Any way to download a lot of GPX files at once?

[+formula1]

I haven't been here in a while but was downloading some GPX Geochache files to my GPS and the way I've been doing it has been to click on the icon, send to my GPS and acknowledge the Write to the GPS. Rinse and repeat for all the geocaches in the area I'm interested in. Is there a way to select more than one of them and download them? I saw that you can get a LOC file that way but that has a lot less detail than the GPX files.

[+Panther&Pine]

As a Premium Member you can create and use PQ's. That will give you 1,000 caches at once. 30 per year isn't much.

[+EdrickV]

In your case, .loc and .gpx files will have about the same amount of info. For a Premium Member, the .gpx file would have a lot more info. But that info is only useful if the GPS can use it.

[jholly]

In your case, .loc and .gpx files will have about the same amount of info. For a Premium Member, the .gpx file would have a lot more info. But that info is only useful if the GPS can use it.

Actually as a regular member you can't get a gpx file. That is a premium member benefit.

[+dfx]

In your case, .loc and .gpx files will have about the same amount of info. For a Premium Member, the .gpx file would have a lot more info. But that info is only useful if the GPS can use it.

Actually as a regular member you can't get a gpx file. That is a premium member benefit.

 

Meh. Through the "send to GPS" button, you do get a GPX file, just not as a download, but rather directly on the GPS. It has the complete info except description and hint.

[jholly]

In your case, .loc and .gpx files will have about the same amount of info. For a Premium Member, the .gpx file would have a lot more info. But that info is only useful if the GPS can use it.

Actually as a regular member you can't get a gpx file. That is a premium member benefit.

 

Meh. Through the "send to GPS" button, you do get a GPX file, just not as a download, but rather directly on the GPS. It has the complete info except description and hint.

Without the description and hint it is then pretty much a .loc file.

[+EdrickV]

In your case, .loc and .gpx files will have about the same amount of info. For a Premium Member, the .gpx file would have a lot more info. But that info is only useful if the GPS can use it.

Actually as a regular member you can't get a gpx file. That is a premium member benefit.

 

Meh. Through the "send to GPS" button, you do get a GPX file, just not as a download, but rather directly on the GPS. It has the complete info except description and hint.

Without the description and hint it is then pretty much a .loc file.

 

Yeah, basically no real difference except the .gpx file from Send to GPS/Garmin Communicator can be used without having to convert it.

 

And it's actually possible to save the file to a card reader, not just directly to a GPS. (Same with other Garmin tools like POI Loader.) I used Send to GPS a lot early on, sending files to my built-in SD card reader, and later transferring the files onto the Nuvi's MicroSD card. (I don't own the Nuvi, I just borrow it.)

 

Now though I bulk-download .loc files from the search results since they work better in BasicGPS on my smartphone then non-Premium style .gpx files do, and combine/convert them into whatever format I need using GPSBabel. (One big .loc for BasicGPS, .gpx for some other programs, and TomTom .ovl for CoPilot.) Really wish I had a premium membership in order to get Pocket Queries though, that would make getting the cache details a lot easier.

Edited September 4, 2011 by EdrickV

[+PTGameGeek]

I haven't been here in a while but was downloading some GPX Geochache files to my GPS and the way I've been doing it has been to click on the icon, send to my GPS and acknowledge the Write to the GPS. Rinse and repeat for all the geocaches in the area I'm interested in. Is there a way to select more than one of them and download them? I saw that you can get a LOC file that way but that has a lot less detail than the GPX files.

 

First-time poster here.

 

I don't think the original question was answered as I have the same exact one. I think what the OP was trying to figure out is if there is a way to click one button, a basic process, or another tool that will allow you to send more than one .gpx file at the same time directly to his device. Having upgraded to a Premium member hoping this was a capability and still finding myself having to click on each "Send to GPS" icon for every geocache, it seems odd that we cannot select all the geocaches on the page using the button in the top left of the search results and then send them ALL to our GPS.

 

Anyone have any insights on how to send multiple .gpx files directly to your GPS from a search results page without clicking on each one?

 

Any help would be appreciated.

Edited September 17, 2011 by PTGameGeek

[+CanadianRockies]

Anyone have any insights on how to send multiple .gpx files directly to your GPS from a search results page without clicking on each one?

Near the bottom of the search results page, there is a section entitled "Waypoint Downloads." On the right side, there is a "Check All" button. Click on that button, then click on the "Download Waypoints" button immediately below it.

