Pocket Query Finess

[+kohldad]

I've started using the dates to maximize and stabilize my pocket queries. For South Carolina, this works great because the entire state can be done in 4 PQs. Getting ready for vacation and went to do the same for GA and NC, but it took 6 PQs each. So, I figured I would trim the list down by ruling out some that I would never do like those that require boats or scuba. Problem is, for a pocket query that original returned 464 results, when I check under "exclude" the boat and scuba symbol, I now get over 500 results instead of the same or less.

 

Any suggestions?

[+Jamie Z]

Unfortunately, there's no way to "exclude" attributes. You can select the negative attribute, but that will only get you caches where the negative attribute has been chosen.

 

There's currently no way to get all caches which don't contain the SCUBA attribute, for example.

 

As for why your PQ suddenly returns more caches than before, I suspect you've changed something else. Can you post a link to your PQ here so we can take a look?

 

Jamie

[+kohldad]

Not changing anything. Click "submit" then "preview", note count of caches returned, click "edit", click a couple of attributes, then "submit" then "preview" and the count has changed. No other items are being changed. Can repeat above without clicking on attributes and get the same count of caches returned.

 

Attributes to Exclude

(click to include/exclude certain attributes)

 

So the above section of the PQ doesn't really do anything?

 

Here is the particular PQ I've noticed this with: NC-01

 

Was hoping to be able to limit the PQ to those I know I would never do while on vacation, i.e. those requiring a boat.

Edited December 12, 2006 by kohldad

[+Cache Heads]

Unfortunately, there's no way to "exclude" attributes.

There are definitely 2 distinct sections on the PQ page-- one for "Attributes to Include" (positive or negative) and one for "Attributes to Exclude" (positive or negative).... are you saying the latter doesn't work?

 

I haven't ever tried it, so I wouldn't know. But I would hope that it works, considering it's been a PQ option for a while now

 

I'm off to try it....

 

EDIT - You're right... it doesn't work. Why do they even have it as an option?

Edited December 12, 2006 by Cache Heads

[+Lil Devil]

Jamie is living in the past. The "exclude" section was added just a couple of months ago.

 

Now as to why it doesn't work.. I dunno. It did for me the one time I tried it when the section was first added.

[+kohldad]

Other issue I've noticed is that it doesn't save the attributes so you have to enter them each time.

[+pppingme]

Problem is, for a pocket query that original returned 464 results, when I check under "exclude" the boat and scuba symbol, I now get over 500 results instead of the same or less.

Ignoring the count at the top of the results, look closer, do you really see 500 results?? (page through them).

 

Now that aside, excluded attributes is VERY BUGGY, and does not work correctly...

 

http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...ributes+exclude

[+Jamie Z]

Jamie is living in the past. The "exclude" section was added just a couple of months ago.

Wow! Not sure how I missed it, but El Diablo is right.

 

Jamie

[+kohldad]

Thanks for the link. I searched but didn't use the magic key words. Guess I'll have to live without using the exclude attributes sections for now.

[+cache_r_joe]

I recently noticed that my PQs collectively were not getting me all the caches for the Province. This likely because of areas with high cache counts. I took the suggestion of another cacher and used dates. I have since worked out the dates for several Provinces (email me if you want to know what they are) and over time am going to get them for the rest of Canada. Obviously you couldn't have PQs set all the time that would update your database (I use GSAK) nor would you want to, but having the numbers set out already will help if I take a trip somewhere. Just in New Brunswick I was over 180 caches short because of the way I was doing it before and cut down the number of PQs by 3. I would say that I'm now going to get everything I want and save on bandwith.

 

Works for me.

 

Joe

[+Markwell]

Now that aside, excluded attributes is VERY BUGGY, and does not work correctly...

 

Hokey Smokes. You're not just whistlin' Dixie there! I tried my own experiment:

 

I chose an area that has one cache (GCT98H) has the scuba attribute, and a radius of 5 miles.

 

Latitude: 36.609583

Longitude: 121.893333

Radius: 5 miles

 

Attribute Test: Attributes Unrestricted

Control: No attributes selected to include or exclude: 99 caches

 

Attribute Test: Include Scuba Yes

Include scuba present attribute: 1 cache (as expected)

 

Attribute Test: Include Scuba No

Include scuba NOT present attribute (which is IMPOSSIBLE to place on a cache): 0 caches (as expected)

 

However, it has been noted that the "scuba" attribute (and others) are either present or not - and a cache owner cannot place a "Scuba Not" attribute, so why would there be a possibility of including a "Scuba Not" in the attribute selection for PQs? But it works correctly.

