GSAK Ver.8. Now what?

[+luvvinbird]

I own a Garmin Oregon 450 and a Garmin 62s, both paperless GPSr's. I've been downloading individual caches to each unit as I require them and I periodically download PQ's averaging 200 caches or so. How will GSAK's new version streamline my geocaching experience? What can I gain from it that I'm not already getting from Groundspeak?

[+Bear and Ragged]

I own a Garmin Oregon 450 and a Garmin 62s, both paperless GPSr's. I've been downloading individual caches to each unit as I require them and I periodically download PQ's averaging 200 caches or so. How will GSAK's new version streamline my geocaching experience? What can I gain from it that I'm not already getting from Groundspeak?

 

Load the relevant caches into GSAK, use the new API to 'Refresh Cache data'.

All or some of the caches (Depends on how you filter -slice and dice- the data!) and can be sent to your GPS as one file.

[+eusty]

As above really, it depends on how you organise your caches.

 

If you use GSAK rather than just downloading them to your GPS one at a time then probably it won't. But if you have a GSAK to keep a list of caches close to you and run PQ's to update it then you can also update selected ones using the API.

 

[+Walts Hunting]

I use it bunch for filtering. I delete all where the last two logs have been dnf. I don't do most puzzles so view them there and add to ignore list. You can download pqs directly to it from the site and with the new API I no longer usepqs much at all.

[+luvvinbird]

Many thanks for your replies. I purchased GSAK over a year ago but never used it much. Now, I've recently upgraded to version 8 and have been hearing so many positive comments that I'd really like to start experiencing it's numerous features. Now's a good time to start. Cheers!

[+Bear and Ragged]

GSAK can be a bit of a steep learning curve.

 

Keep playing.

Read the GSAK forums. Often someone will ask "How do I do..." and it gets answered, and you find yourself using GSAK to do it yourself

 

Never be afraid of asking a question on the GSAK forums, everyone is friendly and helpful, and will either tell you how to do it, or point you to the macro that is already there to do it.

[+_SoP_]

I use GSAK this way (but it took me while to do so):

 

I maintain a bookmark list in gc.com with solved and partly solved mystery and multi caches. In the cache notes in gc.com I enter all information that is necessary to solve a puzzle cache. BUT: You can not add custom waypoints such as stages or other intermediate locations.

 

After loading all information to GSAK, I also get the notes (via cache refresh), and I can add my waypoints as desired. In the end, I add the corrected coordinates and transfer desired caches to my Garmin Montana using the macro GarminExport - this adds, when correctly configured, a yellow sign to a cache that indicates that it has corrected coordinates. Once I found a cache, I copy this one to an archive database and to my finds, to generate some statistics.

Sometime, I exchange cache information with partly solved puzzles with some friends via dropbox to collaborate on them.

 

As soon as you get familiar with GSAK, it is really easy.

 

Have fun!

[+Chrysalides]

There are many ways of using GSAK and every one has their preference. What works for someone else may not be your preference.

 

The main attraction for me about v8 is the API access, and the ability to download PQs in one click.

 

Instead of transferring individual caches to my GPS receiver, I use GSAK to maintain a set of nearby caches, update them periodically (from PQs), filter, and upload to the device. The new API access allows me to quickly check what have been archived. I travel around with about 4000+ loaded on my Oregon and Nuvi, so that no matter where I am on a typical day, I can quickly check to see if there are caches nearby.

[jholly]

I cache with several other cachers. Most of us are getting significant numbers and we don't always cache together but we cache in the same general areas. When setting up a day of caching it was a real pain trying to get the MyFinds PQ info so I could sort out the group of the day found caches. Not anymore with V8. The GetGeocaches dialog allows me to set it up to exclude the caches found by up to five other cachers. Run a query with the correct location, group names and what I get back is the list of caches not found by any of us. That alone is worth the update. The next neatest thing is the Add to Bookmark interface. I generate bookmarks for the days run with the other cachers and also for an event that happens every quarter here in the NW. Being able to add a bunch of caches to a bookmark list with a simple single click of the mouse is really cool. Lots of good stuff in GSAK, but some are really against it and trash talk it at every opportunity. I assume that is because they have a very limited caching experience and wish to keep it that way.

[+Walts Hunting]

I have saved my pq settings into the api so haven't run one in awhile. Really like the check status before saving a database to my gps

[+larryc43230]

... but some are really against it and trash talk it at every opportunity. I assume that is because they have a very limited caching experience and wish to keep it that way.

I think there's another reason some are turned off to GSAK. The basic GSAK interface is that of a database program. I've been using databases for many years, starting with mainframe work back in the Stone Age and later platforms like SQL Server and Access (on my home PC). Since I'm used to playing with information presented as database tables, GSAK was easy for me to adapt to. In fact, it's one of the most powerful and user-friendly special-purpose database programs I've had the pleasure to use.

 

On the other hand, there are a whole lot of people, many of whom I provided tech support for in a past life, who have serious difficulty wrapping their heads around this sort of program. They're used to programs that look and act like "standard" PC applications with graphical interfaces and such.

 

My impression is that those who dismiss GSAK and look for other solutions are missing out on the single best tool in the world of caching, but I can also understand how some people can't get past the database look and feel.

 

--Larry

[+Walts Hunting]

I can understand Larry's comment. It definitely is and has a database look. For me that is very intuitive (I used to do build Access databases) nd I don't have a problem but can understand how someone new to being that close to a database and not a gui setup like other programs might need a little more time to figure it out.

 

It is very simple to use when you start out using the basic functions i.e. download caches and send to gps. Then you can start slowly adding functions. Don't try to learn everything immediately.

 

Explore the macros. Go to the gsak forum - macros and input a search string. You will find macros to so almost everything. Also the forums are very friendly with only one requirement and that is that the posts stay to the gsak topic. Unlike here which is kind of free range sometimes.

[+vds]

The main attraction for me about v8 is the API access, and the ability to download PQs in one click.

 

YIKES - I hadn't noticed the PQ download in the betas.

That in itself made it worth the $20 upgrade fee for me !!!!!!!!

[savant9]

In the past I have tried GSAK but didn't really have a need for it. I have retried it now @ V8 and love the API access features. It was an instant purchase for me. I don't have any tips for you so far as I am still weeding through all the features myself, but it definitely seems like a worthwhile purchase.