 

This will generate a single .gpx file that includes information for all the caches that met your search requirements. You can send this .gpx file to your GPSr.

[+PTGameGeek]

Anyone have any insights on how to send multiple .gpx files directly to your GPS from a search results page without clicking on each one?

Near the bottom of the search results page, there is a section entitled "Waypoint Downloads." On the right side, there is a "Check All" button. Click on that button, then click on the "Download Waypoints" button immediately below it.

 

This will generate a single .gpx file that includes information for all the caches that met your search requirements. You can send this .gpx file to your GPSr.

 

Thanks for the reply. The issue with that is the final filetype is a LOC file which is not the same as downloading all the GPX files separately as noted here:

 

LOC - The original download format for the search results page on Geocaching.com. This contains only the most basic data.

GPX (GPS eXchange Format) - Available for Pocket Queries, a Premium Member feature on the web site. The GPX file format has specific geocaching information that can be used by supporting applications.

 

Considering we can download GPX files separately by clicking on each icon and download them all in a LOC file with one button, I was hoping there would be a button to download them all as GPX files with one button. Having the extra information a GPX file has is always nice.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Anyone have any insights on how to send multiple .gpx files directly to your GPS from a search results page without clicking on each one?

Near the bottom of the search results page, there is a section entitled "Waypoint Downloads." On the right side, there is a "Check All" button. Click on that button, then click on the "Download Waypoints" button immediately below it.

 

This will generate a single .gpx file that includes information for all the caches that met your search requirements. You can send this .gpx file to your GPSr.

That will only download the caches on the page (20) and they are loc files, cache number GC**** and coordinates only.

 

Pocket Queries are the way to get GPX files, which contain all the page information.

Markwell's guide to Pocket Queries > http://www.markwell.us/pq.htm

[+PTGameGeek]

Anyone have any insights on how to send multiple .gpx files directly to your GPS from a search results page without clicking on each one?

Near the bottom of the search results page, there is a section entitled "Waypoint Downloads." On the right side, there is a "Check All" button. Click on that button, then click on the "Download Waypoints" button immediately below it.

 

This will generate a single .gpx file that includes information for all the caches that met your search requirements. You can send this .gpx file to your GPSr.

That will only download the caches on the page (20) and they are loc files, cache number GC**** and coordinates only.

 

Pocket Queries are the way to get GPX files, which contain all the page information.

Markwell's guide to Pocket Queries > http://www.markwell.us/pq.htm

 

Exactly...so...got any ideas as to how to extract multiple GPX files at once? ;-)

 

I looked at the source code, but am still trying to figure something one.

 

Thanks for the clarification!

[+Bear and Ragged]

Run a PQ (Pocket Query) of the area you want, will get you up to 1,000 caches...

 

Or, from the map www.geocaching.com/map/beta/ select "Save As Pocket Query" in the Legend box on the left.

 

link Edited September 17, 2011 by Bear and Ragged

[+PTGameGeek]

Run a PQ (Pocket Query) of the area you want, will get you up to 1,000 caches...

 

Or, from the map www.geocaching.com/map/beta/ select "Save As Pocket Query" in the Legend box on the left.

 

I'll try both techniques and get back to this post as to how they work. To be honest, I have tried a PQ before and it did not produce a file for me in the end. It seemed like I was in the queue the entire time.

 

Thank you again for the ideas. I'll let you know what happened.

 

Cheers!

[+Bear and Ragged]

If a PQ has no caches as a result, it usually means you have selected items than cancel each other out.

eg, you select to include "Caches I have Found" and "Caches I have Not Found"

[+Team Taran]

Run a PQ (Pocket Query) of the area you want, will get you up to 1,000 caches...

 

Or, from the map www.geocaching.com/map/beta/ select "Save As Pocket Query" in the Legend box on the left.

 

I'll try both techniques and get back to this post as to how they work. To be honest, I have tried a PQ before and it did not produce a file for me in the end. It seemed like I was in the queue the entire time.

 

Thank you again for the ideas. I'll let you know what happened.

 

Cheers!

You say it didn't produce a file for you. Did you choose a day for it to run. If you click on the submit button, you will get a message that you can preview it on the nearest cache page. In order to actually create and have the file available you need to select a day to run, If you want it immediately choose the current day, After it runs you will receive an email. The file will be attached if your query returns less than 500 caches. If it is more than 500 there will be a link to the page where you can download the file. Depending on what GPS you are using the file can be transferred either by using a software program or by dragging and dropping it.

