Saving PQ's with name instead of gc #

[+RickandCindy]

I am pretty new to PQ's but figured out how to create them and DL them to a folder in my documents. I DL mapsource and basecamp and can DL to my garmin etrex20x. My question is I am used to looking for caches by name not the gc number, is there any way to save the pq with the name of the cache to put on my gps it just has the #? Thanks for any help.

[+Walts Hunting]

The PQ has both. What you need to do is look at the settings on your device. Also try dropping the PQ (after unzipping) files directly onto the device and see what you get.

[+RickandCindy]

The PQ has both. What you need to do is look at the settings on your device. Also try dropping the PQ (after unzipping) files directly onto the device and see what you get.

It won't DL straighht to the gps I have to go thru mapsource and it saves them as WPT's not geocaches.

[+MartyBartfast]

Or are you talking about downloading the GPX file by hitting the button on the cache page, which downloads a file called GC??????.gpx? If so then the answer to your question is "No

 

BTW this isn't a PQ, a PQ is something else.

[+kunarion]

I am pretty new to PQ's but figured out how to create them and DL them to a folder in my documents. I DL mapsource and basecamp and can DL to my garmin etrex20x. My question is I am used to looking for caches by name not the gc number, is there any way to save the pq with the name of the cache to put on my gps it just has the #? Thanks for any help.

Is Mapsource making your cache files into waypoints? If so, it would be good to place GPX files directly into the GPX folder of a Garmin GPSr:

 

Download the GPX file from Geocaching.com. For a zipped Pocket Query, unzip the file, and you should now have at least one “GPX” file.

Plug the Garmin into the USB port of the computer.

Find the Garmin as a [DRIVE] or [storage device] and open it;

Therein, locate a file folder named something like Garmin/GPX/;

Click, drag and drop (or copy) the downloaded GPX file(s) to that [DRIVE]:Garmin/GPX/ folder.

Right-click and select Eject, unplug the Garmin;

Go Geocaching.

(From Gitchee-Gumee's excellent instructions)

[+RickandCindy]

Or are you talking about downloading the GPX file by hitting the button on the cache page, which downloads a file called GC??????.gpx? If so then the answer to your question is "No

 

BTW this isn't a PQ, a PQ is something else.

A PQ=pocket query and I put together 989 caches in a 15 mile radius of a zip code submit it and get an e-mail from geocaching ready to download. When I download it is a zip file. I unzip to a folder get 989 caches open to mapsource then transfer to my etrex20x and they go on as waypoints with no information.I can save one cache at a time from cache page and get all the logs descriptions all that, I was trying to do it 900 caches at a time not one at a time. Hope this explains what I am trying to do.

[+HHL]

[...] When I download it is a zip file. I unzip to a folder get 989 caches open to mapsource then transfer to my etrex20x[...]

 

That way is wrong. Do NOT open the gpx files with mapsource. Just COPY them over to the Garmin unit with Windows Explorer.

 

Hans

[+RickandCindy]

I am pretty new to PQ's but figured out how to create them and DL them to a folder in my documents. I DL mapsource and basecamp and can DL to my garmin etrex20x. My question is I am used to looking for caches by name not the gc number, is there any way to save the pq with the name of the cache to put on my gps it just has the #? Thanks for any help.

Is Mapsource making your cache files into waypoints? If so, it would be good to place GPX files directly into the GPX folder of a Garmin GPSr:

 

Download the GPX file from Geocaching.com. For a zipped Pocket Query, unzip the file, and you should now have at least one “GPX” file.

Plug the Garmin into the USB port of the computer.

Find the Garmin as a [DRIVE] or [storage device] and open it;

Therein, locate a file folder named something like Garmin/GPX/;

Click, drag and drop (or copy) the downloaded GPX file(s) to that [DRIVE]:Garmin/GPX/ folder.

Right-click and select Eject, unplug the Garmin;

Go Geocaching.

(From Gitchee-Gumee's excellent instructions)

I copy and paste folder straight to my gps as G:removable drive/garmin got nothing no geocaches or waypoints

Edited January 29, 2017 by RickandCindy

[+RickandCindy]

[...] When I download it is a zip file. I unzip to a folder get 989 caches open to mapsource then transfer to my etrex20x[...]

 

That way is wrong. Do NOT open the gpx files with mapsource. Just COPY them over to the Garmin unit with Windows Explorer.

 

Hans

I tried that I got nothing on my gps. I'm running vista with IE9.

