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Keeping solved puzzles in GSAK


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Hopefully someone will find this useful!

 

Well I recently got into solving puzzles and it was getting a pain keep on changing the co-ords in the field for solved puzzles in every area I was going to. I tried just changing the co-ords in GSAK but I couldnt tell the difference between solved and unsolved puzzles on my oregon <_< and on my pda with memory map. Plus as I usually keep a default database of 4000 caches updateed weekly to do in the region it got to be impossible to keep changing them all.

 

So I came up with a way to do it that worked for me and I thought Id share it with a few friends who now use to too. They are very happy so I thought Id share it with other cachers in the UK :D

 

Please note that the solved puzzles will show up as a default garmin treasure chest icon on Oregons (you can change these to any icons you like, I made up a new set from scratch to look like lordelphs. any probs email me)

 

 

Ive tried to make it as simple as I can, and I hope it still works on the version of GSAK you have.

Here goes.

 

To set up the seperate database.

 

1) Open up GSAK with your pocket queries loaded up (you need this to cover an area where all your solved puzzle caches are, if any of your solved caches are outside this area, or you dont use a PQ for large areas, then you may need to do a seperate PQ just for 1000 puzzle caches that you havent found from your home location) These should be in your default database (Shown in the database dropdown menu at the top of the screen)

2) Click on the DATABASE menu at the top of the window

3) Click on New....

4) Name it Puzzle Finals and check the box marked "use defaults" and click create.

5) Go back to your default database (the one with your pocket queries in)

6) Go through the database and flag (the column with the little man at the top) each cache you have solved and have yet to find, you can search for these by name using the name search box

7) once all these are flagged use the drop down box for "select saved filter" and select the "User flag (GSAK default)" option

8) You should now only see the puzzle caches you have solved in the database. In the Database menu, select move/copy waypoints.

9) select the "Puzzle Finals" Database, select "move" check the box marked "Display destination when finished" and click Go

10) Now the boring bit. Right click on the first cache, change the type to "Locationless" this will help to identify it as a solved cache (you can use this later to make memory map identify this and change the symbol to one of your choosing)

11) change the co-ordinates to the correct ones for the final location.

12) Repeat this for all the caches in the database. This is a bit of a pain to do but when its done once you only need to do it for each cache as its solved.

 

This is the database set up. You may want to back up GSAK after you have done this and keep backing it up when you solve new caches to keep you backups up to date.

 

Now to use it :o)

 

1) you can now clear your default database. Make sure you have selected "default" in the database drop down box.

2) Clear the database in the usual way, then load up the pocket queries as you normally would.

3) selct the "Puzzle Final" database from the database drop down menu.

4) Clcik the database menu, then click Move/Copy Waypoints

5) Select "Default" from the menu, Check the boxes marked "copy", "Replace", "Merge Logs", "add and flag" and "display destination database when finished"

6) Click save and call it something like "Puzzle transfer" then click ok, then click go

 

This will transfer all the puzzle caches in your default database with the solved co-ordinates and change the icon in GSAK to a locationless cache icon to make it easy to identify. It will also import the logs from your most recent PQ so that you get the latest logs. You can also check that all the cachesa you have moved back in are active. If you select "user flagged" from the filter drop down box, then any caches listed here (if there are any) were not included in your latest PQ (database). This may be because they are archived or because they are outside the PQ you had loaded.You can use this to see if they need to be deleted from your Puzzle Finals database.

 

To add a new solved cache to your puzzle solved database simply select your default database, user flag the caches you want to copy accross to the puzzle database. then click user flags from the Filter drop down box. Select Move/Copy from the Database menu and select PUZZLE FINALS database. Then right click on each one in the Puzzle finals database and change the icon and co-ords. Then move it back to your default database in the normal way.

 

Hope its clear enough :unsure::blink::huh:

 

All the best

 

Wayne

(Vodor)

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Hopefully someone will find this useful!

Hi Wayne,

 

Thanks, that's interesting, as it always is to read new ways of doing things.

 

I'm a little confused (when aren't I) as to how this differs from the method I use, which is simply to use the 'corrected coordinates' function in GSAK to change the coordinates of a puzzle cache once it is solved.

At the moment I don't change the icon for solved puzzles but can see how this would be a great help in Memory Map so will start doing that from now on.

I do of course lose the original, published, coordinates, but most times these are just dummy coordinates. Where the coordinates are for recommended parking then when I update the cache with 'corrected' coordinates I just add the original coordinates as an additional waypoint.

