HERE IT IS…..

“THE FAR HORIZONS” CONTEST by The Team

Start at a large steel sign marked ‘Ladd Petroleum Company’ in the overall vicinity of Lost World Butte (fairly near Moab, Utah). Determine the UTM in WGS 84.

From here, follow a compass course of 319 deg. 32 min. 56.0190 sec.True. This bearing will take you across Vancouver Island. In the Greater Victoria area, look for a piece of old railway track where it leaves asphalt and heads off into grass (see Photo #5 in Photo Contest #1; we’ve also updated this same photo which can be found on Jessica’s site in the photo section under “The Far Horizons” Contest. (There are a total of 5 new photos here which you must establish UTM’s for as part of the contest).

Determine the UTM of this railway track.

From this location (the railway track), follow a True compass course of 130 deg. 40 min. 45.7542sec. for 1529689 meters. If things have been done correctly, you’ll find a pink painted circle on a very large rock. From this pink circle, proceed approximately 50 meters at approx. 85 deg. True (use the correct compass declination for this area). There, glued to a rock, you’ll find a GPS tag.

What is the tag number? __________. (There’s a large arrow scratched into the rock just below this tag as a reference.) WARNING: This is very rough country – be prepared!

From this pink circle, proceed 1527096 meters at 319 deg. 46 min. 47.0795 sec.

Determine this UTM in WGS 84.

Now, using a compass declination of 19 deg. E, determine the distance to the following positions from the UTM you determined above.

A) How many meters is it to a telephone pole and transformer at 266 deg. T? ________________

B) How many meters is it to a yellow oil tank by some stairs at the side of a building at 184 deg. T? __________________

C) How many meters is it to a yellow and black marker at 125 deg. T? ___________

From the UTM you determined above, proceed 1547077 meters at 129 deg. 35 min. 00.6368 sec. There you will find a benchmark and a GPS tag.

What is the date of the benchmark? _____________________, AND what is the GPS tag number? ___________________

From this benchmark, proceed on a True compass course of 319 deg. 01 min. 13.2007 sec. for 1547852 meters. From the position you determine, now determine the following distances to:

A) A totem pole at 290 deg. True ________________

B) The top of a brown building elevator shaft at 290 deg. True __________________

C) A house with blue trim and a shiny top of what appears to be a chimney at

287 deg. True _____________

From the UTM you determined, proceed 1560950 meters at 130 deg. 23 min. 24.6618 sec. There you will find a buried steel bar with two numbers on it. What are these two numbers? _____________and ________________

From this new position, proceed 1560863 meters at 319 deg. 47 min. 50.4040 sec., and determine this new position.

From this position, determine the following (all compass declinations are 19 deg. East unless advised otherwise):

What is the distance to:

A) A sign that says CABLE at 123 deg. T ______________________

B) A sign at 92 deg. T ________________

C) The widest of two chimneys on a house on a hill at 55 deg. T _______________

(The house is 39 meters higher than where you’re sighting from).

From your sighting position, proceed 472420 meters at 142 deg. 22 min. 12.3993 sec. There you will find a GPS tag nailed to a tree.

What is this GPS tag number? _______________________

From this tree, we’ll give you two bearings and distances:

1) Proceed 480934.6708 meters at 324 deg. 51 min. 22.4844 sec.

2) Proceed 480970.0469 meters at 324 deg. 48 min. 44.3894 sec.

Determine the position of 1)

Determine the position of 2)

Somewhere between the two UTM’s you determined, is a buried bright pink painted rock with a small mini circular moonbomb and a GPS tag attached. It is buried about 6 to 8 inches deep & is approx. 4 inches in diameter. Please rebury as found.

What is the GPS tag number? _________

Add up all the numbers of all questions asked and call them meters.

The first team to answer all the questions AND submit UTM’S FOR THE 5 PHOTOS, is the GRAND WINNER, providing your answer is within 1% of The Team’s grand total.

In the case of a tie, winnings will be split.

You will find the photos on the vigps.com photo site under “The Far Horizons Contest”, and these will appear in a couple of days.

You must answer ALL questions to win.

$2,000.00 Cdn. will be paid ONLY TO THE WINNING TEAM. We will only announce a winner who meets the stated rules.

You may use any other teams to help you out in your quest for victory.

