How-To: Using GPS Coords in Google Earth

In many of my entries I refer to "GPS Coords" - this is actually the latitude/longitude of the location I want you to look at. Your GPS unit's main function is to use satellites to determine where you are - recording the lat/long of the position. In order to see the place in Google Earth, you must have Google Earth desktop application available on your computer. If you do not have it or want to know more about it, see my writeup "How-To: Using Google Earth for Hiking" for more information. You can actually use the referenced lat/long in many applications, I'm just talking about Google Earth in this writeup.

Here is what you do -

• Start Google Earth if not already started
• Check to insure the "Fly to" box is available on the left side of the screen - if not, hit "Ctrl-Alt-B" to show the sidebar
• Enter the Lat/Long you want to lookup in the "Fly to" box (can use Copy & Paste)
• Click on the magnifying glass icon to right of the "Fly to" box

You should now "fly to" the location on the map. You now can zoom in and/or out to get a look at the location from the sky. The area picture might be a few years old, but it will give you an idea of the area. You can enter more if you want. By removing the checkmark next to any of the listed coords below the "Fly to" box they will not be shown on the map. You can "right-click" on an entry below the "Fly to" box and by selecting "properties" you can make the spot more descriptive.