Garmin Gpsmap 62c shows unfound caches as found

[+lokijota]

Hello,

 

I have a set of pocket queries where I explictly filter out already found caches.

 

Some caches, however, are always shown with the "found" icon on the map, even if not found. Even if I clean the GPX folder and copy a new *.gpx file, the problem persists. The caches where this happens *seem* to be always the same across several syncs. And when I effectively find one of these caches, it [correctly] disapears from the pocket query/gps.

 

Any help? this is really annoying

 

Thanks,

-joão

[+Timpat]

One thing to try is delete all cache gpx files and turn off the unit. Reboot it clean (without caches loaded), and turn off. Reload your caches and fire it up. See if this solves your problem.

[insig]

Check your geocache_visits.txt file in the Garmin folder on your 62. If they're listed as found in there, it doesn't matter what the GPX file says -- the geocache_visits.txt file will override it.

[+Timpat]

Good point insig! I forgot about that. I always delete my geocache_visits.txt file upon uploading to the GC.com site so it never played into my scope of things. Well done!

[+lokijota]

Good point insig! I forgot about that. I always delete my geocache_visits.txt file upon uploading to the GC.com site so it never played into my scope of things. Well done!

 

Hello Timpat,

 

thanks for your help, but it didn' work. I did as you said (delete, reboot, turn-off, copy, turn-on), but the caches are there (and they are the same). These are all caches I have never even visited.

 

Insig, I'll try your suggestion and report back. Meanwhile, another note: the caches marked as found are always in the same region of the city. I've included two photos of what I mean. Specifically, there are two areas where all the caches are incorrectly marked as already Found. All the other caches are correct. Also, I have two 1000-caches pocket queries loaded in the GPS (in case that is relevant).

 

North of Lisbon

West of Lisbon

 

Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[+lokijota]

Check your geocache_visits.txt file in the Garmin folder on your 62. If they're listed as found in there, it doesn't matter what the GPX file says -- the geocache_visits.txt file will override it.

 

Hello Insig,

 

I've just deleted the geocache_visits and geocache_logs files. No effect whatsoever.

[+lokijota]

Also, I installed EasyGPS and opened the PQ's GPX file. None of the caches are shown as Found, so I assume the problem is in the GPS itself. As to the GPS's software itself, last time I checked for updates was last month.

 

Any other ideas?

[insig]

Can you give me the GC codes of a few of these caches?

[+lokijota]

Hello Insig,

 

sure, here are some from the eastern "found area":

 

gc3w3bt

gc14m4j

gc2k55m

gc3w7j7

gc3bgmh

 

Thanks for your help!

[+Red90]

Okay.... First. Are these raw pocket queries? In other word, you have not modified the files with any program?

 

Next delete the visits file AND the GPX file. If you are on a MAC, empty the trash... Reboot. verify there are no caches on the device. Reinstall... If all that does not work, master reset the unit.

[+Mineral2]

The geocache_vists.txt file does not affect geocache listings. It's an output log, but is not read back internally. In this case, there's something wrong with the internal database that makes these caches show up as found.

 

If there's only a small handful of them, you can "go" to each cache, and "log attempt" as unattempted. This will remove the listing from your finds and put it back into the unfound list.

 

The method above works, but it's slow and if you have a lot of caches mistakenly showing up as found, it will be tedious work to fix all of them. Unfortunately, you can use BaseCamp to mark a geocache as found, but not to "unfind" it.

[insig]

The geocache_vists.txt file does not affect geocache listings. It's an output log, but is not read back internally. In this case, there's something wrong with the internal database that makes these caches show up as found.

 

False. If there is a cache listed in a GPX file as unfound and you mark it as found, the GPX file itself is not modified -- the "found" status is written out to the geocache_visits.txt file. The device will continue to treat the cache as found as long as it is listed as such in geocache_visits.txt regardless of what the GPX files say.

 

If you don't believe me, try marking a cache as found and then deleting the entry from geocache_visits.txt -- the next time your power up the device, it will list that cache as unfound again. If you then manually add back in the "found" entry in geocache_visits.txt for that cache, it will show up as found again when you power on the device.

[+ecanderson]

Check your geocache_visits.txt file in the Garmin folder on your 62. If they're listed as found in there, it doesn't matter what the GPX file says -- the geocache_visits.txt file will override it.

Not true. The geocache_visits.txt file is simply a 'write-only' log file to which each of your paperless logs is appended as you type them. It is not read by the unit for purposes of determining which caches have actually been found. It continues to collect all new log entries until manually deleted.

