How do I get a pocket query on my etrex 30

[+theCLEMcachers]

I looked for this topic, but couldn't find it. I had an old etrex venture CX that my Mac wouldn't "see" anymore. Just got an etrex 30 and a city navigator sd card. Used to just go to a cache page and send to my gps. Seems I can't do that anymore. I made a pocket query, but can't figure out how to get it on the gps. I have a Matchbook Air with current iOS  and Safari. Any help is appreciated

Edited September 5, 2018 by theCLEMcachers

[+31BMSG]

Plug the GPS into the Mac and it should mount as a drive, maybe two drives. My Etrex mounts one drive, my Montana mounts a one drive for the GPS and one for the SD card. If a drive doesn't mount unplug the GPS and go into GPS system settings. The interface selected should be USB mode, or Garmin spanner depending on GPS model. Once the GPS mounts as a drive open it and you will see two folders, Documents and Garmin. Open the Garmin folder and drag the GPX files to the GPX folder. You will have to unzip the PQ before moving the GPX files into the GPX folder.

 

Look at icezebra11's post below, it's been quite a while since I've used a PQ and forgot about this.

Edited September 5, 2018 by 31BMSG
Added some clarification

[+icezebra11]

35 minutes ago, 31BMSG said:

Plug the GPS into the Mac and it should mount as a drive, maybe two drives. My Etrex mounts one drive, my Montana mounts a one drive for the GPS and one for the SD card. If a drive doesn't mount unplug the GPS and go into system settings. The interface selected should be USB mode, or Garmin spanner depending on GPS model. Once the GPS mounts as a drive open it and you will see two folders, Documents and Garmin. Open the Garmin folder and drag the GPX files to the GPX folder. You will have to unzip the PQ before moving the GPX files into the GPX folder.

 

Also be aware that when you unzip the PQ you will likely get two files, one will be the cache files and the other will be additional waypoints associated with the caches in the PQ.  Move both to the GPX folder.

[+theCLEMcachers]

Thanks for the replies! It worked. (note: on the etrex 30 the interface options were "mass storage" and "Garmin". When I had it on Garmin and plugged it in to the mac, the device did not show up in finder. On mass storage it did.) I have to figure out the filters for PQ...I didn't get many caches near home. Is there another way to get caches on my device? Thanks again for your help.

[+icezebra11]

If you didn't get the PQ results you were expecting you may need to recheck the parameters you set.  Make sure you clicked or unclicked the correct radio buttons, entered the correct search radius, etc.. Another way to load multiple caches at one time is to copy an entire list you've created utilizing the Send to Garmin feature on your lists page.  Or you can load caches one at a time using the GPX File button on the cache page.  Save those to the same GPX folder on your GPS unit as you did with the PQ files.

[+theCLEMcachers]

Thanks!!

 

[+kunarion]

58 minutes ago, theCLEMcachers said:

Thanks for the replies! It worked. (note: on the etrex 30 the interface options were "mass storage" and "Garmin". When I had it on Garmin and plugged it in to the mac, the device did not show up in finder. On mass storage it did.) I have to figure out the filters for PQ...I didn't get many caches near home. Is there another way to get caches on my device? Thanks again for your help.

 

Go really light on those "Filters".  Adjust them later.  If you filter out caches you've found, that will remove a lot of the most convenient (close to home?).  So that's probably normal.

[+niraD]

2 hours ago, kunarion said:

Go really light on those "Filters".  Adjust them later.  If you filter out caches you've found, that will remove a lot of the most convenient (close to home?).  So that's probably normal.

Agreed. A common mistake for geocachers beginning to use PQs is to specify too many filters. For example, if you specify both "I haven't found" and "I have found", then you'll get results with no caches at all, because there are no caches that meet both conditions. There there no caches that you both haven't found and have found, so the results are empty.

[+Burton wanderers]

Hope those replying to me previously on downloading a pocket query to my GPS,  don't mind me asking this,

I  have a garmin etrex touch 25,  connected to my  laptop via a usb cable,   and a t last have succeeded uploading single caches,   but would like to upload several caches at a time so I gather pocket queries are the way,   but after a query as run, and try to download these, (or is it upload)   the files are saved to a  loc,        then when I click save to my garmin nothing happens,   can someone explain what I might be doing wrong,   do I have to change this loc file to a Gpx file,?  but how would I do this?     Using E11 thanks again.   

[+niraD]

There are three steps to using a Pocket Query:

• Create the PQ: This defines the search criteria.
• Run the PQ: Pick one or more days of the week for the system to run the PQ, generating a set of data that can be downloaded.
• Download the PQ: Copy the stored data to your device.