[+allrounder]

I am pretty new to PQ's but figured out how to create them and DL them to a folder in my documents. I DL mapsource and basecamp and can DL to my garmin etrex20x. My question is I am used to looking for caches by name not the gc number, is there any way to save the pq with the name of the cache to put on my gps it just has the #? Thanks for any help.

Is Mapsource making your cache files into waypoints? If so, it would be good to place GPX files directly into the GPX folder of a Garmin GPSr:

 

Download the GPX file from Geocaching.com. For a zipped Pocket Query, unzip the file, and you should now have at least one “GPX” file.

Plug the Garmin into the USB port of the computer.

Find the Garmin as a [DRIVE] or [storage device] and open it;

Therein, locate a file folder named something like Garmin/GPX/;

Click, drag and drop (or copy) the downloaded GPX file(s) to that [DRIVE]:Garmin/GPX/ folder.

Right-click and select Eject, unplug the Garmin;

Go Geocaching.

(From Gitchee-Gumee's excellent instructions)

I copy and paste folder straight to my gps as G:removable drive/garmin got nothing no geocaches or waypoints

 

you must copy them to the garmin/gpx folder not just garmin/

[+HHL]

[...] When I download it is a zip file. I unzip to a folder get 989 caches open to mapsource then transfer to my etrex20x[...]

 

That way is wrong. Do NOT open the gpx files with mapsource. Just COPY them over to the Garmin unit with Windows Explorer.

 

Hans

I tried that I got nothing on my gps. I'm running vista with IE9.

 

WINDOWS Explorer - NOT Internet Explorer.

[+RickandCindy]

I am pretty new to PQ's but figured out how to create them and DL them to a folder in my documents. I DL mapsource and basecamp and can DL to my garmin etrex20x. My question is I am used to looking for caches by name not the gc number, is there any way to save the pq with the name of the cache to put on my gps it just has the #? Thanks for any help.

Is Mapsource making your cache files into waypoints? If so, it would be good to place GPX files directly into the GPX folder of a Garmin GPSr:

 

Download the GPX file from Geocaching.com. For a zipped Pocket Query, unzip the file, and you should now have at least one “GPX” file.

Plug the Garmin into the USB port of the computer.

Find the Garmin as a [DRIVE] or [storage device] and open it;

Therein, locate a file folder named something like Garmin/GPX/;

Click, drag and drop (or copy) the downloaded GPX file(s) to that [DRIVE]:Garmin/GPX/ folder.

Right-click and select Eject, unplug the Garmin;

Go Geocaching.

(From Gitchee-Gumee's excellent instructions)

I copy and paste folder straight to my gps as G:removable drive/garmin got nothing no geocaches or waypoints

 

you must copy them to the garmin/gpx folder not just garmin/

Thanks for the help when I open it as a removable drive I only have 2 folders android and garmin no garmin/gpx and my NortheastU.S. map is the only thing in Garmin folder

[+NYPaddleCacher]

[...] When I download it is a zip file. I unzip to a folder get 989 caches open to mapsource then transfer to my etrex20x[...]

 

That way is wrong. Do NOT open the gpx files with mapsource. Just COPY them over to the Garmin unit with Windows Explorer.

 

Hans

 

Using a waypoint manager such as Mapsource (which has been superceded by Basecamp) or GSAK, or EasyGPS isn't "wrong". It' a valid way to manage waypoints and send (and receive) them to/from a GPS. That's the way I've done it for 10 years. A GPX file contains wpt (waypoint) elements, and a Geocache is just a type of waypoint. Why the etrex20x is not treating them as geocaches is another issue.

 

[+kunarion]

A PQ=pocket query and I put together 989 caches in a 15 mile radius of a zip code submit it and get an e-mail from geocaching ready to download. When I download it is a zip file. I unzip to a folder get 989 caches open to mapsource then transfer to my etrex20x and they go on as waypoints with no information.I can save one cache at a time from cache page and get all the logs descriptions all that, I was trying to do it 900 caches at a time not one at a time. Hope this explains what I am trying to do.

I think you're almost there! First, you know the Garmin is not causing the issue, since it does show some cache info properly. And you know Garmin/GPX folder exists, since that's where the files reside, and that's where Mapsource is sending them. Even "waypoints" go to the Garmin/GPX folder. I also guess that Mapsource is editing the caches into "waypoints" for you, that it's causing the whole problem. Just a guess. A setting? Or is it sending only parking waypoints? I don't have enough info to decide.

