What are YOUR pocket queries and why?

August 1, 2003

I'm curious to know what types of areas people use and decide on for their pocket queries. I use the following:

1. Corona (92883): This is where I live.

2. Torrance (90503): This is where I work.

3. Santa Clarita (91354): My parents live here.

4. Diamond Bar/Walnut (91765): My wife's family lives here.

5. Wildcard: I always leave one open as a wildcard for vacations or if I'll be in the area.

Right now I have around 20 caches that overlap out of 800. Although this is for my curiousity, it might also give me some ideas for future pocket queries.

--CoronaKid

August 1, 2003

I don't have regularly scheduled PQs. I develop a PQ when I am planning a caching trip.

Whenever I want a new download, I go click today's day and wait for an hour for it to arrive.

3.2k · August 1, 2003

I have two queries set up, both using my home Lat/Lon. weekly.

1. 300 caches within 50 miles that I have not found.

2. Members only and Web cams within 50 miles (set to 300 as well)

I also set up for when I am going to a given area, for instance I have one set up now for my tripp this weekend to the WI State Fair within 50 miles of the fair based on it's Lat/Lon.

I would use 500 as my default, however I wanted room for other waypoints (GPS V) and I also DL the benchmarks and load them in.

1k · August 1, 2003

I have mine set up to give me the closest 500 caches to my home that I haven't found and do not own. This encompasses about a 60 mile radius. If I plan to travel outside of that area, I set up a specific PQ for my travel destination.

-Junglehair

I thought I was wrong once, but I was mistaken.

2.1k · August 1, 2003

Kind of on the subject as this pocket query thing is intriguing me a little, but does anyone know of the best and cheapest place to get a PDA suitable for the downloaded pages?

Brian

As long as you're going to think anyway, think big. -Donald Trump

August 1, 2003

I don't know if this would work or not, but Handspring Visor's can be had pretty cheaply off of Ebay.

--RuffRidr

24.7k · August 1, 2003

1) Southern Idaho. this is the only one I keep active weekly.

2) Utah. Now within my territory and the raids will start soon.

3) Montana, same as Utah

4) Wyoming, Same as Utah

5) My finds, this is hitting 500 so I'll have to tweak it. I've only used it once.

August 1, 2003

1. 30 Miles from my home coords - 100 caches

2. Same for Corvallis (north of me)

3. Same for Roseburg (south of me)

I figure if I'm finding more than 100 caches in a weekend then I need a break.

I use GPX spinner & Plucker to get the pages to my Palm IIIxe, which can be bought from eBay for around $50.

3.2k · August 1, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Woodsters Outdoors:
Kind of on the subject as this pocket query thing is intriguing me a little, but does anyone know of the best and cheapest place to get a PDA suitable for the downloaded pages?

Brian

Ahh..Woodsters slowly coming over. Brian, let the force guide you...wait..wrong hobby.

Anyway, most any PDA that will interface with a computer shoudl work. I would recommend staying with a Palm OS device (i.e. Handspring, Palm, Sony, etc.) and RuffRidr has the right idea, eBay. There are many deals to be had at CompUsa and Best Buy as well.

And Brian, remember this.

1.4k · August 1, 2003

I run 2 queries a week on Weds.

#1) All caches I haven't found within 65 miles. About 450 caches

#2) All caches I Have found within 500 miles. About 240 caches

I add about 50 waypoints that I like to have and leave the rest open for waypointing the car and other places I want to keep.

---------------------------------------------------------------------

Nobody can be so amusingly arrogant as a young man who has just discovered an old idea and thinks it is his own.

Sydney J. Harris

--------------------------------------------------------------

"The fool who knows he is a fool is for that reason very wise. The fool who thinks himself wise is the greatest fool of all." - Shakyamuni

2.1k · August 1, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Baloo&bd:

And Brian, remember http://ubbx.Groundspeak.com/6/ubb.x?a=tpc&s=5726007311&f=4016058331&m=28260707&r=12160017#12160017

Yeah Yeah! I know I know... The thing is I bought my wife a Pocket PC for christmas (nearly $400) and well if she gets that neat little toy then why shouldn't I? It would of been useful for the trip home (vacation?).

Brian

As long as you're going to think anyway, think big. -Donald Trump

2.1k · August 1, 2003

And on that note as well Baloo...have y'all seen my find count lately? I've been working on it.....and I actually agreed to something you said Baloo...I guess we all have our off days...now which one was mine?

Brian

As long as you're going to think anyway, think big. -Donald Trump

August 1, 2003

Home 1-2 times per week.

And if I'm planning a trip, I start getting PQs for that area a few weeks ahead to help map out my route(s).

August 1, 2003

My PQs are:

My home area (regularly)
Georgia's traditionals (when I'm headed there)
Georgia's non-traditionals (ditto)

The only other PQs I do are special one-time queries and PQs that didn't load correctly in Watcher (of course, the latter come from whomever has the problem, and I only use them to track down the bugs).

