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loading a GSAK database to GPS


Ma & Pa

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We have an Oregon 450 and a 62S.

 

We were told a few years ago that our units would hold more than 1000 caches but that we could not load more than 1000 at a time. So when we take a trip we have been loading caches in groups of less than 1000. If a GSAK database held more than 1000, we have been splitting it into smaller groups using mileage for example. I now wonder if the person who gave us this info was perhaps confusing this with the PQ restriction of 1000 caches.

 

Any comments?

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Possibly, yes.

 

How many caches does the unit/units hold?

You should be able to send that amount via GSAK in one go...

 

The usual limits are:

Number of individual gpx files.

Number of caches.

Size of file (mb etc)

 

It is possible to hit one of the limits, before one of the others... eg If you include too any logs with each cache you can hit the size (mb) limit, before the number of caches limit.

Edited by Bear and Ragged
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Check the specs on Garmin.com for your particular unit. I have the 450 and it will hold 2000 waypoints (sort of equivalent to caches) but, I believe that includes child waypoints if you include them. These 2000 go into your "favorites" and will show up on-screen.

 

What you may have been told about "more than 1000" may be referring to loading them via a POI file. This process will load thousands of caches (I have over 6000 loaded) via the POI loader. They are accessible via the "Extra" menu icon. You have to use a special GSAK macro to construct the input file and then use the Garmin POI loader to convert and install them to the Garmin. They do not show up on your favorites list nor will they appear on the screen. Plus, you only get limited information; GC #, title, and coordinates. It doesn't load the description, hints, logs, etc. And they don't count as geocaches on the Garmin so you can't "find them or comment".

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Check the specs on Garmin.com for your particular unit. I have the 450 and it will hold 2000 waypoints (sort of equivalent to caches) but, I believe that includes child waypoints if you include them. These 2000 go into your "favorites" and will show up on-screen.

I assume you mean Oregon 450. It will hold 5000 caches on top of 2000 way points and unlimited POI's. Caches don't count against waypoints.

 

This process will load thousands of caches (I have over 6000 loaded) via the POI loader. They are accessible via the "Extra" menu icon. You have to use a special GSAK macro to construct the input file and then use the Garmin POI loader to convert and install them to the Garmin.

GSAK is capable of exporting POI's directly, you don't need any special macro's.

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I regularly load about 3500 onto my Oregon 450 in one file.

 

Every once in a while, the Oregon would choke when starting up. If you want to be extra careful, use a microSD card, and load geocaches onto the card. That way, if it chokes when loading geocaches, you power it off, take card out, power it up, down, insert card, and power it up.

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So are you all saying that I can load that number of caches in one shot? We have been putting high numbers in the gps but never more than 1000 at a time. We have often had 3000 in the gps but we loaded them 1000 at a time

Yeah, you can load all the way up to 5000 in a single .gpx if you want. (450 does hold 5000 caches, right? yeah, pretty sure).

 

PQ's are limited to 1000, but if you're using something else as the centerpoint of your info (like GSAK), you can load, hash out filters the way you want, and send up to 5k to your unit. This is how I do it, so my gps doesn't end up with unsolved puzzles or stupid challenge caches that no one meets the requirements for.

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I have both units....they each hold 5000 caches and I have loaded close to that amount on both but sometimes I have trouble on start up. Its best to keep the total below 3000.

You could load 5, 1000 cache PQ's into GSAK and combine them in to one file of 5000 and send this one file to your units. Or you could create 5, 1000 cache data bases in GSAK and send all 5 to each unit.....5 GPX files will be created on each unit and the units will read all 5 as if they were one.

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I am moving this thread from the Geocaching Topics forum to the GPS forum.

 

In passing, I note that I asked for help in the GPS forum with my 62S. I was getting "too many geocaches" errors and my GPS was crashing. Ever since I limited my downloads to well less than 5000 waypoints, everything's been fine.

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Using garmin POIs i still have not reached the upper limit as of yet. I can load all of Oregon and Washington on my 62s about 60,000 caches.

Loading as POI's you lose so many features, like field notes, marking as found, descriptions, past logs, and I could probably name many more.

 

As far as POI count goes, I believe Garmin has said up to available memory, so its possible to load millions.

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The "Garmin's Answer" says the Oregon 450T can hold:

 

2,000 waypoints

5,000 geocaches

 

What's the difference? My understanding is that the waypoints are just the set of coordinates for a particular location plus it's name. This is the general description of a waypoint in the glossary at Garmin.

