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Dakota 20 GPS: How to delete uploaded geocaches


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I recently upgraded to the Dakota 20 GPS and love it. I've down loaded several geocaches to my unit for an upcoming vacation, but plans have changed. I cannot figure out how to permanently delete these caches from my GPS. I can log them as "found", but I'd prefer to delete them from the unit. Anybody able to help?

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I recently upgraded to the Dakota 20 GPS and love it. I've down loaded several geocaches to my unit for an upcoming vacation, but plans have changed. I cannot figure out how to permanently delete these caches from my GPS. I can log them as "found", but I'd prefer to delete them from the unit. Anybody able to help?

 

connect your GPS equipment to the computer then go into the Garmin / GPX so where will all the caches up so you can delete that;)

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I recently upgraded to the Dakota 20 GPS and love it. I've down loaded several geocaches to my unit for an upcoming vacation, but plans have changed. I cannot figure out how to permanently delete these caches from my GPS. I can log them as "found", but I'd prefer to delete them from the unit. Anybody able to help?

 

connect your GPS equipment to the computer then go into the Garmin / GPX so where will all the caches up so you can delete that;)

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I recently upgraded to the Dakota 20 GPS and love it. I've down loaded several geocaches to my unit for an upcoming vacation, but plans have changed. I cannot figure out how to permanently delete these caches from my GPS. I can log them as "found", but I'd prefer to delete them from the unit. Anybody able to help?

 

connect your GPS equipment to the computer then go into the Garmin / GPX so where will all the caches up so you can delete that;)

Thanks fastcea, I appreciate the help. It worked! Finally deleted all those unused/found geocaches. I guess there was no easier way to delete them without hooking it up to the computer?

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Nope - that's the new model for working with these newer Garmin handhelds.

 

When you start working the "paperless" angle, you will also quickly discover that you need to delete the file called geocache_visits.txt in the Garmin folder, too. That's the record of your found/not-found and any notes you added when logging.

 

When you start using the "Upload Field Notes" feature, you'll find that hooking to your computer and deleting that file is the only way to get rid of those records once you've uploaded them to gc.com

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The search engine brough me to this topic as I had the same questions as geo-hazzard. I went to the Garmin files with my puter and found all the .gpx files but my question is.... is there any way to differentiate between the found/not found files on your device other than using the gc codes from your found list on your profile? And... is there a way to run a pocket query on just the gc codes you've found? I was also wondering if deleting them would remove them from your found list on your device but ecanderson answered that perfectly.

We started geocaching in May and I soon realized that for us, paperless was the only way to go, so we bought a 450t which has been great..... except now I need to spend some time managing files rather than hunting caches. Any advise that could speed the process up would be greatly appreciated.

:rolleyes: Found the answers here. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...files+garmin450

And here. http://forums.Groundspeak.com/GC/index.php...files+garmin450

Edited by teamjandt
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The search engine brough me to this topic as I had the same questions as geo-hazzard. I went to the Garmin files with my puter and found all the .gpx files but my question is.... is there any way to differentiate between the found/not found files on your device other than using the gc codes from your found list on your profile? And... is there a way to run a pocket query on just the gc codes you've found? I was also wondering if deleting them would remove them from your found list on your device but ecanderson answered that perfectly.

We started geocaching in May and I soon realized that for us, paperless was the only way to go, so we bought a 450t which has been great..... except now I need to spend some time managing files rather than hunting caches. Any advise that could speed the process up would be greatly appreciated.

 

OK - to clarify several things (at once, I hope).

 

First item of general info:

 

When you load one or more *.gpx files of caches into gpx folder of your unit, that information is (best we can tell) all loaded in some fashion into an inaccessible area of internal Garmin memory when the unit is next powered on. Until such time as the Garmin "discovers" that the *.gpx file(s) you wrote to the gpx folder has(have) changed (you've deleted what was in the gpx folder or copied file(s) with new names or copied files with the same name to the gpx folder with new time/date stamps on them), it operates with whatever it already knows has been loaded. Nobody I know has a clue as to the internal storage format. The Garmin parses the *.gpx files and gets what it needs from them.

 

When you subsequently find one or more of those caches,

 

1) a "found" flag is set on the Garmin's internal copy of the cache information. Nothing is changed in the *.gpx file that you can see with your computer. You CAN select Geocaches and "Show Found" to see those caches that have been flagged, and by "unfinding" them, have that flag reset and they will be returned to your "unfound" list where you can see them when you search for unfound caches.

2) a record is written into the geocache_visits.txt file in the Garmin directory of your unit. You can upload that information go geocaching.com to get started on your logging. When you are done, you'll want to delete that file from your Garmin so that it doesn't continue to accumulate -- and we're never sure how well the "date cut off" works when uploading log information at geocaching.com.

 

My Finds Pocket Query

 

This addresses your question about whether you can run a PQ that shows only the caches you have already found. Yes ... go to the bottom of your Pocket Queries page, look below any queries that you have built, and see the box called "My Finds". Underneath that is a button labeled "Add to Queue". This will create a unique PQ that contains ONLY the caches you have already found. Just to have it on their unit, some people will turn this list into a POI file so that they show up on their unit without eating up any of the space (500 or 2000 or whatever their model will hold) available to unfound geocaches. You do not want caches you have found using up that valuable space. Taking the *.gpx file of your finds and loading them as points of interest (instead of as caches) can be done in a simple way with Garmin's POILoader application ( http://www8.garmin.com/products/poiloader/ ).

 

There a lot of folks with various techniques that will no doubt chime in.

