Do You Erase?

[+BAsrican]

Do you guys usually erase the waypoints and cache coordinates from your GPS as you find them, or just leave them in there. Does your GPS get full? I have a yellow etrex.

[vagabond]

I erase them when I'm done for the day I usually have a gc paper list that I mark the time on them, then double check one against the other to make sure I haven't missed any found caches. If I want to see my found caches I can always get a pq of them.

[+4leafclover]

Do you guys usually erase the waypoints and cache coordinates from your GPS as you find them, or just leave them in there. Does your GPS get full? I have a yellow etrex.

 

so do I...for the time being. I try to erase them as I find them, overall. I haven't really found the need to change the icon in the GPSr to keep track of them for when I get home. that's what I use a littel notebook for.

 

However, there are some waypoints I just can't bring myself to erase. Caches I have particularly enjoyed, or friend's homes, and such.

[+ODragon]

I remove them everytime I'm done caching. I save the track logs as I've used them other times to find parking lots and entrances not well marked. Keeping a clean, empty gpsr allows you to find the caches you're looking for much easier.

[+Team Cotati]

Since GC.com automatically retains the history of every cache that you log with them, there is little if any practical reason to retain old cache waypoints in your GPSr unit.

Edited March 16, 2006 by Team Cotati

[+reveritt]

I run a pocket query every week that gives me all unfound caches that I do not own within a certain radius. This arrives by e-mail as a .loc file. I have another .loc file for my own caches. Once a week, I erase all the waypoints in my GPS, and upload those two files. I also upload them to my DeLorme TopoQuads for convenient reference. This way, I automatically load all new caches in my area, and unload any that have been archived.

[+Semper Questio]

Do you guys usually erase the waypoints and cache coordinates from your GPS as you find them, or just leave them in there. Does your GPS get full? I have a yellow etrex.

 

I trash 'em as I bag 'em. Finds are noted in Cachemate then deleted from there once they are logged online.

[+Right Wing Wacko]

My GPS only holds 1000 Waypoints. I've found close to 1500 caches. Do the Math

[+Prime Suspect]

While I'm caching during the day, I'll change the icon from Geocache to Geocache Found. But once I'm done for the day, I do a full data reset (routes, tracks, waypoints). Then next time I go out, I upload a fresh set of data from the most recent pocket query. Keeping stale data around will just get you into trouble.

[+Torchbearer]

I erase mine when I get back to the car. I also erase the parking co-ords so I won't confuse myself (which is pretty easy to do.

[+bahama97]

I get a pocket query sent to me each week with unfound caches. I just name it the same file name as the geocaching file in my GPS & upload the new file to it. The only things on my GPS are unfound caches & my own POI.

[+Renegade Knight]

I delete the wapoints as I find them. Every now and then I delete them all and start over.

 

Newer GPSs with the geocaching software give you a reason to leave them in (change the cache to found) until you are done logging. I don't have one of those.

[+Beffums]

We generally delete them, as you will run out of space in the memory (we have a Garmin Legend, but I think the storage abilities are pretty close). From personal experience, though, a few tips: (yup, we've been this stupid before...)

1) if you found a few stages of a multi, but not all, and there's any chance of you trying it again, don't delete the waypoints until you've written down the Stage 2, 3, ... coords somwhere!

2) if you own any multis, and you haven't entered the other stages waypoints into the system as additional hidden waypoints, again, don't delete the GPSr until you've recorded those stages somewhere.

*both of these will simply save you a lot of time in the long run. Yes, it's possible to get the other stages over again, but why?

 

finally, 3) if you are going to place a cache, remember to re-enter all the coords for all the caches near where you are aiming for - don't just download the ones you haven't found yet...

[+Markwell]

I have a loc file with a list of my own POI (home, office, sister-in-law's house), and I get the PQ of the caches that I want to find within a radius of my house.

 

Normally, I load traditional micros (with a city-small icon) and traditional regulars (with a regular Waypoint icon), spinning their name and tagging on D@T% where @ is the (difficulty x 2) - 1 (puts it on a scale of 1-9) and % is the (terrain x 2) - 1 (puts it on a scale of 1-9).

 

Typical waypoints look like "GCTX74D7T6" for GCTX74 with a difficulty of 4 and a terrain of 3.5.

 

Once I have the PQ ready to rock-n-roll, I delete out all of the waypoints, load my POI loc file, and then load the spun GPX (also loading the Geodashing points for the current game within 100 miles.

 

The problem is that my unfound caches are mounting higher and higher. Currently, with 1000 waypoints in the GPS, and the dashing points and POI, I can only load traditional caches within 25 miles of home before filling up the GPS.

 

But by clearning and reloading each week, whenever I get the urge to go out and cache on a whim, I'm pretty sure that only the waypoints that are active are in my GPS. If there's something in my GPS that I can't find, it's most likely not there, or I just suck at seeking (both have happened).

Edited March 16, 2006 by Markwell

[+Miragee]

I don't delete the waypoints as I find them because I download the tracks and waypoints from my GPSr when I get home.

