the corner looks for witness trees. Usually larger trees with hash marks from a brush ax that serve as markers to help to locate the corner iron.
Many times on a corner there will be several (3 or more)
That could help ya'
And I don't see where you are coming from on the whole "I should not ask anything here" question.

[Arty]

Try google maps. Zoom in where you want. Find one of them post you know about. RIGHT click on one of those. Then chose "measure distance"

Then drag your mouse out 880 yards.

Maybe this would put you in the vicinity.

Example below.

[Buckrub]

Well.......sorry. Honest.

I have probably lost a 50 year friend recently........because I just tire of his every word being a criticism of what I do, how I do it, when I do it, why it's the worst way to do it........and then laughing at me if I don't seem to care for that. So maybe I'm a bit sensitive right now to being told how dumb I am to not know the right way to do stuff. Somehow I've made it 67 years (in 8 days) without a lot of help, so I don't think I'm quite as dumb as I am told. And I keep getting told that I don't accept the answers I get here........You said it, Thump said it last week, now Jamie said it.........and I don't get it. That is mind boggling to me. If I ask a question about an answer I get, that isn't a statement that I disregard the answer. Just like the Surveyor answer. Of course that's the best answer. But I'm strapped right now. Plus, I need this answer next week, when the kids show up and we go down there.

So yeah, I guess I'm too sensitive. But I do appreciate the answers I get, I do listen to them, and I don't ignore them. And I don't really like being told that I do, I guess.

But I appreciate that answer too. This is a crazy 80. It's square as it could be. But my late FIL ran cattle on it, even though it's deep woods, for several years.........when he was trying anything to keep from going bankrupt (his efforts failed). And apparently he let everyone in the county dump their barrels and washing machines all over it. And it is in the middle of the delta, and is anything but flat. It's got STEEP bluffs, and it's hard to transverse on foot in places. And I'm a heart patient, sadly........and I'm old, sadly. So it ain't always easy to just "pull up my panties" and go walk it. But by gosh, I'm going to next week, if it kills me. Michael will be here and he's an EMT, so he can walk with me! :)

And that's the long answer as to why it bothered me.

But looking back on it, I do think I'd have been better off just not bringing it up here............

[Buckrub]

Try google maps. Zoom in where you want. Find one of them post you know about. RIGHT click on one of those. Then chose "measure distance"

Then drag your mouse out 880 yards.

Maybe this would put you in the vicinity.

Example below.

Thanks. That would be ideal if it worked. But if I right click on a pin, a spot I have marked, "measure distance" is not an option I have.

And this is also why I said I shouldn't ask. Either my version is different, or I don't have the expertise with Google Earth to make what you and Egg suggested happen. SO I feel like an idiot, but I still don't know any more than I did.

[Arty]

You can also hinge off one point.

Give it a shot.

Or send me the address and I'll try it for you.

[Arty]

Google MAPS.
Like Googlemaps.com

That's different than google earth

[Arty]

And.... I'm always the last one to call you out, but damn man you did go kinda off the handle there a little. You went straight to "I never should have said something here". WTFO?! And that was BEFORE I told you your panties had fallen down betwixt your ankles.

[No-till Boss]

Download the Planimeter app. It's awesome for measuring YOUR ground. You can thank me later .

[Nandy]

If you are interested.... By the description of your property and the software I have, all you have to do is to find the coordinates that you lost, email them to me and i can email you the coordinate to get you pretty close to where you need to go to find your missing corner. If you are not interested that is good too, I just thought I offer.

[Buckrub]

Oh. Well so it is.
The only spot I have right now without recharging the GPS (it's on charger) is:
34°23'50.2"N 91°18'26.2"W

THat spot is halfway down the northern boundary to where I want to go. It is one 40 acres (440 yards) due East from the NW corner. It is where I'm going to start walking next week. I am going to go due east, another 440 yards, and hope I'm at the corner.

And every GPS coordinate I take from now on in the woods, I'm putting in my GPS Garmin, my phone, and I'm writing it down.

[Buckrub]

I like panties. So bite me.

NTB, I have a problem making ANY app work in this area. I have zero.........as in not 1/2 bar, not .0001 bar, NO bars.......of service.

[Buckrub]

And.... I'm always the last one to call you out, but damn man you did go kinda off the handle there a little. You went straight to "I never should have said something here". WTFO?! And that was BEFORE I told you your panties had fallen down betwixt your ankles.

