Pocket Query Problem, Palm Tungsten & Garmin Etrex

[+Kacky]

I discovered this, unfortunately, while in the field today. The pocket query is giving me caches that I have already found, even though I have checked the box to not have it do that. And on many caches, the information is left out. It'll say 1/1 for difficulty when that's not true, and there's no description, past logs or other info. But some other caches have all the information. Is it because I didn't ask it for e-book?

Edited May 30, 2006 by Kacky

[+Lasagna]

That sounds like a corrupted database on Cachemate ... are you using cachemate? Perhaps you downloaded and imported the new caches into cachement using the SAME data file as you did on a previously run BUT you didn't first delete the entire database.

 

I've also had this happen when I deleted the data file or my memory card popped out.

 

Delete all of the data in Cachemate and then copy down the new PDB extract and reread it into Cachemate.

 

(If you're not using Cachemate, then obviously this is not your problem).

[+Kacky]

I am using cachemate, and I do remember the data card being popped out at one point last week when I was working with it. I think I did delete all the files prior to trying it again tonight, but I'll do it one more time and see if it makes a difference.

[+Kacky]

 

Delete all of the data in Cachemate and then copy down the new PDB extract and reread it into Cachemate.

 

 

I'm not understanding what you mean by that. Can you elaborate? It's still doing it. I'm able to work around it by using Mobipocket instead of cachemate, but it would be nice to know what I'm doing wrong. How come the ebook file is correct, but the GSAK file has all these results that I tried to exclude, plus no descriptions? I am getting a message telling me that it's downloading as .loc which will not have the correct info. Fair enough - but I am asking for it in .gpx. And for some reason it won't open in EasyGPS at all. I am having to go to the preview and import into the GPS-r 20 files at a time. I know this is going to turn out to be something silly that I am not seeing.

Edited May 30, 2006 by Kacky

[+Lasagna]

Eeeww ... may have a different problem then.

 

To answer your first question, go into Cachemate and make sure your view is set to "All" Record Types. Then delete all visable records. Basically, you should see no records in Cachemate when you're done.

 

Now, regarding your other problem ... you definitely need the GPX file version, not the LOC version. The LOC file doesn't have description, difficulty, terrain, etc. in it. If you imported a LOC into GSAK, you may have overwritten the cache descriptions and need to reload them into GSAK again. Check your PQ to make sure you have the right option checked and then check the contents of the ZIP file you receive before importing it into GSAK.

 

GSAK will export all the information it has in the current filter view when you do the export. So, if you've got old data in there, you're going to get that as well. You have two choices depending on how you use GSAK.

 

1. Import into GSAK and check the option to delete all data in GSAK before importing. This will drop all the old records.

 

2. Set a filter so that only the caches you want are shown. A "quick" filter can be set by double-clicking on the "white" box in the lower right corner which will have GSAK show only those caches you haven't found yet. Then export (and make sure you are picking up the right file when transferring it to your PDA).

 

Lastly, another option, if you like the "mobi" kind of format better than Cachemate would be to use Plucker. You can get the reader for your PDA (it's free). Also load SunriseXP on your PC. Then, export from GSAK using "Export as HTML" and point SunriseXP at the "index.html" file in the directory which gets created. The resulting file can then be sent to your PDA and read with Plucker.

[+Kacky]

I can try all of that, thanks. Meanwhile, would plucker show maps? I tried AvantGo but it was causing fatal exceptions on the PDA so I deleted it. I never was able to load a map to see if it would zoom. If I want to see streets, do I need to instead get a better GPSr?

[+Miragee]

Are you loading the Pocket Query file that was emailed to you into a program like GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife). It sounds like you might be downloading the .loc files that are returned on the Preview pages of your PQ.

 

I get a Pocket Query of Unfound Caches emailed to me in .zip format. I open that file in GSAK and then after filtering the caches the way I want, I Export in the Cachemate .pdb format. Then when I HotSync my Palm those caches go onto my Palm M500.

 

Here is a rudimentary GSAK tutorial that might help.

 

Also, I have had the card come out of my Palm and haven't had a problem with the databases becoming corrupted . . .

 

For maps, I use those on my GPSr. If you have the eTrex Legend, you can get the Mapsource Topo maps.

[+Kacky]

Are you loading the Pocket Query file that was emailed to you into a program like GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife). It sounds like you might be downloading the .loc files that are returned on the Preview pages of your PQ.

 

I get a Pocket Query of Unfound Caches emailed to me in .zip format. I open that file in GSAK and then after filtering the caches the way I want, I Export in the Cachemate .pdb format. Then when I HotSync my Palm those caches go onto my Palm M500.

 

Here is a rudimentary GSAK tutorial that might help.

 

Also, I have had the card come out of my Palm and haven't had a problem with the databases becoming corrupted . . .

 

For maps, I use those on my GPSr. If you have the eTrex Legend, you can get the Mapsource Topo maps.

 

Oh, it's definitely happening prior to downloading. I wasn't aware you had to filter again to use GSAK & cachemate. I'll have to learn how to do that. Although I may not bother, because it seems like the only thing I miss in the e-book is the log function, which is the ability to mark caches as found. On the GPS side, I still need to figure out why when I ask for .gpx, I am getting .loc.

[+Miragee]

You don't need to do any filtering to use GSAK and send waypoints to your GPSr from it.

 

Nor do you need to do any filtering prior to the Export for your Palm, but if you have gotten 500 waypoints in one PQ, and 500 in another, you might need to filter around a different center point than your Home, depending on which direction you are going on a cache hunt, and if you have a 500-waypoint limit in your GPSr, as I do with my Vista C.

 

The .loc file is what gets downloaded from a page of caches. The .gpx file is what you get by default in the emailed PQ. You can also download the .gpx file directly from each individual cache page.

[+Kacky]

 

The .loc file is what gets downloaded from a page of caches. The .gpx file is what you get by default in the emailed PQ. You can also download the .gpx file directly from each individual cache page.

 

Thanks I have done that on singles. Most of my queries are for 100, so I'm currently doing 20 at a time. A little time consuming, but not horribly.

[+Miragee]

Are you having the PQ file of 100 emailed to you?

 

It sounds like you are only downloading the .loc files from the pages returned if you Preview the PQ results.

[+Kacky]

Are you having the PQ file of 100 emailed to you?

 

It sounds like you are only downloading the .loc files from the pages returned if you Preview the PQ results.

 

Email. I am only downloading from the preview because I can't get the email version to work lately. It was fine for the GPSr until I started using the Palm. Then a couple of times I successfully toggled back & forth between GSAK/cachemate and EasyGPS. Then suddenly things went south. I can be happy with the e-book which works fine, but for the GPS, if I go on vacation I might want to do a bigger query and not take the time to put it in page by page. I have bunged it up somewhere but not sure where.

Edited June 1, 2006 by Kacky

[+Miragee]

You can't get the .gpx files from the Preview. You have to get the email attachment.

 

If you were having trouble getting it, set up a Yahoo! account just for the PQs. I had no trouble getting the PQs through Yahoo!, but now I use my regular ISP email address.

 

You shouldn't have any problem loading the .gpx files into GSAK and then Exporting in the .pdb format for Cachemate.

 

I've been using Cachemate on my Palm for more than a year and I have never had a problem.

[+Kacky]

Got it to work, thanks!

Edited June 4, 2006 by Kacky