Oregon 450 - How to pick closest Geocache

[+skskarda]

I am new to Geocaching. I am considering purchasing an Oregon at REI but wanted to know about a few specific features.

 

I have been using my wifes Android and my BlackBerry for geocaching. I love the application on my wifes Android for Geocaching but after an unfortunate incident where I left her phone on the bumper of my truck (recovered OK), borrowing her phone is not a great option. My Blackberry works OK. I have been using Cachesense but there is a lot I miss that was in the Android. The cell phone option isn't great though since I have no map when out of cell service so I would like a paperless Geocaching GPS.

 

Question 1: On the Orgeon 450, can you see all of the Geocaches loaded in it on the map? So if I am cruising down the road and want to pick up a few Geocaches that are preloaded, can I look at the map and pick one?

 

Question 2: One the Oregon 450 screen where you list Geocaches, I see that there is a distance and direction indication for each cache. Does that update dynamically as you drive around or do you have to manually refresh the screen? Does the list auto sort for the nearest cache and continue to dynamically sort as you move or does that require a manual intervention to resort for nearest.

 

Question 3: ( I think I know the answer but will ask anyway). Is there anyway in a view of nearest caches to see difficulty, smileys from the log, and size or do you have to pull up each cache to get the details?

 

These questions are based on features I love on the Android. If I could get these features and not have to worry about dead cell phone batteries or missing cell phone signal, I'd rush to REI to pick up the Oregon. I have searched this forum and reviews but can't find the answer. I am hoping some existing Oregon users can help me out. Thanks!

[+ecanderson]

Question 1: On the Orgeon 450, can you see all of the Geocaches loaded in it on the map? So if I am cruising down the road and want to pick up a few Geocaches that are preloaded, can I look at the map and pick one?

Yes, whatever is in range of your zoom level will appear on your map.

 

Question 2: One the Oregon 450 screen where you list Geocaches, I see that there is a distance and direction indication for each cache. Does that update dynamically as you drive around or do you have to manually refresh the screen?

When you move, everything visible at the time changes.

 

Does the list auto sort for the nearest cache and continue to dynamically sort as you move or does that require a manual intervention to resort for nearest.

I've had them jump around.

 

Question 3: ( I think I know the answer but will ask anyway). Is there anyway in a view of nearest caches to see difficulty, smileys from the log, and size or do you have to pull up each cache to get the details?

Yes, I use GSAK to load my info to my unit, and modify the way the data is sent, and hence, the way it is displayed. I can get the GC code, container size (M,S,R, etc) difficulty (1.0~5.0) and terrain (1.0~5.0) digits and usually the FNFF etc for the last 4 logs all on the display. On the main display page for each cache, I get anything that didn't fit there - but hey, it's a 1 liner, right? Here's my GSAK "Name" field setting for "Send waypoints",

 

%drop2 %con1 %Dif/%Ter %last4 %name

[+LaxRef93]

Question 3: ( I think I know the answer but will ask anyway). Is there anyway in a view of nearest caches to see difficulty, smileys from the log, and size or do you have to pull up each cache to get the details?

Yes, I use GSAK to load my info to my unit, and modify the way the data is sent, and hence, the way it is displayed. I can get the GC code, container size (M,S,R, etc) difficulty (1.0~5.0) and terrain (1.0~5.0) digits and usually the FNFF etc for the last 4 logs all on the display. On the main display page for each cache, I get anything that didn't fit there - but hey, it's a 1 liner, right? Here's my GSAK "Name" field setting for "Send waypoints",

 

%drop2 %con1 %Dif/%Ter %last4 %name

With the latest software update, there is a new filter option that lets you filter right on the 450 for difficulty/terrain, cache size, etc.

