"Poor man's" caching laptop and GSAK Question

[Wumpus23]

Ok, not sure this is in the right spot, but bear with me.

 

I was playing with the idea of using my laptop to facilitate caching and came up with a 3 step idea without spending any money on additional hardware. Mostly my ideas have worked out, but I have a couple of GSAK automatioin questions.

 

I started with my laptop, my GPSr, and a serial connection cable. The only additional cost was for the basic version of Streets and Trips 2007.

 

Step 1) Find a way to use my laptop and Etrex Legend for realtime voice directions along a route. This obviously was the easiest step and it comes in handy just in general for travelling. I just didn't want to spend any additional money on hardware when I thought it was possible to do this. A little tweaking on my GPSr and Streets and Trips and this was a breeze.

 

Step 2) Importing GSAK waypoints to Streets and Trips. Well, this was built in to GSAK, so that worked fine.

 

This is where my question comes in:

 

Step 3) I would like to know if there is some way to automate GSAK to Center on GPSr every X number of seconds so that whoever my navigator is can tell how close we are to caches immediately. Also whether one can automate it to download from email any GPX pocket queries basically just to daily or weekly update GSAK's database. (Honestly, I can do this by hand, but if I could automate it, it would be cool.)

 

Anyway, that was confusing, so I'll just let y'all let me know.

 

Thanks!

 

Team Wumpus

[+The SuzyQs]

We use nRoute that uses the Mapsource maps we already had loaded into the computer. GSAK will exprot to mapsource, nRoute can import them and the arrow stays centered on our location and the navigator can call out distance as we move.

 

We have never used streets and trips, so I can't help there.

[+The Leprechauns]

Count me as another happy nRoute user. Real-time position tracking on my laptop, with the caches also shown on the screen and the cache descriptions a few mouseclicks away, have revolutionized my caching efficiency and enjoyment.

 

Besides, nRoute is free. And it looks and feels like Mapsource, with which I was already familiar, so there was very little learning curve. I know that other mapping software looks prettier, but nRoute is good enough to get me where I need to go.

 

Also, the nRoute lady is a lot calmer than most other traveling companions when she says "when possible, make a U turn."

[Wumpus23]

Interesting. Do you need any of the mapsource maps in order to use it?

 

Also, can you do something like a "find nearest geocache?" I saw that it has a pretty robust "find" system and was curious about that. What a hoot if that worked! *grin*

[+The Leprechauns]

Garmin nRoute runs off of your Mapsource City Navigator maps so yes, you need them. That is how you get the turn-by-turn voice autorouting.

 

It is two or three mouseclicks to see a list of the nearest geocaches. "Find" then "Nearest Places" then "Waypoints." Then you click on the cache you want and tell nRoute to route you to it. When I get really close, it's fun to zoom in and try to get the little icon for the car to be as close as possible to the little icon for the geocache. If I get there and it's a park and grab, I just leave the GPS hooked up to the laptop, get out of the car and search. If the cache is more than 75 feet from the car, I have all the same waypoints exported to my GPS so I unplug and search with it.

[+Stunod]

Step 3) I would like to know if there is some way to automate GSAK to Center on GPSr every X number of seconds so that whoever my navigator is can tell how close we are to caches immediately. Also whether one can automate it to download from email any GPX pocket queries basically just to daily or weekly update GSAK's database. (Honestly, I can do this by hand, but if I could automate it, it would be cool.)

 

GSAK has a "CENTERPOINT - GET FROM GPS" mode...this should solve your first question. I haven't tried it myself, however.

 

And the second questions about email updates of GPX files...yes. Look under FILE>GET DATA VIA EMAIL.

This can be setup as a macro that runs automatically via a scheduler program (such as Windows "Scheduled Tasks")

[+sodajerk]

If you are going to use S&T, it has what you want built in. Export your waypoints from GAST to a S&T type file, import into S&T as pushpins. They show on the map. Hook your GPS to the laptop and under Tools, GPS Start Tracking, then click Arrange Map View. That will keep your current location centered on the map.

