On 23 Dec 2005 22:07:18 -0800, wrote:

A dogleg is the course that occurs when you "aim" for your target
waypoint while wind or current pushes you from the side ... If you
follow bearing to target you would arch around the target and finally
meet it but it would NOT be a straght line..

====================================

With a GPS this is fairly easy and there are at least two ways to do
it.

Method 1: Set a waypoint for your destination; observe your bearing
to the waypoint and your Course Over Ground (COG); adjust your steered
course so that they are equal to each other; readjust as necessary.

Method 2: Set a From/To route using your present position as "From"
and your destination as "To"; Observe your Cross Track Error (XTE),
and adjust course to keep XTE near zero.

Both methods will result in a straight line course over ground
depending on your steering accuracy.

Many GPS have a "highway mode" Which is a pretty good graphic of the direct
course to destination with your position relative to same. Pretty easy to
adjust your steering to maintain a steady course along the highway.

Butch

PS: Only for us non USPS amateurs, of course.

B
"Wayne.B" wrote in message
...
On 23 Dec 2005 22:07:18 -0800, wrote:

A dogleg is the course that occurs when you "aim" for your target
waypoint while wind or current pushes you from the side ... If you
follow bearing to target you would arch around the target and finally
meet it but it would NOT be a straght line..

====================================

With a GPS this is fairly easy and there are at least two ways to do
it.

Method 1: Set a waypoint for your destination; observe your bearing
to the waypoint and your Course Over Ground (COG); adjust your steered
course so that they are equal to each other; readjust as necessary.

Method 2: Set a From/To route using your present position as "From"
and your destination as "To"; Observe your Cross Track Error (XTE),
and adjust course to keep XTE near zero.

Both methods will result in a straight line course over ground
depending on your steering accuracy.

@ All

thanks for the replies

To clarify: I know how to navigate without GPS and with cross current
by useing vectors...

My question is purely:

can a GPS (alone, no autpilot) show you the course or where you have
to point your bow (bearing) in order to drive a straight line to your
target. WITHOUT creating waypoints or "manual" input like adjusting for
cross track errors ...

Since the GPS is a more powerful computer as the one that got the
Apollo spaceships to the moon and back, that should be possible

My garmin GPS 276C has a "CDI" which i beleive does just that but the
description in the manual is useless esp. in regards how it works and
what not ...

So I was wondering if the GPS can do more as what we can do on a map
....

Mat

On 25 Dec 2005 11:26:54 -0800, wrote:

can a GPS (alone, no autpilot) show you the course or where you have
to point your bow (bearing) in order to drive a straight line to your
target. WITHOUT creating waypoints or "manual" input like adjusting for
cross track errors ...

===============================

I think that if I understand your question, you are asking if a GPS
can be used as a navigation calculator to solve vector problems. If
so, the answer is no. Pilots used to carry something which resembled
a circular dial with rotating cursor arm if my memory is correct. I
believe you would enter your air speed, wind speed and wind angle and
it would calculate course correction or something like that. Is that
what you are asking? If yes, you could set up something on a laptop
or Palm Pilot using a spreadsheet or BASIC program. The math is not
that complicated if you are conversant with vectors and trig. TI used
to offer a Navigation package with their high end programmable
calculators that would solve vector problems.