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Managing thousands of GPX files


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I've just gotten into geocaching recently and am wondering how all of you manage your GPX files. I have a Garmin eTrex 30x and purchased the premium Geocaching subscription so I can download hundreds of caches at a time with GSAKs. My intent was to download all of the caches within reasonable driving distance and load them all on my Garmin at once. This ended up being around 3500 caches. My Garmin now takes well over ten minutes to start up, so it seems like this isn't typical usage.

This begs the question: How do all of you manage your GPX files? I don't want to have to connect my Garmin to my computer and load each and every cache I want to visit ahead of time. I'd prefer to just do it once a month or so and then be done with it. Makes it much simpler. That way I can drive to wherever I feel like going that day and there's bound to be a cache nearby. If I have to wait 10 minutes for the thing to turn on that kind of defeats the point. Any suggestions are appreciated!

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Set up pocket queries to cover your local area and have them run weekly. GSAK should be able to import them either via direct download or through the API. Since pocket queries don't include archived caches, just be aware of any caches in your GSAK database that don't get updated and manually update those through the API (you should be able to sort or filter by date of last update or gpx date... something like that). you can choose whether or not to keep archived listings, but filter them out of the ones you will write to your GPS.

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I keep several databases in GSAK. One has all Belgian caches, another All caches in the Netherlands (we're close to the border). I use PQs to keep them up to date.and make selections on caches we want to do whenever I feel like it. Once we decide where we will go caching the following weekend I center the database on the area and see it besides already selected caches there are more interesting ones around and select them too. The day before we go out I filter on selected caches + radius and "refresh" the selection, connect the GPS and export from GSAK to my Oregon (in GGZ format).

After out outing I connect the GPS, import "logs" from the GPS, write logs, trackables, add pictures as needed and hit "publish". Wait for a moment and done..... B)

 

I would never go out with a month old cachelist, too much chance caches are disabled/archived, updating and loading a list from GSAK only takes minutes anyway.

 

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9 hours ago, Red90 said:

It only takes a long time, the first time the file is loaded.  It will be quick after that.  You should only be using one GPX file.

The first time I exported the caches, GSAKs froze at the end. Maybe that corrupted the GPX file? I just tried exporting them to my Garmin a second time and you were right. First time took a while and then subsequently loads in just a few seconds. Thank you! 

 

7 hours ago, Mineral2 said:

just be aware of any caches in your GSAK database that don't get updated and manually update those through the API (you should be able to sort or filter by date of last update or gpx date

I just spent the past hour playing around with the GSAKs filter. I didn't even know about it before now lol :D

 

6 hours ago, on4bam said:

Once we decide where we will go caching the following weekend I center the database on the area and see it besides already selected caches there are more interesting ones around and select them too. The day before we go out I filter on selected caches + radius and "refresh" the selection, connect the GPS and export from GSAK to my Oregon (in GGZ format).

Where do you go in GSAKs to do this? I see "Geocaching.com access" > "Get geocaches." Is that how you update yours?

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Disclaimer: I don't actually use GSAK because I'm a mac user. I use iCaching, which is similar to GSAK, but not nearly as powerful - it's got all the main tools that I need, but GSAK has more including the option to write custom macros. I know that the API grants access to download pocket queries which have already been run - you have to go to the website to set them up and run them. Therefore, I assume that GSAK is able to download them directly (mostly because any feature implemented by an API program has been first done by GSAK). A GSAK user can point you to the specific workflow to do that.

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