Downloading All Caches In An Area?

[+bryanjena1]

It would be the best thing if there was a way to download all the caches in a particular area right on to the GPS.

 

There are times where I am bored, or just happen to be in a particular area (with no computer), and I wish I could just fire up the GPS and navigate to the closet cache.

 

Is there a way?

[+Jamie Z]

I'm not sure what you're asking...

 

If you don't have access to a computer, it's pretty hard to get anything from the internet, let alone onto your GPS. Just about every GPS I've ever seen requires a computer connection to transfer waypoints.

 

You might look into the WAP site, which will allow geocaching access via you cellphone.

 

Could you explain a little more clearly what you are trying to do?

 

Jamie

[+sbell111]

I keep the nearest 490 caches in my GPSr as well as in my pda. That way, if I'm bored, I just hit GOTO.

 

The answer to your question is 'Pocket Queries'.

[+bryanjena1]

I think the second poster got it.

 

I do have a computer.

 

My experience with geocaching thus far has been to decide that I want to do one, go to the computer, type in the place where I am, and then choose one, then plug it into the GPS, and go find it.

 

However, sometimes I am out in the field have have a couple of hours to kill (I carry the GPS in the car). It would be cool to have all the nearest caches pre-downloaded in a specific area so that I can decide to go find a cache without needed a computer.

 

Another use for this would be if I am out caching already, and I feel like doing another one....lets say that the first one or two were easier than I though, I can just scroll down the list to the next closest and do that.

 

Get it now?

 

As to the "Pocket Queries".....tell me more about that.

Edited May 4, 2005 by bryrisjs

[Keystone]

Pocket Queries are a premium member benefit, whereby you can order up a file with the information for up to 500 geocaches at a time, which is then sent to you by e-mail. You can then download all 500 of those waypoints to your GPS. You can customize which caches are included in the 500 waypoints, using sophisticated search and filtering criteria that are more advanced than the tools here online.

 

For more about pocket queries, see the Premium Member benefits page (linked from your "My Account Page") or read the Pocket Query topics at Markwell's FAQ Pages.

[+Miragee]

When you become a Premium Member for a paltry $3.00 per month, you can set up as many as 20 Pocket Queries.

 

These can be based on caches near your home, or near your work, or near a favorite camping spot, or whatever.

 

Then, you can have as many as five run each day.

 

This way you can get hundred of caches in your GPSr as well as into your Palm (or PocketPC) if you have one.

 

Yesterdy I found 14 caches and not a one had been printed out on paper. At each cache, I just asked the GPSr which cache was the next closest and down the road we went.

 

GSAK (Geocaching Swiss Army Knife) is invaluable, as is Cachemate, if you have a Palm.

[+bryanjena1]

OK...I have paid my dues and have generated my first list....pending e-mail receipt.

 

I am interested in seeing how it works.

 

I chose .LOC format. Easy GPS will be able to send that information to my Lowrance Airmap 500?

[+AtoZ]

Pocket Queries do a query for the area in question. Use EasyGPS to download to your gps and then use EASYVIEW on a PDA to save the gpx file and view it while out and about. It can be really frustrating looking for a cache to find out it s a virtural or puzzle or even multi made up of virturals. So it is a good idea to have some info of the caches besides just lat/long on your GPSr.

cheers

[+Yamahammer]

Before reading this thread, I hadn't given the Prem Membership much thought. After the reading, I checked into it more closely and I think I'm upgrading.

 

[+Team Perks]

Count me in on the pocket query bandwagon. It's invaluable if you like "on-the-fly" caching or are planning to seek only certain types of caches in an area...or if you're a numbers-junkie like me. I don't know how managed to do any caching without pocket queries before I became a premium member!

 

Bryrisjs, I notice you only have a few finds logged under your account, so I'm not sure how much extra money you want to start throwing into geocaching at this point. However, there are some other tools you can use in combination that are excellent. I've found that with a base-model PDA, a registered copy of Cachemate ($8) on your PDA, and a copy of GSAK ($20 to register) on your hard drive, you can pretty much eliminate paper from your cache hunts.

 

Throw in a mapping GPS and a compatible mapping software (now you're talking several hundred bucks, of course) down the line and you'll be amazed at how easy it can be to get from cache to cache...

[+bryanjena1]

Pocket Queries do a query for the area in question. Use EasyGPS to download to your gps and then use EASYVIEW on a PDA to save the gpx file and view it while out and about. It can be really frustrating looking for a cache to find out it s a virtural or puzzle or even multi made up of virturals. So it is a good idea to have some info of the caches besides just lat/long on your GPSr.

cheers

 

Yeah, but it adds an element of suprise. Actually, I have an old Palm M125....its a black and white doodad. Should it work on that?

[Keystone]

You can also try out paperless caching with a handheld device by choosing free software, such as the Watcher/Spinner/Plucker combination described at Geocacher U's article on paperless caching. See: the software page linked to from the premium member benefits page, and the link to Geocacher U in the "FAQ" topic that's pinned at the top of the "Getting Started" forum.

 

For putting cache information on your PDA, you'll want to use the GPX file versions of the Pocket Queries, not LOC files.

[+bryanjena1]

Teamperks,

 

I don't consider myself a hardcore geocacher....however, I am not new to the world of GPS. Being a pilot, I use GPS in the airplane as my primary purpose.

