Can a GPS do this?

[Big Bone]

First off I'm totally new to GPS's so beer with me.

I'm looking at doing a bit of land surveying for my dad on some property he owns. He wants to build a road going through a gully then up to a ridge and follow that for about a mile. He has topos of the land but isn't 100% about the gradience of land. He wants me to pick up a GPS that will not only have me follow a path he plots out on the computer but also will give the grade (elevation) every few feet. If I do this he'll let me keep the GPS.

Two Questions-

*Can and will a GPS be able to do this and if so how accurate will the elevation reading be and how often will it take readings (i.e. every 3 feet, every 10, etc...)?

*What GPS unit would be optimal for this use?

I've been eyeing a Garmin 60CSX... good choice... bad choice?

Thanks in advance


BB

[DiscGo]

How long is the road?


The 60csx is a great choice.

[Big Bone]

I think about 2 miles max

[moab mark]

I have a csx 60 IMO the elevation readings will not be accurate enough for what you are wanting to do. If moving around on flat ground your elevation will go up and down as much as 50'. From what I understand triangulating elevation from sats to a handheld unit is not to accurate. But hey tell your dad the sales guy said it would do just what you want and then maybe he'll still let you keep it.

Mark

[denaliguide]

its all about averages. even when posting a location for a geocache you need to locate the cache several times on your gps and then take the average. i think if you only walk the track one time you will find that it is not very accurate. however, if you were to walk it 10 times, then you would have a pretty good idea of the true readings. also, if you can then take the track and import it into Nat Geo TOPO! for Utah, you will have the ability to see a profile of the route.

make sure to have WAAS enabled

[bobb169]

A personal GPS is not accurate enough to plot things like boundaries, etc to be legal. It may do a road decent. You can use the point averaging and WAAS, but I wouldn't use one. I have a GArmin 60csx and have used it on property corners for my own info. You would be better off to use a 24K topo, compasss, and tape.

[jman]

look into http://www.trimble.com (http://www.trimble.com). We used them when we needed a very accurate acreage caused by a fire, when I was working for the BLM in St. George. They have personal ones but they are expensive - but if it's for a business, or business-related should I say, then Thimble would be your option. Oh, and then you would need a external antenna like the Tornado or Tempest.

But then again, it all depends how much money you got to expend. Or, perhaps, you could call a engineer and company to do it for you, which will cost a shiny penny.

And yes, Trimble devices can do exactly what you want as described earlier.

Good luck!

[DOSS]

look into http://www.trimble.com (http://www.trimble.com). We used them when we needed a very accurate acreage caused by a fire, when I was working for the BLM in St. George. They have personal ones but they are expensive - but if it's for a business, or business-related should I say, then Thimble would be your option. Oh, and then you would need a external antenna like the Tornado or Tempest.

But then again, it all depends how much money you got to expend. Or, perhaps, you could call a engineer and company to do it for you, which will cost a shiny penny.

And yes, Trimble devices can do exactly what you want as described earlier.

Good luck!

I think that getting a engineering company out there will be cheaper than buying a Trimble -- 7K for a new Trimble

[jman]

[QUOTE=TooeleCherokee;400671]I think that getting a engineering company out there will be cheaper than buying a Trimble -- 7K for a new Trimble