How Many Waypoints Do I Really Need

[+Z_Statman]

Some sites set of WPs number well over 20 and, though interesting, some are well below the cache sites [say South of the site and I am coming from the North]. So, I really don't need to load all to my GPSr. How do I decide which ones are 'needed?'

 

Tks,

Z_Statman

[Keystone]

I'm not sure if I'm understanding your question, but I'll take a guess. Are you downloading the "nearby placenames" waypoints? These are absolutely optional. All you really need is the latitude and longitude at the top of the cache page for the geocache's waypoint. (Unless of course it's a multicache or puzzle, with multiple coordinates listed in the cache description.) Is that what you're asking?

[+Z_Statman]

Thanks, yes, somewhat.

 

I did a cache the other day and downloaded all WPs from GC.com for the cache. When it plotted the route [Mel Color] I ended up "on the wrong side of the river" since a couple of the WPs were on the South side of the river and some on the North side. If I have just used those on the N side [hine site is 20/20] all would have been [hopefully] OK.

 

Is this clear?

[+Prime Suspect]

Thanks, yes, somewhat.

 

I did a cache the other day and downloaded all WPs from GC.com for the cache. When it plotted the route [Mel Color] I ended up "on the wrong side of the river" since a couple of the WPs were on the South side of the river and some on the North side. If I have just used those on the N side [hine site is 20/20] all would have been [hopefully] OK.

 

Is this clear?

Not really. There is only 1 downloadable waypoint for any cache, and it's the same as the coordinates listed at the top of the cache page.

 

There are links on a cache page to let you download other location (nearby caches, placenames, benchmarks). But they have no real relevance to finding the cache at hand.

 

As KA said there may be other coordinates listed in the body of the cache page that you may need, if it's a puzzle or multi cache. But that info isn't downloadable.

[+Z_Statman]

OK, lets try this. Please link to the following in zip 32712 called op_Tom

 

http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=716567c1-f1a4-45af-8e51-2f121f8fa429

 

There will be 79 WPs downloaded. There as some North of Op-Tom and some South. I am coming from the N. Clearly I don't need the S WPs if you load them into a mapper like MapSend Direct Route. But, just listing the WPs in GSAK of Easy/ExpertGPS I would not know this.

 

Is this getting clearer?

 

Patience, and I do appreciate your help.

[Keystone]

Yep, there are indeed 78 nearest placenames listed for that cache example. You DO NOT NEED THESE. In fact, I've never downloaded a single one of them in nearly two years of geocaching. If you have a GPS with maps, you'll have most of these places shown on your map already.

 

The vast majority of geocachers only download the waypoints for the geocaches, not other nearby points of interest.

 

If what you're asking for is a site feature that would filter these nearby places according to the direction of approach, I would politely suggest that this is not a necessary core feature for successful geocaching.

[+Z_Statman]

Thanks, Keystone, that is exactly the type of info I was looking for.

Edited March 30, 2004 by Z_Statman