I need to get longitude-latitude with minutes

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Dec 1, 2020
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I have a work project that is requiring me to provide the exact longitude, latitude with minutes on some of the property lines. This is likely a stupid question, but would a hand held GPS or a similar handheld give me that info? I have a oooold Garmin that I haven’t used in 25+ years, I’m sure it’s toast. I have been using onX recently, if it has that function I couldn’t find it on there.
I’m fairly certain my boat GPS gives me exact coordinates, however I have no idea what part of the boat it reads from. ( not sure what that has to do with anything just a random thought)

Anyway, I thought this might be a good excuse to purchase another gadget…if my only other option is to hire a surveyor?
Any thoughts or help would be appreciated.
This is a time sensitive question.
Thanks
 

JjamesIII

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As soon as you said “exact”- you entered the realm of surveyor. Hell, they aren’t even exact, but as close as we got, and the law recognizes that. Now deg/min or a ten digit grid coordinate is still going to get you 10’ accuracy, if you know what your doing.
 
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GPS won't be accurate enough if it has to be "exact" It'll have to be surveyed. Older GPS's like that won't work either. They changed some things up many years ago. I have an early gen GPS that will no longer function. I don't know dates and such, but safe to assume that if your 25 year old gps physically functions, it will no longer pick up satellites.
 
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A phone or recreational GPS is not capable of the precision required for a legal survey.

If you're just wanting to get "pretty close" and need to convert the coordinates from decimal degrees to degrees and minutes, multiply the decimal portion of the coordinate by 60 to get the minutes. For example, 40.125°N = 40° 7.5' N.
 
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OnX has 4 different Coordinates units.
Switch your settings to DMS (Degrees, Minutes, Seconds). Tap on the map, and the coordinates appear.

Last I checked (which was a long time ago), civilian GPS systems are only accurate to 10-33 feet.

As the above posters state, depending on what you need the information for, hire a surveyor.
 
OP
R
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Thanks guys, I don’t think I have any real exposure here. The aircraft company/hanger ask me to replace on side of their fence for some home—land security updates. It’s just a straight section and “they“ have been ask to provide the coordinates by the city. They ask me if I had any ideas, we are literally just removing and replacing exact locations. The city rejected the google coordinates they had previously provided because they didn’t have minutes attached.
 
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Thanks guys, I don’t think I have any real exposure here. The aircraft company/hanger ask me to replace on side of their fence for some home—land security updates. It’s just a straight section and “they“ have been ask to provide the coordinates by the city. They ask me if I had any ideas, we are literally just removing and replacing exact locations. The city rejected the google coordinates they had previously provided because they didn’t have minutes attached.
I would just convert the Google coordinates and resubmit to the city. Sounds like that will be precise enough in your case. You might check with the city first to confirm if they want the coordinates in Degrees + Minutes or Degrees + Minutes + Seconds (since it seems that they are incapable of performing a simple unit conversion on their own). Ask them if they want NAD27, NAD83, or WGS84 coordinates if you really want to confuse them.
 

Vaultman

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Construction staking is one thing, something any button pusher can do... Figuring out a property line... hire a land surveyor, of which there are at least a dozen on this forum, including yours truly.
One thing that pisses me off to no end is local jurisdictions telling an applicant that they can do something that the state law doesn't allow. Most states, including the two I work in, a property line has to be resolved by a licensed land surveyor. Not a GIS and a magic marker.
Sorry, sometimes my soap box gets a little tall, but I felt I had to say it.
 
OP
R
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Construction staking is one thing, something any button pusher can do... Figuring out a property line... hire a land surveyor, of which there are at least a dozen on this forum, including yours truly.
One thing that pisses me off to no end is local jurisdictions telling an applicant that they can do something that the state law doesn't allow. Most states, including the two I work in, a property line has to be resolved by a licensed land surveyor. Not a GIS and a magic marker.
Sorry, sometimes my soap box gets a little tall, but I felt I had to say it.
I’m on the other side of the proverbial fence….err soapbox, we bid a project and then get loaded with 50 extra things no one mentioned beforehand but now require before we can actual do the work we bid. This one doesn’t look to be too bad, but we have literally been down this road where they ask for something else, everyday for months on end. (paperwork) I’m not exaggerating and the people you deal with are mostly just goofballs many have no idea what they are doing. So I get added to that same category trying to figure out how to get them what they want.

The government is a pain to have to be involved with, what use to take a few weeks now regularly takes over a year to get the state or federal governments blessing and or permit approved. Just recently I applied to the FAA to bring a 80 ton crane at this same facility so we can remove a rooftop HVAC unit months ago and have yet to get a response.….while there is a larger one operating straight across the runway at this moment.
when you hear stories about the government paying $500.00 dollars for a hammer you immediately think someone is being scammed, when in reality by the time you can actually get the hammer into the hand that needs it you have way more hours invested than the $500 they paid. And the hammer story is from years ago, it’s likely 10k now


edited
 
Last edited:

Marbles

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You can change the display format of most GPS units in settings and have it display coordinates in whatever format you want.

How exact? GPS is not survey quality, but it can get you within a few feet to yards depending on conditions. The civilian GPS signal was degraded once upon a time to limit accuracy, but that is no longer the case.
 

Vaultman

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I’m on the other side of the proverbial fence….err soapbox, we bid a project and then get loaded with 50 extra things no one mentioned beforehand but now require before we can actual do the work we bid. This one doesn’t look to be too bad, but we have literally been down this road where they ask for something else, everyday for months on end. (paperwork) I’m not exaggerating and the people you deal with are mostly just goofballs many have no idea what they are doing. So I get added to that same category trying to figure out how to get them what they want.

The government is a pain to have to be involved with, what use to take a few weeks now regularly takes over a year to get the state or federal governments blessing and or permit approved. Just recently I applied to the FAA to bring a 80 ton crane at this same facility so we can remove a rooftop HVAC unit months ago and have yet to get a response.….while there is a larger one operating straight across the runway at this moment.
when you hear stories about the government paying $500.00 dollars for a hammer you immediately think someone is being scammed, when in reality by the time you can actually get the hammer into the hand that needs it you have way more hours invested than the $500 they paid. And the hammer story is from years ago, it’s likely 10k now


edited
I agree. Planning / Zoning are one of the biggest evils of property ownership or any kind of development. My soapbox is that they SHOULD NOT be asking for anything illegal.
 

JjamesIII

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Jan 3, 2022
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Ohio
Construction staking is one thing, something any button pusher can do... Figuring out a property line... hire a land surveyor, of which there are at least a dozen on this forum, including yours truly.
One thing that pisses me off to no end is local jurisdictions telling an applicant that they can do something that the state law doesn't allow. Most states, including the two I work in, a property line has to be resolved by a licensed land surveyor. Not a GIS and a magic marker.
Sorry, sometimes my soap box gets a little tall, but I felt I had to say it.
G.I.S= Get It Surveyed
 
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