Newbie jumping in with both feet. (Needs help)

[+mmacygin]

I'm brand spanking new at this and completely green. Unfortunately/fortunately, I'm one of those guys who jump into something with both feet. Case in point, I've purchased a Garmin Oregon 650t. I've downloaded and installed BaseCamp, but was so quickly disappointed by that, I went out and downloaded and purchased ExpertGPS. I've found two caches so far (both in Decorah Iowa), and have searched for two other close to work in Northbrook, IL. The two in Northbrook completely eluded me, and I'm thinking I should start with searching for something that is NOT micro in size.

 

So, here are some questions about this fun sport that I'm trying hard to learn and immerse myself in.

 

1. In September, I'll be driving from Chicago to Orlando for a week's vacation. I'm thinking I'd like to learn how to program a pocket query that will show me various "Park and Grab" caches along the route.

2. On my Garmin Oregon 650t, when searching for cache, what's the most efficient way to look for it? Compass view, map view? (This question may be way too nebulous to answer well, and I apologize.)

- I know how to search for caches here on Geocaching, and I'm a premium member already (jumped in, remember), and while I know how to get the caches down to my GPS, I'm not convinced I'm doing it efficiently (correctly).

3. I've purchased and installed a 32gb SD card into the GPS, and I've found a post that talks about creating Garmin specific folders off the root of the SD card, and then place my .gps/gpx files into them; Will the Garmin search locally AND on the SD card simutaneously, or should I place all the .gpx/s files in only one place?

 

If there are posts that answer these questions, please just send me a link. I've been searching around, but haven't found things yet. I can search and read a lot, but I'm a bit of the anxious type, and would rather be directed to pertinent information if possible.

 

I appreciate any and all assistance, and I pre-apologize if I'm asking for help improperly, or in the wrong place.

 

Thanks,

Michael

[+Cardinal Red]

I'm brand spanking new at this and completely green. Unfortunately/fortunately, I'm one of those guys who jump into something with both feet. Case in point, I've purchased a Garmin Oregon 650t. I've downloaded and installed BaseCamp, but was so quickly disappointed by that, I went out and downloaded and purchased ExpertGPS. I've found two caches so far (both in Decorah Iowa), and have searched for two other close to work in Northbrook, IL. The two in Northbrook completely eluded me, and I'm thinking I should start with searching for something that is NOT micro in size.

 

So, here are some questions about this fun sport that I'm trying hard to learn and immerse myself in.

 

1. In September, I'll be driving from Chicago to Orlando for a week's vacation. I'm thinking I'd like to learn how to program a pocket query that will show me various "Park and Grab" caches along the route.

2. On my Garmin Oregon 650t, when searching for cache, what's the most efficient way to look for it? Compass view, map view? (This question may be way too nebulous to answer well, and I apologize.)

- I know how to search for caches here on Geocaching, and I'm a premium member already (jumped in, remember), and while I know how to get the caches down to my GPS, I'm not convinced I'm doing it efficiently (correctly).

3. I've purchased and installed a 32gb SD card into the GPS, and I've found a post that talks about creating Garmin specific folders off the root of the SD card, and then place my .gps/gpx files into them; Will the Garmin search locally AND on the SD card simutaneously, or should I place all the .gpx/s files in only one place?

 

If there are posts that answer these questions, please just send me a link. I've been searching around, but haven't found things yet. I can search and read a lot, but I'm a bit of the anxious type, and would rather be directed to pertinent information if possible.

 

I appreciate any and all assistance, and I pre-apologize if I'm asking for help improperly, or in the wrong place.

 

Thanks,

Michael

 

 

I have yet to find a need for, or to learn anything about Basecamp.

 

I have several uses for ExpertGPS, but loading caches to a Paperless Oregon is NOT one of them. The Oregon will accept unzipped GPX files just fine without the need for ANY software. At some point I would be interested to know how you make use of ExpertGPS for Geocaching. Probably best discussed off Forum.

 

Yes. Starting with larger size Containers and lower Difficulty ratings will help you sharpen your cache senses and gain confidence in your GPS. Also, it doesn't hurt to check that a target cache has been found recently.

 

With a little practice, it's not hard to customize a PQ. If you are having a specific problem, just ask for PQ help specifically. Someone will know the answer. The best advice for now is to practice customizing your PQ choices WITHOUT checking off a day of the week. UNCHECKED day of week PQ's are not actually generated (so they do not count against your daily limit), but they can be reviewed to determine when you would have achieved the desired result. When you have your process confirmed, check the day of the week to run it for real.

