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Download unpublished caches


SN67

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How do I download my unpublished caches to my gps? I have done it previously, but that may have been when the "Send to my GPS" button stil worked. Hitting the gpx-file doesn't do anything. The LOC waypoint file DO download, but I don't know what to do with it?? Putting it in the normal gpx-dir in the gps doesn't seen to work. :( 

I want to have the caches to show as "normal" caches on my gps when I go to make the last control before publishing. That way I'm sure I haven't made any typing-mistakes in i.e. the coordinate or other stuff..

 

Furthermore I have seen event holders offer gpx-files of caches that won't be published until later. How do they do that?

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I don't believe you can download unpublished caches as gpx from the site.  In the past, for a brief period, you could bookmark your unpublished, and download that list as Pocket Query.

 

You can PRINT your unpublished cache. 

Most (all) handheld gps units will take the LOC file. The LOC will give you the coords as they appear on the cache page, the cache type, name and GC Code.

How to load the LOC to your device depends on your device ;-)

 

Quote, " event holders offer gpx-files of caches"  I expect they are creating the gpx file in their own software - GSAK will let you create a gpx file with all the same fields as a geocaching.com webpage.

 

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9 minutes ago, Isonzo Karst said:

 

You can PRINT your unpublished cache. 

:antenna:

 

9 minutes ago, Isonzo Karst said:

Most (all) handheld gps units will take the LOC file. The LOC will give you the coords as they appear on the cache page, the cache type, name and GC Code.

How to load the LOC to your device depends on your device ;-)

It's a Dakota 10 (yes, it's old, but I love it :wub: )

 

 

9 minutes ago, Isonzo Karst said:

Quote, " event holders offer gpx-files of caches"  I expect they are creating the gpx file in their own software - GSAK will let you create a gpx file with all the same fields as a geocaching.com webpage.

 You may have a point!

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23 minutes ago, Isonzo Karst said:

I don't believe you can download unpublished caches as gpx from the site.  In the past, for a brief period, you could bookmark your unpublished, and download that list as Pocket Query.

 

You can PRINT your unpublished cache. 

Most (all) handheld gps units will take the LOC file. The LOC will give you the coords as they appear on the cache page, the cache type, name and GC Code.

How to load the LOC to your device depends on your device ;-)

 

Quote, " event holders offer gpx-files of caches"  I expect they are creating the gpx file in their own software - GSAK will let you create a gpx file with all the same fields as a geocaching.com webpage.

 

 

I was thinking it may be helper software such as GSAK.  I've made cache description GPX files in "EasyGPS" at times, just to have some data to load into my GPS.  For my unpublished caches, I use my handy-dandy Indiana Jones style notebook, and about a hundred waypoint snapshots of the spot already saved on my GPS.  But, yeah, that doesn't show me how the published cache page may look on my GPS.

 

It's also possible to "print" to a cache page to a PDF file.

 

Edited by kunarion
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16 hours ago, kunarion said:

It's also possible to "print" to a cache page to a PDF file.

 

I'm a big fan of this and do it often when I am trying to get landowner permission -- after initial contact, I follow up with an email with a PDF of the draft cache page to get their blessing before I submit for review.  It's not perfect, the map inset tends to jump around a little, but it shows generally how the cache will look and has the important information.

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18 hours ago, Isonzo Karst said:

I don't believe you can download unpublished caches as gpx from the site.  In the past, for a brief period, you could bookmark your unpublished, and download that list as Pocket Query.

 

You can PRINT your unpublished cache. 

Most (all) handheld gps units will take the LOC file. The LOC will give you the coords as they appear on the cache page, the cache type, name and GC Code.

How to load the LOC to your device depends on your device ;-)

 

Quote, " event holders offer gpx-files of caches"  I expect they are creating the gpx file in their own software - GSAK will let you create a gpx file with all the same fields as a geocaching.com webpage.

