Like all the ANARE continental stations, Casey has GPS equipment and a number of routes off station which have been marked with canes and waypoints at regular intervals.

As there is little to differentiate the landscape to provide a point of reference, and blizzard conditions during which there is little or no visibility are common, all who plan to travel off station must know how to navigate using GPS.

All over-snow vehicles are fitted with GPS navigation equipment, and hand-held GPS equipment is available for those who need it.

Cane line database manager at Casey

The person responsible for the Casey GPS equipment and the navigation database is the cane line database manager. Responsibilities of this position includes working with the FTO to monitor the condition of the canes on routes and effect repairs or upgrades. The FTO and volunteers (and sometimes the database manager) usually do the field work replacing damaged canes. The database manager keeps the records accurate by ensuring that as canes are replaced, the identification number of the cane is retained and the location updated if the cane is moved significantly.

Maintaining the station GPS units ensures that they have up-to-date data uploaded. Responsibilities also include assisting people with their own personal GPS units to load up the Casey waypoint database to their GPS (easy if they have a Garmin GPS).

Producing updated printed editions of the route notes happens whenever there is any substantial change to routes, waypoint or cane positions. There should be a current hard copy of the route notes in each Hägglunds. Keeping track of the station GPS equipment so that it is available for people to borrow. Currently the hand-held GPS units are kept in the communications area in the operations building and are booked in and out as people use them.

GPS equipment at Casey

GPS equipment in the care of the cane line database manager includes:

  • Garmin GPS 45XL hand held units (4)
  • Garmin GPS 128 internal vehicle mounted units (2)
  • Garmin GPS 126 internal vehicle mounted units (2)
  • external aerial to suit Garmin GPS 45XL (2)
  • assorted leads for connecting Garmins to DC power or serial communications
  • Garmin PCX5 software for transferring data to and from Garmin GPS45 units.

Established cane routes around Casey

There are several routes in the immediate area around Casey that have been checked and canes added where necessary. All canes are numbered and documented in the cane line database and Casey Route Notes books. These routes include:

  • Casey to S1
  • Casey to Jack’s Donga
  • Casey to Wilkes
  • Casey to Robbo’s Refuge
  • Casey to Browning Hut.
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