Notes by Dan Jacobson for http://jidanni.org/geo/maidenhead/

2003:
By the way, my programs, if polished to how I want them, would be
simple batch processors, with no goofy graphical interface or side
bells/whistles.

Note, we return the coordinates of the southwest corner, not the
center, of the grid square given.

KJ7V> Why the SW corner?  Just curious.

Well, with longitude and latitude input, If we keep choosing the
halfway point of digits beyond what the user entered -- he says 49
degrees, we assume 49.5, he says 49.5, we assume 49.75 -- then he'll
never have a way to enter a stable value.  This is usually no
question about this in daily life, except when dealing with grid
square input instead of longitude and latitude.

So I use the same strategy with maidenhead input.  As a bonus, for
many values, allowing enough maidenhead digits, one can convert a
point back and forth intact.

2004.6.7
W2IOL, http://home.earthlink.net/~rcmcc emails:
R> In Feb 2003, K3RXK in QST said that, "The Maidenhead system actually
R> extends beyond six characters..."  In a search, I can't find that
R> definition at ARRL or anywhere, even what appears to be the official
R> record of the Maidenhead meeting.  I will have to write him for a
R> reference.  Do you have it?

All I know is in /usr/share/doc/qgrid/html/index-4.html of the
former qgrid Debian package, it said:
	One can continue this process as long as you wish.  Zero to
	nine for the numbers and A to X for the letters:
	<let><let><num><num><let><let><num><num><let><let>....
	(source: Bob Carpenter w3otc@amsat.org)
We also see a
	Qgrid Copyright 2001 Johan Maes - ON1MH, on1mh@pandora.be

So that is probably what gave me the idea.

I haven't used my bare knowledge of python after I wrote the program,
and this area of my brain has shut down until further notice, as you
can see by me just putting R. Kanter's stuff alongside, and not
integrating it.
Kanters notes
$ echo PL04KE | maiden2lonlat | lonlat2maiden
PL04JE
but doesn't fix it either.

From: "G1OGY (Dave)" <g1ogy@g1ogy.com>
To: <jidanni@jidanni.org>
Cc: <rkanters@richmond.edu>
Subject: "gpsdll2mh" or lonlat2maidenhead with attitude
Date: Fri, 14 Nov 2008 01:15:06 -0000

Hello Dan, hello Rene

This time it's been only 4 years between iterations.

Many thanks to you both for the work you put in - I've shamelessly
appropriated your code, changed it a bit, topped and tailed it and Boy!
is it useful.

Furthermore, it's perfectly accurate for 6-char Locators (most commonly
used) and works throughout the globe.  Tested against
http://www.qrz.com/gridfinder.

Thanks again.

http://www.g1ogy.com/projects/gps/

73
-Dave
-- 
Dave Gilligan, G1OGY
_______________________________________

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