LOC/GPX files and eTrex 10/20/30

[Wintertime]

I just found out the hard way that, unlike GPX files, you can't just drag and drop LOC files on the latest eTrexes. At least, it didn't work with my Disneyland benchmarks LOC file. I had to bring the file into BaseCamp and send it to the eTrex from that program. Otherwise, no matter whether I put it in the GPX or POI folder, my eTrex could never see it.

 

Now, a question about GPX files. A friend sent me one that has all the waypoints for his multistage virtual geocache at Downtown Disney Anaheim. Dropping it into the GPX folder on my SD card didn't work; I only got the first waypoint. When I import the file into BaseCamp, all the waypoints display on the map. But when I send the file to the eTrex, I'm back to square one: only one waypoint shows up.

 

My friend generated the GPX file from GSAK. If I understand correctly, there are multiple formats possible for GPX files. So am I stuck because my eTrex is expecting a Groundspeak-formatted GPX file and it's getting a GSAK-formatted GPX file? Any ideas on how I can get the eTrex to recognize all the waypoints in the file?

 

Thanks,

Patty

[jholly]

I just found out the hard way that, unlike GPX files, you can't just drag and drop LOC files on the latest eTrexes. At least, it didn't work with my Disneyland benchmarks LOC file. I had to bring the file into BaseCamp and send it to the eTrex from that program. Otherwise, no matter whether I put it in the GPX or POI folder, my eTrex could never see it.

 

Now, a question about GPX files. A friend sent me one that has all the waypoints for his multistage virtual geocache at Downtown Disney Anaheim. Dropping it into the GPX folder on my SD card didn't work; I only got the first waypoint. When I import the file into BaseCamp, all the waypoints display on the map. But when I send the file to the eTrex, I'm back to square one: only one waypoint shows up.

 

My friend generated the GPX file from GSAK. If I understand correctly, there are multiple formats possible for GPX files. So am I stuck because my eTrex is expecting a Groundspeak-formatted GPX file and it's getting a GSAK-formatted GPX file? Any ideas on how I can get the eTrex to recognize all the waypoints in the file?

 

Thanks,

Patty

I have not tried it but from your description the eTrex does not process .loc files. Sending the info from basecamp probably puts the .loc file info in as waypoints.

 

The etrex does not display multiple points in a .gpx file for the same cache. If they are uniquely identified in the .gpx file I suspect they will show up.

 

Edit: thinking about it, the stages of a multi show up as waypoints.

Edited October 6, 2012 by jholly

[Moun10Bike]

When a GPX file is created locally, it does not have a cache ID associated with it. This ID is what is needed by the GPS to distinguish one cache from another. So, if you load up a series of caches created in this manner, the GPS will assign each with the same ID of "1" and just keep replacing each one in the file with the next one. In the end, you end up with only one cache loaded.

 

To overcome this, you must assign an ID to all caches in any locally-created GPX file. There is a GSAK macro available to do this for you: http://gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=7744&st=80entry49360. You will need to make some adjustments to it to get it to work for your situation (it is currently designed to operate on benchmarks).

[Wintertime]

When a GPX file is created locally, it does not have a cache ID associated with it. This ID is what is needed by the GPS to distinguish one cache from another.

Moun10Bike, what do you mean by creating a GPX file "locally," and which line(s) of the XML file are you referring to as the "cache ID"? My friend's GPX file has separate "<wpt>" tags for each stage of the multi. For example:

 

<wpt lat="33.809083333" lon="-117.9239166">

<wpt lat="33.812816667" lon="-117.9260166">

<wpt lat="33.809433333" lon="-117.9272500">

 

Each "wpt" has a unique "<name>" and "<desc>" tag, too.

 

I would expect Garmin's GPSr software to respond the same way to a multi-waypoint GPX file as Garmin's computer software does. So I don't understand why BaseCamp sees the separate waypoints but the eTrex doesn't.

 

I don't have GSAK myself but am certainly willing to hand-edit the XML file as needed to make the waypoints show up properly.

[Moun10Bike]

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were saying that your friend sent you a file with multiple caches in it and you were only seeing one when loaded on your GPS. I'm not sure how your friend generated and/or set up the GPX file he sent you, but if it is a multicache downloaded from this site, then the additional waypoints will show up as waypoints, not caches, on the device.

[Wintertime]

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were saying that your friend sent you a file with multiple caches in it and you were only seeing one when loaded on your GPS. I'm not sure how your friend generated and/or set up the GPX file he sent you, but if it is a multicache downloaded from this site, then the additional waypoints will show up as waypoints, not caches, on the device.

He generated the GPX file himself using GSAK; the additional waypoints for the multi do not exist on Geocaching.com. (He knows that's an option, but has considered the pros and cons and decided not to do it.)

 

I can download the main geocache file from Geocaching.com to get the descriptions of all the stages in one GPX file. What he was trying to send me were just the waypoints. Those are the things that are showing up fine in BaseCamp, but when I send them to the eTrex, only the first one shows up. It's a mystery!

[jholly]

I'm sorry, I misunderstood. I thought you were saying that your friend sent you a file with multiple caches in it and you were only seeing one when loaded on your GPS. I'm not sure how your friend generated and/or set up the GPX file he sent you, but if it is a multicache downloaded from this site, then the additional waypoints will show up as waypoints, not caches, on the device.

Moun10bike nailed it. .gpx files have cache ID's and .loc files don't. The reason sending from basecamp works is they are sent as *waypoints*, not caches. And as I said, multicaches with listed waypoints, the waypoints show up as waypoints, not caches. At least that is the case on my eTrex 30. I think GSAK will preserve the cache ID when generating the .gpx file, other programs might not.

Edited October 6, 2012 by jholly

[Wintertime]

Thanks, guys, it looks like the eTrex just didn't like the format of that XML file. I pasted the coordinates from it into my proven LOC file and they're showing up on the GPSr just fine. I'll mention it to my friend, but if other people's GPS receivers are using his file okay, I doubt he'll want to spend any energy figuring out why mine didn't.