 

In your instructions you say to clear the database. But I have always avoided doing this as over the months I have built up a good history of all caches within a 100 mile radius including many more than the 5 most recent logs that a PQ provides. I just add each new PQ to the existing database and the number of logs just keeps growing without limits.

Doesn't clearing the database remove all this history and leave just the 5 logs from the most recent PQ?

 

Now I have read your method I can't help feeling that I am missing something with the way I handle solved puzzles.

What am I missing :huh:

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For some reason, it may be me, but if I dont clear the database, I usually end up with caches on the oregon that have been archived for weeks or disabled, as it doesnt discriminate these on the map screen of the oregon. :( If I have to clear the databse I would lose all the corrected co-ords.

 

Also for the oregon I can only transfer a maximum of 5000 geocaches to the device at a time and if I dont keep the database under that level it crops it to 5000 randomly and without warning. :( Some GPS's storage capacity can be eaten up pretty fast by having vast ammounts of logs on each cache.

 

Some people can only keep 500 caches on their GPS at a time (or less) and need to keep juggling what caches they keep on the unit by PQing the area they are going the following day. so this way allows them to add only the solved puzzles they need to use.

 

But like everything, it all depends what equipment you are using at the time and what you are used to. Some people like the original icons for the oregon, I cant get on with them, I cant even make out the ? on the map background.

I think for you the only help will be changing the icon on each of the solved ones to disciminate it. But watch your maximum storage on your device or you could end up walking right past caches that are cropped off :o

 

Anyway why arent you out caching? your nearly at 1000 !!!!! :D:P

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For some reason, it may be me, but if I dont clear the database, I usually end up with caches on the oregon that have been archived for weeks or disabled, as it doesnt discriminate these on the map screen of the oregon. :( If I have to clear the databse I would lose all the corrected co-ords.

Ah, right, yes clearing the database each time will help with that. I run the archived cache macro after each weekly PQ upload and it does a pretty good job of identifying the caches archived since the last upload.

The Memory Map export macro (with LordElphs icons) does give disabled caches a different icon - on memory maps at least. But it may not do the same with your fancy GPS :)

 

Also for the oregon I can only transfer a maximum of 5000 geocaches to the device at a time and if I dont keep the database under that level it crops it to 5000 randomly and without warning. :( Some GPS's storage capacity can be eaten up pretty fast by having vast ammounts of logs on each cache.

 

Some people can only keep 500 caches on their GPS at a time (or less) and need to keep juggling what caches they keep on the unit by PQing the area they are going the following day. so this way allows them to add only the solved puzzles they need to use.

I see now, it's your expensive GPS that's causing the problems. But of course you have full paperless and we don't.

I load my entire database to both my Tomtom and Tinker's Legend (as POI's so it takes all 21,000 waypoints but only provides name, rank and serial number - and hint)

I only send either caches within a 40 mile radius or surrounding wherever we are going onto memory map. Much more than that and it slows down on my PDA (phone).

 

The memory maps get us in the vicinity using footpaths and avoiding water hazards and fences, then the legend takes over to pinpoint the cache and provide the hint if needed.

 

But like everything, it all depends what equipment you are using at the time and what you are used to. Some people like the original icons for the oregon, I cant get on with them, I cant even make out the ? on the map background.

I think for you the only help will be changing the icon on each of the solved ones to disciminate it. But watch your maximum storage on your device or you could end up walking right past caches that are cropped off :o

I see that now, it is all down to what equipment you have and what info you are trying to transfer to it.

As we don't do full paperless on the GPS our storage is not an issue, the legend seems to hold pretty much everything I throw at it. I think the last upload was in excess of 22,000 waypoints.

 

Anyway why arent you out caching? your nearly at 1000 !!!!! :D:P

A. Work

B. We're supposed to be reaching our 1000th with The Two Bears so they have some catching up to do. We're trying to limp to the line in the hope they can catch up. Trouble is we'll get to 999 then have a FTF opportunity that's too good to miss, and our 1000th will be a forgettable film pot in a hedge :lol:

 

And congratulations on your 2000th I noticed last night !!!!!!!

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A. Work

B. We're supposed to be reaching our 1000th with The Two Bears so they have some catching up to do. We're trying to limp to the line in the hope they can catch up. Trouble is we'll get to 999 then have a FTF opportunity that's too good to miss, and our 1000th will be a forgettable film pot in a hedge :lol:

 

And congratulations on your 2000th I noticed last night !!!!!!!

 

A: Work is a pain when there is serious caching to be done. :mad:

 

B: All you need to do is place 50 caches right by their house! That will hep them catch up!

