EScout
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Posts posted by EScout
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If you are using your Platinum for navigating, it has several features that are hard to find on many newer GPSrs:
the compass reference has degrees and mils for better precision (both magnetic and true north.) It has one of the best waypoint projection tools, allowing you to project from your location or any saved waypoint. It saves tracks and waypoints/routes in text files on the SD card which allow easy changes and conversions to other formats in your computer. It has a good receiver, decent battery life, and will convert a saved track or active track to route, and has a backtrack feature. Negatives are the crude maps and screen resolution, and minimal geocaching info can be saved with the waypoints. You also have to do a modification to the firmware to get the current WAAS satelites.
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The active track will have a valid time stamp, not any of the saved tracks. So, you need to do your tracking and then pull the active track and save to a GPX file.
Here is an easy method:
Use GPSBabel GUI to save a GPX file containing all of your saved tracks and the active track (in segments created each time you turn off or on.)
Drop this file into G7ToWin
Highlight all the segments and track points from the "Active Track" and below. Right click and save as a GPX file. You can then use this file to geotag in a program such as GPicSync. Remember, the time stamp of the track points is in UTC, so make the adjustment to your photo's time zone in the geotagging program that you use.
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You can drop your GPX files into the folder of the GC, but you will not get the cache images that way.
If you use Vantage Point you will get the images. It will also access this site and let you choose which PQs you want. You will see the list of your recent PQs and check the ones you want to load. If you have a map installed in Vantage point, you can see the caches on the map, so you will see if you chose the correct PQs.
Using GSAK also gives you the cache images, and has the great filtering tools. I usually use GSAK for the GC and my other GPSrs.
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You have not told us what you have tried. Vantage Point program from Magellan works. You can also use GSAK, which works well. First you have to create a Pocket Query. Load it into GSAK or have Vantage Point access it.
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I have had 4 ammo cans taken. These were on my traditional caches. I replaced them with Lock-n-lock style containers. My multi-stage caches with ammo cans have not been taken. Two of them have had the same ammo can since 2003, one since 2006. I used to get them for as little as US$2 for the 30cal, then $3 and now they are $8 to 12.
I have been working on a replacement ammo can where I stamped: EScout and the GC number several times using metal stamps and a hammer. I have also glued rocks on 5 sides of the exterior. I am planning on pouring concrete inside to a level of 1/3 or 1/2. I need to figure a way to secure the concrete to the bottom using wire or bolts. This should make it less desirable.
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The 260 was my first car GPSr. I have found that the newer models are faster at booting and acquiring a position fix.
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The comments by dfx are the reasoning I applied to the situation. The 7 hour correction is because of the time stamp of the photo of the Cocoon tower and the track time when you were there. They are 7 ours apart. The GPicSync program only cares about the difference between your photo time and the track log time. It does not assume that your camera time is correctly set to the local offset to UTC.
I assumed that your camera time was wrong. As a further check, I also looked at the 6:17 local time on your track log and you were miles away from the cocoon tower at that time (09:17 UTC.)
I suggest trying +7, and +9 and increasing the tolerance time to 600 or 1000 seconds.
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The time looks correct unless GPicSync is using the wrong time. I just loaded up Adobe Lightroom 3.5. The RAW file shows that Date Time Original is 5/26/2009 6:17:13 PM and Date Time is 5/31/2009 7:25:47 AM. Now I don't know how LR 3.5 is showing the Date Time being 5 days off, but the Date Time Original appears to be correct.
Check the photo in GPicSync EXIF reader to show the time it will use. IF the original, it looks like you will do a +7 hours adjustment in GPicSync. (Normally, UTC to Tokyo is +9.) You will get this to work.
Sorry, but where did you get the +7 from? How do you know that the photo will require a +7 offset to fix it? Tokyo doesn't experience DST so it should always be +9 from UTC.
I just loaded up the file in GPicSync and I'm not sure which field I'm suppose to look for. In the Date Created field, it shows 2009:05:26 18:17:13-07:00.
Photo time: 18:17:13 (6:17PM)
Tracklog point: 11:09:51 35.691582, 135.696770 (or N35 41.4949, E135 41.8062) Near the Cocoon Tower
In GPicSync, you adjust the from UTC to the time on your photo. So, add 7 hours (+7)and see if it works. You also have an 8 minute difference to adjust. Increase the "difference" setting from 300 to 600 seconds. Then drop the tagged photo into Google Earth and see where it shows.
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The time looks correct unless GPicSync is using the wrong time. I just loaded up Adobe Lightroom 3.5. The RAW file shows that Date Time Original is 5/26/2009 6:17:13 PM and Date Time is 5/31/2009 7:25:47 AM. Now I don't know how LR 3.5 is showing the Date Time being 5 days off, but the Date Time Original appears to be correct.
Check the photo in GPicSync EXIF reader to show the time it will use. IF the original, it looks like you will do a +7 hours adjustment in GPicSync. (Normally, UTC to Tokyo is +9.) You will get this to work.
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Thanks for the information EScout. I'm consciously aware that the time in the logs are in the UTC format and I have adjusted it accordingly (set it to +9 in GPicSync). However, GPicSync can't geotag my images even though I've set the offset correctly and that is why I started the investigation. How do I get GPicSync to detect that track? It doesn't look like I can do that and I'll have to manually look up the coordinates and enter it manually with a different program.
