First time benchmarks on iOS

[+terratin]

I'll be travelling to Salt Lake City and some NPs later next month and might finally have the chance to hunt a few benchmarks. I'm a bit uncertain though about how to do this with regards to actually finding them. The benchmark website is a bit useless, and how do I find a postal code? Download all files as .loc and onto my gps? I've never dealt with that filetype, but I assume my Oregon 450 knows what to do with them? Then use the ID (assuming it's available in the name) to find more information online or are there better ways of doing this?

[Bill93]

In the US, the postal codes are called Zip codes (for Zone Improvement Plan) and may be easily found by google search for the name of the city and the keyword zip.

On the benchmark page https://www.geocaching.com/mark/ you can also pick Advanced Search and search by other means such as latitude and longitude.

Once you have brought up a page for either a bench mark or a geocache, there is a link that will list nearby caches or marks.

I don't use .loc files, so can't help there.

[+terratin]

Thanks Bill,

I was hoping there was an easier way involving a map as I only have limited data abroad, and using a tiny phone screen to type in longitude and latitude, switching between screens is far from ideal. Oh well.. it's a unique thing to do for me, so I'll be happy with it being a bit more complex I guess.

[kayakbird]

Terratin,

Have you tried this National Geodetic Survey Data Explorer?  Give it a city or town name and zoom in.  At some point 'View List' and enter the PID into the Geocaching Benchmark Hunting page.

If you want older one read up on the nomenclature conventions  - basically  A 1 to Z 1 would be the first elevation Bench Mark string in the state of Utah. 

I would like to see a photo of LO0583, X 1; and others in that 1906 string that have been recently logged as found.  kayakbird

[+terratin]

Thanks kayakbird. I don't think I can use this properly on my phone, and I don't see a way to export waypoints to my GPS either. There must be an easy way, surely.

[kayakbird]

terratin,

If you have Excel capabilities I could send you a file that I built from GSAK several years ago - of course sort-able to county, setting date.  You could check selected PIDs against the Benchmark page and hand enter them into your GPS.

It would be tedious but I'm guess that you will have 10 hours or so on a aircraft.  Contact me off forum in the next day or two if you are interested.  Presently on a birding trip and waiting out a snowstorm near PX0280 - same name as one of my early on mentors in this game.

kayakbird

 

[+Michaelcycle]

On 4/14/2018 at 11:00 AM, terratin said:

I'll be travelling to Salt Lake City and some NPs later next month and might finally have the chance to hunt a few benchmarks. I'm a bit uncertain though about how to do this with regards to actually finding them. The benchmark website is a bit useless, and how do I find a postal code? Download all files as .loc and onto my gps? I've never dealt with that filetype, but I assume my Oregon 450 knows what to do with them? Then use the ID (assuming it's available in the name) to find more information online or are there better ways of doing this?

You are using a Garmin so the .loc files that you can download for each Benchmark in the Geocaching database can be used BUT you have to download them, import them via Basecamp and then send them to your device that way. If you are going to load geocaches into the Garmin before you leave just look for benchmarks near those geocaches (...all nearby benchmarks tab on each cache page) look those over for interesting marks (and in your case definitely some marks that have been previously found) Download the .loc files, open Basecamp and find all those .loc files (your collection) and transfer them to the Garmin in bulk. Note that you cannot simply download the .loc files and drag them into your device like you can .gpx files. The Garmin will not "see" them for some reason if you try that shortcut.

Note that the geocaching .loc files are bare bones with nothing more than the PID and the latitude and longitude. If you want the datasheet you will have to read it off of your cellphone or print a bunch of them out.

The benchmark page ( https://www.geocaching.com/mark/ ) is not useless and I strongly advise you review it before trying to find any marks. Pay special attention to location "scaled" vs. "adjusted" status. As a beginner and without easy access to data sheets I would mostly download "adjusted" location status marks. Also note how control points are different than intersection stations. 

 

[+terratin]

18 hours ago, kayakbird said:

terratin,

If you have Excel capabilities I could send you a file that I built from GSAK several years ago - of course sort-able to county, setting date.  You could check selected PIDs against the Benchmark page and hand enter them into your GPS.

It would be tedious but I'm guess that you will have 10 hours or so on a aircraft.  Contact me off forum in the next day or two if you are interested.  Presently on a birding trip and waiting out a snowstorm near PX0280 - same name as one of my early on mentors in this game.

kayakbird

 

That would be fantastic! I'll see if I can important this data into Gsak and do soething with it from there. I'm only a GSAK beginner though and only maintain a finds database and classify ECs for various challenges. I'll send you a message via your geocaching profile with my email.

 

 

[+terratin]

18 hours ago, Michaelcycle said:

You are using a Garmin so the .loc files that you can download for each Benchmark in the Geocaching database can be used BUT you have to download them, import them via Basecamp and then send them to your device that way. If you are going to load geocaches into the Garmin before you leave just look for benchmarks near those geocaches (...all nearby benchmarks tab on each cache page) look those over for interesting marks (and in your case definitely some marks that have been previously found) Download the .loc files, open Basecamp and find all those .loc files (your collection) and transfer them to the Garmin in bulk. Note that you cannot simply download the .loc files and drag them into your device like you can .gpx files. The Garmin will not "see" them for some reason if you try that shortcut.

Note that the geocaching .loc files are bare bones with nothing more than the PID and the latitude and longitude. If you want the datasheet you will have to read it off of your cellphone or print a bunch of them out.

The benchmark page ( https://www.geocaching.com/mark/ ) is not useless and I strongly advise you review it before trying to find any marks. Pay special attention to location "scaled" vs. "adjusted" status. As a beginner and without easy access to data sheets I would mostly download "adjusted" location status marks. Also note how control points are different than intersection stations. 

 

Thanks. That's information I did understand and it is good information! It's just the practicality of finding them with the tech I have: gps and very small phone with somewhat limited data (currently 4GB, which needs to be enough for a trip to Brazil and Utah in the same month)