 

I was gonna try it on my Win Vista laptop, but it's dead . I'm charging it now. In Win10, when I plug in the Garmin Oregon, two file explorer windows pop up. In Vista, your mileage may vary. One window is for the SD Card (where my maps are), and the other is the internal Garmin folders (where GPX files are placed by default). If you have not found "Garmin/GPX" by the time my Vista PC wakes up, I can guide you through the steps to find it. Vista organized things slightly differently that Win10.

 

Anyway, if you have an SD card (memory card), you will see more than one drive. For the moment, look for the drive that has a "Garmin/GPX" folder. It's in there. Manually place the two PQ files, one of which is "waypoints" which don't start with "GC", the other is Geocaches which do.

 

Once you place a file manually into "Garmin/GPX", if caches still show as "waypoints", there's something else to try: Delete everything in the Garmin/GPX folder (but only that particular one). Back up that folder first. Or to be safe, back up the whole GPSr first.

 

It seems like a lot to do, but once you manually place files into Garmin/GPX a couple of times, I think you'll hardly ever do it any other way. I have Mapsource for some real old Garmin-licensed routable maps (it was so hard to set up, I hate to delete it ), but I haven't used it in ages. Basecamp should be fine, and (once everything is working smoothly) you can use it all the time, or only when doing special cache mapping projects. I almost always manually delete old PQ files, then manually place new ones into Garmin/GPX. Simplify!

Edited January 29, 2017 by kunarion

[+kunarion]

Thanks for the help when I open it as a removable drive I only have 2 folders android and garmin no garmin/gpx and my NortheastU.S. map is the only thing in Garmin folder

Do you have an installed SD card (memory card)? It seems like you're seeing the SD card, the map files. There's a listing for your Etrex internal files somewhere. Mapsource found it, or you would not even see any "waypoints".

 

My Vista laptop woke up! Here's how it shows a Garmin GPSr, which is a whole lot like how Win10 does it. What do you see when you plug yours in?

 

 

It is possible that the fancy icon would not show, depending on how the PC sees the drive. But the rest should be very similar to what the screenshot shows.

 

There are two drives, (in this case, labeled "H" and "I") I see Drive H titled "Garmin Oregon 650t" (the OP's would be something like "Garmin eTrex20"). Drive I is the SD card with street maps, titled whatever the SD Card was named, "010115100". I quickly identify which drive is which by looking for a telltale sign:

 

The internal Garmin GPS files have the "Garmin" folder (uppercase "G"). Click that folder for the "GPX" sub-folder where Pocket Query GPX files are placed by default. This and the SD card have a recognizable file structure, to identify them at a glance.

 

The SD card has maps in a folder named "garmin" (lowercase "G"). For the purposes of this discussion, it's best to not place any GPX files on that card for now.

 

A posted screenshot like the one above may help us unscramble things.

Edited January 29, 2017 by kunarion

[+HHL]

[...]

Using a waypoint manager such as Mapsource (which has been superceded by Basecamp) or GSAK, or EasyGPS isn't "wrong". [...]

 

Please stop quoting me wrong*. Thank you.

 

Hans

 

* reads: inappropriate - if you have any issues with the word wrong literarily.

Edited January 29, 2017 by HHL

[+kunarion]

Thanks for the help when I open it as a removable drive I only have 2 folders android and garmin no garmin/gpx and my NortheastU.S. map is the only thing in Garmin folder

When you plug your Etrex into a USB port, is that what happens... two drives appear, named "android" and "garmin"? Or just one drive?

 

What's in the folder named "android"?

 

[EDIT]: Maybe you can locate your GPSr's drive (the internal folders that include the "Garmin/GPX" sub-folder. Try this and see what happens:

 

With the Etrex plugged in, open "Computer" (the file manager). In its search box, search for "GarminDevice.xml". I only have one of those on my PC, and the Search Box finds it on the GPSr. In my case, it's in "Garmin (H:)" and inside the Garmin folder. Make a note of what drive letter you see on your PC. Right-click "GarminDevice.xml", select "Open File Location", and the GPX folder is listed. Open the GPX folder. That's where the GPX Pocket Query files are placed.

 

With that GPX folder open, place your PQ files in there right now (PQs typically have two sets of files, one for caches, one for other waypoints). See if caches now appear properly. If so, now you know where the drive and Garmin/GPX folder are without going through a long process next time.

 

If "Computer" can't find anything, there's something strange going on. The above is just to get an idea of which drive and folder we're dealing with.

