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How do I download cache description info onto my GPS?


FiveEyes

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I just bought a new GPS, that allows downloads of geocaches to it. It's a Garmin GPSMAP 62s. I tried downloading a few geocaches and was disappointed that nothing came up but the cache location on the map...I was expecting the whole listing to be available, that is why I bought this unit. Then, I saw that if one upgraded to premium membership, one was supposed to be able to get the whole cache listing on the download. So I bought a premium membership. I tried downloading a geocache again but again just got the cache location, no description of the cache.

 

Can anyone help me? Is there something I'm missing? I saw on another topic that someone said if you change to premium membership you may have to delete all your old geocache listings from the GPS to get the new ones in right...I don't see any info in the GPS owner's manual describing how to delete any geocaches from the GPS.

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Well, you're showing as a Premium member so I don't think that's the problem. How are you trying to download the cache info? I think if you're just pulling up an individual cache page and hit "send to GPS" for that individual cache, it's only sending a .loc file, which is just the name and coordinates. You need to download gpx files.

 

As a Premium member you really need to learn to generate Pocket Queries. Read about them here:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/about/premium.aspx

 

That is the easiest way to get hundreds of caches at a time to your device, in GPX format, which will include all the hints, recent logs, descriptions, etc. Probably the best reason to get Premium membership. Once you generate the PQ you can just connect your device and drag the GPX file to it.

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I think if you're just pulling up an individual cache page and hit "send to GPS" for that individual cache, it's only sending a .loc file, which is just the name and coordinates. You need to download gpx files.

If you're a premium member, using "Send to my GPS" gives you a GPX file with the description and logs. What you describe is how I believe it works for basic members.

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Thanks for all your help.

THe Garmin Owner's Manual says VERY little about how to do geocaching with the unit. I scolded the Garmin rep for that.

I did finally find out how to delete geocaches from the GPS device -- it can't be done on the device alone, I called Garmin and they told me the way to do it is to go to My Computer and select Garmin and then GPX files, which are labelled by their GC code, to delete.

I was able to get the cache descriptions when I loaded the geocaches after becoming a premium member, but found that the descriptions given don't include the hints (often pretty important for me!) and only include the most recent logs, not all the logs.

I still haven't tried pocket queries but from the discussion I had with the Garmin rep it sounds do-able.

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...found that the descriptions given don't include the hints...

I don't know what the GPSMAP is like, but the Oregon has the description and hint in different places. I go to the "Geocaches" menu, and there are options for the description and hint.

While we do not use that model, I understand that with some you need to be navigating to that cache in order to see/read the hint.

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I was able to get the cache descriptions when I loaded the geocaches after becoming a premium member, but found that the descriptions given don't include the hints (often pretty important for me!) and only include the most recent logs, not all the logs.

 

Help Center → Geocaching → Finding Geocaches

 

2.5. Download Cache Information

 

http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=236

 

Premium Members

 

Premium Members can download cache information in the form of GPX files. This file type contains much of the listing information: the cache title, description, public additional waypoints (such as parking coordinates), hints, and the most recent logs.

 

Premium members can download individual GPX files from cache listings using the "GPX File" button, located under the cache coordinates, or they can download groups of up to 1000 caches via Pocket Query (see related page below). Twenty logs will be included if a GPX file is downloaded from a listing; five logs if downloaded via Pocket Query.

 

Depending upon GPS unit, Premium Members may be able to send GPX files directly to their GPS unit. To do this, click the "Send to My GPS" button on each cache listing page, or select the check box next to cache listings on the right side of search pages and click "Send to My GPS" at the bottom of the search page.

 

If a cache has hidden waypoints, cache owners who download the GPX directly from the listing will receive these waypoints. No one except the owner receives hidden waypoints, and hidden waypoints will not be returned via pocket query.

 

B.

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I put this question on another thread but maybe it belongs here instead so am reposting. Have a somewhat related problem but with an Oregon 550. Ran my first pocket query, dowonloaded easyGPS as requested. Now when I click on the emailed attachment it immediately puts me on the general geocaching.com page showing of caches that I requested but no option to add the details such as clues, decrypted hints etc. for downloading to the GPS. I read in another thread that you could drag the .gpx files directly to the Garmin 550 GPX folder but can't find the pocket query generated GPX files icon to do this. ???

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When you're on your pocket queries page (from the "Your profile" drop down menu, choose "Pocket Queries"), you should see a list of Active Pocket Queries, and right next to it there's a tab called "Pocket Queries Ready for Download." Click on that, and you should see the pocket query. Click on it and download it as a zipped file. Once it has downloaded, unzip it and you'll have two gpx files - one that is the geocaches, and one of the associated waypoints (it will have "wpts" in the title).

 

Those two files can be dragged and dropped into the corresponding folder on your Oregon 550.

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Thanks redwoodkestrel . Just tried the drag and drop and and still no joy - the GPS still only shows basic info. I do get a message that says if I become a premium member I can get hints LOL

Edited by AZjohn
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Thanks redwoodkestrel . Just tried the drag and drop and and still no joy - the GPS still only shows basic info. I do get a message that says if I become a premium member I can get hints LOL

 

Make sure you've DELETED all the other gpx files first - the GPSr always keeps the oldest version.

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Thanks redwoodkestrel . Just tried the drag and drop and and still no joy - the GPS still only shows basic info. I do get a message that says if I become a premium member I can get hints LOL

 

Make sure you've DELETED all the other gpx files first - the GPSr always keeps the oldest version.

Garmins default to basic member if there are any files loaded previously as a basic member.

DELETE all previous files!

 

You are loading the result of a PQ, and not the loc files from the search results page?

(If the files have .wpts they should have the information for the cache)

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Thanks again guys. As advised I deleted all the previous geocaching entries in my GPX files then redid the drag and drop method. For some reason it didn't take when i dropped the files on the removable chip's GPX folder but worked after i dragged and dropped to the main GPS;s GPX file folder. I noticed it now longer shows the "multicache" caches that I had before when I was just downloading the basic info. Would this be related to how I specified the initial pocket query? sorry for all the questions i'm a newbie to all this.

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Yes, if you know there are multis within the range that you specified for your pocket query, and none of them showed up, then it's probably something that you inadvertently set up in the PQ. Since you can select the types of caches you want to download, maybe you accidentally unclicked multi-cache?

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I have been having the some issues, so will plough through the tips above, I did however work out how to download to gps but it wasn't showing all the information. How do I get the logged as found caches from the GPS? When I use my iphone this is done as a quick transfer.

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