 

You can filter out high Difficulty and Terrain numbers from your PQ. But you can also filer for "Park and Grab" Difficulty/Terrain caches right from your Oregon. You should also look into the Caches Along A Route feature.

 

Compass view, map view? That is a big question. In compass view you are only concentration on navigating to ONE cache at a time. It's possible to walk right past a different one and not even know it. That won't happen in map view. But, on the ground, I do prefer the compass approach. I occasionally check the map to look for nearby caches, and Water/Terrain Hazards I would rather avoid. Some cachers depend exclusively on map view. Personal choice. Try both. On the road, map view lets you see anything you will be passing by.

 

I use my SD slot for a pre-programmed map. I won't be much help to you there. But I understand the GPS can NOT look at caches on the SD Card AND the Unit at the same time. Hopefully someone will address that issue specifically. This is a very big question. Sometimes asking several smaller questions is more productive. You can even ask followup questions right here in this thread. Often when a response or question bumps up a thread, it gets new attention again. Hope this helps, and some day it will be you answering questions.

[+rb9228]

I use the compass view when I'm relatively far from GZ. I'll switch to the map when I'm close to help me zero in on the cache or if I'm totally lost on GZ.

[+GeoTrekker26]

But I understand the GPS can NOT look at caches on the SD Card AND the Unit at the same time. Hopefully someone will address that issue specifically.

 

I can't speak to other units, but the Garmin e20 and e30 can read caches from the card and the unit at the same time. I suspect that Garmin would use the same functionality on all current models that accept an SD card.

[+ipodguy]

Looks like your questions might have been answered, but I've got the 450 so our devices are somewhat similar. Here's a tip that you may not know yet, but it really helps me alot when navigating through trails.

 

Before I leave, I use Google Earth to draw a path from where I intend to park to the cache. I can find the best route to ground zero and I draw the path. Then I save the path as a .kmz file to my computer and I use gpsvisualizer.com to convert the .kmz file to a .gpx file. I throw the .gpx file into the GPX folder and disconnect the Garmin. On the device, I can enable the path and view it on my map. Then I follow the line on my map until I get close and switch over to the compass.

 

It takes a lot of guesswork out of navigating through unfamiliar trails.

 

Hope that little tip helps. You and I are alike - when I like what I'm doing I jump right in...

[+mmacygin]

Thanks to all for the responses. I've found them all to be helpful. Since originally posting, I've been able to get out with my 650t and "play" around a bit. I'm still a LONG way from being anywhere near close to proficient with it, I have been able to locate a couple of caches with the thing. I think I need to work on my "workflow" for researching, downloading, finding, then logging caches. I'm sure for most here it's second nature, but I continue to struggle a bit with the flow of getting the caches to my device, and then using it efficiently to find my caches.

 

I think I may try to find a person locally who has been doing this for quite some time and see if I can tag along to see a more experienced person in action. I generally learn better when I can watch someone performing, and then getting the opportunity to try it for myself. Reading the manual just isn't cutting it.

 

Again, thanks so much for sharing. I really appreciate all the input.

 

BTW... Cardinal Red... I've given up on Basecamp AND on ExpertGPS. A fellow geocacher pointed me in the direction of Geocaching Swiss Army Knife (GSAK), and I purchased that and put it on my computer. There's lots to learn there as well, but it seems a bit more intuitive to me than ExpertGPS did.

[+Chief301]

As Cardinal Red pointed out, you don't really needany software at all to get the caches to your Oregon. Assuming the logic on the new Oregons is similar to the previous generation (550), when you plug it in to your computer it appears as a drive (actually TWO drives, one for the device internal memory and one for the SD card). If you are using Pocket Queries, you will receive your generated query in the form of a GPX file (actually two files, usually....one with the caches themselves and one with any additional waypoints associated with the caches, like parking location, if the CO chose to include them...all can be downloaded to the device).

 

PQ's resulting in 500 caches or less will be e-mailed to you, if it is over 500 you will have to download it directly from the site. Either way, just save the GPX file to your computer (I have a folder on my desktop called "Geocaching" that I use for this). You can rename it something to help you remember what it is. Once you have it on your computer, just drag and drop it to the desired drive on the Garmin. Done. This is the most efficient, quickest and simplest way of getting the caches to your device.