Straight? After two dozen posts? That's straight?????????????????

[Arty]

As straight as you need to walk next week when you get down there again to find that 4th pin.

:)

[Buckrub]

Nandy, I'll get the GPS next week. I'll let you know.

And again.......I'll figure it out. THanks to everyone.. I appreciate it.

[No-till Boss]

I like panties. So bite me.

NTB, I have a problem making ANY app work in this area. I have zero.........as in not 1/2 bar, not .0001 bar, NO bars.......of service.

Brother you can do it from your house to give you a idea . Then you can walk to it.

[Nandy]

k, I see your roads and such, might be able to give you some idea, the other 3 coordinates will help. Sometimes you can hook up to the pc and extract all of your data but it is not always possible... BTW, that is the what you are looking is for the NE point, correct?

[Big Muddy]

What I was referring to with the deed, is simply, WHAT you will be looking for....metal post, a truck axle, small concrete slab, old fence post, etc....at least you'll have an idea of what the marker is made of and looks like....down here, in the old days, old cotton picker spindles were driven into the nearest tree.

[Nandy]

coordinates sent by pm..

[Egghead]

Buckrub, if I am reading your notes correctly, you are looking for the coordinates of the gray icon in the upper right of this picture?

4937

And here it is again from the satellite view:

4938

Am I close? If so, the coordinates are:

N34 23 50 W91 18 11 - if your GPS is like mine, you can put in the new coordinates as a waypoint and then choose the GoTo fuction. It'll give you an arrow for the direction to walk and a distance. I've used that function in the past to get to a known point with least resistance as we created a new path to a stand.

Wish I could come walk it with you - looks like a prime area!

[No-till Boss]

4939

[Nandy]

N34 23 50 W91 18 11 -
pretty close to what I found too. I used to make maps for my garmin GPS and i have a couple of custom maps. Lots of work not worth it anymore but I still have some of the software. Having the other 3 will narrow it down better. Still, with all that cover his gps will have about 100 feet give or take...

BTW, your point is 13 yards SE of mine.

[Buckrub]

Monster killed within 120 yards of there last year.

Thanks guys. Yes, Egg, I'm looking for the NE corner spot. THEN, I will need to have a general idea, a decent flagging, of the Eastern boundary line. The NW, SW, and SE corners are obvious.........the NE one is in middle of nowhere. Truthfully, I may never get to it. It is in relief from Lagrue Bayou (a slough) and we're so wet it could easily be under water............

Appreciate all the help. Wish I knew how to do all that.

And I'm ticked at my GPS for just.......losing existing coordinates! It shows them on the map, but when you tap on 'em, it shows all zeroes for the coordinates. and only for those two! Danged expensive gps to be screwing up!

[Nandy]

Most garmin units will export their waypoints to a gbd or gpx. You might get lucky and show in the exported file. Im sure garmin has some sort of software nowadays to talk to your gps. I still use mapsource 6.13. Stopped upgrading because the newer version would let you do less and less.... So I am not familiar with exporting waypoints with newer software IF it does...

[DeputyDog]

Another suggestion, check to see if the county where the property is has a GIS website. They have maps of all the platted properties. If it's not online, (but probably is) go to the office. They can print the map out for you. They can do is several different ways and by GPS coordinates is one of them.

[Big Muddy]

This guy works cheap, and will find that corner for ya. ;)

4943

[Captain]

Another suggestion, check to see if the county where the property is has a GIS website. They have maps of all the platted properties. If it's not online, (but probably is) go to the office. They can print the map out for you. They can do is several different ways and by GPS coordinates is one of them.

I pulled the property up on GIS last night. The maps would not load last night. I figure it was down for service. Was going to try this morning before going to SC.

[Captain]

The plot number is 002-02409-000 but i still cannot get the maps to load this morning.
Headed to SC and no service but if anyone else wants to give it a try the county is Arkansas, yes that's the county Arkansas county in Arkansas state.
And Bucky complains because North and South Carolina didn't think of different names. At least when Carolina divided they DID choose North and South.
Arkansas, Arkansas is just (*&#$)* Dumb.

[BarryBobPosthole]

Its a good thing arkadelphia isn't in that county.

Nandy, I'd like to talk about how to make a gps map some time.