 

 

LOC files and GPX files are just text files using XML to encapsulate waypoint information.  An LOC file only contains a minimal amount of data but it can be transformed to a valid GPX file (but will still only contain the same data).  A Geocache GPX file is just a GPX file with extensions that allows it to define geocaching specific information (e.g. cache type, size, hints, logs, etc).

 

The easiest way to create a GPX file for caches at events would be to use a GPS to mark the locations then send that data from the GPS to a waypoint manager such as EasyGPS, GSAK, etc.  However, the GPX file will only contain the basic elements (lat/long, coordinates, maybe an identifier) but all of the popular waypoint manager can "receive" waypoints from a GPS devise as well as send them.  They can then "save" all of those waypoints as a single GPX (or LOC) file.  

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Thanks for all the answers, but I think some of you may have misunderstod WHY I want to download the cache before it's published (or maybe it's just my english that isn't good enough, - me being danish :)).

I of course check and doublecheck the coordinates, both in the field and when it's transfered to the cache description, but even though I've checked, and checked and triple-checked, I'm still not calm before the cache is found (and for multis and mysteries the checking almost never ends :o). Therefore it would be nice, - and reassuring - to be able to get the coordinates FROM the cachedescription, that I'm about to send to the reviewer, without having to copy them manually to my gps as a waypoint. Then I can go to check a last time, - go home and hit the SEND button, knowing that the coordinate I just submitted in fact IS where the cache is. Yeah, yeah, I may be too cautious, and I have never send wrong coordinates ... but still ...   

 

I know it has been possible before, and then the cache looked just like any other on my gps. Since the button "Send to my gps" doesn't work like it did some years ago, I was just wondering if there was another way around. Using GSAK isn't a solution for me.  That leaves the LOC-files, but I can't figure out how to make them work. The one I've tried to download will not open in EasyGPS. 

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2 hours ago, SN67 said:

Thanks for all the answers, but I think some of you may have misunderstod WHY I want to download the cache before it's published (or maybe it's just my english that isn't good enough, - me being danish :)).

I of course check and doublecheck the coordinates, both in the field and when it's transfered to the cache description, but even though I've checked, and checked and triple-checked, I'm still not calm before the cache is found (and for multis and mysteries the checking almost never ends :o). Therefore it would be nice, - and reassuring - to be able to get the coordinates FROM the cachedescription, that I'm about to send to the reviewer, without having to copy them manually to my gps as a waypoint. Then I can go to check a last time, - go home and hit the SEND button, knowing that the coordinate I just submitted in fact IS where the cache is. Yeah, yeah, I may be too cautious, and I have never send wrong coordinates ... but still ...   

 

I know it has been possible before, and then the cache looked just like any other on my gps. Since the button "Send to my gps" doesn't work like it did some years ago, I was just wondering if there was another way around. Using GSAK isn't a solution for me.  That leaves the LOC-files, but I can't figure out how to make them work. The one I've tried to download will not open in EasyGPS. 

 

I'd suggest using gpsbabel to convert the loc file to a gpx file but if the reason you can't use GSAK is because you're using a Mac that's not going to help.  gpsbabel only runs on windows as well.  It's been awhile since I've used EasyGPS but I thought it supported loc files.   If you're using a Mac you might try iCaching.  The web site for it indicates that it supports LOC files.  

 

If you can run Chrome you might try installing a plugin called CacheList.  Once installed every cache page (including those for an unpublished cache) will include a little map icon just under the cache name.  Click on the map and it will add the cache a "list".  Then you can use a CacheList icon in the browser toolbar to download all of the caches in your list as a GPX, LOC, KML, CSV, or a couple of other file formats.  The plugin adds the little map icon to the pop-up window that shows when you select a cache on the map page.  

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My apologies for not recalling this sooner.  The content of the loc for the unpublished cache is  : <![CDATA[Thanks for Playing by Nice Try]

It's not going to load into any device.

 

I DO understand your concern about the potential for data entry error, particularly for coordinates.