 

Meanwhile, a geocache is also a waypoint but includes GC#, description, logs, hints, etc. A geocache is supported by the Geocache icon and can be "found","commented", etc.

 

So, the question is: Wat is Garmin saying when they quote "2,000 waypoints vs. 5,000 geocaches"?

 

POI is an entirely different thing, right?

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The "Garmin's Answer" says the Oregon 450T can hold:

 

2,000 waypoints

5,000 geocaches

 

What's the difference? My understanding is that the waypoints are just the set of coordinates for a particular location plus it's name. This is the general description of a waypoint in the glossary at Garmin.

 

Meanwhile, a geocache is also a waypoint but includes GC#, description, logs, hints, etc. A geocache is supported by the Geocache icon and can be "found","commented", etc.

 

So, the question is: Wat is Garmin saying when they quote "2,000 waypoints vs. 5,000 geocaches"?

 

POI is an entirely different thing, right?

 

Waypoints are what you get when you press the mark key.

Geocaches are what is contained in a .gpx file.

and yes, poi's are another animal. They are things like the Micky D's that show up on maps.

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The "Garmin's Answer" says the Oregon 450T can hold:

 

2,000 waypoints

5,000 geocaches

 

What's the difference? My understanding is that the waypoints are just the set of coordinates for a particular location plus it's name. This is the general description of a waypoint in the glossary at Garmin.

 

Meanwhile, a geocache is also a waypoint but includes GC#, description, logs, hints, etc. A geocache is supported by the Geocache icon and can be "found","commented", etc.

 

So, the question is: Wat is Garmin saying when they quote "2,000 waypoints vs. 5,000 geocaches"?

You answered your own question :)

 

With a geocache, in addition to all the other stuff, you can also mark it as found so that it doesn't come up in a future search without deleting it. It creates a "geocache_visits.txt" file (field notes) that you can upload to make logging easier.

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Loading as POI's you lose so many features, like field notes, marking as found, descriptions, past logs, and I could probably name many more.

 

I find field notes to be useless. I have always kept a small notebook keeping track of finds, imputing even a small amount of text is painfully slow on the Garmin.

I tested that out once, I wrote a complete paragraph vs my friend getting a few words in his 62s.

Using the proper GSAK macro I get the full cache description and as many logs as I want to see in my 62s.

 

Automating GSAK I can update my POIs quickly so even marking it as found on the GPS is not needed.

Edited by FunnyNose
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If talking about the "Comment" field available on the Garmin when marking it found/didn't find/etc. then it's useful to me to input a TB code that I've dropped in the cache. Or to make a brief note of "fav" or "wet log". These get uploaded to GSAK when I load my finds using the geocaching.com api functions. Anything more than six or seven characters is a pain on the Garmin.

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I find the field notes invaluable when finding more than 10 caches in a day (a rare occurrence for me), especially when there are unknown caches among them. I'm a little obsessive about getting my logging order correct. So far I haven't had trouble remembering details about the cache to log, except once, when I did 64 caches on a trail (with 7 DNFs). I might put in a word or two to help jog my memory later.

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Loading as POI's you lose so many features, like field notes, marking as found, descriptions, past logs, and I could probably name many more.

 

...

 

Using the proper GSAK macro I get the full cache description and as many logs as I want to see in my 62s.

 

Automating GSAK I can update my POIs quickly so even marking it as found on the GPS is not needed.

 

Which GSAK macro lets you get a full description and logs onto a 62s ?

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Loading as POI's you lose so many features, like field notes, marking as found, descriptions, past logs, and I could probably name many more.

 

...

 

Using the proper GSAK macro I get the full cache description and as many logs as I want to see in my 62s.

 

Automating GSAK I can update my POIs quickly so even marking it as found on the GPS is not needed.

 

Which GSAK macro lets you get a full description and logs onto a 62s ?

 

This one. Of course you need to have that stuff loaded into your database.

Edited by jholly
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We have an Oregon 450 and a 62S.

 

We were told a few years ago that our units would hold more than 1000 caches but that we could not load more than 1000 at a time. So when we take a trip we have been loading caches in groups of less than 1000. If a GSAK database held more than 1000, we have been splitting it into smaller groups using mileage for example. I now wonder if the person who gave us this info was perhaps confusing this with the PQ restriction of 1000 caches.

 

Any comments?

I believe early units may have been more limited, but I load ~4500 to my Oregon 450 every week.
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