Re: Long/Lat to OS Grid Ref

Bitstring <fbhp8a$ghs$1@xxxxxxxx>, from the wonderful person Nigel C <spam@xxxxxxxxxxx> said
Paul Saunders wrote:
Nigel C wrote:

Is there a site or a free programme that will let me enter Latitude
and Longitude and output the UK OS grid reference? I've found a site
that lets me do the reverse operation
http://www.obliquity.com/astro/osgb.html but that's not what I want.

I don't have a gps or Memory Map.
Both GSV and Nigel are correct, Grid Inquest and GPS Utility will do the job, however they'll produce different results. The question is what do you want to use these grid refs for, and what's the source of your lat/longs?

Just hovering my mouse in Google Earth. Don't laugh!
Grid Inquest will produce a very accurate conversion, but it's not suitable for use with a GPS.
GPS Utility (and most other GPS & mapping software) uses a simple conversion which produces an inaccurate result, but it's pretty much the same as the conversion done internally in a GPS, so it's accurate for GPS use.
You say you don't have a GPS, so you probably need the first one, unless you want to convert the grid refs for others to use with a GPS.
Also, what's the source of these lat/longs? Are they UK (OS datum) or US (WGS84 datum)? Each is different, so you need to be sure which datum is used if you want an accurate conversion.

Thanks. I didn't know that. Quite simply I wanted to let someone know, who doesn't have a computer but the relevant OS maps which I don't have, approximate grid references of a few places.

Unless you are giving 10 figure references any of the above will work. If you want cm accuracy you better use Grid Inquest (and be sure about your datums, and your dates, given the way the tectonic plates keep leaping around).

Putting stuff into / out of GPS systems is best done using WGS84 .. their interpretation of OSGB (especially height) is, as Paul said, pretty whacky sometimes. We don't get any special treatment over formats like 'Indonesian Equatorial' or 'India Zone4B', or numerous other strange types.

--
GSV Three Minds in a Can
9,423 Km walked. 1,827Km PROWs surveyed. 33.2% complete.
.

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