PQ coords

[+Gan Dalf]

Hi, this will take a bit of explaining so I apologize if it gets a little long. I am using a Garmin GPSmap 60CS with caches loaded using GSAK from a pocket querry of non-mystery and non-multi caches that I have not found within a 13 mile radius of my home coords.

 

Over the weekend I was looking for a couple of caches that I had dowloaded into the GPSr. When I got to the first one I was being pointed to an area where the cache could not possibly be unless the owner was playing a very mean joke. At first I thought that was the case but when I returned home and looked up the cache location on google earth the location I was being directed to was not where google earth was placing the cache. At the time there was an electrical storm in the area and so I attributed the misdirection to bouncy sats due to the storm. I went back the next day and tried again and the same thing happened but this time I came armed with some information that told me exactly where the cache was. It was then that I checked the coords that were loaded into the GPS and they were completely wrong. The published coords of the cache are N 47° 58.290 W 122° 08.273. The ones that are loaded into my Garmin are N 47° 58.345 W 122° 08.347 which is a fairly significant difference.

 

The same thing happened with another cache that is nearby. The coords for that cache are listed as N 47° 57.326 W 122° 08.412 and the ones that are loaded into my Garmin are N 47° 57.371 W 122° 08.445. The funny thing is that a third cache in the area at N 47° 58.067 W 122° 08.038 is loaded correctly. All of these caches were loaded using GSAK at the same time from the same pocket querry.

 

The funny thing is that I have another tool that I've loaded onto my blackberry called cacheberry. This tool loads complete cache descrpitons including hints, logs and whehter or not there were TB's at the time the pocket querry was generated. I used the same pocket querry to load that as I did to load the Garmin and the ones in cacheberry are correct.

 

this could very well be an issue with GSAK and I realize that is probably not supported here bu tI ma wondering if anyone else has expereinced a similar problem or if any thing like this has been reported. I will post a similar message on the GSAK forums too.

 

thanks in advance for any help or advice.

[+WeightMan]

Hi, this will take a bit of explaining so I apologize if it gets a little long. I am using a Garmin GPSmap 60CS with caches loaded using GSAK from a pocket querry of non-mystery and non-multi caches that I have not found within a 13 mile radius of my home coords.

 

Over the weekend I was looking for a couple of caches that I had dowloaded into the GPSr. When I got to the first one I was being pointed to an area where the cache could not possibly be unless the owner was playing a very mean joke. At first I thought that was the case but when I returned home and looked up the cache location on google earth the location I was being directed to was not where google earth was placing the cache. At the time there was an electrical storm in the area and so I attributed the misdirection to bouncy sats due to the storm. I went back the next day and tried again and the same thing happened but this time I came armed with some information that told me exactly where the cache was. It was then that I checked the coords that were loaded into the GPS and they were completely wrong. The published coords of the cache are N 47° 58.290 W 122° 08.273. The ones that are loaded into my Garmin are N 47° 58.345 W 122° 08.347 which is a fairly significant difference.

 

The same thing happened with another cache that is nearby. The coords for that cache are listed as N 47° 57.326 W 122° 08.412 and the ones that are loaded into my Garmin are N 47° 57.371 W 122° 08.445. The funny thing is that a third cache in the area at N 47° 58.067 W 122° 08.038 is loaded correctly. All of these caches were loaded using GSAK at the same time from the same pocket querry.

 

The funny thing is that I have another tool that I've loaded onto my blackberry called cacheberry. This tool loads complete cache descrpitons including hints, logs and whehter or not there were TB's at the time the pocket querry was generated. I used the same pocket querry to load that as I did to load the Garmin and the ones in cacheberry are correct.

 

this could very well be an issue with GSAK and I realize that is probably not supported here bu tI ma wondering if anyone else has expereinced a similar problem or if any thing like this has been reported. I will post a similar message on the GSAK forums too.

 

thanks in advance for any help or advice.

 

I have had this happen a time or two on my GPSMap 60c. It only happened a few times and I have no idea why. I had a PDA with me that had the correct coords. I did check the PDA from time to time when I had trouble locating a cache, but like I said, it only happened a few times. Just a glitch.

[OpinioNate]

I have tried to duplicate your problem here at the office with both the 60cs and the 60csx using GSAK and both times GC1DG0M registered the correct coords. I also used the Send to GPS function with both GPS units and the Garmin Colorado as well. I know that doesn't help you but I tried!

 

Maybe you'll find some other data point that will lead to the problem and solution. If so please post it here and I'll look into it further.

[+StarBrand]

I have the 60C and have never (in 4+ years of use) seen the problem described.

[+FamilyDNA]

I don't use a 60CS, but I think I heard that it is possible to move a downloaded cache to a new location? Is it possible you accidentally relocated a couple of points?

[geode hunter]

has happened to me, early in my geocaching career, with a gps III, 60-cs, and an etrex legend. I do not use gsak and delegate my gps loading to Cachemate from a pda. Every time the pda had the correct coords , but they were bungled up by the time they got into the gpsr. This has not happened again for several years though.

[+FamilyDNA]

I don't use a 60CS, but I think I heard that it is possible to move a downloaded cache to a new location? Is it possible you accidentally relocated a couple of points?

