N8OFP - Del

Seems that there are more and more cache owners who are just interested in the number of caches they can hide and not in taking care of the caches they already have out. There are an ever growing number of caches that have a large number of DNFs that date back 6, 8 or months and the owners don't seem to care. Who's suppose to be keeping an eye out for deadbeat cache owners?

Our last event in October of this year we placed 170 caches on 9 miles of trails at the local Wilderness Center. Most of the 170 caches were places strictly for the event, a couple have been made permanent. The problem was not having time to place or pull that many containers. The problem was trying to upload caches (regardless of the number) to so many different GPS units. We had attendies that had what seen to be every possible GPS Manufacture and model of GPS. A number of these devices required software that none of the laptops used for loading had available. Garmin - We saw almost every model Garmin currently makes or ever made. Magellan - Same here we saw a wide range of models. Delorme GPS – All 3 versions of their hand units which require Delorme Topo 8 to upload waypoints. Cobra GPS Lowrance GPS Tom-Toms Multitude GPS Phones and other PDA/GPS device units. A number of the attendies who knew they needed special software brought their own laptops to load their GPS. We simply gave them a GPX file exported from GSAK and they were able to load their units. So our thought was if we could upload a gpx and/or text files to the event page with all the temporary cache coordinance this would help the users with the specialized devices (GPS Phone, Delorme GPS, Lowrance GPS etc.) if they could download the file and then load their GPS before they get to the event. Handing out a piece of paper with 170 sets of coordinance the day of the event would not work very well as it would take hours to input to most of the GPS units. As far as the Additional Waypoints I have a few questions. 1) Is there a limit to the number of additional waypoints that can be added to a cache page? 2) Can the additional waypoints be uploaded or do they have to be manually entered? 3) Would the additional waypoints be downloaded as child waypoints if the user downloaded the event page as a gpx export? Thanks!

I would like to know if there is a way to upload a large number of temporary waypoints to a Event Cache page. Some history, reason behind this quezstion. For the past few years the Geocaching group, that I'm a member of, has put on two event. A fall event (around the middle of October) and a winter event (around the first of February). So far each year we have put out more and more temporary caches for these events. Our last fall event we had 170 temporary caches. Thus far our events have been really successful and fun. We always have a GPS loading station at our events and generally have at least two club members loading participant's GPS with the temporary caches coordinates. The problem we ran into at our fall event is with the ever growing number of GPS units on the market and it seems each and every one has a little different communication protocol, we had problem loading the temporary caches (Didn’t have the right cables, didn’t have the specific software loaded, etc.). It would be nice if there was a way to upload the temporary waypoints to the event’s Geocaching.com page say the day before the event so people can down load and install the waypoints themselves before coming to the event. We would still have our GPS upload stations available but we could them list on our page the GPS models we know we can upload to and suggest users of GPS units not in the list download the waypoints and load their GPS units before coming to the event. Thank you!

I had the same problem with my etrex Vista CX after having the batteries completely die out. Was about ready to sent the unit back to Garmin when I found a post on another forum that explained that in some cases if the unit is on and the batteries complete die the unit's processor is placed into a power off loop, where the screen fades shortly after power up. The solution was to make sure you have fresh batteries in the unit, turn the unit on and as soon as the first screen appear press and hold the power button until the unit turns off. This should clear the loop the unit processor is in. I tried it on my Vista and it has worked fine ever since. P.S. I've also had to do this with my 60CSX when the batteries died before I could shut the unit off properly. Both the Vista and 60CSX had the latest firmware available at the time this happened.

Add a cheap PDA and go papeless...

Below is what Garmin sent a friend of mine that had the GPS SW version 0.00 issue with her brand new 60CSX. It fixed her GPS

Have you tried the GSAK Help Forum?? This topic has been cover very extensively and there are several macros that will help in automating this function.

Email sent

Not knowing your specific cable I can't say for sure if it will work with your T/E or not. That being said if the cable is a USB cable and one connector fits the T/E it will most likely work. You do not need to have a sync button in the cable. As long as you have Palm Desktop software loaded on your PC, power up the T/E and tap on the Hotsync Icon. Make sure it is set for cradle / cable and then tap the Hotsync icon in the center of the screen.

Try this link, at the bottom of the page is a link to download for Palm. Google Map prc file I have Google Maps on my TX and it works fine as long as you have an internet connection. On the info page of the Google Maps on my TX it says it's version 1.2.0.9 and it gives a url of http://mobile.google.com Hope that helps...

Have you tried using the settings for the 60CSX for the Vista. The Vista allows the same length for the waypoint name as the 60CSX. Also in GSAK, when you open the Send Waypoints To GPS screen set the Maximum Charater to 15.

Testing

Looking at a few caches that GC.COM say were found today. The last log day was actually yesterday. Seems the server is a day behind. Any one else seeing this?

