Showing Caches in Google Earth

[+George1]

I saw how to do this in these forums but now I have forgotten just how I got it to work. ( a mind is a terrible thing to waste ) All I remember is I dropped a file in Google Earth and all the caches showed up just like in the picture. Does anybody know what you have to do to get GE to do this? I will write it down this time.

 

[+J-Way]

If you're talking about the KML download, that's been discontinued.

 

If you're talking about dropping a GPX file, I've never successfully made that work (it always errors out and only shows a few caches).

[+herrozerro]

If you're talking about the KML download, that's been discontinued.

 

If you're talking about dropping a GPX file, I've never successfully made that work (it always errors out and only shows a few caches).

 

is the service itself discontinued? or just the download because i have it in my GE and it still works.

[+Road Rabbit]

Check here to see the discussion about the decision to remove this function.

Edited June 3, 2009 by Road Rabbit

[+Cache O'Plenty]

I've never dropped a GPX file directly into GE but use GSAK instead to show all caches within a filtered database. There is a addon macro that does the work for me - nice and easy.

Edited June 3, 2009 by Cache O'Plenty

[+grayliners]

I saw how to do this in these forums but now I have forgotten just how I got it to work. ( a mind is a terrible thing to waste ) All I remember is I dropped a file in Google Earth and all the caches showed up just like in the picture. Does anybody know what you have to do to get GE to do this? I will write it down this time.

 

 

The easiest (and quickest) way I have found to do this is to save your finds as a single GPX file. Then, open Google Earth with the sidebar showing. Shrink the Google Earth window so that it does not take up the entire desktop, and drag your GPX file into the location of the sidebar where you wish it to be stored. When done, simply save the data to Google Earth.

 

Now, I'll also write it down, so I don't have to experiment again the next time I want to do it.

[+mtn-man]

If you're talking about dropping a GPX file, I've never successfully made that work (it always errors out and only shows a few caches).

There is a feature/trick/glitch on GE. There is a date slider. It shows caches by the date hidden. I find that by default it is only showing a narrow window of time, and way in the past. You have to open the date slider all the way up to show all caches. It can be cool because if you make it "play", it will show a progression of hidden caches by date and it interesting to watch.

[+Walts Hunting]

mtn-man got it right about the slider. That is the most common reason caches don't show. It is along the top towards the right. Grab the right bracket and slide it all the way to the right.

 

To open a GPX file do File|Open and then click the drop down box in the lower right corner and change it to GPX and load the file. No problem

[+mtn-man]

I just open an Explorer Window and navigate to the particular file folder. I click the file and drag it right onto the globe window and let it go. It immediately zooms right into the caches.

[+CrkrJim]

Thanks for this topic. Opening the gpx file (exported from gsak) is easy and it's nicer to look at than mapsource for my garmin. Clicking the geocach icon brings up additional info that can help decide if we want to go for it or not.

[+J-Way]

If you're talking about the KML download, that's been discontinued.

is the service itself discontinued? or just the download because i have it in my GE and it still works.

As of right now just the download has been discontinued, as discussed (quite heatedly) in the link posted above. Mine still works as well, fortunately. Eventually the service will be discontinued. Maybe when TPTB decide to flip the switch, maybe when the next GE update comes out, and maybe it just randomly stops working one sad day.

 

MM: Thanks for the fix! I've also used the GSAK macro in the past, and there's another one that draws 528-ft circles around existing caches. Run both and you see the caches with 528-ft circles around them so you can see where new caches can be hidden (except for unknown and multi-stages and such).

[robertlipe]

Earth 5.0 (non-beta) automatically opens the time slider to the full extent of the loaded data. Drag a PQ into the non-beta version and watch the "jaws" of the time slider animate as they open up. All your data will be shown.

 

This is the first time this is the default behaviour since 4.0 was released in '06 or so.

[+George1]

After reading all the posts I finally go it.

 

FIRST!!! I am using a Mac. GE might work a little different in a PC, but I don't think so.

 

I found the original post about how to do this and I got it to work again. This is what I did.

 

1. Get a PQ

2. Open the zip file. ( I could not get it to work just dropping the zip file in GE)

3. Get the larger of the 2 gpx files in the folder. ( One is a small file and it will just drop arrows with the GC# The larger file will drop the green circles with the Cache name. Zoom to whatever level you want. Then I take a screen shot of the area I want to Cache in and put it on my iPhone.) That way I always have a map of the area with me.

 

4. Drop the larger file on GE and poof - it comes up with a better map than the mapsource map. You can see the circles and flags on this screen shot.

 

I have it written down this time.

 

Now I just have to figure out how to get rid of this file in GE.

 

[knowschad]

 

1. Get a PQ

2. Open the zip file. ( I could not get it to work just dropping the zip file in GE)

3. Get the larger of the 2 gpx files in the folder. ( One is a small file and it will just drop arrows with the GC# The larger file will drop the green circles with the Cache name.

 

FYI: The smaller file is the child waypoints file (parking coordinates, etc).

[+Allanon]

Drop the larger file on GE and poof - it comes up with a better map than the mapsource map.

Not necessarily. It depends entirely on the detail of the sat maps in the area of the caches.

[+George1]

 

1. Get a PQ

2. Open the zip file. ( I could not get it to work just dropping the zip file in GE)

3. Get the larger of the 2 gpx files in the folder. ( One is a small file and it will just drop arrows with the GC# The larger file will drop the green circles with the Cache name.

 

FYI: The smaller file is the child waypoints file (parking coordinates, etc).

 

Ahhhh I learned something else. Thanks.

[+George1]

Drop the larger file on GE and poof - it comes up with a better map than the mapsource map.

Not necessarily. It depends entirely on the detail of the sat maps in the area of the caches.

 

This is true. I have tried this in remote areas of PA and the Sat maps are not very good. But in more densely populated areas the detail is pretty good.

[gethidden]

Does anyone know if its OK to hide pictures in google earth, that have numbers or any other information that could be needed to find a cache. And then hunters would have to go look on google earth to find the info or coordinates.

 

I'm thinking about going out and taking pictures of different numbers in our community/county that could then be used to fill in the missing numbers to a set of coordinates where the cache is actually hidden.

 

Is this permissible?