If you click on a point on an aerial photo on google earth, imbedded in the web address is the long. & lad. coords of that point. But when I compare this with the coords from the same spot on my garmin 12 the coords are way off. Can anyone explain this?

Parallel universe.

Hey Todd ,where have ya been? Sounds like ya been scouting. Good Luck.

LOST!!!!!!

Your Never lost just in unfamiliar surroundings this one time.[:-]

Did you calibrate you GPS?
What is the model ?
Comparing the reading from a topo map with the cordinates marked on the GPS your location will usually be a ' meter or two' different...but not a whole lot, as you've mentioned.

Try calibrating your GPS, using Magnetic North and see what happens.

If it were a parallel universe then the points would match and I could go there and find myself!

Quick..............whats that behind you.????????????????[:-]

There are different formats such as NAD83 etc. Make sure it is set to the correct one.

how do I do that? how do I determine what format my unit uses?

It should be in the settings menu, at least that's where it is in my garman E-trex. You have to find out what format Google Earth uses to compare it to what yours is set for. I had to change mine to match the coordinates with the place I hunt.