 

GSAK is a very powerful and useful tool if you want to do further filtering of your PQ, depending on your needs....like ignore caches from a particular owner, or choose caches with a certain word in the cache name,....it has so many features that I doubt the average cacher ever needs most of them. I also used to run my PQ's through GSAK and then download them to the GPS from there, until I realized this step was not necessary and streamlined my process considerably.

 

My usual "workflow" as you put it, is something like this:

 

-View caches on the map in the area I plan to go caching. Zoom the map view to capture the entire area I'm interested in within the map view (this is just how I prefer to do it....you may wish to search by a particular zip code or address, or a radius from a particular cache....I find that the simplest way is just to capture the whole area in my map view) After I have it zoomed in like I want it, on the left hand control panel I choose "Create Pocket Query" and create a query of all the caches contained in the map frame.

 

-Go to the PQ and select any other parameters I want...like filter out caches I have already found, for example. Select a day of the week for the PQ to run (today if I want it right now).

 

-Once I have applied any filters to the PQ, submit it and the PQ will be generated. It goes into the "Pocket Queries Ready for Download" tab. From there you can download it to your computer.

 

-Download and save the PQ to the desired location on the computer. Rename it something I will recognize.

 

-Plug in the Oregon and drag and drop the resulting GPX files to the device.

 

That's about it...takes me about 10 minutes to run a PQ, download it, and install the results to my GPS.

[+Chief301]

Oh, another thing....definitely learn to do the Caches Along a Route PQ....perfect for the road trip you are planning, but you may have to break it up into several "legs" of the trip to get them all (a PQ can only generate 1,000 caches, but your Oregon can hold several thousand)

 

Regarding compass view vs. map view....I normally stay in map view while we're driving to the cache (I have routable maps installed on my Oregon so it will actually give turn-by-turn directions), then once I get out on foot I switch to Compass mode. This works OK if you are only walking a short distance to the cache, I suppose if I had to walk a mile or two into the woods the map view might be more useful until I get close....but that's not the sort of cache I'm usually doing.

[+mmacygin]

Chief301 - Thanks for the input. Excellent tips, and ones I'll be trying out. I do want to get the Caches Along a Route figured out though. My goal for my vacation is to locate at least one cache in each state I travel through. Which leads me to another question. I've heard the term "Park and Grab" used. Is it truly as simple as that? In other words, can I filter for "Park and Grab" caches along my route, and expect to be able to locate them pretty quickly? I'm afraid that the folks I'm traveling with may not be too patient with me if locating the cache takes more than 5 or 10 minutes to locate.

 

Thanks again...

 

Michael

[+ipodguy]

Chief301 - Thanks for the input. Excellent tips, and ones I'll be trying out. I do want to get the Caches Along a Route figured out though. My goal for my vacation is to locate at least one cache in each state I travel through. Which leads me to another question. I've heard the term "Park and Grab" used. Is it truly as simple as that? In other words, can I filter for "Park and Grab" caches along my route, and expect to be able to locate them pretty quickly? I'm afraid that the folks I'm traveling with may not be too patient with me if locating the cache takes more than 5 or 10 minutes to locate.

 

Thanks again...

 

Michael

 

There is a "Park and Grab" attribute and you can generate a Pocket Query to pick up only caches with the P&G attribute.

 

The problem with that is hiders may not assign that particular attribute to their caches, even if they are easy P&G's. If you generate a query that way, it will overlook many P&G opportuinties.

 

I once drove from New Jersey to Vermont and got 6 states in a day to complete a challenge. A few days before I left, I used the Caches Along a Route feature to create a Pocket Query of easy traditional caches. I opened the PQ with Google Earth and viewed the results of the PQ. I looked at the map to see which caches looked easiest (close to the interstate, a nearby exit/on ramp, etc). I picked around three that best suited me for each state. Those caches I saved to a Bookmark List and generated a second PQ from it. That's the PQ I loaded up to my GPS.

 

Yeah, it took 45 minutes or so but the result was an incredibly successful trip.

 

I did that one other time for a trip from NJ to Virginia intending to hit 4 states in a day, but I got too buzzed at the Dogfish Head Brewery in Delaware and had to take a nap until we were well into Virginia. Oops!

 

Edit: You can actually do that now without needing Google Earth or any other software. View your Caches Along a Route Query on the geocaching map and bookmark the caches you think you can hit easily. Put the bookmarked list on your 650 and you have a list of all the easy caches you think you can hit.

Edited August 12, 2013 by ipodguy