 

Thanks for the congratulations. It took a bit of effort to get there over the last month :D

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Interesting discussion. I just enter solved puzzles directly onto my Etrex Vista, but with a unique icon (blue dot I think). I also download caches (but not unsolved puzzles) as POI's, I'm up to 15000+ with no problems. When I occasionally get "Waypoint Memory Full" on the Etrex I delete all Found Geocaches which clears more capacity. In the field, when navigating to a solved puzzle cache, I just change the icon from blue dot to Geocache and I get all the proper geocache navigation.

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The problem lies with these new fangled, fancy, all singing all dancing GPS devices. To get all the cache info you can't load the caches as Garmin custom POI's, you have to use the caching function built in, and that limits the capacity a lot. But gives all the info you might need.

Kind of like an Etrex and a smartphone/PDA in one unit.

I hadn't twigged that that was Wayne's issue.

 

Mind you, I still think it should be fairly easy to identify and delete archived caches from GSAK before sending to the GPS, as we do that anyway.

 

Disabled caches could, I suppose, be filtered out using a simple GSAK filter, again before sending the data to the GPS. I tend to keep them in as we have found disabled caches before where they have just been disabled while waiting for a new log or to check they are still there.

But you would need to know the reason for the disable I suppose.

 

Wayne, if you could sort out the archived and disabled caches issue, would that get around having to clear the database with each PQ upload. Or would you still need to do it anyway?

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I keep a offline database of 100 miles radius of caches. I use the corrected co-ordinates function and this macro http://gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=7745 to give it a little extra icon to show the co-ordniates are corrected on the Oregon / 62S.

Now that would be useful if there were a specific icon for caches with corrected coordinates. Wonder if someone has done that other than in this colorado macro...

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I keep a offline database of 100 miles radius of caches. I use the corrected co-ordinates function and this macro http://gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=7745 to give it a little extra icon to show the co-ordniates are corrected on the Oregon / 62S.

Now that would be useful if there were a specific icon for caches with corrected coordinates. Wonder if someone has done that other than in this colorado macro...

 

Like the green question marks I use?

 

181.jpg

 

AS far as just refreshing the database each time I dont think this would work for me. It just wouldnt work with the way I use the oregon and vista HCX Plus all the other databases I use from frinds to plan joint caching trips.

 

:(

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All sounds very complicated to me.

 

Solved puzzles just take two forms for me;

  • Easily solved puzzles
  • Ones I've made a printout to solve.

 

Just place a short code in the USER DATA field after correcting them. SPuz or BBP (Black Box Print i.e. in a box file).

 

Garmin GPSmap 60 CSx is set up to display some of the USER DATA field, so I can see this on nearest caches. Can filter in GSAK for these types from the whole UK database. The latest TomTom export macro by BigWolf displays solved Icons and segregates POI types.

 

All I need now vis the time to go caching. :D

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Having read this thread with just a 'passing interest', I wonder why people who use GSAK feel the need to load up a GPSr (of whatever sort) with 1000's of geocaches. I (try) to maintain an fairly up-to-date database of UK caches so my 60CSx is regularly (well, as regularly as I go geocaching) cleared and just the caches I'm interested in in the short term loaded. There are rarely more than a few dozen on there at any one time. It's very rarely that I go 'up-country' without having time to load on a new 'filters-worth' of caches from GSAK so the need to load on thousands at a time seems a bit daft. Just me... no offence intended.

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I guess we all have ways that suit us, so here's mine:

 

I have a small macro written to prefix the cache name with a "!" if the puzzle cache has been solved:

 

Set $_Special = ""

If $d_HasCorrected

Set $_Special = "!"

EndIf

 

This is saved as "Correct_Coord_Prefix.gsk"

 

Then on the gpx export within GSAK in the "Cache description" box I have the following:

 

%macro="C:\macros\Correct_Coord_Prefix.gsk"%name

 

I also have the "Also apply to cache name" tick box checked

 

Then in my new file I upload to my gpsr all the puzzles I have solved can be easily spotted by this prefix, this means that I don't have to remember which ones have been solved and which ones not, it also means that I always have the bonus cache 'puzzle' details on the gpsr too, which wouldn't be if I was only including solved puzzles in the export.

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Having read this thread with just a 'passing interest', I wonder why people who use GSAK feel the need to load up a GPSr (of whatever sort) with 1000's of geocaches. I (try) to maintain an fairly up-to-date database of UK caches so my 60CSx is regularly (well, as regularly as I go geocaching) cleared and just the caches I'm interested in in the short term loaded. There are rarely more than a few dozen on there at any one time. It's very rarely that I go 'up-country' without having time to load on a new 'filters-worth' of caches from GSAK so the need to load on thousands at a time seems a bit daft. Just me... no offence intended.

