Decipher GPS Coordinates

[KeenTeen17]

In order to find an unknown cache, I need to decipher this message that gives the GPS coordinates in the form N 53° 40.811 W 002° 38.537

Thanks for this I am useless at this sort of thing.

[The Woodman]

The location is on the golf course to the west of the A6 near Whittle le Woods.

I don't know if that's what you're asking??

[Hedge Witch]

No it's not there.

KT - this is what I know for sure, and you just () need to fill in the Xs :

N 53 degrees 39.XXX
W 002 degrees XX.XXX

But while what I could work out for sure was logical (sort of) the rest is not as clear cut I don't think.

The Xs seem to be written in a different code. I am hazarding a guess that it is something like this:

N 53 degrees 39.9XX
W 002 degrees 39.446

This is just my opinion, maybe someone will have a better idea though

[The Woodman]

Originally Posted by KeenTeen17

In order to find an unknown cache, I need to decipher this message that gives the GPS coordinates in the form N 53° 40.811 W 002° 38.537

Thanks for this I am useless at this sort of thing.

So am I, obviously!

Where do the X's come in, HW?

[poschiavanus]

Go here: Enter Lat/Long for Co-ordinate converter - nearby.org.uk

Type the coordinates in (leaving the bits after teh decimal point in the minutes box) and you should get the following Grid Ref: SD 57673 20605, which is here and here and here! Which is, as The Woodman says in the middle of a golf course.

[jerryh]

I see where HW got her solution from, and I'm sure it's right.

I wonder if the line-and-dot means "use the number code for the rest of this line".
Maybe the two unidentified codes - the "J" and it's reflection - translate to A and B. This gives us all the letters from A to I for 1-9, and so gives the latitude as either:
N 53 degrees 39.912, or
N 53 degrees 39.921
depending on which is A and which is B.

and the longitude as you say:
W 002 degrees 39.446

This is in a field just north of a British Aerospace and a road called Washington Lane near Euxton in Lancashire.

Another interpretation might be to use the J code for the letter J (!), which could be a zero at the end of A-I == 1-9.

Like HW says, the numerical bit is not quite clear. Any more clues KT17?

Jerry

[Hedge Witch]

Where do the X's come in, HW?

Hi Woodman - the words North, West and degrees along with numbers like fifty three and zero are written as words, but the letters are in code. You can tell this if you look at the patterns the codes make.

The sign like the divide sign but without the upper dot I think denotes change in coding format. Codes that are after this sign are more difficult to decipher. The small dot I think is decimal point, which, after all, is a small dot

[The Woodman]

Thanks posch, HW and jerryh, does Mensa know you're out there?!
I thought the apparently straighforward conversion was too obvious!

[poschiavanus]

See I completely missed the point of this (although I hope the link to co-ordinate translation is useful). Personally once things get like this I usually switch off: so congrats for Hedge Witch for seeing things straight off. My only comment is that there are a pretty small number of signs and as others have said they convert one to one to a symbol (letter or number). Therefore the range of solutions is not huge!

If this is geocacheing its too complicated for me! Certainly won't be applying to GCHQ for a job.

Having looked at it again I'd agree completely with Hedge Witch. Reuse symbols for A-I for 1-9, or just possibly A-J for 0-9. Usually mirror symbols are adjacent in the sequence. This gives two most likely candidates.

[Hedge Witch]

If it were me, I'd go for the following coordinates:

N 53 degrees 39.901 W 002 degrees 39.446

Why?

Well no-one has argued the 39.446 value, and as for the other one, of all the solutions, this one is conveniently situated next to a road (at the point where it bends) I think.