GPS coordinates for Swedish mountain huts

Here you can find the coordinates for about 50 mountain huts in Lappland. I have read these from 1:100 000 maps, and have expressed them to 100m precision. This reflects the precision of the GPS system with SA degradation, my ability to measure small distances on a map, the finite size of the symbols on the maps, and indeed the finite size of the camps in reality.
The coordinates are expressed in the Swedish Grid system, with map datum RT90, and are available as a simple text file or in a form that can be directly uploaded to a receiver with MacGPS via a cable that you can make with the help of Purple Open Projects, a wonderful enterprise that saves you money, but which would deserve support even if it didn't.

Many of the values have not been checked in the field, or indeed by anyone else's reading of the maps, and although I went through the list twice and checked the matrix of distances between some of the huts, it's still possible that there are errors in the list that I have become blind to. If anyone has a few hours to spare to check even a selection of them, or better still, measurements from the field, please let me know and I will tag those entries with a confidence mark. Coordinates for other huts for which I don't have maps would be great too. Those that I have personally measured are flagged with an appended "_M" in the plain text file, and can be spotted in the download file by not having the trailing two zeros in easting and northing values.

Incidentally, I have a Garmin GPS-12 and am delighted with it. It is small, fast, cheap, and well-designed both physically and operationally. I use lithium batteries, which have half the weight and at least twice the life of alkalines, they can be stored for years, and tolerate low temperatures. The increased lifetime makes up for the extra cost.
To upload waypoints to my Mac, and to view routes superimposed on maps, I use MacGPS Pro from James Associates.

I bought the device for kayak trips in the Swedish archipelagos where lack of distinct features make navigation by map and compass a nightmare. Paddle 500m, look back, and all you see is a uniform line of trees across the horizon; look forward and you see dozens of indistinguishable skerries, if anything. However, now that I have the unit, it will be at the bottom of my pack as a backup on hiking and skiing trips too. There have been many times that I was 95% sure that I could negotiate a short-cut by compass, but wimped out just in case I missed joining the trail again. Now I can afford to take that 5% chance.

I have made a searchable database version of my coordinates available to WAP telephone users in case you forget to take a copy with you. As well as allowing you to search for a hut by name, you can enter your current position from your GPS, and you will get a bearing and distance to the nearest known hut. The page can also be viewed with a regular browser, when it becomes a little more elaborate.

If you're interested in waypoints from other parts of the world, see Waypoint Base and The Waypoint Registry.
Pyreneean cabin coords can be found at La Rando, and Finnish cabins at Fishing Fanatics.
Or maybe you are interested in speed cameras on the motorways in Sweden at Hastighetskameror.

Just for fun, you can see some speed measurements I've made with my GPS during various sports here.

Mark Harris 24-Mar-2001

Send email to me at markh "at" xray.bmc.uu.se