 

The following examples are reasons why people keep loads on their GPS.

 

1- you go out to do a circular walk and it absolutly tips down so you decide to go somewhere else cache and dashing :P

2- You plan to do a set of caches and find that they have closed the road and you need to do others instead. :mad:

3- You go to an event and end up on an imrompt ramble with a load of other cachers. :lol:

4- You decide to pick up a few caches by car and the weather turns fantastic so you finish up and go for a walking set. :)

5- You finish really early and think, ill go and do those as well. B)

6- your out shopping and you know you can pick up a few on the way home :)

 

The list goes on and all of the above have happened to us on loads of occasions. Its nice to just jump in the car and go anywhere you want without having to worry about messing around with uploading GPS' first. :D

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I may have missed the finer points of Oregon usage as mine's just gone back to the shop less than a couple of weeks after purchase.

 

For puzzles I add child waypoints in GSAK (marked as Final Location). When loading to my SatMap this comes up as little blue blobs for the cache & description and a little green flag for the FL waypoint.

 

Not sure whether this would help at all on an Oregon. I've not yet managed to download a GPX worth of data yet - but that's another question for later.

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100 miles is about the maximum distance I travel on a semi regular basis.

From time to time I shoot off to, say, Bristol, usually without much notice.

By having all caches within a 100 mile radius of home up to date on GSAK and therefore up to date on tomtom, GPS and the smartphone all the time I don't have to waste time messing around with a GPX file (which may arrive in 5 minutes or may take several hours as one did last night) before I set off.

If I have time to do a bit of caching on the way or way home I have everything with me I need.

And the time taken to keep 7,000 caches up to date on GSAK is not really much greater than keeping a smaller number up to date - just a few more PQs to import once a week, which take a couple of minutes each.

And it takes no more time to transfer the extra caches to the tomtom, GPS or smartphone as it is always the same number of files, however many caches they contain.

Edited by Lovejoy and Tinker
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Having read this thread with just a 'passing interest', I wonder why people who use GSAK feel the need to load up a GPSr (of whatever sort) with 1000's of geocaches. I (try) to maintain an fairly up-to-date database of UK caches so my 60CSx is regularly (well, as regularly as I go geocaching) cleared and just the caches I'm interested in in the short term loaded. There are rarely more than a few dozen on there at any one time. It's very rarely that I go 'up-country' without having time to load on a new 'filters-worth' of caches from GSAK so the need to load on thousands at a time seems a bit daft. Just me... no offence intended.

 

The following examples are reasons why people keep loads on their GPS.

 

1- you go out to do a circular walk and it absolutly tips down so you decide to go somewhere else cache and dashing :P

2- You plan to do a set of caches and find that they have closed the road and you need to do others instead. :mad:

3- You go to an event and end up on an imrompt ramble with a load of other cachers. :lol:

4- You decide to pick up a few caches by car and the weather turns fantastic so you finish up and go for a walking set. :)

5- You finish really early and think, ill go and do those as well. B)

6- your out shopping and you know you can pick up a few on the way home :)

 

The list goes on and all of the above have happened to us on loads of occasions. Its nice to just jump in the car and go anywhere you want without having to worry about messing around with uploading GPS' first. :D

 

For me it's all those reasons, plus the old chestnut "because I can". If the capacity's there, why not use it. I have 1000+ songs on my ipod but will probably never listen to some of them.

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I prefer using the GarminExport macro for GSAK. It adds pois at the same location as the cache to give more information.

 

The screenshot below shows a puzzle cache that is at corrected coordinates - the yellow triangle. Disadvantage you can only tell from the map not the name!

CorrectedCoords.jpg

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Special tags!

 

%correct - If waypoint has corrected coordinates, returns Y, otherwise returns N. This tag also support the syntax %correct=xx where the first character is used for "Has corrected coordinates" and the second for "No corrected coordinates". For example, if you would prefer the %correct tag to show an asterisk when a cache has corrected coordinates and an exclamation when not, the syntax would be %correct=*!

 

I have %correct=* %name so get Cachename for uncorrected and *Cachename for corrected.

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I run the archived cache macro after each weekly PQ upload

 

What's the macro called? (There are a few to do with archived caches)

I use FindArchived.gsk which allows you to specify a number of days prior that the last set of PQs were imported.

I just found this useful as my PQs come in over several days to make up the full set so I can go back to the right day to look for unupdated(?) ones.

 

I'm sure there are other ways of doing it but this works for me so I have stuck with it.

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