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????

[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.