Edited September 5, 2010 by LaxRef93

[+ecanderson]

Yes, I use GSAK to load my info to my unit, and modify the way the data is sent, and hence, the way it is displayed. I can get the GC code, container size (M,S,R, etc) difficulty (1.0~5.0) and terrain (1.0~5.0) digits and usually the FNFF etc for the last 4 logs all on the display. On the main display page for each cache, I get anything that didn't fit there - but hey, it's a 1 liner, right? Here's my GSAK "Name" field setting for "Send waypoints",

 

%drop2 %con1 %Dif/%Ter %last4 %name

With the latest software update, there is a new filter option that lets you filter right on the 450 for difficulty/terrain, cache size, etc.

I'm not using GSAK for filtering, but rather, to modify how my 450 (and Dakota 20) display the information in the cache lists, compass page, cache description page etc.

 

The only "magic" is using the following string in the "Name" field when I do my "Send to gps" export to my Dakota or Oregon: %drop2 %con1 %Dif/%Ter %last4 %name

 

 

Edited September 5, 2010 by ecanderson

[+dfx]

Does the list auto sort for the nearest cache and continue to dynamically sort as you move or does that require a manual intervention to resort for nearest.

I've had them jump around.

hm, i can't say i've seen that happen. if it does get resorted, it doesn't do it right away, because i've seen caches further up in the list with a bigger distance than the ones further down.

 

Question 3: ( I think I know the answer but will ask anyway). Is there anyway in a view of nearest caches to see difficulty, smileys from the log, and size or do you have to pull up each cache to get the details?

the "geocaching - nearest" dashboard gives you this ability, but will only show you the one closest cache to you and no more.

[+ecanderson]

Does the list auto sort for the nearest cache and continue to dynamically sort as you move or does that require a manual intervention to resort for nearest.

I've had them jump around.

hm, i can't say i've seen that happen. if it does get resorted, it doesn't do it right away, because i've seen caches further up in the list with a bigger distance than the ones further down.

 

Question 3: ( I think I know the answer but will ask anyway). Is there anyway in a view of nearest caches to see difficulty, smileys from the log, and size or do you have to pull up each cache to get the details?

the "geocaching - nearest" dashboard gives you this ability, but will only show you the one closest cache to you and no more.

Again, what the user asks for can be had with some judicious use of GSAK. My own cache list looks like this on my Oregon. I get quite a bit of info that way. The differing amount of info per line per cache is a function of the proportional font that Garmin uses.

 

What you see in screen shot above (I finally got the image working) is the GC code (without the unnecessary "GC"), the size (M=micro, S=small, U=undefined, etc.), The difficulty rating / the terrain rating, and the last four logs (F=found, N=not found, X=disabled, O=published or other notes).

Edited September 5, 2010 by ecanderson

[+rufnredy]

Again, what the user asks for can be had with some judicious use of GSAK. My own cache list looks like this on my Oregon. I get quite a bit of info that way. The differing amount of info per line per cache is a function of the proportional font that Garmin uses.

 

What you see in screen shot above (I finally got the image working) is the GC code (without the unnecessary "GC"), the size (M=micro, S=small, U=undefined, etc.), The difficulty rating / the terrain rating, and the last four logs (F=found, N=not found, X=disabled, O=published or other notes).

 

You can save some more real estate in that one line by using the following:

 

%drop2 %con1 %Dif1a/%Ter1a %last4 %name

 

Dif1a gives difficulty in a single number/letter 1=1 1.5=A 2=2 2.5=B ...

Ter1a gives terrain in a single number/letter 1=1 1.5=A 2=2 2.5=B ...

 

Knowing each is one digit, and I am not worried about GC number as it is in the description,

I am using:

 

%Typ1%con1%Dif1a%Ter1a %last4 %name

 

It runs together but an example I get is

 

TSBA FFFF Glub,Glub

 

Which translates to =>>>> Traditional, Small, Diff=2.5, Ter=1.5, Found Found Found Found

 

It really comes down to what you can get used to and how much information you want on the screen. I want it all with as little as possible space used for dif/ter/etc so i can see part of the name ... after reading the pages, the name means something to me but the GC code does not ... hence my choices ...

