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Latitude and Longitude Display and Entry


WinOrbit permits display and entry of observer and satellite latitude and longitude in a number of formats. The default format is decimal degrees; west longitude and north latitude are positive. Here are some of the options:
* East Longitudes > 0. A true right-handed coordinate system would display angles east of Greenwich as positive.
* Degrees, minutes, seconds. Alternate display of latitude and longitude.
* NSEW. Use cardinal compass directions instead of + and - to indicate direction.
* Longitude ranges. Longitudes may be expressed as 0 - 360 E, 360 - 0 W, or 180 E - 180 W, or the numerical equivalents (with +/- as appropriate instead of E/W).

For data entry, any number with blank spaces between the digits is interpreted as being degrees, minutes, seconds. for example: 40.667 is the same as 40 40, 40d 40m, or 40 40' 00". This is true regardless of the display format.

Observer locations may also be specified (in the QTH window) by entering the grid square instead of the latitude and longitude. Locations may also be entered directly from the map by using the mouse: shift-click (puts the location in the QTH list) or ctrl-click (changes the observer immediately) at the desired location. For more accuracy, turn on the Cursor display first.

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