[+AlohaBra and MaksMom]

Anybody using GSAK here? That is how I do it...PQ into GSAK...send to GPS and it is all done.

[+Manville Possum]

Anybody using GSAK here? That is how I do it...PQ into GSAK...send to GPS and it is all done.

Is there any way to upload your PQ without GSAK? I know that I can go through VantagePoint straight to my PQ's and download to my Megallan. I also have BaseCamp for my Garmin, but it does not seem to have the same features. I'm kind of like the OP here on this subject. I never used the PQ feature until last week when I had to run a software update on my back up unit.

[+timberdoodlehunter1]

Yes you can download many gpx files at once. I do it all the time, especially for trips as I do not care for the 'create a route' pocket query. This is how I download gpx files to my Oregon 400t and Oregon 450t and also my Nuvi.

 

1) create a new folder on your desktop

2)go to geocaching.com

3) go to Beta maps

4) Look at caches on map, in other words click on a cache to see the description page

5) With the cache page on the screen, in the middle of the cache right below difficulty/terrain and coordinates you will see buttons that say 'loc waypoint file', 'GPX File', 'Send to my GPS', and 'Send to my Phone' click on GPX File.

6) Click save then save it to the file created on your desktop and then click close

7) Keep opening geocaches and saving the ones you want to the file on your desktop.

8) When you have chosen all the caches you want go to EasyGPS (this is a free program for downloading pocket queries and is much more user friendly than GSAK)

9) Open EasyGPS

10) In the upper left click on 'new'

11) Click on 'open' and open the desktop file. You can choose all of the caches by holding the SHIFT key and then scrollig down to the last cache and hitting the ALT key.

12)Now click on SEND

13) Choose your GPS (it must be hooked up to the computer)

14) click OK.

 

This has worked for us for many trips. After sending all the caches to the gps, I will unhook the gps from the computer and turn the gps on and make sure that the caches all downloaded and that you have all the gpx information for each cache(the description and logs and such) I have put many gpx pocket queries onto my Oregon 400t and Oregon 450t. Just make sure you choose what gps to sen to.

 

Hope this helps you.

[AZcachemeister]

 

7) Keep opening geocaches and saving the ones you want to the file on your desktop.

 

 

I think this is the part the OP is trying to avoid!

 

If you want multiple caches via .gpx, a PQ is the way to do it.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Is there any way to upload your PQ without GSAK? I know that I can go through VantagePoint straight to my PQ's and download to my Megallan. I also have BaseCamp for my Garmin, but it does not seem to have the same features. I'm kind of like the OP here on this subject. I never used the PQ feature until last week when I had to run a software update on my back up unit.

Depending on your GPS, some allow you to drag and drop the PQ into the GPX folder on the GPS.

I don't know if your GPS is one that allows it...

[+EdrickV]

As far as actually getting Geocaches onto a GPS, for Garmin units there are two ways I know of that they can be loaded onto a GPS: As a .gpx file that will show up in Favorites, and as Points of Interest which show up in a different area. (Note that the Nuvi 500/550 may be exceptions to the below info, more on that in a sec. This is also more oriented towards Nuvi units since that is all I've had personal experience with.)

 

Nuvi units, as far as I know, should be able to support both methods, (I've done both on a Nuvi 1300.) but how they will show up, and how much info can be saved, will vary depending on the method used.

 

Favorites: (at least on Nuvi units) Should show up on the map even when zoomed out a ways, but you can't store much info. Just dropping a .gpx file into the Garmin\GPX folder on the internal memory/storage card will do this.

 

Points of Interest: I think this is how Geocaches are normally uploaded to some hiking style units. It's also possible with Nuvi units using POILoader, GPSBabel, and GSAK. On a Nuvi, the caches do not show up on the map unless zoomed in really close. (Possibly configurable on some devices.) It is possible to store extra info (description/hint/logs/etc.) on a Nuvi using a special Nuvi export macro in GSAK, which may be handy since Nuvi units are not usually capable of paperless Geocaching. POILoader is also required for the script to function properly. (It's a free Garmin tool.)

 

The Nuvi 500/550 are capable of paperless Geocaching, so I think they will treat Geocaching.com .gpx files as Geocaches rather then generic Favorites. Don't have one so I don't know exactly how that works. I don't know if they would understand Geocaches uploaded as Points of Interest.

[+germanybert]

Anybody using GSAK here? That is how I do it...PQ into GSAK...send to GPS and it is all done.

 

I do but I use the GarminExport macro. GSAK is an awesome caching tool.