For many years, conventional wisdom has been that only the most experienced and smartest measurers were capable of successfully using the electronic method. I have been told, “Sure you find it easy because you have a PhD. There is no way the ordinary beginning measurer without your background can make it work.” Recently, some have called for a ban on its use by the beginning measurer.
Now, recent news has confounded conventional wisdom with the reports that two new measurers have received certification of electronic measurements. Chris Hanson had watched Rick Recker perform a conventional measurement, but was completely self-taught in the electronic method. I measured his 10-km course on Google Earth and found 10,000 m exactly after allowing for the SCPF. Helen Fennelly was also self-taught and moreover did not have the benefit of seeing a conventional measurement. On her own initiative, she confirmed her 5-km measurement on Earth, and checked her map technique by measuring a track. These results show a ban is unwarranted.
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