Need help with GSAK and 450

[NHRA1877]

Im sure this has been talked about countless times but i cant find exactly what im looking for, i may just not be searching the right things. I just purchased a new Garmin 450. I will be using it for mountian bikeing, hunting and caching. What i need some help with is i would like to load all of the caches in NJ and some poconos, i dont know if i can fit them all and if not than will regionalize it for north jersey, the jersey shore, and poconos. I want to be able to put those on there and once i find them i can log it online but would also like it to come off the gps so i know what ones i have already found and how many left. I have GSAK downloaded onto my comp and am fairly good with a computer, but reading bits here and there and watching videos here and there i am having trouble finding how to to it correctly from start to finish.

 

I would like to include the full hints and descriptions if possible. If i had to i would load the unfound ones that i need for the area i am going, dont know the best way to go about it. If you guys can help me out and make it as basic and easy as possible that would be great, or even point me to threads where this has all been discussed. Thanks a ton guys!!

 

Also, to add to it, i want to get my gps set up first and formost, but would also like to load caches onto my friends 60csx.

[+Unobtainium]

To get the caches into GSAK, create pocket queries and download onto your computer. You can then drag and drop them into the GSAK window and the import dialog box will appear. If you accept the default settings you'll need to do this for all the file individually. There is an option to import the whole folder.

 

Once you have the caches in GSAK, filter the caches to only show the ones you want to export to your 450. To do this click on 'Search' and then 'filter...' The dialog that opens is pretty straight forward. The best thing to do is to play with it and you'll see how it works.

 

To export the filtered cache list to your 450 click on 'GPS' then 'Setup' in this dialog, select Garmin and Oregon 450.

Then click 'GPS' then 'Send' make sure you are sending the caches as Geocaches and not waypoints. Bear in mind the unit has a 5000 cache limit. Once you've click OK, the caches will be sent to your unit.

[NHRA1877]

ok, now is it best to load 5000 on the device at a time, or am i able to, lets say im going to the shore, load all caches that would relate to where i will be at the shore that weekend or day? when i get home and plug in the gps will it then delete the ones that i have found? and then the next week i want to do some more local caches, do i just load the ones local to me or do i have to remove the caches from the previous weeks shore trip, then load the new ones?

 

Also, lets say i do 500 caches down the shore, and have deleted all the ones i have and want to check the same peramiters i origionally checked for the pocket querie, will it only send me ones i have not found or will i be loading all of the caches again?

 

Sorry for all the questions, i am trying to learn the ropes of this. Thanks again!

[+Unobtainium]

There are a couple of ways of doing this.

 

1) There is an option on the PQ page to include or exclude caches you've found.

2) In GSAK you can filter out the caches you've found.

 

You can load several (upto 100 files I believe) GPX files into the unit previded the total number of caches does not exceed 5000. If next week you load a set of caches with the same file name, it will remove the old ones first.

[NHRA1877]

So lets say i go to the shore, i find 50 caches, i can just re-load that same file and the filter on gsak will re-load all those caches, but will remove the 50 that i just found off the device?

[+Triple Crown]

So lets say i go to the shore, i find 50 caches, i can just re-load that same file and the filter on gsak will re-load all those caches, but will remove the 50 that i just found off the device?

 

There are a couple of different ways to go about this.

GSAK allows you to have multiple databases, so I keep 1 for my home area, another for my finds and others for when I'm planning a trip. Your Oregon can hold up to 5000 caches in up to 200 files plus an unlimited number of POI's.

 

I run several different Pocket Queries (I exclude found caches) and load them all into my unfound caches database. Then after I go caching I mark the ones I found in GSAK and then move those to my 'My Finds' database then I re-run those Pocket Queries and add them to my unfound database so that I'm always updating the unfound caches with new logs.

 

There is a fantastic macro called GarminExportBeta that allows you to export not only the caches in your database, but all of your finds and hides (as POI's so there's no limit)

[NHRA1877]

ok, i was wondering why you would want a new pocket querie weekly like they have an option for but now i see that its for the logs. Im having trouble recieving pocket quries, I did it on the site and it said it was succesful, but its not sending to my email. How long does it normally take to get one?

[+Triple Crown]

ok, i was wondering why you would want a new pocket querie weekly like they have an option for but now i see that its for the logs. Im having trouble recieving pocket quries, I did it on the site and it said it was succesful, but its not sending to my email. How long does it normally take to get one?

 

Pocket queries with less than 500 results get emailed to you, with more than that they email a notification that they are ready to download and you have to go to the 'Pocket Queries Ready for Download' tab on the Pocket Query page.