 

Just wanted to point out another way to skin this cat ...

 

dave

[+ecanderson]

I started out dealing with sorting and viewing by cache names, but after about the first month, realized that a couple of things locally were working against me..

 

First, we have a lot of "series" caches around here. Even using the GSAK "smart name" technology was creating just a load of cache names that were indistinguishable.

 

Second, back before we dreamed of paperless caching, the need was for GC numbers to talk to gc.com. If you wanted to find or log a cache, page 1 asked for a GC code, not the name. Trying to use a search for every cache (and finding lots of name hits around the world on the search) was counterproductive.

 

The name appears on the cache description page along with all of the rest of the good stuff in full length. The Colorado/Dakota/Oregon series is a lot more friendly about my long and strange waypoint names <g>.

 

Yeah, there's a lot of ways to crack that nut. The key, however, is in the use of a program like GSAK that makes your favorite format available on the screen. Just copying a *.gpx file from a PQ doesn't begin to take advantage of the possibilities of the limited screen.

[+rufnredy]

I started out dealing with sorting and viewing by cache names, but after about the first month, realized that a couple of things locally were working against me..

 

First, we have a lot of "series" caches around here. Even using the GSAK "smart name" technology was creating just a load of cache names that were indistinguishable.

 

Second, back before we dreamed of paperless caching, the need was for GC numbers to talk to gc.com. If you wanted to find or log a cache, page 1 asked for a GC code, not the name. Trying to use a search for every cache (and finding lots of name hits around the world on the search) was counterproductive.

 

The name appears on the cache description page along with all of the rest of the good stuff in full length. The Colorado/Dakota/Oregon series is a lot more friendly about my long and strange waypoint names <g>.

 

Yeah, there's a lot of ways to crack that nut. The key, however, is in the use of a program like GSAK that makes your favorite format available on the screen. Just copying a *.gpx file from a PQ doesn't begin to take advantage of the possibilities of the limited screen.

 

Know what you mean by series ... we have several in the DC area ...

One thing you can do in GSAK is make the translation of strings to much smaller ones ... then use smart names ...

 

For example one of our challenges has cache names like the "Maryland Municipal League - (City name)"

I had GSAK turn "Maryland Municipal League -" into "MML" and the rest just fell into logical place ..

 

Another reason that GSAK is your friend

 

dave

[+skskarda]

Thanks so much for the help and the advice. I guess I just needed someone to push me over the fence. I just picked up my Oregon 450 taking advantage of the REI sale. I can't wait to get it out and do some geocaching!

[+dfx]

Again, what the user asks for can be had with some judicious use of GSAK.

but not everybody uses GSAK, or can use GSAK, or wants to use GSAK.

[+ecanderson]

Again, what the user asks for can be had with some judicious use of GSAK.

but not everybody uses GSAK, or can use GSAK, or wants to use GSAK.

And they don't have to (although those that really cannot use it are rare indeed). Whether or not a person "wants" to use it should be conditioned by what they find beneficial to the caching experience having tried it. I would imagine that there are a few folks scratching their heads over the info being displayed in the screen shots above, saying "That would be nice..."

 

Truth to tell, I generally use it in the most minimalist of ways -- I kill my entire database weekly, gather all my PQs into one batch, and export files for my Garmins and TomTom using the "Name" fields that give me good bang for the buck (compared to just sliding a *.gpx over onto my Garmin, anyway). The macros that add an extra log on the front end for attributes and other goodies are just icing on the cake.

 

If a person wants to take full advantage of what can be displayed on various screens of a newer Garmin handheld, I am unaware of any other tool that will so flexibly rewrite the "Name" data before sending in order to produce the desired result. If there is another tool out there with the same sort of capability, I'd be interested in hearing about it. I doubt Garmin will ever support similar parsing and rewriting of various fields in the *.gpx for more convenient display.