 

=================================

 

Attribute Test: Exclude Scuba Yes

 

OK - this is what everyone WANTS to work correctly. Show me all the caches where the Scuba is NOT an attribute. They can have whatever other attribute, but not include the scuba one. Based on the results above, the expected answer would be 98.

 

Actual results: It shows "total records" of "404 caches" - and 21 pages of caches, each with between 1 and 4 caches. Actual number of caches in the result: (totalling up the 21 pages) 82

 

Attribute Test: Exclude Scuba No

Want something even stranger? Try Excluding the "Scuba Not". The logical answer would be zero. First off, a user cannot set the cache to Scuba Not. So what we're really doing is excluding something that cannot exist. Expected answer: 99 caches.

 

Results were 64 caches, which were displayed on 4 pages

Page 1: 11 Caches

Page 2: 09 Caches

Page 3: 08 Caches

Page 4: 03 Caches

Total: 31 caches

 

 

Also - I'm not sure if the PQs linked above will actually work or not. When I tried going back into them, the attributes were reset, but when I saved them (Submit) they were correct.

[+Markwell]

I recently noticed that my PQs collectively were not getting me all the caches for the Province. This likely because of areas with high cache counts. I took the suggestion of another cacher and used dates. I have since worked out the dates for several Provinces (email me if you want to know what they are) and over time am going to get them for the rest of Canada. Obviously you couldn't have PQs set all the time that would update your database (I use GSAK) nor would you want to, but having the numbers set out already will help if I take a trip somewhere. Just in New Brunswick I was over 180 caches short because of the way I was doing it before and cut down the number of PQs by 3. I would say that I'm now going to get everything I want and save on bandwith.

 

Works for me.

 

Joe

 

Why not use Caches along a Route?

[+kohldad]

Why not use Caches along a Route?

 

For me, I'm going camping for up to 12 nights on my upcoming trip.

 

I won't know where I'm camping til I actually set up camp on a site (this may require driving through 2 or 3 state parks before picking one). I don't know how long I'll stay at that site til I pack up and leave. I may end up in Uvalda, GA; Marco, SC or Okeewemee, NC or other some unknown town without any idea how I'm gettig there except that it will not be by interstate. This makes it kind of hard to use the route feaure.

[+sbell111]

Why not use Caches along a Route?

For me, I'm going camping for up to 12 nights on my upcoming trip.

 

I won't know where I'm camping til I actually set up camp on a site (this may require driving through 2 or 3 state parks before picking one). I don't know how long I'll stay at that site til I pack up and leave. I may end up in Uvalda, GA; Marco, SC or Okeewemee, NC or other some unknown town without any idea how I'm gettig there except that it will not be by interstate. This makes it kind of hard to use the route feaure.

I have kind of a similar situation as you this coming weekend. I'm going to Buffalo for the game on Sunday, but I'm actually flying into Albany, picking up my brother and then driving to Buffalo. I don't know exactly where I will be staying for all nights of the trip:Albany, Binghamton, Buffalo, or Cattaraugus.

 

What I did is first set up 'Caches Along a Route' for the entire trip. This was easy-peasy since all of the routes were already created by others. Next, I built separate PQs for each location that I might stay overnight; using a realistic radius (since I know that I'm not going to drive fifty miles from the hotel to cache, this keeps the total number of caches down).

 

I ended up with seven PQs that were all fairly small. I'll combine them in GSAK and further weed out a few more caches that I'm not particularly interested in. Finally, I'll dump them into my pda and GPSrs and I'll be good to go.

 

Luckily, I'll end up with few enough caches that I will be able to load the entire group into my GPSr. A while back, I had to take a different approach. I was set to go to LA for four weeks on business. I had no idea how much time I would have for caching or whether I will have easy access to transportation when I wanted to go caching (My company put me in a hotel a block or so from the business center that the meetings were in and was not furnishing a car, so I was only renting one for a few days).

 

I ended up building PQs by date for a fairly large area. I had five PQs. I loaded them all (individually) to my pda, but could only load them to my GPSr one at a time. I ended up importing them all to MS S&T on my laptop using a different color 'thumbtack' for each PQ, so I could visualize the area covered by each PQ. All I had to do is decide where I wanted to go caching and dump that PQ into my GPSr.