Using GSAK Properly...

[+harrogate hunters]

OK... so far all I have used GSAK for is to download a pocket query from geocaching.com website... load it into GSAK and then export to memory map for my PDA and little red flags and also to export to GPX Sonar so I can go paperless 'into the field'

 

So I am now looking at what GSAK can do for me...

 

I have downloaded the nearest 500 caches, both found and unfound into GSAK...

 

I have done the following

 

1. Set the centre point as my home address so I can arrange caches

2. Set my user name so all caches are itentified as Green (my caches) Yellow (found) Pink (not available) and white (not found)

3. Played with filters so I can search for nearest unfound.

 

So now to the questions:-

 

1. If I do a pocket query every week for all new caches placed and update my database I assume this will keep my GSAK upto date with all caches.. Is this correct

2. How do I know if current caches in my GSAK have altered e.g. If my GSAK is showing as unavailiable how can I get these updated if they become availiable again

3. Once I find a cache do I log onto Geocaching site to log a find or do I log onto GSAK to log the find... and if the latter how do I update geocaching site

4. If I use my PDA out in the field how do I or can I get my GPX Sonar logs back into GSAK and then onto geocaching.com

5. Can I download previous logs for finds on geocaching.com into gsak

 

Any other help or advice that people use GSAK for would be gratefully received....

 

Ta.....

[+dino-irl]

So now to the questions:-

 

1. If I do a pocket query every week for all new caches placed and update my database I assume this will keep my GSAK upto date with all caches.. Is this correct

2. How do I know if current caches in my GSAK have altered e.g. If my GSAK is showing as unavailiable how can I get these updated if they become availiable again

3. Once I find a cache do I log onto Geocaching site to log a find or do I log onto GSAK to log the find... and if the latter how do I update geocaching site

4. If I use my PDA out in the field how do I or can I get my GPX Sonar logs back into GSAK and then onto geocaching.com

5. Can I download previous logs for finds on geocaching.com into gsak

1. The short answer is yes but also no All existing caches in the database will be updated if there is new information in the PQ. However, as a PQ doesn't contain Archived caches this won't be updated. Every so often I sort my caches according to the last GPX loaded and any that look out of sync I check the cache page and either delete it from my database or manually download a gpx file from the cache page to update the database and show the cache as archived.

 

2. Temporary unavailable caches are included in the PQ. If a cache changes to unavailable GSAK will notify you of this during the upload of the PQ. It will also let you know if an unavailable cache is once again available. This information is found at the bottom of the dialogue box that appears once the PQ is loaded.

 

3. You can only log via GC.com. There is a semi-automated way of doing this but as I've never used it I can't comment on what it's like to use.

 

4. You can get them from GPXSonar to GSAK by exporting on the PDA and then importing them in GSAK if the two are connected via the cradle. I can't remember the process on the PDA but IIRC it's pretty simple. In GSAK use File >> Notes >> Import and select where you have the file. To get them onto GC.com I just use copy and paste but as in 3. there is a semi-automated way of doing so.

 

5. You can run a My Finds PQ on GC.com which will give you the last 5 logs plus your own logs for all the caches you've already found. A standard PQ contains the last 5 logs also. A manual download of a GPX file from the cache page contains more. I think it's the last 20 logs but I could be wrong.

 

There is a very useful GSAK support forum at http://gsak.net/board/index.php?

[+harrogate hunters]

Absolutly brilliant dino-irl and thank you for the quick response !

[+Just Roger]

I find one of the most useful features of GSAK is the names search. Start typing the name into the box above the Name column and as you type GSAK whittles down the list until there are only a few caches there. Then (provided you have set the options that way) a double click opens up the cache page on Geocaching.com - much easier than the Gc.com search.

 

Although I am mostly paperless, if I am intending to do a number of caches in a day I get GSAK to print out a listing of the caches IN THE ORDER I INTEND TO DO THEM. Do this by entering sequential numbers into the user sort field in the required order, set a filter on user sort. then click on the heading of the user sort column to order the caches in the correct sequence and then print out the list. It's much better than having to backtrack to a cache you forgot on the way past it.

 

Edited to add

 

I have also just started to use the automatic loading of PQ's into GSAK. This is great but you do need a seperate e-mail address just to receive the PQ's. Each time I start GSAK it goes and looks to see if there are any PQ's waiting, and if there are it loads them all by itself.

Edited November 11, 2006 by Just Roger

[+harrogate hunters]

 

Although I am mostly paperless, if I am intending to do a number of caches in a day I get GSAK to print out a listing of the caches IN THE ORDER I INTEND TO DO THEM. Do this by entering sequential numbers into the user sort field in the required order, set a filter on user sort. then click on the heading of the user sort column to order the caches in the correct sequence and then print out the list. It's much better than having to backtrack to a cache you forgot on the way past it.

 

 

Brilliant..... just the advice I was looking for... 10 out of 10 for this one !

[+Team Roberson]

 

Any other help or advice that people use GSAK for would be gratefully received....

 

 

Don't forget that GSAK has it's own forums and FAQ: http://gsak.net/

 

Matt

Team Roberson

[+Sensei TSKC]

 

Any other help or advice that people use GSAK for would be gratefully received....

 

 

Don't forget that GSAK has it's own forums and FAQ: http://gsak.net/

 

Matt

Team Roberson

A good piece of advice, if I may say so!

[+page28]

I use gsak to populate my memory maps with waypoints before I export them to my pda. I use skull and crossbones for archived caches and the red flag for caches not found by me. You can also export to TOM TOM as poi ..

I also find the get data via email usefull, and filters for caches upto a fixed distance from loacations that I Visit so that i can export as a street atlas file to import into Vito navigator

I'm probably not using it as fully as I could as I don't populate it with field notes !