Instant Pocket Queries?

[+shunra]

Merry Christmas you all!

Under the Christmas tree I found a new GPS (yay!) and a "voucher" for upgrading my membership to Premium Membership. I immediately went to the site and signed up, and tried to play with the Pocket Queries.

 

Having read so much about the queries in the past, I'm sort surprised that they result in periodic e-mail messages, which I'd be getting X times a week. What I had hoped to upload the material to my new GPS right away, and start playing with it. When will that message be sent, and why can't I get my answers immediately when I ask for them, and just this one time?

 

Or am I seriously missing something?

 

Thanks!

[+shunra]

And further... I had asked for 400 waypoints. After half an hour, I am getting a file with 15... What am I doing wrong?

Edited December 25, 2003 by Shunra

[+Jeremy]

Did you make your query too specific?

 

It runs in a batch, but you can normally get new queries within the hour. Since each one is custom built it has to run that way.

[+DomHeknows]

I signed up yesterday, early christmas present for me and had two query results within 15 minutes. I asked for 100 and got 100, as I hadn't been specific in what types I wanted. Now when I zoom out, the UK is just a bunch of geocaches :-)

 

Enjoy the new facility Shunra!

[+shunra]

Did you make your query too specific?

 

It runs in a batch, but you can normally get new queries within the hour. Since each one is custom built it has to run that way.

OK, Thanks for explaining. I understand the delay due to the batch part.

 

What I don't understand is why a query must perforce be recursive.

 

Also, my query certainly wasn't too detailed. I asked for up to 400 active caches from my home of any category except found, owned and locationless caches, not farther than 200 miles from home, but within my home state. I got a mere 15 results (which are all very close to home, perhaps even the 15 very nearest ones - I could check that).

[+Mopar]

What are you using to view the queries? If I remember right, EasyGPS has a bug in it that keeps it from properly displaying all the caches. If you use a windows-based PC, try opening it in ClayJar's Watcher program, which you can get from www.clayjar.com . See how may that shows.

Edited December 25, 2003 by Mopar

[+welch]

Also, my query certainly wasn't too detailed. I asked for up to 400 active caches from my home of any category except found, owned and locationless caches, not farther than 200 miles from home, but within my home state. I got a mere 15 results (which are all very close to home, perhaps even the 15 very nearest ones - I could check that).

For type you selected everything but locationless?

 

Did you happen to select anything in terrain/difficulty or placed during?

[+shunra]

Also, my query certainly wasn't too detailed. I asked for up to 400 active caches from my home of any category except found, owned and locationless caches, not farther than 200 miles from home, but within my home state. I got a mere 15 results (which are all very close to home, perhaps even the 15 very nearest ones - I could check that).

For type you selected everything but locationless?

 

Did you happen to select anything in terrain/difficulty or placed during?

Yes - I pretty much enjoy the diversity of all the cache styles, and I'm not picky. I may not "go for" some caches, but I won't ignore them when I'm next to them. As to locationless - Why would I want to have the coordinates of a locationless, which are meaningless anyway?

 

And no - I left the terrain/difficulty settings as X=>1 on both counts, the defaults.

 

And Mofar: My ever geekier son rebooted his linux box to Windows and is trying out Clayjar right now :-)

[+welch]

Yes - I pretty much enjoy the diversity of all the cache styles, and I'm not picky. I may not "go for" some caches, but I won't ignore them when I'm next to them. As to locationless - Why would I want to have the coordinates of a locationless, which are meaningless anyway?

 

I was not looking for a good/bad debate about locationless , I was trying to figure exactly which boxes were checked. It sounds like you have both the 'all caches' as well as many others. Does anyone know if it matters if you select both 'all caches' and "Traditional, Multi, Virtual, Letterbox, etc"?

 

Maybe try running a PQ the same way but checking only 'all caches' under type.

[+shunra]

Yes - I pretty much enjoy the diversity of all the cache styles, and I'm not picky. I may not "go for" some caches, but I won't ignore them when I'm next to them. As to locationless - Why would I want to have the coordinates of a locationless, which are meaningless anyway?

 

I was not looking for a good/bad debate about locationless , I was trying to figure exactly which boxes were checked. It sounds like you have both the 'all caches' as well as many others. Does anyone know if it matters if you select both 'all caches' and "Traditional, Multi, Virtual, Letterbox, etc"?