[+Nighthawk700]

I'm not using GSAK for filtering, but rather, to modify how my 450 (and Dakota 20) display the information in the cache lists, compass page, cache description page etc.

 

The only "magic" is using the following string in the "Name" field when I do my "Send to gps" export to my Dakota or Oregon: %drop2 %con1 %Dif/%Ter %last4 %name

 

 

I tried doing this in GSAK, but the results looked very strange. Not Geocaching icons. Reading your post again, I see you said you "Send to GPS". I saved as a GPX file, then copied that to my 450. That may have been the problem.

 

So if I get everything built in GSAK as I want it, and use Send to GPS, does that create a GPX file on the GPS? Just one file, or one file for each waypoint? I'll have to try tomorrow, too much else to get done tonight.

 

Thanks

 

Nighthawk700

[+ecanderson]

I tried doing this in GSAK, but the results looked very strange. Not Geocaching icons. Reading your post again, I see you said you "Send to GPS". I saved as a GPX file, then copied that to my 450. That may have been the problem.

 

So if I get everything built in GSAK as I want it, and use Send to GPS, does that create a GPX file on the GPS? Just one file, or one file for each waypoint? I'll have to try tomorrow, too much else to get done tonight.

 

Thanks

 

Nighthawk700

When you use "Send to GPS" instead of "File/Export/GPX LOC file", the data is sent directly to your unit, and uses GSAK's knowledge of what format(s) your unit will tolerate to provide a menu that helps you create a configuration that will work with your specific model. As an example, older eTrex units had some serious limitations on the length of the "Name". It was also possible to do some icon swapping on some of those older units.

 

Go to "GPS/Setup"

 

Select the brand and specific model of your unit. That helps GSAK understand what is possible.

 

Select "GPS/Send Waypoints". How you choose to tweak things there is up to you. My preferences were posted above. That "Name" field is the ticket to how things will show up for you in many of the screens on your unit.

 

The default name that GSAK creates is geocaches.gpx. You can use that or whatever you like. I run out of a single GSAK database for this purpose, so I only send one file and only need one name. If you build and send several databases, you'll want unique filenames so they don't overwrite each other. In any case, GSAK sends only ONE *.gpx file for a database. If it sent one per cache, you'd run into the limit of 200 really quick. GSAK is happy to send the full 5000 that would fit on a new 450 all in a single file. That's how I use GSAK. I "File/Load" all five of my weekly PQs into a single database and send them all out in one chunk to my Oregon. [i have the "My Finds PQ sent separately as a POI/waypoint file, but that's another story for another day].

 

I always check the "Clear GPS before sending" to get rid of any previous file(s) I may have sent, but if you're sending more than one, you definitely don't want to do that -- in the end, only the last one you send will be there! Hey, you can always use your PC to delete things manually whenever you like.

 

Ah - important - to use the paperless features of your unit, you'll want to be sure to select the radio button for "Geocaches" and not "Waypoints". The XML in the *.gpx file that's sent to your unit needs to be created for one or the other. Your unit will recognize a *.gpx that contains caches and treat it in its own special way.

 

Once you have the "Name" and all else set as you like, it might be a good idea to click on the "Save" button, and name your profile something like "Oregon Load" or somesuch. Won't matter too much if you only use one unit. It will remember how you had it set up anyway, so "Last active" always works for a single unit system, too.

 

There's tons of other stuff you can do with GSAK, but one has been especially helpful to me. I've told gc.com to send me my PQ files in 1.0.1 format instead of 1.0 format. This causes the *.gpx files to contain additional XML code for the attributes of each cache. There's a GSAK macro that prepends an additional log entry to the usual 4 logs - that log gives a text version of each of the attributes. Sometimes things like a "Winter Friendly" attribute will keep you from searching under things that would otherwise be buried in snow. Not much use in San Diego, but can be handy here in Colorado.

Edited September 8, 2010 by ecanderson