I handle coords entry entirely as cut and paste.  I NEVER manually type coordinate numbers into cache page forms.  

 

I take coords with a handheld gps, (an old Garmin Oregon), take the time to name them something useful that I'll remember ;-) when back home.   I download those coords to ExpertGPS (a paid upgrade from EasyGPS).  In ExpertGPS  I select the cache coords, click "edit waypoint", one the options there is "copy" - those coords are now saved to a buffer (akin to Control+C) and can be pasted directly into the cache page (Control+V) .  

I no longer have a copy of EasyGPS on my computer, but I believe it has a comparable function -  a copy command, under its edit function.

Illustration below:

N28° 57.5378'  W082° 13.8887'   I just copied the Main Spring coords by this technique.  I can't guarantee that they're correct as taken, but I can guarantee that they're exactly the coords I took.  Geocaching.com will manage the needed rounding if entered this way, with 4 places to the right of the decimal.

 

5b780bbe864f5_copyfunction.jpg.133f492d1d7f72ac1b9b726cd5e78629.jpg a comparable function

 

 

 

Edited by Isonzo Karst
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1 hour ago, Isonzo Karst said:

My apologies for not recalling this sooner.  The content of the loc for the unpublished cache is  : <![CDATA[Thanks for Playing by Nice Try]

It's not going to load into any device.

 

The loc file is not only invalid, but the lat/long coordinates are 0,0.  Here's what the xml looks like on one an unpublished cache in my profile.  I also noticed that when the unpublished cache page loads the corrected coordinates pencil displays briefly then disappears.   Intentionally creating an invalid LOC files and having the GPX  File just reload the page (and get rid of the Send to My GPS button already) isn't very user friendly.   If you're going to put clickable regions on a page, have them do something useful (even if it renders a "Not Available for Unpublished Caches") or hide those links from the page.  

 

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>
<loc version="1.0" src="Groundspeak">
<![CDATA[Thanks for Playing by Nice Try]]></name>
<coord lat="0" lon="0"/>
<type>Geocache</type>
<link text="Cache Details">http://www.geocaching.com/</link>
</waypoint></loc

 

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On 8/18/2018 at 11:17 AM, SN67 said:

I of course check and doublecheck the coordinates, both in the field and when it's transfered to the cache description, but even though I've checked, and checked and triple-checked, I'm still not calm before the cache is found (and for multis and mysteries the checking almost never ends :o). Therefore it would be nice, - and reassuring - to be able to get the coordinates FROM the cachedescription, that I'm about to send to the reviewer, without having to copy them manually to my gps as a waypoint.

 

I do it the opposite way.  When I am hiding the cache, I use waypoint averaging and save the waypoint on my GPSr.  Then I manually copy the coordinates from my GPSr to the "hide a cache" page.  I don't delete the waypoint from my GPSr unless I archive the cache listing, so I can easily navigate to it and find it if I need to do maintenance.

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One thing that I've done is choose some caches from a place I won't be visiting, such as a cache series a few states away, and update the coordinates of those caches to match the coords of my hides.  That way, I can see cache icons at the locations of my unpublished caches and I can download those caches to my GPSr to navigate to them.

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wow a lot of these suggestions are more work than easy. Personally I agree with the OP that as a CO the app should allow you to open them up prepublishing. As the desire is to do a good job, BTW your English is great, the app is the problem. Every suggestion including mine is simply a "hack". I'd really like this functionality to be integrated into the app, I can't tell you how many times a new CO posts a cache only to find out that they messed up entering the coordinates.  Can you do other things yes, should you no.

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On 8/22/2018 at 10:19 PM, noncentric said:

One thing that I've done is choose some caches from a place I won't be visiting, such as a cache series a few states away, and update the coordinates of those caches to match the coords of my hides.  That way, I can see cache icons at the locations of my unpublished caches and I can download those caches to my GPSr to navigate to them.

Clever.

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