 

That way, if I want to "relive" my caching day (like yesterday's 12-hour/20-cache day), I can follow the track to each little Open Treasure Chest and log the caches in the exact order I found them in case I can't remember and/or forgot to mark my Palm.

 

Before I load new data, I delete, by symbol, all the Geocache and Geocache Found waypoints in my GPSr. If I ever want to keep a waypoint, like the end point of a multi I haven't been able to complete yet, I make sure to change it to a different symbol so it won't be deleted.

 

When I am going out on a new cache hunt, and after getting fresh PQ data in GSAK, I change my Center Point, or create a Route, and filter until I get about 450 caches, which I then send to the GPSr.

 

I didn't start doing this when I first started caching and just today I was trying to find the tracks from a hunt back in July of last year so I could get the coordinates for the final stage of a Multi I found that day . . . unfortunately, I didn't save that track . . .

[+BlueDeuce]

Leaving out the ones I've found and including the caches that are active, I load them up fresh for the day. Next time I'm out caching I load a new/fresh pq.

 

That's about it.

Edited March 17, 2006 by BlueDeuce

[+woody_k]

I only use 1 WP for every cache find and that's #001. I just update the WP coords for the next cache. I know somewhat low tech but I cache from my motorcycle and I am happiest when going to a cache.

[+CamoCacher]

Do you guys usually erase the waypoints and cache coordinates from your GPS as you find them, or just leave them in there. Does your GPS get full? I have a yellow etrex.

 

I erase as I fond them.

[+Team Oodi]

My GPSMAP60 and GPSMAP60C have a 'Found' buttons. It changes the icon to easily see which caches have been found. There aren't enough caches here to fill the 500 waypoint memory. When caching close to home I simply load a new/updates set of waypoints to the GPS(s) before the hunt. It automagically updates old waypoint data to the new found status, coordinates and what not. When leaving on a road trip or returning I delete old waypoints first.

[+Nero]

I change the icon to a found cache after i find it and then every now and then i delete all waypoints and download new unfound cache waypoints into my gps.

[+Sevilon]

I mark them "found" on the GPS until I log the visit, and then I erase them.

[+Airmapper]

I use GSAK to send PQ's to my GPS. I customized the waypoint name (Which on a Lowrance is huge 100 or so characters.) to tell me all the caches pertinent info. Name, type, size, D/T, last four logs, and TB status.

 

I was amazed to find out my GPS accepts 1000 waypoints as opposed to the 500 I though it would hold, so I put 2 PQ's in there now. (And however many more I need can be stored on the card.) As I find them I check change the icon to an X for found, and when I get home I retrace my movements and log the caches. After that they get deleted as I don't want them cluttering my screen when looking for new caches.

[+Woodbutcher68]

After I've posted the results on GC.com, they're history!

Gotta keep moving forward!

[+BlueDeuce]

My GPSMAP60 and GPSMAP60C have a 'Found' buttons.

 

I find the gocaching mode a tad annoying. Mainly because it's asking me to mark it found as soon as I get to the cache site.

[+BirdManOfCT]

I erase them after finding them. Partly because I am a neat-freak, but mostly because I may want to try others in the area that I downloaded. So, I won't keep seeing the old one when after I try for the new one. I also keep my MapSource updated with the same waypoints for reference.

[+Jhwk]

Do you guys usually erase the waypoints and cache coordinates from your GPS as you find them, or just leave them in there. Does your GPS get full? I have a yellow etrex.

 

yes - it gets harder to route to the next cache when all the close ones clog up the system. I store my data and finds in my palm (cachemate) and then delete them off of the router (maggie plat) and mark as found on the groundwork GPSr (eX600).

[Oliver1869]

I am really new to this exciting sport. That being said, I thought I would expound on what I have found to work really well for me. I search out the radius (5,10,15, etc. miles) that I wish to search. After selecting the ones that appear to work for this "tiring" body, I print out each one and number them 1,2,3, etc. I then enter the coordinates (my computer is to old to work with my GPS and Mapsource) manually with the waypoint number on the GPS cooresponding to the number I put on each printed page. The GPS then shows me in which order to search to save back tracking etc., I then arrange my printed pages in that order and I am off in search of the "elusive" caches. Back at the car I make appropriate notes on the cooresponding sheet for that cache and then erase the waypoint from the GPS. The page then goes into a sheet protector and a three ring binder, thereby becoming my history, which by the way my 9 year old granddaughter loves to page through to see what grandpa has found. She will be accomping me the next time we visit her home in Burnsville. That was a long winded way of saying I erase as I find. Have fun - God Bless

Oliver1869

[+sbell111]

As soon as I find a cache, I record the find in Cache Log Book on my pda and erase the cache from my GPSr. This allows me to go after the nearest cache in my GPSr without having to check to see if I've already found it. That makes it easy to cache whenever I'm in the mood, no matter where I am in my local area.

[+JohnnyVegas]

I just leave them, when I run my new PQs they filter out any found caches and when I load the PQ into my GPS or PPC the found caches are not listed.