Map/maps with caches for GPS

[+McDeHack]

I already have the Talkytoaster toaster map on my Etrex 20. But I now wonder if there is available a UK map with all the caches on it. Or an app where I can load all the UK caches to the Talkytoaster map?

Some time back There was this function where I could put it on my Tom Tom. It was so handy as when driving around I would get a warning bleep that a cache was near.

I have just spent the last hour loading caches to my Etrex from some places that i visit, from the Geocheing.com map. This would do the job, but what if I were in an area where there was no wifi signal and there were caches to be found.

One place on the east coast that I go to during the summer. I now see that there a loads of caches about. It was some of these that I loaded this morning. But there are many more and I would need some more hours to load them.

When I first started caching I was the only one that put some caches in this area, but as I was not in the area full time I could not maintain them. So I had to archive them after a couple of years. Apart from the fact they did not get many visits.

[+McDeHack]

Well I just made a PQ of a small area of Essex, and saved the pages to my PC. They are a .loc file. So now how do I get them to my Etrex? Do I just drag and drop?

[+MartyBartfast]

I'm not sure whether this is a misunderstanding on your part or a misunderstanding on my part of what you've written, and I'm even less sure it's important but nevertheless :- the caches don't appear 'on the map' the caches and the map are different things and your GPS can display them both at the same time, therefore if you replace Talky's maps with another map then the caches will still be displayed along with the new map without you needing to do anything else.

 

I don't think there's anywhere these days that you can get all the UK caches in one place. If you created your own Pocket Queries and ran 5 different PQs a day for a month then you could theoretically just about get them all but in practice you'd probably miss some, and by the time you did it the first set would be a month out of date so you'd never be able to keep them all up to date.

 

At one time there was a UK site (was it GCUK ?) which had an agreement with Groundspeak whereby premium members could donate their PQ results and the site agregated them into a full .loc file for the UK, but I don't think that's been around for a few years. Also note that it's against the terms of use for members to share their PQs with each other, which is why some members have more than 1 premium account, to enable them to run more than the current 5 a day queries.

 

What this all boils down to is, you can't do what you want. I do what sussamb does, I've created a bunch of PQs based around my home and work which run automatically; I then have a couple of separate PQs which if I'm going somewhere new I modify to be centred on a cache in the place I'm going, and then run them manually and download the .gpx to the GPS.

 

It sounds like you're currently loading caches by going to the cache page and hitting the "send to GPS" button, I would suggest you look into pocket queries as that will transfer 500 (or 1000) caches in one go; I can't tell you how best to get them onto your shiny new toy, perhaps you will need to use GSAK or perhaps not, maybe someone else can give you a pointer to that.

 

Edit to add:

 

Just seen you replied while I was writing this you're better off getting the PQ to send the cache as a .gpx (which has all the details and hints) rather than a .loc (which just has the name and location). There's a tickbox on the PQ page to select this.

Edited May 15, 2012 by MartyBartfast

[+McDeHack]

OK thanks for the replies.

I made a small PQ for an area in Essex. It did the job. I did note that it should have been saved as a .gpx as the line was highlighted, but it still saved it to .loc I tried 3 times but still it saved as a .loc

Any idea what I did wrong?

This is all a new learning curve for me as I have not needed any of this in the past.

[+McDeHack]

I think I am doing it wrong. Do I have to wait for it to become a PQ and then it is sent to me as an email?

If so how long do I have to wait, or can I go into Geocheing.com to find it?

I have made a note of 'Basecamp' if I can't open with my unzip file. Yes I will put it into the card when I find or get it.

Thanks guys for your patience.

[+McDeHack]

Right. I got the email and the .zip file auto opened to the .gpx file 245KB. I drag and dropped onto the card in the gps. But I can't see them.

Back to the drawing board or play some more.

[+McDeHack]

Sorted... I had to put the .gpx file in the memory of the etrex, and now I can see the files.

I wonder why it was not seen on the card as that is where the tasty toaster maps are and that is seen and working.

Thunder, lightning, and hail stones here at present. So there is much else one can do.

[+McDeHack]

Done that, and now they are in the card and seen. Removed from main memory.

Thanks again.

[+Bear and Ragged]

Easy when you know how ... trouble is most of it isn't documented anywhere

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

 

Usual reason a PQ doesn't run is that you haven't selected Day To Run.

The other is you've selected opposing factors eg. Caches I have found AND Caches I haven't found.

 

Hint: The PQ will run without selecting Day To Run, it' a good way to see if it works -ie Shows the caches/area you expect- before running it and using one of your five a day!

[+Graculus]

Easy when you know how ... trouble is most of it isn't documented anywhere

This may help you!

http://www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk/resources/paperless.html#showmehow

 

Chris

Graculus

Volunteer UK Reviewer for geocaching.com

UK Geocaching Information & Resources website www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk

Geocaching.com Knowledge Books

[+McDeHack]

Easy when you know how ... trouble is most of it isn't documented anywhere

This may help you!

http://www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk/resources/paperless.html#showmehow

 

Chris

Graculus

Volunteer UK Reviewer for geocaching.com

UK Geocaching Information & Resources website www.follow-the-arrow.co.uk

Geocaching.com Knowledge Books

What Sassamb and I were discussing in the last posts was not about pocket querys, but there was not a lot of information for the Garmin Etrex 20, in its manual for the things that it can do that I am finding out about the hard way.