[[[ ClayJar Networks ]]]

Home of Watcher downloads, Official Geocaching Chat, and the Geocache Rating System

8k · August 1, 2003

My PQs are

1. All caches with terrain 3 or greater within 50 miles. Corona Kid may remember his thread on why no one does caches with more difficult terrain. I should change the distance to about 60 or 70 miles so Corona Kid's cache will show up .

2. All caches that I have found that have been found within the last 7 days. This way I can check on what other people have to say about these caches without having to add every cache to my watch list. I would really like this to be all caches for which I have logged either a found or could not find which have any log (found, not found, or note) within the last seven days.

東西南北

Why do I always find it in the last place I look?

August 1, 2003

I have three regular PQs. I sometimes do other ones if I'm going somewhere..

1. Geocaches (eBook) (GPX)

This one's my "standard" PQ. 500 caches within 500 miles of my zip code (it never goes out NEAR that distance).

2. Geocaches for Import (LOC)

I use this one for importing into MapPoint 2002 with my Waypoint Importer. 500 caches within 500 miles of my zip code.

3. Website (GPX)

This is my alternative to the MobiPocket monstrosity. This gets delivered to an alternate e-mail address that I have aliased to a script which pulls out the attachment and feeds it to a modified version of gpx2html. Gpx2html does it's thing and drops all the files into a web-accessible directory which I have set up as a custom AvantGo channel. It works quite well and is usually easier to deal with than the eBook. 400 caches within 250 miles of my zip code.

--

Pehmva!

Random quote:

sigimage.php

2.1k · August 1, 2003

Can a pocket pc be used instead of a palm? I was telling my wife about getting a cheap palm to use and she said that I could use her pocket pc and she would get a palm because for one the computers at her work will not hook up to the pocket pc but will with the palms(has to do with the serial/connections) and 2) there is another application in which she wants to use that is not designed for the pocket pc. So if everything will work with the pocket pc, I may be in business very soon.

So does anyone know if it will work with it?

Brian

As long as you're going to think anyway, think big. -Donald Trump

August 1, 2003

Someone mentioned something about being able to just rename a GPX file to whatever.xml and then just copying it over to their pocket pc. Apparently it will open XML files natively, without the need for any special software. That would be pretty handy, especially if it has the capability to search within the file for specific text.

--

Pehmva!

Random quote:

sigimage.php

2.1k · August 1, 2003

Thanks cruzin. If anyone out there that uses a pocket pc can email of what I can do with it in this respect, please do. Otherwise I will start doing some more research into it sometime, maybe tomorrow.

Brian

As long as you're going to think anyway, think big. -Donald Trump

7.4k · August 1, 2003

Install GPXView to your Pocket PC, copy your GPX files into the unit, and then you can open them directly and browse the cache pages. No further conversions or manipulations necessary to get you up and running.

2.1k · August 2, 2003

Thanks Moun10bike!

Brian

As long as you're going to think anyway, think big. -Donald Trump

2.1k · August 2, 2003

Ok...was reading around a little and am still a little confused. Are there 2 different type of pocket queries? Or is there just one that can be downloaded to both your GPS and PDA's/Pocket PC's? The reaosn I ask it that I currently don't have a cable for my GPS. But I would like to be able to use the pocket pc now. Is it the same query? I want to be able to view the pages on the pocket pc like I can on the computer. When I get a cable for the GPS later, will I be able to use the same query file to put in the GPS?

Brian

As long as you're going to think anyway, think big. -Donald Trump

August 2, 2003

quote:
Originally posted by Woodsters Outdoors:
Are there 2 different type of pocket queries?

There's the eBook, GPX and LOC formats.

The eBook format is exclusively for use with MobiPocket.

GPX and LOC are both XML files, which is a text file that's formatted in a way that both humans and machines can read and understand. The difference between them is the content - LOC files have just enough information to find the cache (coords, waypoint ID, name) and GPX files have that info plus the full cache description and encoded hint. Think of a GPX file as being the whole cache page put into a format that can be parsed by programs such as Watcher.

quote:
When I get a cable for the GPS later, will I be able to use the same query file to put in the GPS?

Yep.

--

Pehmva!

Random quote:

sigimage.php

2.1k · August 2, 2003

Ok...thanks for all y'alls help. I will try and go ahead and download that program that moun10bike mentioned and see if I can get it to work. If I can then I will try a premium membership and see if I can get the pocket queries to work in the pocket pc. I'll have to wait on the cable for the GPS later.

I see a lot of mention about other programs like expertGPS, plucker, watcher and etc. What do those programs do and are they necessary? Do they go on the computer or the PDA/pocket pc?

Brian

As long as you're going to think anyway, think big. -Donald Trump

2.1k · August 2, 2003

Ok, got the pocket Pc working, downloaded the program that moun10bike referred me too and the demo works on it. Just signed up and am now a Premium Member. Gonna try a pocket query and see how that works. Wish me luck.

Brian

As long as you're going to think anyway, think big. -Donald Trump

What are YOUR pocket queries and why?

Recommended Posts

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Link to comment

Join the conversation