[+Gan Dalf]

I have tried to duplicate your problem here at the office with both the 60cs and the 60csx using GSAK and both times GC1DG0M registered the correct coords. I also used the Send to GPS function with both GPS units and the Garmin Colorado as well. I know that doesn't help you but I tried!

 

Maybe you'll find some other data point that will lead to the problem and solution. If so please post it here and I'll look into it further.

 

Hi Nate,

 

would it help if I forwarded my PQ to you? You must have just loaded the gpx file off of the cache web page. Perhaps it has something to do with the PQ itself. BTW I was using the most up to date version of GSAK (on a different computer now so don't know what that is) in case you are using an older version.

 

Send me an e-mail from my profile with your e-mail address and I can forward my PQ to you.

 

thanks for the help.

[+Gan Dalf]

I don't use a 60CS, but I think I heard that it is possible to move a downloaded cache to a new location? Is it possible you accidentally relocated a couple of points?

 

I'm not sure how I would have done that. Are you saying that once you've loaded a cache onto your Garmin you can move its coordinates (or change them maunally) to another location? If I did, it would have been a complete accident and th echance of it happening twice are remote.

[+lrosell]

I have tried to duplicate your problem here at the office with both the 60cs and the 60csx using GSAK and both times GC1DG0M registered the correct coords. I also used the Send to GPS function with both GPS units and the Garmin Colorado as well. I know that doesn't help you but I tried!

 

Maybe you'll find some other data point that will lead to the problem and solution. If so please post it here and I'll look into it further.

 

Hi Nate,

 

would it help if I forwarded my PQ to you? You must have just loaded the gpx file off of the cache web page. Perhaps it has something to do with the PQ itself. BTW I was using the most up to date version of GSAK (on a different computer now so don't know what that is) in case you are using an older version.

 

Send me an e-mail from my profile with your e-mail address and I can forward my PQ to you.

 

thanks for the help.

 

This have happend to me too and not only that, I know what happened.....

 

OK OK, I'll tell ya..!

 

The coords actually down load ok to the 60CSx I have but... by accident I pushed Map and moved the cache a tad, enough to screw me up. I remeber especially this one time in my early caching days when I almost took a gas station apart in search of a cache that was actually 120 feet away hiding behind a transformer...

 

See if this may not be what is happening to your coords.

[+WeightMan]

has happened to me, early in my geocaching career, with a gps III, 60-cs, and an etrex legend. I do not use gsak and delegate my gps loading to Cachemate from a pda. Every time the pda had the correct coords , but they were bungled up by the time they got into the gpsr. This has not happened again for several years though.

One of the few times it happened to me was August, 2005. I don't recall it happening since then. It was definitely from GSAK and I was using GPXSonar on my PDA with the gpx file generated by GSAK at about the same time I downloaded the coords.

 

Since this appears to several of us as a random event and rare at that, it might well be hard to duplicate.

[+BruceS]

By chance did you inadvertently change the datum on your gps between when you uploaded them from GSAK and when you went caching? This would also explain a shift like you are seeing. On the upload it loads them in the datum you are at the time, if you change datum the gps automatically lists them in the new datum.

[+Lil Devil]

I've seen this happen a time or two, even when using MapSource to do the download to GPS. But it's never consistent. If I do the download again, the coords are correct, so I just attribute it to some sort of communication error. If the OP is getting the same error consistently, then it would be something else going on.

[+shutle64]

On the 60, if you select a waypoint, then select map instead of Go To. Then on the map screen, if you press enter while cursor is on waypoint, it will move the waypoint. I always make sure I select Go To to find a waypoint, because it is real easy to move the waypoint using the map option. If you use a POI instead, those can't be edited.

[+ShowStop]

I've also had this happen but never been able to duplicate it. It happens very randomly. Last time I remember it happening was a year or so ago. What seems to throw things off are possible duplicate coords or duplicate names. So make sure to delete your WPs in your GPS before uploading and watch out for similar name issues in GSAK.

[+Gan Dalf]

Thanks everyone for your responses. I think shuttle64 has it nailed. This was also the conclusion of the GSAK forum. I know now that I must be more careful about what function I am in. If there is a way to screw things up, I will usually find it. []

[Neos2]

I've also had this happen but never been able to duplicate it. It happens very randomly. Last time I remember it happening was a year or so ago. What seems to throw things off are possible duplicate coords or duplicate names. So make sure to delete your WPs in your GPS before uploading and watch out for similar name issues in GSAK.

That's why I keep caches listed under their GC ID, which will always be a unique identifier. It's easy enough to look up what they are on the PDA (which I also leave under the ID, since it can toggle back and forth by name/ID if I need to search for a particular cache).

 

When we first started, we thought it would be easier to use the name of the cache--but when we went out caching with more experienced folks they used the gc ID--and it took us forever to find the right cache to point our units to next. Nowdays I just make a list of the gc ID's of the caches we really want to do if there are too many to remember. If I don't want to carry a paper list, it's easy enough to make one on the PDA.

Edited July 3, 2008 by Neos2

[+trainlove]

Check the PQ yourself, the coords are just decimal degrees so multiply the fractional part by 60 to get minutes.

 

shuttle64 may have nailed it but in reading this whole thread, you do not mention if you delete all waypoints from your GPS before loading the PQ. If it already exists on the GPS then trying to load it again may not do anything and if those coords have changed over time from the first time you loaded it that's what you might be seeing.