BKB

[Buckrub]

The plot number is 002-02409-000 but i still cannot get the maps to load this morning.
Headed to SC and no service but if anyone else wants to give it a try the county is Arkansas, yes that's the county Arkansas county in Arkansas state.
And Bucky complains because North and South Carolina didn't think of different names. At least when Carolina divided they DID choose North and South.
Arkansas, Arkansas is just (*&#$)* Dumb.

More than dumb. Ignorant.

I've searched all over and I don't even know where you went to find that info or parcel number. It's correct parcel number though! What is the URL of where you are? I can find Arkansas County but the only map I get is a street map, and the woods plot is just a big blank area. No zooming, etc. I see GIS maps of other counties in Arkansas, but not Arkansas County.

FWIW, it was/is called that because before there was an Arkansas (something you original 13 colonies don't have to deal with), there was an Arkansas Post on the MS/AR River confluence. It's still there........but just a building. It was the Territorial Capitol before any white folks were here. Or black. Or yellow. Or green. So the county was actually named before the state.........it was the state that probably took a duplicate name from the county.

But while we're talking ignorance, you might take a minute while you are at the farm to straighten out your SC brethren. We do a lot of dumb stuff, but this one would never get brought up here. In fact, me and my kids are gonna shoot up the private owned place next week!!!

http://freedomoutpost.com/2015/06/south-carolina-county-seeks-to-ban-shooting-guns-on-personal-property/

[Buckrub]

Its a good thing arkadelphia isn't in that county.

Nandy, I'd like to talk about how to make a gps map some time.

BKB

Yeah it is. Arkadelphia is in Clark County.

[Thumper]

Ha ha! I have no clue why this post reminded me of this ... prolly just the silly city names.

In h/s, I dated a gal in Mississippi ... a super cute little blonde. I'm tellin' ya', she was a real "Georgia Peach"! Her name was Vicki, but I always called her "Little Bit" ... she was a TINY little thing and prolly weighed about 85 pounds soaking wet (a real spinner ;) )! Anyway, she was from Climax, Georgia! I can't remember the exact figure, but I think she said the population (this was the 60's) was something like 50 people! Of course I laughed like heck at the name and asked her why they called the place "Climax" (kinda figured the population would be higher with a name like that!) and she told me the town was located at the highest point (climax) of whatever railroad it was that went through there. :D

I know, I know ... I apologize ... this thread just jogged the ol' memory banks and made me crack a smile. Dang! She was a cutie! ;)

[Thumper]

Ha ha! I just HAD to Google the place to check it out. Sounds like a swingin' little town (at least the population took a "huge" jump)!

From Wiki:

Climax is a city in Decatur County, Georgia, United States. The town was named Climax because it is located at the highest point of the railroad between Savannah, Georgia and the Chattahoochee River. The population was 297 at the 2000 census.

Climax’s annual festival is held on the first Saturday after Thanksgiving. The event is attended by 35,000 people annually, a large number in light of Climax’s sub-300 population. Contests & events include best dressed pig, corn shucking, hog calling, eating chitterlings, pig racing, syrup making, baby crawling, and the great greased pig chase. The festival is kicked off with a parade down Main Street that leads up to the event grounds. There is also a beauty contest for different age groups where the winner is crowned Miss and Little Miss Swine Time.

[Captain]

I worked in Climax Ga. And Climax NC both.

[Captain]

Bucky go to Arkansas county Arkansas Government homepage Go to the counties website and click on the GIS tab. Maybe the map will load sometimes today.

[Thumper]

I worked in Climax Ga. And Climax NC both.

No shit? Were you a contestant in the Swine Festival? ;)

[Buckrub]

Cappy.......I see what you mean now. I got all those tax records but no map. I changed the map to "hi res" and it was just blank. I guess what's actually happening is that it's loading still, huh? Hmmmmmmmmmm.

Ok, will try. And thanks.

[Captain]

Anytime.

[Captain]

No shit? Were you a contestant in the Swine Festival? ;)
No I was in charge of keeping big nose Florida folks out of town. :D

[Buckrub]

Still loading. I wonder if it really is??? Maybe I'm doing something wrong. (Imagine that)

[Thumper]

To be honest, it sounds like a problem with the website.

Oh, and BITE ME Cappy. ;)

[Buckrub]

Yeah. It never loaded. I got the GPS for the spot I'm looking for from Nandy and Egg. Also NTB made me buy an app that shows it as well. Cost me four stinking dollars! That's ok. I'll just shoot a squirrel or something while I'm there to have something to eat.