If you are a Geocaching Premium Member you can create and download a pocket query for caches in a given area. You can import these pocket queries into GSAK. After you have imported the pocket query into GSAK you can apply filters and / or export the cache information to your GPS, PDA, Mapping Program etc. There are several Geocaching programs that will run on the Palm PDA. The one I prefer is Cachemate. To learn more about GSAK you may want to check out the GSAK Getting Started on the GSAK Forum?

Yes, you can upload the Hint to your GPS. Click GPS in the GSAK tool bar then select Send Waypoints.... In the lower right side of the Send Waypoints To GPS screen you will see a field called Waypoint Description Format. In this field enter %Hint After you load the waypoints into your GPS the Hint will show up when you select a cache or if you select the Data button when in the Compass mode.

Would like to see a Keyword search added to the Build Pocket Query options. This is an option when using the Search For Nearest Caches search, but not when building a pocket query. We have a Game Cache called The Chumopoly Series. There are 30+ caches in this series and you much find, log, and retreive information from all 30+ in order to find the final Mega Cache. It would be nice to be able to create a PQ by searching "Chumopoly" so that the entire series could be loaded into PC, PDA and GPS.

I use a Palm TX for my primary PDA and have a Palm T3 as a backup. Both have Cachemate and MobiPocket. I've used Palms and Cachemate since I started paperless caching, starting with a Palm M505, then a Palm Zire 71. I don't think you can beat the combination of Palm and Cachemate.

I purchased a new Vista late in 2006. It worked fine for a few months, then started turning off by itself. I contacted Garmin. They gave me a RMA number to return the unit. They told me this was a known issue with the Vista. I returned it for repair. Instead of repairing my unit they sent me a brand new one which worked about a week before it started turning off by itself. So I called Garmin again. Again they said this was a known issue and to return the unit for repair. I asked if it was a know issue why did they not sent me a unit that had been fixed. I was told that the issue is bad connections between the battery contacts and the main PC Board, and so far they had not found a good fix. So I sent the second unit back. Again they send me another new unit. This one lasted a few weeks maybe before it started turning off by itself and this also developed another problem, the display would get lines through it, and at times it was unreadable. So another call to Garmin. By this time I was pretty ticked. I told them I didn't want another piece of junk to just send my money back. A few days after sending the third unit back I got a call from Garmin, stating that they were sorry for all the problems I had been having but they would not refund my money, however if I would accept it they would send me a new Vista CX. Since they weren't going to refund my money I accepted the Vista CX. I received the Vista Cx and it has been working great since. So I would recommend contacting Garmin as soon as you can and get the unit sent back as soon as possible (before the warrenty runs out). And I sure hope you don't have the same problems I did but if you do stick to your guns.

Thank you!! I will pass it on to my friend.

Thanks, I'll pass it along to my friend. I'll leave it up to them if they want to try it or buy City Nav...

Where can one find / download the "EXTRA" software??

Has any one tried loading Garmin MetroGuide North America Version 8 on a Garmin 60CSX? A friend purchased Using Garmin MetroGuide North America Version 8 only to find that the 60CSX is not listed on the compatibility list. Thank you! Del

Has any one tried loading Garmin MetroGuide North America Version 8 on a Garmin 60CSX? A friend purchased Using Garmin MetroGuide North America Version 8 only to find that the 60CSX is not listed on the compatibility list. Thank you! Del

This can be done by using a macro, however you can only log one cache at a time. The way I do it is: 1) I use a Palm PDA and Cachemate to log my finds at the cache site. 2) When I get home I sync the Palm and my PC. 3) I have a GSAK macro that will import my finds from the Cachemate backup files on the PC. This includes the Find Date, Find Time, Items traded (Took / Left), Travel Bug info, and any notes I enter into Cachemate. It places the Time, Date, Took Left TB and Notes into the GSAK Notes field, and marks the cache as found. 4) I have a GSAK macro that then sorts all caches marked as found. 5) The macro then cycles through all the found caches and presents me with a form that displays the cache name, GC number, and a text box that has the current notes from Cachmate, I can then add any other comments I wish. 6) Once I an finished entering additional information I click on continue. 7) The macro then does a quick spell check. 8) The macro then copies the Notes to the Windows Clip Board. 9) The macro then opens the cache logging page on Geocaching.com 10) I then select the "Log Type" (Found) 11) I then do a Ctrl + V in the GC.com comments section to paste my notes. 12) I then click on the "Submit Log Entry" button. After this protion of the macro is complete it moves all the found caches from the current database to my Found database. Then it runs the DNF (Did not find) portion of the macro. All the steps are the same as 1 - 12 above. I have logged 30+ finds in less than 30 minutes from start to finish (This depends a lot on how much and how fast you type in each Notes section of GSAK, your internet connection speed, and how fast the Geocaching Logging page opens. I your interested in this let me know. I will help any way I can.

Found version 2.6 Reloaded it and the GPS is working great. All issues seem to be corrected by reverting back to Version 2.6