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I have a similar question.

 

I have deleted the GPX file from the GPS but i still have a list of found caches on there.

 

How do I remove them?

They will go away when you load a new *.gpx.

 

:rolleyes::) I read this thread and am still at a loss. I deleted a few dozen .gpx files (one by one...what a drag!) and discovered when I turned on my Dakota that they still showed up in my Found list. I found this thread and tried 1) downloading a new .gpx file and 2) deleting files from the *_visited.txt file (I didn't delete the entire file, though). My original Found list is still showing. Do I need to do 2) before 1)? Do I need to delete the *_visited.txt file completely?

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Delete all your .gpx files and delete the visited.txt file completely. If you are using a Mac, make sure you empty your trash before disconnecting your GPS to make sure all the stuff you deleted is really gone.

 

:lol::rolleyes: I read this thread and am still at a loss. I deleted a few dozen .gpx files (one by one...what a drag!) and discovered when I turned on my Dakota that they still showed up in my Found list. I found this thread and tried 1) downloading a new .gpx file and 2) deleting files from the *_visited.txt file (I didn't delete the entire file, though). My original Found list is still showing. Do I need to do 2) before 1)? Do I need to delete the *_visited.txt file completely?

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Delete all your .gpx files and delete the visited.txt file completely. If you are using a Mac, make sure you empty your trash before disconnecting your GPS to make sure all the stuff you deleted is really gone.

 

:lol::rolleyes: I read this thread and am still at a loss. I deleted a few dozen .gpx files (one by one...what a drag!) and discovered when I turned on my Dakota that they still showed up in my Found list. I found this thread and tried 1) downloading a new .gpx file and 2) deleting files from the *_visited.txt file (I didn't delete the entire file, though). My original Found list is still showing. Do I need to do 2) before 1)? Do I need to delete the *_visited.txt file completely?

 

If I delete the .gpx files completely, won't I have to reload all those caches again, even the ones I haven't found? I don't mind deleting the *_visited.txt file now, since I've confirmed that I do have the codes for a few puzzle caches I've yet to get to the final on. I'd saved them as field notes, just in case I lost the paper I'd recorded them on (which I had, temporarily).

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If I understand you correctly, you are trying to clear out your found cache list. From this thread we learned that the Dakota "flags" found caches from a .GPX file into its memory. So, logic should dictate that if you clear out all of your .GPX files from the unit and delete the visited.txt file, all the "found cache" flags should be removed also. Then, just re-run your PQ and copy that/those file/files over. I've found it just as easy to delete everything and start fresh with caches you haven't found. Plus, copying .GPX files to the unit take only a few seconds, no big deal. :rolleyes:

 

From your previous note it seems like you've got lots and lots of .GPX files on there, probably from the "Send to GPS" option. If you do the pocket query method, then you've just got one .GPX file to worry about and it will be easier to keep your found cache list cleaned out.

 

If I delete the .gpx files completely, won't I have to reload all those caches again, even the ones I haven't found? I don't mind deleting the *_visited.txt file now, since I've confirmed that I do have the codes for a few puzzle caches I've yet to get to the final on. I'd saved them as field notes, just in case I lost the paper I'd recorded them on (which I had, temporarily).

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If I understand you correctly, you are trying to clear out your found cache list. From this thread we learned that the Dakota "flags" found caches from a .GPX file into its memory. So, logic should dictate that if you clear out all of your .GPX files from the unit and delete the visited.txt file, all the "found cache" flags should be removed also. Then, just re-run your PQ and copy that/those file/files over. I've found it just as easy to delete everything and start fresh with caches you haven't found. Plus, copying .GPX files to the unit take only a few seconds, no big deal. :P

 

From your previous note it seems like you've got lots and lots of .GPX files on there, probably from the "Send to GPS" option. If you do the pocket query method, then you've just got one .GPX file to worry about and it will be easier to keep your found cache list cleaned out.

 

If I delete the .gpx files completely, won't I have to reload all those caches again, even the ones I haven't found? I don't mind deleting the *_visited.txt file now, since I've confirmed that I do have the codes for a few puzzle caches I've yet to get to the final on. I'd saved them as field notes, just in case I lost the paper I'd recorded them on (which I had, temporarily).

 

I'm new to pocket queries and GSAK, so I've done very little fiddling around with the Dakota until now. I'll see what I can do with this and the above info. Thanks.

Well, this is interesting to learn! I was a Basic member until just a couple of weeks ago, so yes, most of my caches were added by the "send to GPS" option. I didn't realize that the ones sent by PQ were collected into just one .gpx file. That will indeed make it easier in the future.

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The one file .GPX pocket query is the way to go! :(

 

Well, this is interesting to learn! I was a Basic member until just a couple of weeks ago, so yes, most of my caches were added by the "send to GPS" option. I didn't realize that the ones sent by PQ were collected into just one .gpx file. That will indeed make it easier in the future.

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The one file .GPX pocket query is the way to go! :(

 

Well, this is interesting to learn! I was a Basic member until just a couple of weeks ago, so yes, most of my caches were added by the "send to GPS" option. I didn't realize that the ones sent by PQ were collected into just one .gpx file. That will indeed make it easier in the future.

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Thanks, Geojibby. I deleted my visited.txt file and all the GPX files and then uploaded a new PQ and all looks good. Now I just need to make sure I don't throw out any notes from puzzle caches that I haven't found yet, just in case something goes wrong and I discover I don't have the information recorded anywhere anymore. (But the notes field for Premium Members will come in handy there.)

Edited by And Sister
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