Edited January 29, 2017 by kunarion

[+RickandCindy]

Thanks for the help when I open it as a removable drive I only have 2 folders android and garmin no garmin/gpx and my NortheastU.S. map is the only thing in Garmin folder

Do you have an installed SD card (memory card)? It seems like you're seeing the SD card, the map files. There's a listing for your Etrex internal files somewhere. Mapsource found it, or you would not even see any "waypoints".

 

My Vista laptop woke up! Here's how it shows a Garmin GPSr, which is a whole lot like how Win10 does it. What do you see when you plug yours in?

 

 

It is possible that the fancy icon would not show, depending on how the PC sees the drive. But the rest should be very similar to what the screenshot shows.

 

 

There are two drives, (in this case, labeled "H" and "I") I see Drive H titled "Garmin Oregon 650t" (the OP's would be something like "Garmin eTrex20"). Drive I is the SD card with street maps, titled whatever the SD Card was named, "010115100". I quickly identify which drive is which by looking for a telltale sign:

 

The internal Garmin GPS files have the "Garmin" folder (uppercase "G"). Click that folder for the "GPX" sub-folder where Pocket Query GPX files are placed by default. This and the SD card have a recognizable file structure, to identify them at a glance.

 

The SD card has maps in a folder named "garmin" (lowercase "G"). For the purposes of this discussion, it's best to not place any GPX files on that card for now.

 

A posted screenshot like the one above may help us unscramble things.

 

I don't have a sd card for storage I have the Northeast U.S. map in it's place, I use Garmin's internal storage.I don't know how to do the screenshot thing but i'll look it up.

[+RickandCindy]

Thanks for the help when I open it as a removable drive I only have 2 folders android and garmin no garmin/gpx and my NortheastU.S. map is the only thing in Garmin folder

Do you have an installed SD card (memory card)? It seems like you're seeing the SD card, the map files. There's a listing for your Etrex internal files somewhere. Mapsource found it, or you would not even see any "waypoints".

 

My Vista laptop woke up! Here's how it shows a Garmin GPSr, which is a whole lot like how Win10 does it. What do you see when you plug yours in?

 

 

It is possible that the fancy icon would not show, depending on how the PC sees the drive. But the rest should be very similar to what the screenshot shows.

 

 

There are two drives, (in this case, labeled "H" and "I") I see Drive H titled "Garmin Oregon 650t" (the OP's would be something like "Garmin eTrex20"). Drive I is the SD card with street maps, titled whatever the SD Card was named, "010115100". I quickly identify which drive is which by looking for a telltale sign:

 

The internal Garmin GPS files have the "Garmin" folder (uppercase "G"). Click that folder for the "GPX" sub-folder where Pocket Query GPX files are placed by default. This and the SD card have a recognizable file structure, to identify them at a glance.

 

The SD card has maps in a folder named "garmin" (lowercase "G"). For the purposes of this discussion, it's best to not place any GPX files on that card for now.

 

A posted screenshot like the one above may help us unscramble things.

 

I don't have a sd card for storage I have the Northeast U.S. map in it's place, I use Garmin's internal storage.I don't know how to do the screenshot thing but i'll look it up.

 

It says snip tool not working on this computer. I finally got it. When I plug the gps in 2 screens pop up, what do you want to do with these files and one with 2 folders in it garmin and android no gps but when I opened my computer and looked at it as another drive opened that up and gpx folder was there. I downloaded and saved my PQ's to my documents and right click and copied it on pasted it in the gpx folder and woo hoo all the caches description hints are all there. Thanks to everyone for the help.

[+Ed_S]

I am pretty new to PQ's but figured out how to create them and DL them to a folder in my documents. I DL mapsource and basecamp and can DL to my garmin etrex20x. My question is I am used to looking for caches by name not the gc number, is there any way to save the pq with the name of the cache to put on my gps it just has the #? Thanks for any help.

 

I use GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) as a place to send PQs. From there, I can send to MapSource, to my nuvi, to my eTrex Venture, and so on.GSAK offers a lot of features. Used to be, you could try it for free, and if you kept using it, after 30 days you'd start to get a nag screen that lasted longer and longer every time you used the program, until you paid for it. I thought that was sensible - you could try it and see if you liked it. I don't know if they still offer that deal or not - if they do, it's worth checking into.

 

Can't you put a name on your PQ when you create it? I do.

[+Walts Hunting]

Yes