 

However, 3 years back or so, I bought a Garmin eTrex Vista. I bought it online without actually seeing it, and when it arrived, I was a bit disappointed. It was a bit too small for my liking, and I really don't like that little joystick....I like buttons only.

 

None-the-less, I used it for the 9 or so finds that I have done, but that's about the extent of its use.

 

I am graduting college in 4 days, and decided to buy myself a graduation present, so I purchased a Lowrance Airmap 500 (Not cutting edge technology, but everything I need) for the airplane. However, it is small enough to use on geocaching (Bigger than the Vista, obviously). So, my plan is to rekindle my geocaching endeavors a bit and have fun with it again.

 

Towards the end of my last stint with it, I was getting to a point where I couldnt ever find the caches. I actually missed about the last 4 or 5 that I searched for and just had the wind blown out of my sails a bit.

 

But, I am excited about getting back into it and having fun with my new GPS.

[+Team Perks]

Yeah, but it adds an element of suprise. Actually, I have an old Palm M125....its a black and white doodad. Should it work on that?

If you want the surprise but not the aggravation of looking for a container when it's a virtual cache or the false coordinates to a mystery cache...you can just do a pocket query of only traditional caches. That way you know you're looking for something that is physically there.

 

After checking out the specs on the Palm M125, it looks perfectly capable of working any GPX viewer program. Up until recently, I was running Cachemate on an ancient Palm III, which is a dinosaur compared to the M125. It was a little slower than the newer PDA I'm now using, but it worked just fine.

[+sbell111]

Yeah, but it adds an element of suprise. Actually, I have an old Palm M125....its a black and white doodad. Should it work on that?

The M125 should be fine. I bought my dad an old V last year and got him set up. Plucker really doesn't take up much room. The 8mb of memory in your unit will be plenty, even if you download the pics on the cache pages.

 

While your at it, check out Cache Log Book'. It is a great little palm freeware app that creates a database of all your geocaching hunts.

[+Miragee]

Yeah, but it adds an element of suprise. Actually, I have an old Palm M125....its a black and white doodad. Should it work on that?

Yesterday I went out caching with another person who has a much more expensive, color PDA.

 

She was amazed how well I could see my B&W Palm M500 screen in bright sunlight. Her's was almost useless unless she could create shade, or find shade under a tree.

 

I highly recommend downloading and registering Cachemate (for another paltry $8.00) as it works exceedingly well for reviewing the cache descriptions, the past logs, and for logging your own experience at the cache.

[reidster]

However, sometimes I am out in the field have have a couple of hours to kill (I carry the GPS in the car). It would be cool to have all the nearest caches pre-downloaded in a specific area so that I can decide to go find a cache without needed a computer.

 

Another use for this would be if I am out caching already, and I feel like doing another one....lets say that the first one or two were easier than I though, I can just scroll down the list to the next closest and do that.

bryrisjs,

 

Your unit, which is essentially an iFinder Pro, has most of what you want to do already.

This unit will accept a 1Gb SD memory card, which hold files like a remote hard-drive.

Therefore during a time of boredom download all the sites of a specific area.

Then using GPSBabel convert the LOC/GPX file(s) to one USR file named after the area.

Save these individual USR files to the memory card.

Now when you're out somewhere,

do a mass deletion of all the waypoints from internal memory,

and then load the desired USR file into internal memory.

However there are a couple of limits to this madness:

The maximum number of internal waypoints is 1000.

The maximum number of files is 1000.

 

Also, this unit has the feature to sort all the waypoints by distance for you already built in.

 

I hope this is helpful, reidster.

[+Nyarlotep]

I just got CacheMate for my Palm m105 and it works like a dream. I do a pocket query for the 200 caches closest to my house (within a 30-mile radius, that I haven't found yet; there's a multitude of filter options when setting up the query), then when it shows up in my email 5 minutes later I load them into the Palm, via Cachemate, and into the Legend.

 

I don't download the logs (though that's an option), but it has views that show all the info except pix that is on the cache information page online. I can have the Legend find the closest waypoint, then match the waypoint name in CacheMate and have all the info I need. It even includes the hints and will decrypt them for you.

 

I haven't played around w/ GSAK much, and though everyone swears it's a great program I find it a bit dense to interpret, and don't really see the point of it. Maybe that opinion will change w/ better understanding and more use.

[+Miragee]

. . .

 

I don't download the logs (though that's an option), but it has views that show all the info except pix that is on the cache information page online. I can have the Legend find the closest waypoint, then match the waypoint name in CacheMate and have all the info I need. It even includes the hints and will decrypt them for you.

 

I haven't played around w/ GSAK much, and though everyone swears it's a great program I find it a bit dense to interpret, and don't really see the point of it. Maybe that opinion will change w/ better understanding and more use.

I think you will find the logs very useful.

 

For one, you might want to make sure the cache has been found recently, if you are having trouble finding it.

 

Also, sometimes the logs will provide that little extra hint you might need.

 

I was looking for a cache last night. It was in a container completely different from any I had seen before. I also think someone had replaced it quite a bit higher than its original placement because the clue didn't match up with the container, once I saw what it was after a previous log hinted at what it was.

 

Also, GSAK is really, really worth trying. I had never worked with a database program before, and I'm still struggling to figure out even some of the rudimentary settings, but it is nice to only have one program now to open the PQs, create .pdb files, and send waypoints to the GPSr, and even export waypoints in a format my Mapsource maps read.