 

Maybe try running a PQ the same way but checking only 'all caches' under type.

Hi,

 

I obviously didn't have the *All* box checked in addition to all the other boxes.

And yes, Mofar's imput helped - I managed to see all 400 caches in Clayjar's program. I guess the enxt thing I need to do is go to WestMarine and buy that cable to connect to the PC - it wasn't included

 

Oh, and I wasn't looking for an argument about Locationless either. I just don't think they belong in X nearest, because they're - well, everywhere. The coordinates they're listed under are bogus...

[+welch]

I obviously didn't have the *All* box checked in addition to all the other boxes.

And yes, Mopar's imput helped - I managed to see all 400 caches in Clayjar's program. I guess the enxt thing I need to do is go to WestMarine and buy that cable to connect to the PC - it wasn't included

See, that is exactly why I asked "For type you selected everything but locationless?"(to which you answered yes). To me, everything means all, however 'but' is the one not included .

Anyways, glad the problem is figured out.

Thanks Mopar!

[+shunra]

I obviously didn't have the *All* box checked in addition to all the other boxes.

And yes, Mopar's imput helped - I managed to see all 400 caches in Clayjar's program. I guess the enxt thing I need to do is go to WestMarine and buy that cable to connect to the PC - it wasn't included 

See, that is exactly why I asked "For type you selected everything but locationless?"(to which you answered yes). To me, everything means all, however 'but' is the one not included .

I tried to make the distinction between 'all the boxes' (which I did check), and 'the All box' (which I didn't check) :-)))

[+Hemlock]

Does anyone know if it matters if you select both 'all caches' and "Traditional, Multi, Virtual, Letterbox, etc"?

I tried this once and after clicking Save, and going back to the same query, all the boxes are unchecked except for "All Types."

[+shunra]

I'm still not getting it, though... 30 hours ago I placed my first pocket query and, not being able to specify that I wanted it one time only, I went for daily, and checked all the boxes. I got it after about half an hour, and then - nada. WHAT am I missing NOW? :-(

[Keystone]

Pocket queries scheduled to run every day of the week are bumped in priority down the list. A query that runs only three days a week will be processed first, all other things being equal. Also, Friday's are the busiest day for pocket queries, because everyone wants fresh data going into the weekend. So, you won't see your PQ's arrive at exactly the same time each day.

 

I am glad that you received your first PQ and that you've discovered Watcher. Upgrade to the current version of EasyGPS and you should be all set.

[+shunra]

Pocket queries scheduled to run every day of the week are bumped in priority down the list.  A query that runs only three days a week will be processed first, all other things being equal.  Also, Friday's are the busiest day for pocket queries, because everyone wants fresh data going into the weekend.  So, you won't see your PQ's arrive at exactly the same time each day.

 

I got my first version on Wednesday just after 8 pm. I got nothing at all on Thursday. It's Friday morning, past 11 am now, still waiting.

 

Wouldn't it be possible to add a box to the 'day' boxes saying 'today', which would be checked by default, whichever day it is? If someone wants a periodical reply (which doesn't seem to work in my case, as if it reads my mind that I don't want it to, although it should - weird!), they can change it themselves, and it would decrease the burden on the server by removing all unwanted default repetitions.

 

I am glad that you received your first PQ and that you've discovered Watcher.  Upgrade to the current version of EasyGPS and you should be all set.

 

Thanks! Will do!

[+MedicP1]

I find that if you check the day that you are actually creating the PQ on (unless it's 1 hour before midnight), you'll get your query back within the hour.

 

The issue of you not getting your repeats could also be due to the email account you're sending it to not accepting it. I had this problem and was given a few great solutions.See this thread.

 

Anyways, welcome to the big times of geocaching. With PQs you'll see once you start playing with them it makes the hunting more convenient.

 

Do you have a PDA of any sort? If so, the paperless pages of Mobipocket are great.

Edited December 31, 2003 by MedicP1

[+DomHeknows]

Personally I prefer gpxview (http://strandberg.org/gpxview) as i think the interface is cleaner, and you don't need to format to another format (mobipockets format) OR install/run mobipocket.

[+katguy]

CacheMate. The best $7 I ever spent on software.