The fact that you are getting a LOC file indicates that you have created the PQ, but that you are not running or downloading it. Instead, you are previewing it, and then downloading an LOC file from the preview system.

 

To run the PQ, you need to pick a day for it to run. Once it has run, then you can download it as a GPX file (or a ZIP file containing a GPX file).

 

Here's a document that I found helpful: http://www.markwell.us/pq.htm

[+kunarion]

31 minutes ago, Burton wanderers said:

Hope those replying to me previously on downloading a pocket query to my GPS,  don't mind me asking this,

I  have a garmin etrex touch 25,  connected to my  laptop via a usb cable,   and a t last have succeeded uploading single caches,   but would like to upload several caches at a time so I gather pocket queries are the way,   but after a query as run, and try to download these, (or is it upload)   the files are saved to a  loc,        then when I click save to my garmin nothing happens,   can someone explain what I might be doing wrong,   do I have to change this loc file to a Gpx file,?  but how would I do this?     Using E11 thanks again.   

 

You must read the instructions on using Pocket Queries.  See a couple of links here.  Pocket Queries were a very tough cookie to wrap my head around.  I know you can figure it out.  Follow the steps exactly as stated in the links, skip no steps at all.  Come back if you get stuck on any step.

 

If it is still confusing, I'm sincerely suggesting this:  Contact Geocaching.com and let them know that this is tough to figure out.  Ask them to fix it.  Really.  Do that. 

 

Edited September 8, 2018 by kunarion

[+Burton wanderers]

Many thanks,   will do what you suggest.

[+HHL]

You get the answer on the same question in an other thread. Don't open multiple threads. :-(

 

Edited September 8, 2018 by HHL

[+NYPaddleCacher]

22 hours ago, niraD said:

There are three steps to using a Pocket Query:

• Create the PQ: This defines the search criteria.
• Run the PQ: Pick one or more days of the week for the system to run the PQ, generating a set of data that can be downloaded.
• Download the PQ: Copy the stored data to your device.

The fact that you are getting a LOC file indicates that you have created the PQ, but that you are not running or downloading it. Instead, you are previewing it, and then downloading an LOC file from the preview system.

 

To run the PQ, you need to pick a day for it to run. Once it has run, then you can download it as a GPX file (or a ZIP file containing a GPX file).

 

Here's a document that I found helpful: http://www.markwell.us/pq.htm

 

This is a nice simple explanation of a pocket query.  I'm going to add a clarification that, hopefully, doesn't make it more confusing.

 

Running the PQ, creates a file that is the result of running the search criteria that was created.   That file is a "zip" file, which contains two GPX files (one for cache data, and one for additional waypoints, such as parking coordinates).  

 

Downloading the PQ, actually means downloading that zipfile to your computer, which can get be extracted to get the GPX files on your computer.   Then, one can either, Upload the GPX files to the device directly (copy the files from the computer to the GPX) or load them into a waypoint manager such as GSAK, Basecamp, Easy/Expert GPS, or iCaching.  If using a waypoint manager,  the zipfile can be loaded as is (no need to extract the GPX files).   Once the data is loaded into a waypoint manager it can be  Uploaded to the device.   That means that multiple PQ Downloads can be used (e.g. useful when traveling),  aggregated in the waypoint manager, then all the data uploaded to the device at once.  

[+kunarion]

51 minutes ago, NYPaddleCacher said:

 

This is a nice simple explanation of a pocket query.  I'm going to add a clarification that, hopefully, doesn't make it more confusing.

 

Running the PQ, creates a file that is the result of running the search criteria that was created.   That file is a "zip" file, which contains two GPX files (one for cache data, and one for additional waypoints, such as parking coordinates).  

 

Downloading the PQ, actually means downloading that zipfile to your computer, which can get be extracted to get the GPX files on your computer.   Then, one can either, Upload the GPX files to the device directly (copy the files from the computer to the GPX) or load them into a waypoint manager such as GSAK, Basecamp, Easy/Expert GPS, or iCaching.  If using a waypoint manager,  the zipfile can be loaded as is (no need to extract the GPX files).   Once the data is loaded into a waypoint manager it can be  Uploaded to the device.   That means that multiple PQ Downloads can be used (e.g. useful when traveling),  aggregated in the waypoint manager, then all the data uploaded to the device at once.  

 

+1

 

There's another thing to consider when manipulating files, enabling the File Manager to show "File Extensions".  It's a setting in the File Manager, and it's by default not selected in Windows.  Turn it on, and you may more easily tell a GPX from a Zip file, when the files have similar names.  I also enable "Hidden Items" because I'm a rebel.  But most people don't need that, just the file extensions.

 

 

 

 

Edited September 9, 2018 by kunarion