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Is it possible to "lasso" an area on a map?


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i use a smartphone app called locus, with geocaching tools (helper plug in) , and download x number caches within y number miles around an area. then i travel to the interesting terrain and sort by distance.

 

things that get hidden before i leave:

strip mall caches

parking caches

micros

zero effort hides

 

downloading a thirty mile radius is usually plenty, and storing them for future finding isn't a big deal, since hundreds of thousands can be kept offline without running it of space, on smartphones.

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i use a smartphone app called locus, with geocaching tools (helper plug in) , and download x number caches within y number miles around an area. then i travel to the interesting terrain and sort by distance.

 

things that get hidden before i leave:

strip mall caches

parking caches

micros

zero effort hides

 

downloading a thirty mile radius is usually plenty, and storing them for future finding isn't a big deal, since hundreds of thousands can be kept offline without running it of space, on smartphones.

You didn't answer the OP's question which deals with creating a PQ.

 

Hans

Edited by HHL
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But, if you're a GSAK user and a premium member, you can also use GSAK's "Get Geocaches" function to use the API and pull in all the geocaches within a user-defined area.

 

Yes, but those user defined areas are just circles and rectangles as well. ;-)

 

Hans

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Kurchian,

you might consider using the GSAK's macro "CachesAlongARoute".

After first creating the rough tour, you may edit the route's rectangles individually. That way you can create an irregular area and download those caches.

 

b1332f28c3956e8f0f24b01741bd64b0.png

 

Hans

Edited by HHL
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This is a feature I would very much like to have. Even if it's the ability to draw a box rather than estimate circles. You can approximate a lasso using routes. Go into basecamp or google maps/earth and draw a custom route (track) so that it includes the area you want. You may have to spiral your route into the interior of your lasso if it's greater than 12 miles between parallel route sections. But don't worry about how clean your route looks. You're just building a shape with which to base your PQ from. Save your route to a GPX file.

 

Create a route on geocaching.com and import the .gpx file and you can then build a PQ from your route.

 

Alternative solution is just to build a series of PQ searches. If they overlap, it's not a big deal. Your GPS will only read a cache once. It doesn't really matter if you have more caches than you want, unless you have an older GPS and are running into a maximum cache limit.

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i use a smartphone app called locus, with geocaching tools (helper plug in) , and download x number caches within y number miles around an area. then i travel to the interesting terrain and sort by distance.

 

things that get hidden before i leave:

strip mall caches

parking caches

micros

zero effort hides

 

downloading a thirty mile radius is usually plenty, and storing them for future finding isn't a big deal, since hundreds of thousands can be kept offline without running it of space, on smartphones.

You didn't answer the OP's question which deals with creating a PQ.

 

Hans

 

you missed the point that:

pocket queries are not needed, to do what the OP asked about, which is why i answered with the info that i did. ?

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Also using GSAK (yes, yes, not a PQ, but an alternative that actually allows 'lassoing'), you can use the rectangles and circles to get all caches for your general area, and then use the Google Map Plugin to lasso areas and send them to GSAK as a filter. I've used this often to either cut out or crop caches in an area I'm researching (power trails anyone?).

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you missed the point that:

pocket queries are not needed, to do what the OP asked about, which is why i answered with the info that i did. ?

And you missed the point that he asked about PQs. What GPS does that app run on?

 

all of the Android GPS devices of course!

 

will you be offended that the conversation is moving away from pocket queries and towards gsak now?

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you missed the point that:

pocket queries are not needed, to do what the OP asked about, which is why i answered with the info that i did. ?

And you missed the point that he asked about PQs. What GPS does that app run on?

 

all of the Android GPS devices of course!

 

will you be offended that the conversation is moving away from pocket queries and towards gsak now?

Very much so and I am a big fan of GSAK but I am tired of cachers with valid needs being told to use third party solutions while GS spends precious resources changing form instead of improving function. The web site is capable of producing the desired data via the API. What is needed is the user interface that replicates the functionality of the third party product. Unfortunately GS has demonstrated a weakness when it comes to the user interface. Look no further than the rollout of the new search function as a prime example. The initial screen wanted information that could only be guessed at by most first time users. The list is endless and often results from rolling out a product still needing development in the basic functionality of the product.

 

So back to the OP's question. No you can't do it. Perhaps when the new search replaces the PQ module you might get what you desire. But first they have to make sure there is enough white space so you can hone your scrolling and paging skills.

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you missed the point that:

pocket queries are not needed, to do what the OP asked about, which is why i answered with the info that i did. ?

And you missed the point that he asked about PQs. What GPS does that app run on?

 

all of the Android GPS devices of course!

 

will you be offended that the conversation is moving away from pocket queries and towards gsak now?

Very much so and I am a big fan of GSAK but I am tired of cachers with valid needs being told to use third party solutions while GS spends precious resources changing form instead of improving function. The web site is capable of producing the desired data via the API. What is needed is the user interface that replicates the functionality of the third party product. Unfortunately GS has demonstrated a weakness when it comes to the user interface. Look no further than the rollout of the new search function as a prime example. The initial screen wanted information that could only be guessed at by most first time users. The list is endless and often results from rolling out a product still needing development in the basic functionality of the product.

 

So back to the OP's question. No you can't do it. Perhaps when the new search replaces the PQ module you might get what you desire. But first they have to make sure there is enough white space so you can hone your scrolling and paging skills.

 

completely understood, and agreed . a few years ago i just stopped trying to make things work that didn't, and picked up processes that did.

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I'm not offended. GSAK seems to be the solution to issues. Unfortunately I am a Mac user.

 

you can run Windows in a vmware machine, i still have to do that for some medical crap that isn't available on Mac OS.

 

if there were an option to just do it on my phone, bam, the vm would be deleted

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The GSAK API rectangle only allows up to 100 km diagonal, which is really not that useful.

 

Yes. But the CachesAlongARoute macro automatically splits too large rectangles into valid smaller ones.

 

Hans

 

This one? http://gsak.net/board/index.php?showtopic=5984&st=0entry35118

 

That looks like it is for filtering, not getting data from Groundspeak. It looks no different than doing a route PQ.

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Another example:

 

1. Download a given track (here: from www.gpsies.com)

 

7670de263643400423e0d1b1473c53bd.png

 

2. Run the macro and paste the track's gpx content

 

b78383bee166ccc7075b99fda57f7e92.png

 

3. Now search caches along that track with the help of that macro and GS's Api.

I have edited the top most rectangle.

 

Hans

Edited by HHL
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Again... GSAK isn't necessary for this.

 

1. Open up your favorite mapping program (Basecamp, google earth, etc.) and draw a track.

 

ex1.png

 

2. Save the track to file (GPX, KML, KMZ).

 

3. At Geocaching.com... go to your pocket queries page and select "Find geocaches along a route." Go to the upload a route tab and select the file that contains your custom route.

 

ex2.png

 

4. Save the route, go to it in the list of your saved routes, and click the "Create a Pocket Query" link. You can then specify your PQ options.

 

ex3.png

 

5. Save the PQ and run it.

 

ex4.png

Edited by mineral2
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Again... GSAK isn't necessary for this.

[...]

 

Right, and I'd never say so. ;-)

But: GS's "Along a Route" solution is very suboptimal because of its simplification of the route to 50 routepoints. That way the result is sometimes very erratic. :blink:

 

Hans

Edited by HHL
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