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Pocket Queries


2GeoGrannies

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Hi!

 

Thanks for becomming a Permium Member and supporting the site!

 

The best program to use (or at least the one that we use) is Easy GPS. It is free, and very efficiant. It works with many GPS types and brands. It will work on Windows XP.

 

LOC is a simpler GPS format. The file sizes are usually under 20K. It just contains coordinates, a title, and a name in the "comments" area. If you own a Magellen GPS, you might be familar with this.

 

GPX is a more advanced file format. The file sizes are usually more than 100K. If you don't have Broadband, you probobly should stay away. GPX contains more details like diffulctuly and terrian, in addition to what LOC has. At least on my Meridian, I can't see any benifits of GPX. The only time that GPX has benifited me was when I used Watcher. I think that it was from ClayJar's web site.

 

Hope this helps!

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LOC is a simpler GPS format.  The file sizes are usually under 20K.  It just contains coordinates, a title, and a name in the "comments" area.  If you own a Magellen GPS, you might be familar with this. 

Actually, most Garmins uphill of the Banana have a comment field, too; it's just not as readily displayed as on the mapping Magellans.

GPX is a more advanced file format.  The file sizes are usually more than 100K.  If you don't have Broadband, you probobly should stay away.  GPX contains more details like diffulctuly and terrian, in addition to what LOC has.  At least on my Meridian, I can't see any benifits of GPX.  The only time that GPX has benifited me was when I used Watcher.  I think that it was from ClayJar's web site.

 

For better and worse, GPX with Groundspeak is larger because it contains the entire cache page - container type, cache type, description, hint, five logs, etc. Programs like GPSBabel are able to use this to set icon information in Mapsend or Mapsource and to set the icons when doing receiver uploads.

 

Actually most programs that are geocaching specific (or even geocaching aware) can do way more with GPX than with LOC simply because there's more data to work with. If you're only using EasyGPS, it's true you won't see much of a difference. See also: "geocaching aware".

Edited by robertlipe
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I just got my premium membership also, and have figured out how to download waypts to my gps, but I havent got a clue how to put that gpx stuff in my toshiba pocket pc so I can go paperless. HELP![SIZE=14] :blink:

Koy-K5KOY

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Actually, most Garmins uphill of the Banana have a comment field, too;  it's just not as readily displayed as on the mapping Magellans.

Interesting, I really liked the comment field on my first Garmin GPS and have missed it since. Does someone know how to see the comment field on the eTrex Summit and/or Vista? Or is only visible through a PC?

 

Jon

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I'm also a brand new Premium member as of today and planning on going paperless. I have downloaded GSAK and plan on using it with a pda.

But initial problem was to correctly construct a pocket query to download my 'found' caches. Although a newbie, being retired and having an RV, I have already cached in 6 states. So how do I properly construct the query to cover all the US for my 'founds' in one shot. (I already waisted my first 5 queries)

TIA

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All the solutions involve lots of excuses.

 

You have to center your PQs so that each zone covers no more than 500 finds or 500 miles, whichever is smaller. You can limit them by state, by center, by date placed, by difficulty, or whatever, but be prepared to do some futzing if you have either lots of finds or a large distance to cover.

 

As a tip to not "burn" your limit of 5, use the "preview" option to maximize your queriest before selecting a date to have them run.

 

But if you're going paperless, why would you want this? You typically just want to feed GSAK PQ's that have your finds already excluded.

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But if you're going paperless, why would you want this? You typically just want to feed GSAK PQ's that have your finds already excluded.

Hi Robert,

You were the first to council me last Nov/Dec when I first started. TNX

 

In answer to your question, I guess I just wanted to keep my own personal DB in GSAK for the 'record'. Just like there are a couple of hard dandies I attempted in AZ, that I want to remember and try again.

 

Well, from your answer, I'll just have to mess around to get them.

 

But while I have your attention, I have been playing with the 'preview' and get a listing. Then I can check all and download online wothoiur having to wait for the query to officially run. One problem: When i do that I can only get *.loc and not *.gpx. Anyway to change that?

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But while I have your attention, I have been playing with the 'preview' and get a listing.  Then I can check all and download online wothoiur having to wait for the query to officially run.  One problem:  When i do that I can only get *.loc and not *.gpx.  Anyway to change that?

 

I probably wasn't very clear. Use the preview to tune your queries. For example, find a spot that'll get all your NC and SC finds. Wiggle the centerpoints, etc. Then, once you have them as you want them, pick a date for them to run and that'll shoot them all to your mail account.

 

You're relatively unique to be cursing this with only 45 finds just because of the distance you've covered. It doesn't get any easier as the number goes up.

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There is another alternative you might want to consider. It may be somewhat tedious but might be easier than continuously fine-tuning the PQ's that you need to run. As a premium member, you can also get individual gpx files from each of the 45 caches you have found. Go to each cache page, download the gpx file and then combine them all under GSAK. I don't use GSAK but I recall seeing this as one of it's features. Robertlipe can correct me if I am wrong.

 

Or, do a combination of PQ's and individual files. For "far flung" caches you found that really aren't near others, do those individually from the cache page. For ones that are close together, do PQ's.

 

And GPX Sonar is the way to go for a Pocket PC.

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you can also get individual gpx files from each of the 45 caches you have found. Go to each cache page, download the gpx file and then combine them all under GSAK. I don't use GSAK but I recall seeing this as one of it's features. Robertlipe can correct me if I am wrong.

You aren't wrong, but it's an inconvenient road to head down. When you have 45 finds, this might be tempting. As your find count climbs, you'll find it maddening.

 

Or, do a combination of PQ's and individual files. For "far flung" caches you found that really aren't near others, do those individually from the cache page. For ones that are close together, do PQ's.

One technique is to add the affected caches to your watchlist and request a PQ of just those on your watchlist.

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You don't have to be limited to 500 miles. For your Origin/Within choice, select States, then inside that list click Alabama, scroll to the bottom of the list, shift-Click Yukon Territory. Click outside the box. You now have selected the US and Canada as your "area of interest". ;)

 

If you want US only, you'd have to Control-click each province to deselect it.

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You don't have to be limited to 500 miles. For your Origin/Within choice, select States, then inside that list click Alabama, scroll to the bottom of the list, shift-Click Yukon Territory. Click outside the box. You now have selected the US and Canada as your "area of interest". B)

 

If you want US only, you'd have to Control-click each province to deselect it.

B)

Wow, you're right on the money!!! Did a check and it works!!! Previously I had done it the one by one way!

Like any program/system, it helps to k now ALL of the options and parameters that are available in a PC search....

OK, How did you lear about the 'shift' click method? ie are there any other tricks that are helpful"

 

Thanks!!! ;):):D:DB)

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