 

Usually PQ's are generated in less than 5 minutes, but occasionally they take longer (like until just before midnight)

[+Unobtainium]

Your Oregon can hold up to 5000 caches in up to 200 files plus an unlimited number of POI's.

I stand corrected.

[NHRA1877]

I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but still have not received an email telling me the queries are ready.

[+Triple Crown]

I don't know if I'm doing something wrong, but still have not received an email telling me the queries are ready.

 

Once you have submitted your query, you need to check the box for the current day of the week to tell it to run. The box should stay checked until it runs, then the time/date it ran will appear in the right column on the 'Your Pocket Queries' page.

[+TXHooligans]

with my garmin.. i just drop the .gpx file in the .gpx directory of my gpsr.. simple.. no gsak requred.. the closes 950 caches are way further out than i'm going to drive on any caching run..

 

query runs every day.. i just gotta download it and hit the road..

 

or i just use my smartphone.. mostly still no gsak requried.

[+Chrysalides]

with my garmin.. i just drop the .gpx file in the .gpx directory of my gpsr.. simple.. no gsak requred.. the closes 950 caches are way further out than i'm going to drive on any caching run..

 

query runs every day.. i just gotta download it and hit the road..

 

or i just use my smartphone.. mostly still no gsak requried.

It all depends on your usage scenario.

 

GSAK is useful if you want more than 5 logs, and if you want corrected coordinates for puzzles.

 

I usually have around a backlog of 100 solved but unfound puzzles. I enter them as "corrected coordinates" into GSAK. In my filter, I exclude puzzle caches that does not have corrected coordinates.

 

If you're not interested in puzzles, and don't want more than 5 logs, and don't have unusual filtering criteria that is not handled by the PQ natively, there is no need to use GSAK.

[+New Jersey TJ]

There are numerous ways to go about managing your pocket queries to assemble the caches you want. Since you're interested in a pretty wide area, I think I'd start with defining PQs around the areas you will most likely be in. The easiest way to do this is to select caches with a radius of a cache or a postal code.

 

I've also selected caches in an area by defining a route and adjusting the radius to fill in the areas around the route. This takes a bit of tweaking to make sure you cover the area you want.

 

You'll probably want to schedule these to run at a regular interval, weekly, for example. When you're going to a particular area, select the appropriate .gpx and load it. Running the PQs on a regular basis insures that 1) It has the latest caches, 2) Disabled caches are excluded and 3) Your found caches are not included.

 

You'll want to tweak the "THAT" section of the PQ generator. I usually check-mark: 1) I haven't found, 2) Are not on my ignore list, and 3) Is Enabled.

 

As previously mentioned, you can load the PQ GPX's right to your GPS without using GSAK. GSAK has some powerful features so it definitely has benefits. My recommendation, though, is to first get the hang of PQs, and then start using GSAK if you feel the need to trick the PQs out.

Edited March 9, 2011 by New Jersey TJ

[NHRA1877]

Ok, so my gps will be here today. I was playing with my friends 60csx, I loaded 500 within 50 miles of my house onto gsak and 1000 within 30 miles of the shore. I tried to use a filter to load only the local ones to my house into the 60csx database but everytime I try a filter it says no waypoints found or something. I then just loaded the querie for the 500 local to me into the 60csx database and it loaded fine.

 

Just trying to learn to filter from the main database and load just the caches I will be going to into my 450 database.

[+Triple Crown]

Ok, so my gps will be here today. I was playing with my friends 60csx, I loaded 500 within 50 miles of my house onto gsak and 1000 within 30 miles of the shore. I tried to use a filter to load only the local ones to my house into the 60csx database but everytime I try a filter it says no waypoints found or something. I then just loaded the querie for the 500 local to me into the 60csx database and it loaded fine.

 

Just trying to learn to filter from the main database and load just the caches I will be going to into my 450 database.

 

GSAK is going to take some practice but the help forums are terrific and the moderators are very responsive.

 

For your current filter question, choose a cache near the center of the shore and right click on it to open the menu, then select 'Set this cache as the centre point' GSAK will then re-order the database for you.

 

Next click on the Set Filter button at the top (magnifying glass icon) and in the Distance field change it to 'Less than or equal to' then enter 30 miles. GSAK will then display all caches within 30 miles of your center point cache (which will be diplayed in the top margin of the Set Filter dialog box)

 

Finally, send the caches to your GPS or export them as a GPX file which you can share with your friends so you all have the same caches loaded.