Feature Request: Mark Cache Downloads

[+Team Geo Supremo]

Hi All,

 

Please forgive if this has been posted before, but a quick search didn't turn up anything.

 

Anyway, if possible, I'd like to see cache's marked once you download them. Perhaps this can be done in a similar fashion to marking cache finds?? I belive this would assist many cachers in locating caches they haven't downloaded yet. The weekly announcement of new caches is great, but I don't always get a chance to update my downloads when new caches are posted.

 

Otherwise, if anybody has a better suggestion for tracking cache downloads, then I'm open to suggestions.

 

Thanks, and keep up the great work!!!

[+planetrobert]

well once a change is made to the page then the icon would have to go away so you would know you have stale data.

[+Robespierre]

That "stale data" thing is a concern. I remember all of the caches I downloaded for an excursion in Delaware, Ohio, but I did it two months or more ago. We went through all that water, and a couple were temp. disabled, but now they're back...etc. So I have to go back manually to check. This excursion keeps getting delayed. I'm still a paper cacher.

Do I assume correctly that PDA/pocket querry people have more at stake here?

[+Mopar]

That "stale data" thing is a concern.

  <snip>

  I'm still a paper cacher.

  Do I assume correctly that PDA/pocket querry people have more at stake here?

I think it's the other way around. It would cause more problems for a paper cacher. As a paperless cacher, it only takes me a few minutes to completely refresh the 400 caches I keep loaded in my GPS and PDA. I usually do it at least once or twice a week. I doubt I would reprint even just dozens of cache pages every week.

 

Stale data is a major concern. At the best it could cause you to waste time searching for a cache that's no longer there. At the worst, it could send you looking for a cache that was archived for being in a dangerous, illegal, or environmentally sensitive area.

Edited August 6, 2004 by Mopar

[+Team Geo Supremo]

Hey there Mopar,

 

I'm curious, exactly how do you refresh your caches so quickly? I find I have to go through pages of caches, and match waypoints to those already in my gps.

 

One thing that may slow me down is that prior to uploading to my gps, I rename all my waypoints to the more familiar cache names . I do this with EasyGPS, and it helps me remember any particular details to assist in finding the caches.

 

Thanks for your replies people!

[+WindChill]

I'm curious, exactly how do you refresh your caches so quickly? 

 

By becoming a premium member and setting up a pocket query for the area and cache types you are interested in. The results of this search are emailed to you on the day(s) that you choose.

 

One thing that may slow me down is that prior to uploading to my gps, I rename all my waypoints to the more familiar cache names .  I do this with EasyGPS, and it helps me remember any particular details to assist in finding the caches.

 

Ouch, that's slow! There are tools (see www.geocaching.com/links) that will do this for you automatically. Just feed them the pocket query.

Edited August 6, 2004 by WindChill

[Jeremy]

Here's a more direct link to applications that use both LOC and GPX.

[+Mopar]

Hey there Mopar,

 

I'm curious, exactly how do you refresh your caches so quickly? I find I have to go through pages of caches, and match waypoints to those already in my gps.

 

One thing that may slow me down is that prior to uploading to my gps, I rename all my waypoints to the more familiar cache names . I do this with EasyGPS, and it helps me remember any particular details to assist in finding the caches.

 

Thanks for your replies people!

There are several ways to do this, this is just mine.

• First, I keep what I call a base.loc file on my PC. That's all my baseline waypoints, like home, family, fav places to eat, stuff like that.
   
  
• I have a PQ set up for about 400 of my closest unfound caches in GPX format.
   
  
• I run the PQ through Spinner, which I have configured to rename the waypoints and change the icons based on the cache type.
   
  
• I run the PQ through GPXDOC to create a Palm database file for my PDA. The output isn't quite as pretty as Spinner's html or CacheMate, but it's fast and the pdb file is compact, allowing me to keep about 1000 cache descriptions and logs on an old 2meg Palm III.
   
  
• Delete all waypoints on the GPS, then load the base.loc and the spinner.gpx back on. This way all my data is fresh.
   
  
• Sync the PDA. This is the slowest step. It takes 2-3 minutes usually to sync my old slow Palm III, but it's unattended.
  

Seems complicated, but it's really not, and I can be doing other things online while I'm doing most of it. I'm sure you could do the same thing with other programs, but I have tweaked these over time to work the way I like.

Spinner in particular is very configurable in how it manipulates the GPX. For my Garmin 76s which allows 10 character waypoint names and comments, I start with the GC# for the waypoint and change the GC part based on the cache type. Event caches are EC, multi caches are MC, virtuals are VC, etc. I also append the D/T rating to it, so a 2/2 multi might have a waypoint of MC1234 2-2 in my GPS. I then use the comment field for the cache name. I change the waypoint icon as well. If the cache has a TB in it I have a different icon, same if it's a micro, or virtual container. If the last few logs were DNFs, it uses the graveyard icon. All this gives me all the info I normally need right in the GPS. It also tells me when I need to check the cache page, like for virtual verification questions, terrain info on a 3/3 or to see why there were so many DNFs

 

I know this was a bit off-topic here, but hope it helps you.

[+Hynr]

Here is another way (the way I do it, using GSAK (under Windows) and Cachemate (on a Palm device); GSAK uses the Cachemate conversion program and GPS_Babel but you don’t need to worry about installing these because GSAK takes care of that. With everything installed this is the procedure:

1. Schedule pocket queries (gpx version) for the geographic area that you want to follow (this could be thousands of caches split up over various PQs- it’s up to you). You will want to err on the side of getting too much rather than too little (as you will note below). Have these sent to your e-mail address of choice.

2. Use GSAK to read the files into one large database on your computer. Now you have the ability to look at the information that was in the PQ off-line in GSAK (it has a browser window that you can turn on). Everytime the PQs run in the future, just have GSAK read them in (it automatically unzips the zip files for you) and it will refresh the information in the database.

3. Within GSAK you create a subset of your database either by selecting each one in a check-box or by creating a filter. (You’ll have to read through the GSAK documentation for that - if it is a bit technical for you, be aware that it is well worth the effort). Once you see the selected set of caches in the table on the screen, you can to the next steps:

4. With your GPSr hooked up as you would with EasyGPS, have GSAK download the points into your GPSr (remember that you might need to make room in the GPS first). Note that you can have GSAK automatically create waypoint names to suit your style (it is very flexible). Do this for each GPSr in your team.

5. (If you use a Palm device) In GSAK export the same stuff to a Cachemate file; if you do it on the computer where you sync your Palm device, then it automatically sets it up for you so that next time you sync, the file goes where it needs to go. You would want to use the same waypoint name creation here as for the GPSr so that the names are the same.

6. If you are using mapping software (which I do) then you can also export the same info into a file that the map software can read. Now you can load waypoints on the maps and print that out. So you will be able to plan your caching trip.

7. If you have not graduated to PDA usage and are still converting lots of paper into scrap paper, then GSAK can also set up an html file (designed to be printed out with your browser) of all the selected caches. This reduces the paper utilization significantly (4 to 7 cache descriptions per page). Make sure you have the table sorted in GSAK so it is the way you want the printed list.

 

I think all the software is available at the link Jeremy posted. Total cost for all registrations is less than $25 and all well worth it, in my opinion.