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Getting Gpx Data For All Uk Caches?


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I was thinking it would be great to have a complete set of UK caches to display on GSAK and also on Fugawi mapping. Since GC limits the number of caches to 500 on a Pocket Query, I wondered if anyone had worked out the centres to allow the whole UK to be downloaded in lots of 500. Once that 'base' of caches was loaded, it would be a simple matter to keep it uptodate by running PQ's once a week and setting it to download only new caches.

 

Maybe if someone has already done this I could just beg their GPX file(s) :unsure:

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The problem I've found with this is that the reporting of caches going bad. Disabled/archived caches aren't handled very well as far as I can tell.

 

I used to work exactly as you described, but now I just download a query or two for the areas we're intending to visit over a trip. I wipe the contents of Cachemate each time I download a set of queries.

 

I don't know if there's a better way...? I'd be pleased if there was a way to keep a consistent database in my palm.

 

Cheers,

 

Stu

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When I need to get gpx files for more than 500 waypoints, I search by date placed. Start with a very early date and then test search for a range of dates with less than 500 caches. Once I establish the date range for the first pocket query, I move on to establishing the next range. I continue doing this until i have all of the caches I am looking for and then run all of the pocket queries once. That done, I use mapping software to plot them all. Hope this helps, btw I will be in London in a few weeks.

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I'm not going to post the centres, I might get into trouble for flooding the PQ machine.

 

However, to keep your database up to date, just run a seperate query for archived caches. What I do is use GSAK to keep the database of all caches, then when I cache, I upload only active caches to the GPS. If the waypoint isn't on the GPS, I assume it's archived and leave it.

 

I also export to the palm the same cache's updated details. To keep everything up to date, occasionally, I wipe the palm and re-load it with a filter of all caches south of Watford GAp services (about 1600 caches) this keeps the database a little more manageable.

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Is there anything to stop a group of cachers from pooling their set of PQs?

 

If that set covered the whole country, and people in the group ran just one of the set each, then uploaded it to a location on the web - or e-mailed it to the others in the syndicate - everyone would be able to update their GCAK database, and the load on GC would be reduced.

 

Sounds like a "win-win" situation to me!

 

Bob Aldridge

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Is there anything to stop a group of cachers from pooling their set of PQs?

If all such cachers were already Premium members and thus entitled to PQ's I can't see a problem.

 

However this is surely unnecessary. I have a set of PQ's which run on various days that give me a weekly updated complete set of UK caches in GPX format for my "other" identity. Sure, there's some overlap but that hasn't proved to be a problem. Each set is limited to a maximum of 500 caches so they can be downloaded into my GPS.

 

All I did was to use Memory Map to plot the various centres and radii (good word that!!) for each PQ and then to tweak these to produce the required output. I also do several queries to list all my found caches.

 

If anyone is really interested I can send them my list of co-ords/radii (that word again!) although they may not work for you.

 

Peter

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Nope, do it by date hidden. That way you guarantee to have no overlap, and a selection will never grow to more than 500 as it may do in areas, it will just shrink from 500 as you start finding them.

 

I get the whole of the UK caches in 7 queries (once per week), merge them using GSAK to get a complete GPX database for the UK, then use GSAK to create a polygon for an area of caches I want a GPX file for, filter by cache type, difficulty, etc. etc., then export the GPX file with exactly what I want.

 

Then.... I use Chris's waypoint workbench spreadsheet to create Memory-Map waypoints including the parking/multi-coords where they exist in the cache description. This is put into Memory-Map on my PC, laptop, and PDA. I put the waypoints into my GPSr from Memory-Map.

 

Easy <_<

Edited by Stuey
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It seems that what's missing from PQs, and what would make keeping an up-to-date GSAK database a doddle, is a query for 'New Log Entries' within the last n days.

 

There's 'Found' and 'Updated' and 'Placed', all of which can be refined by date, but not 'DNF', etc.

 

It would actually reduce the load on GC.com to provide this because, after using Stuey's date-spread method to get the basic 'set" of 3500-odd caches (currently), all you then need is a handful of daily queries to provide updates to that set.

 

I did as Stuey suggested and created 8 queries which gave me all caches since Dec 1 2000 to date. I then created a handful of queries to give me those 'Found', 'Placed' and 'Updated' in the last 7 days. I'd happily reduce this to the last 24hrs, since I'd want to run them daily.

 

So, I've been doing this for a couple of weeks and I thought everything was just grand until a couple of occasions when I tried to find a cache that my GSAK database said had last been 'Found'. I couldn't find 'em (not unusual for me :D) but later, when I made my 'DNF' logs on-line, I discovered that they had, in fact, had recent 'DNF's which had not updated my GSAK database.

 

I did some investigating and concluded that 'Found' and 'Updated' do not include 'DNF' or 'Note' logs :D

 

I'll be very happy if someone can tell me I've just made a simple mistake and that I don't actually have to download all 3500 caches weekly. Please...

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