Downloading Caches to GPS V

[+WARTIDE]

Hey, another question over here. I recently obtained a PDA, cachemate software, and a premium membership in order to go paperless caching. I absolutely love being able to search for "nearest cache" on the fly especially in unfamiliar territory. I've set up a pocket query to be delivered every Friday and promptly upload it to my PDA. However, I'm still reading the coords off the PDA to my wife who then enters them into the GPS V and we are on our way.

 

I know I can use EasyGPS to load waypoints into the GPS, but it only shows up as GCY175, etc. Is there a way to upload the cache name into the GPS with EasyGPS or do I need another program? Can I upload to the GPS with Cachemate? It would be great to be able to have the name of the cache on the GPS and just select it instead of manually entering coords.

 

I'm kind of in a hurry between patients right now, so my post may seem kind of garbled. If you need more clarification about what I'm trying to do, please ask. Thanks for your help.

 

Wartide

[+Olar]

Two things you can do.

download cache waypoints to your V from EasyGPS. Hi-Lite waypoints (GCxxxx) and press enter to get window showing coords. Press menu and then choose 'waypoint note'. You will now see the name of the cache.

or; download your pocket query in .loc format and open with GeoBuddy. In preferences choose 'create waypoint ID from waypoint name' and save file to EasyGPS. Now you will have a waypoint made up of the first 6/8 letters of the cache name in addition to the above 'waypoint note'.

I'm sure there are other apps like GpsBabel that will do the same thing but GeoBuddy is all I've ever used.

 

Cheers, Olar

 

"You are only young once but you can stay immature forever"

[+WARTIDE]

Thanks Olar,

Option #2 was the one I was looking for to do the job. I'll give it a try in the morning. Thank you

 

Wartide

[+CurmudgeonlyGal]

While I leave the waypoint as it's designated in the downloads (GCxxxx), I was similarly frustrated when trying to find the cooresponding waypoint in my PDA when all it was displaying was the title of the cache. It's a lot of work to try to mesh the two if you're clueless!

 

I finally fiddled around with Cachemate enough to get it to display the waypoint and the name of the cache at the same time so I can search via waypoint designation on the pda as I use the V to tell me what's 'closest'.

 

Similarly, I'll look for something by title if it's one I remember wanting to do, and then the waypoint designation is right there. Then I do a 'find' by 'name' and get the correct waypoint on the V that way.

 

Enjoy your V and your PDA! They're a great team!

 

-=-

michelle

[robertlipe]

If you use GPSBabel for the upload, it knows the "best" waypoint length (and namespace constraints) for the target and will toss the given shortname and use one synthesized from the description if you specify the "-s" option.

 

For Geocaching, this means if you use GPSBabel to talk to a V, it knows that a V can take waypoint names 20 chars, they must be upper case, and so on, and will toss the "GC1234" things and use the cache name in its place. Just add -s or click the checkbox in the gui.

 

You can do it to interim file formats (converting a GPX file to a GPX file with sensible shortnames) but it's harder to express "optimal" in this case as that depends on the endpoint characteristics.