You are responsible for your own safety and well being.

Please make your own financial arrangements with other teams.

No team can monopolize another team for their own exclusive use.

An American team, the Cache U Nuts (Geo.com) may be available to help you out as there is some work to be done in the U.S. There’s a lot of work to be done in Canada, and the team ‘Cache U Nuts’ is in the enviable position of having the ability to work with all Teams from their end. Of course the Canadian teams can do it all on their own – but do they want all the long distance driving? Make your own financial arrangements with them if you use their expertise.

We would appreciate your not asking us a lot of questions; we will not confirm or deny any answers to individual questions until ‘Judgment Day’.

This contest officially expires October 31st, 2005 – or sooner if a team submits all the winning answers before this date.

SO, what follows are the answers we require – this form may assist you with completion of ‘The Far Horizons’ Contest:

ANSWERS REQUIRED

Tag number glued to Rock __________

A) ________

B) ________

C) ________

Year of benchmark ________

Tag by benchmark ________

A) ________

B) ________

C) ________

Steel bar numbers: 1) __________ 2) __________

A) ________

B) ________

C) ________

GPS tag on tree _________

Pink rock number ________

TOTAL: _____________________

UTM’s for 5 included photos are: (Note: all 5 photos in Victoria/Oak Bay area)

1) ________ ________

2) ________ ________

3) ________ ________

4) ________ ________

5) ________ ________

GOOD LUCK TO ALL! THE TEAM

Six teams submitted correct UTMs for all 50 positions for GPS Photo Contest No 2.

Congratulations to the following winning teams (in alphabetical order):
Geodesy V
Geoscavenger
NaviZoom
Roswell
Team Phoenix
Team Sniper

Well done everyone!

On July 2nd, the Cach-U-Nuts completed the Photo / GPS Find No. 1 contest in record time while visiting Vancouver Island from Utah!

Congratulations Cach-U-Nuts!

Fifty photos have just been posted in the vigps photo gallery, in an album called GPS Photo Contest No. 3

The GPS Photo Contest No. 3 is open to everyone!

Read more for all the rules.

The object of the game is to determine the UTM of each photo. Twenty dollars will be paid for each correct UTM, BUT ONLY to the team/individual that gets the most correct answers. In the event of a tie, the money will be split between the winning contestants. For example, if “A” submits 20 correct answers, “B” submits 17 correct answers, and “C” submits 13 correct answers, then “A” wins and “A” would receive $20 X 20 = $400.00 (Cdn.). The winning team or individual must supply a mailing address so we can mail you the funds.

Photos may be on public or private property, but all are visible from public property. If the object is very accessible, we will expect a more exact UTM than one that is on private property or impossible to get to. The object being, proof that you really were at the correct location. NO TRESPASSING!

Prior to the contest deadline of August 7th, 2005 at 6pm, contestants must send email to gpsphoto@vigps.com stating the UTM of your finds beside the designated number of each photo. State your answers in UTM in WGS 84 Datum. Please send only one email containing all your answers.

Do not send in your answers until a message has been posted in the forums to let you know it is okay to do so.

All photos were taken in Saanich, Central Saanich, North Saanich, Oak Bay, Victoria and Esquimalt.

This contest will end August 7, 2005 at 6pm.

All email regarding this contest must be sent to gpsphoto@vigps.com

This contest starts immediately and is open to everyone. It’s a race to the finish with only one winner – the person or team who finishes first. The prize is $500.00 This contest ends July 31, 2005.

Determine the UTM (WGS 84) of the following six photos which are in the photo gallery:
1. Hairy Guy
2. Sun Dial
3. Memorial Gardens Sign
4. Old Car
5. Graffiti
6. Tiger and Dragon

Determine the UTMs as accurately as possible. You must go to all locations and report the UTMs on vigps.com

Total your easting UTMs = ___________
Total your northing UTMs = ___________

Now subtract 2371890 from the total of your easting numbers.
Now subtract 26851788 from the total of your northing numbers.

This will give the approximate UTM of the following….

If you are close, you’ll be near something with the letters “ALP” in the name.

What is the full name?

As soon as you have the solution, post your answers in the vigps.com forum.

Photos were taken in Oak Bay, Saanich, Victoria and North Saanich.

Good Luck!