There is a utility in GPicSync that is : "GPX Inspector". I ran your GPX file and it is fine. The key is getting is getting the time adjustment correct. Consider the time you set your camera. Was it local Japan time, home time, daylight/standard. In GPicSync, there is an EXIF reader. Read the photo of the Cocoon Tower and look at the DATE and time (past the intnl date line, people often change the time but not the date when setting local time in their cameras.)
GPicSync also has a minor time adjustment setting under Options, and will not tag when the default difference between camera and GPX is over 300 seconds (you can change this.)
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When you geotag with a program such as GPicSync, you need to set the camera time difference from UTC, since your GPS tracklog will be in UTC.
Your GPX file is in 26 segments, which means that each time you turn on/off your GPSr, it creates a new segment. When you drop this file into Google Earth, you will see the segments listed on the left and the track lines on the map with the segment name. The segment on the street closest to the Cocoon Tower is "Active Log040951."
Drop your GPX file into G7ToWin and look at this this segment and you will see UTC times: Tues May 26 11:09:51 2009, to 11:11:26. So, just a couple of minutes there. If you took a photo at this point, look at the time stamp of the photo you took there, and you can do your adjustment.
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As was mentioned above, I use the GSAK macro by jjreds.
I have created custom .wav files for different cache types that say for example: "a multi cache is nearby". This file is named :Multi TourGuide.wav, and is copied into the folder that the macro creates. (Use any WAV file generator. There are several online.)
Open the Garmin POI loader application. Choose the save option: Custom folder (on your PC.)
Then point it to the folder created by the macro. This will create a .gpi file.
Copy the .gpi file to an SD card. It can be a small card because the files are not very large. You can copy more than one .gpi file, just name them differently.
When you put the SD into your Nuvi and start it, it will ask if you want to transfer it to the Nuvi. I say no, so that the caches stay on the card and you can just remove the card to update.
So, then when you are driving you will hear the announcements as you get within the distance you set in the macro. The icons will show on the map page according to the type of cache (treasure chest, question mark, etc.)
When you do a search, touch "Where to?", then "Extras."
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This is a site with many trips that people have posted of their hikes. There are also "guides" that you can buy. After you join the site (free), you can post your hikes, and download GPX tracklog files of the posted hikes to your phone or GPSr.
I did a search and there are many trips/hikes/tracks on Oahu.
Here is a one I recently posted of a hike I did on another island in the Pacific Ocean.....Two Harbors
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The original eXplorist GPSrs record tracks in a text file. You can use "GPSBabel" to convert the file to any other format, including Natl Geographic. In GPSBabel, set your input format to: Magellan SD files (as for explorist).
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Some GPSrs will let you project from a saved waypoint. Just do this for each of these distance/bearings sequentialy. You have to know if you should be using true or magnetic north reference.
There are also some apps that can do this on computer or phone.
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In addition to what was mentioned, "GPS Essentials" lets you input coordinates and use the compass page to go to location. It does a lot more.
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I see lots of rattle snakes, but they are very timid. Got close to a coyote once. A black bear mother with twins made us run back to car. Moose on the side of the road, stayed in the car. Last month, Catalina Island, finished a hike and caching and this bison crossed the trail in front of us.
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I like the program: SportTracks
It will give your graphs, statistics, and the Total Elevation Gain (Climb.)
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Use the Gsak macro as was mentioned. Use the. Garmin POI loader and copy your xxx.gpi file to an SD card.
When you install the SD card, answer No so that the POI caches do not load into yourGarmin. This makes it easy to manage your gpi files.
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The guys that run Munzee are quick to reply, really care and solved my problem quickly. As was mentioned earlier, it is growing and they are taking suggestions and making changes as it evolves.
It is a game where all you need is a "smart phone" and a free app to play. It is limited and not as rich of an experience as geocaching, but something you can do quickly with little prep before going in to the "field" to find.
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Nice concept but it is an early work in progress. I am finding it frustrating after creating my first, deploying it, and now finding it undeployed with a different QR code. I am sure they will fix the problems and add some features like photos, and the ability to post to their forums.
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Press the lower left button. Then push "Settings", then: "Location & Security", then: "Use GPS Satellites." You might also check the "Enable Assisted GPS". Some feel that this will speed up receiving a location lock.
Get an App like "GPS Test" to see the reception, number of satellites received and the accuracy.
In your Google Map App, choose the Satellite Layer and see your location as the blue triangle.
If you have not done so in a while, completely turn off the Droid and start it up again.
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Put a couple hours in on it, ready to place it in the woods.
Hoping it stays muggle free and doesn't go missing.
I am more impressed that you have an original Weber Genesis grill in Red. Like mine. Got it over 20 years ago. With stainless burners and bars, they last forever. Just keep the wood trays and shelves out of the weather and stain them when needed. A classic.
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To find declination on my various GPSrs I look at the bearing to a saved waypoint in the true and magnetic settings. Difference between the two.
Wrong Begin point
in GPS technology and devices
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Drop your track's GPX file into the program: G7ToWin and you will see a spreadsheet of all your track points. Delete the ones you do not want and save all in a new file. At this time, you can also combine all the segments or send them to separate files.