 

Two points to observe. 1. Connect your GPS after the laptop boots up, otherwise the laptop will think your GPS is a Serial Mouse and 2. Make sure your GPS is set to NEMA output.

 

We have used this system for several long trips in our camper. When we went to Canada (from Dallas) we had about 4,000 caches in GASK and loaded as pushpins on S&T.

 

I do not have Mapsource software.

[+Kit Fox]

Sounds fun if you hunt nothing but "1/1s." I wonder how it would work for me, when i'm on top of a mountain range looking for the next ammo can.

 

Seriously though, can't you just look at the map (on your laptop), and "see" the nearest caches? All you would have to do, is switch over to GSAK and and type in the waypoint code to get more information. Oh, and don't forget to watch where your driving.

[Wumpus23]

Sounds fun if you hunt nothing but "1/1s." I wonder how it would work for me, when i'm on top of a mountain range looking for the next ammo can.

 

Seriously though, can't you just look at the map (on your laptop), and "see" the nearest caches? All you would have to do, is switch over to GSAK and and type in the waypoint code to get more information. Oh, and don't forget to watch where your driving.

 

Kitfox, you hit upon EXACTLY what my plan was for this laptop setup. As for when I'm driving, I only use it when I have a navigator. Then the navigator can say, "Cache coming up." and switch the route to the cache.

 

Now, mind you, I use this mainly just to know where a cache is and the quickest way to get to someplace to park. After that I rely on the information stored in GSAK and of course my GPSr waypoints.

[+PDOP's]

 

Seriously though, can't you just look at the map (on your laptop), and "see" the nearest caches? All you would have to do, is switch over to GSAK and and type in the waypoint code to get more information. Oh, and don't forget to watch where your driving.

 

Now, mind you, I use this mainly just to know where a cache is and the quickest way to get to someplace to park. After that I rely on the information stored in GSAK and of course my GPSr waypoints.

 

I thought I'd mention this although I think you may already may be doing this. You can setup your export from GSAK for S&T to include links to open copies of the cache pages also on your laptop (HTML export from GSAK). That way when you Ctrl-Click on a pushpin in S&T it will open the caches webpage. You can also use GSAK's URI Support to add actions like

 

FlagSet - Set the user flag for this cache

FlagClear - Clear the user flag for this cache

FlagToggle - Toggle the user flag for this cache

Help - Open the GSAK help file at a selected topic

Macro - Run a GSAK macro

Offline - Show the GSAK generated offline HTML page for the waypoint in your browser

Open - Open a file or URL

Prompt - prompt for selection

Search - Find and position to waypoint in the GSAK database

URL - Call up the URL associated with the waypoint in the GSAK database

 

I have it setup so that I can open the local copy of the webpage from the pushpin and then can set the user flag in GSAK from the webpage.

[+The Leprechauns]

Sounds fun if you hunt nothing but "1/1s." I wonder how it would work for me, when i'm on top of a mountain range looking for the next ammo can.

 

Seriously though, can't you just look at the map (on your laptop), and "see" the nearest caches? All you would have to do, is switch over to GSAK and and type in the waypoint code to get more information. Oh, and don't forget to watch where your driving.

 

Kitfox, you hit upon EXACTLY what my plan was for this laptop setup. As for when I'm driving, I only use it when I have a navigator. Then the navigator can say, "Cache coming up." and switch the route to the cache.

 

Now, mind you, I use this mainly just to know where a cache is and the quickest way to get to someplace to park. After that I rely on the information stored in GSAK and of course my GPSr waypoints.

OK, you all pat yourselves on the back for all the tough caches you'll be finding. I'm certainly done helping here.

 

By the way, I use nRoute for my Terrain 3, 4 and 5 finds as well as my 1/1's. You still need to drive to the trailhead.

 

Oh, and you're welcome.