 

When the device is powered up with one or more *.gpx files present, they are reviewed to see if there are any differences between the previous one (or set) and current. If differences are found, then the new files are loaded into internal memory and previous content forgotten -- including which caches might previously have been found.

 

If no 'found' caches exist in the new *.gpx files, then there should be no caches showing as 'found' on the unit.

 

Honestly, I suspect something amiss with the PQ file. The OP should open it in a text editor and see whether or not the *.gpx contains a previously found cache (just search for the GC code or name).

[insig]

Check your geocache_visits.txt file in the Garmin folder on your 62. If they're listed as found in there, it doesn't matter what the GPX file says -- the geocache_visits.txt file will override it.

Not true. The geocache_visits.txt file is simply a 'write-only' log file to which each of your paperless logs is appended as you type them. It is not read by the unit for purposes of determining which caches have actually been found. It continues to collect all new log entries until manually deleted.

 

When the device is powered up with one or more *.gpx files present, they are reviewed to see if there are any differences between the previous one (or set) and current. If differences are found, then the new files are loaded into internal memory and previous content forgotten -- including which caches might previously have been found.

 

If no 'found' caches exist in the new *.gpx files, then there should be no caches showing as 'found' on the unit.

 

Honestly, I suspect something amiss with the PQ file. The OP should open it in a text editor and see whether or not the *.gpx contains a previously found cache (just search for the GC code or name).

 

I must respectfully disagree. Have you tried what I suggested in my post above?

[jholly]

Check your geocache_visits.txt file in the Garmin folder on your 62. If they're listed as found in there, it doesn't matter what the GPX file says -- the geocache_visits.txt file will override it.

Not true. The geocache_visits.txt file is simply a 'write-only' log file to which each of your paperless logs is appended as you type them. It is not read by the unit for purposes of determining which caches have actually been found. It continues to collect all new log entries until manually deleted.

 

When the device is powered up with one or more *.gpx files present, they are reviewed to see if there are any differences between the previous one (or set) and current. If differences are found, then the new files are loaded into internal memory and previous content forgotten -- including which caches might previously have been found.

 

If no 'found' caches exist in the new *.gpx files, then there should be no caches showing as 'found' on the unit.

 

Honestly, I suspect something amiss with the PQ file. The OP should open it in a text editor and see whether or not the *.gpx contains a previously found cache (just search for the GC code or name).

 

I must respectfully disagree. Have you tried what I suggested in my post above?

 

Actually I would put my money on geocache_logs.xml.

[+lokijota]

Anyway, that is not the issue. I've checked in gsak that the caches in the pq are NOT marked as found, and I have deleted the files you mention from the GPS, which changed nothing. Any other ideas? Thanks again for the hints.

[insig]

So I just dug out my Montana and tried the geocache_visits.txt thing -- I manually added a "found" log to it for a cache that I had not found. It didn't show up as found -- I was mistaken there. However, after I renamed the GPX file containing that cache to force the Montana to reimport the geocaches, it did show up as found. It appears that it checks geocache_visits.txt when importing a cache, but not if you just fiddle around with the file.

 

joao_e_sofia: Since you've deleted the visits.txt file, it's not what is causing the issue. I just loaded GC3W3BT, and correctly showed up as unfound. Can you upload your pocket query somewhere so I can download it and take a look at the file?

[+GeoTrekker26]

Also, I installed EasyGPS and opened the PQ's GPX file. None of the caches are shown as Found, so I assume the problem is in the GPS itself. As to the GPS's software itself, last time I checked for updates was last month.

 

Any other ideas?

 

I'm sorry to ask such a basic question: have your removed all .gpx files and .loc files from both main memory and the memory card and then restarted the GPS then reloaded?

[+Red90]

And emptied the trash if you are on a MAC?

 

Just master reset the unit as I told you to do.....

[+ecanderson]

I must respectfully disagree. Have you tried what I suggested in my post above?

Many times, but not for this reason. After logging caches via the field notes import function at gc.com, I almost always delete the entire geocache_visits.txt file. That deletion has no impact at all on what appears when I do a "Show found" on the unit. Not until I load new gpx data does that ever change.

[+Mineral2]

Again, I have to ask how many caches are being affected? 5? 10? 100? You can log each cache as unattempted on the GPS and it'll go back to being "not found." It'll be more of a pain if this is affecting a large number of cache listings rather than just a few.