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Post by Cowboy Camper on Oct 13, 2010 20:52:43 GMT -6
GSAK = Geocache Swiss Army Knife, an excellent program that is used to make the transferring of cache coords & info to your GPS'r a lot easier than doing so manually. For anyone not familiar with the program, a Tutorial should be set up here to let folks know about it. Anyhow, I have question and I hope I can get an answer for it. MY GPS'r has reached it's Full Point for holding waypoints and/or coords, and I am having a hard time loading up many coords for new hunts due to the Memory being Too Full. To temporarily fix this, I have to erase the GPS'r outright before I can load up a new set of x amount of new caches to Find. The Problem with GSAK is that it loads New & FOUND caches all at once, thus filling the GPS'r memory that much faster. IMHO, a Permanent Fix for this problem is to have GSAK send only New Caches to the GPS unit. So... here's the Question. If there is a setting in the GSAK Program that I can change to only allow New Caches to be sent to the GPS, where is that setting? It would be Much Nicer if I could use GSAK to only reload my GPS'rs with New Caches Only, as opposed to including the Found It caches also. Any helps on this? Would be greatly appreciated. Thanks,
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Post by blaird83 on Oct 13, 2010 21:26:29 GMT -6
what I do is create a new database when i want to download a new pocket query, that way once i'm done with a cache run i can delete the caches from my GPSr and start fresh each time, and the new caches go into a folder with no found caches in it.
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Post by Cowboy Camper on Oct 15, 2010 19:23:11 GMT -6
what I do is create a new database when i want to download a new pocket query, that way once i'm done with a cache run i can delete the caches from my GPSr and start fresh each time, and the new caches go into a folder with no found caches in it. Not sure I understand fully. Is this Database created in GSAK? If so, how? Please note, I don't understand or do Pocket Queries either. For each trip, I manually load each cache to GSAK, then I send them all to the GPS'r at once. Thus the reason why the Memory got too full so quickly. I was sending all of the Past caches as well as the new ones to hunt. To fix that issue with the GPSr, I've had to clear out the Found Its a few times, but in the process I think I also lost some that haven't been hunted yet. Anyhow, I was hoping and wanting to keep my Entire Caching History in GSAK on the computer. This is needed to keep my Profile Stats up to date at the GC Site. But... I don't want to keep sending the old stuff to the GPSr when I reload/send the New Caches to be found. Hope this helps, and will be looking forward to some more answers. Oh. One other thing I Do want to Keep on the GPSr. Way-points! I want to Keep MY caches stored in GSAK AND the GPSr. Nothing sucks more than trying to find your own cache for maintenance without the assistance from the GPSr. Oh, that could be the start of another interesting topic, huh?
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Post by blaird83 on Oct 15, 2010 22:05:49 GMT -6
trying to think about how to explain... when you open GSAK at the top is your menu bar, there is a tab labeled Database - Click on Database
- Click on New
- Name Database
- Click on Create
and you'll have a new database to work with, and then you can always cycle back and forth between databases. feel free to give me a call (i'm normally home except on Mondays and Tuesdays) or swing by I'll show yeh what i'm talking about.
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Post by Cowboy Camper on Oct 16, 2010 19:42:28 GMT -6
OK, when that buddy and I stopped by with the bikes today, this has to be what you told me about. Yup, I may need to stop by sometime and have you show me how this works. I may need to make more than one Database, if I understand this right. First, the MAIN Database to keep ALL of my cache logs. (I use this for the Stats Program for the GC site, ya know?) The other database will have to be the one for each caching trip I/we intend to hunt. The secondary database will be the one that gets sent to the GPSr for the trip and then Deleted afterward. found them or not, that info can and will be saved in the Main database that I'll hold onto with Everything in it. Caches not found on any given trip can be set to another database (that will be sent to the GPSr for that trip) when we hunt them for the second time. The found and DNF info in the Main will be adjusted accordingly when they are logged at the site. When the trip is done, that database will be deleted as well. And.. (as we talked about while I was there today) the GPSr itself can be Cleared after each trip. By doing this, I'll never again run into Memory Full on the devise, like I ran into on the Niles trip.
I think I have this figured out now. Sound right by you? Let me know and I'll try messing with it maybe tomorrow. If I can't figure out the GSAK program I'll stop by after work someday. You'll know it's me when I set off the air horns on the big white truck I've got. The one we loaded up for the CITO Event in July. OK, I don't have Air horns on the truck.... but I did replace them and they sound better than the original. Weak! I've actually done a few things to the truck lately, the biggest project being something that nobody can even see that I've done. I adjusted the Shift Linkage for the column shift lever. Wow, does that work a that VERY hot place of a lot better now! Anyhow, let me know if I'm on the right track with this. And thanks for the help. You made me think in a different direction than I was going at first, and I think you have me set right.
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Post by siameseretriever on Oct 23, 2010 10:11:52 GMT -6
I have 5 or 6 databases. 1 is all my found caches. I use that one for running the stats programs. One is all my hides. I use that to keep them someplace nice. One is my "main" database, which is all of my caches that I want to load into my GPSr at any given time. And I also have a few for trips to places like Tennessee, so I have one database to use when I am driving to see my mom.
Also, it sounds like you are sending the caches to your unit as geocaches. You might find sending them as custom points of interest to be a better option. There is an awesome GSAK macro that will do this for you. You will need the Garmin POI loader to do this. I put about 1,000 caches in at a time, just because I can. The macro will also do different icons for the different cache types.
Finally, PQs are your friend! They can be a little daunting at first, much like GSAK, but once you get them going, they are great.
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Post by Cowboy Camper on Oct 23, 2010 16:58:11 GMT -6
Your database theory sounds good, and I think I'm getting a better understanding of how I can use GSAK to it's fuller potential. That Tutorial Class you offer sounds good as well. (I've already posted a reply to that topic) I AM sending my caches to the GPSr as Geocaches. I am unaware of another method, and I'm not sure if my lower level unit has the ability to do Custom POI's. Again, that class is looking even better.... PQ's are daunting to me at this point. I still have a hard time with the Found PQ that I can send to GSAK to use for the Stats program. I guess that might call for a training session regarding the CG Site though, huh? I guess I'll have to admit.... I've got a few things to learn. But I'm not ashamed to admit that, and I am willing to learn!!
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Post by siameseretriever on Oct 23, 2010 19:59:37 GMT -6
Well, the Venture HC does not do custom POIs... Bummer! But with what you save in headaches from more GSAK knowledge, you can now afford a Chirp compatible (and whereigo compatible) unit!
I think your best option is to create a new database for found caches, and one for huntable caches. That way, you can send only the unfound caches to your unit. As far as having to delete the old ones and resend the new ones, I feel your pain! I did the same thing with my old GPSr, and I tend to do the same thing with my new one. But, I only do it because I don't send caches to the device as caches. Maybe I need to do that more often!
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Post by Cowboy Camper on Oct 24, 2010 8:20:44 GMT -6
Actually, I do have POI's available in the HC. (just thought of this) Maybe not the GSAK macro version? but I can load them in Manually. I do this when I'm scouting out my future cache hides so I have the coords needed to make the listing at GC.com. As for the Chirp Compatible unit ? I think we're a long way from getting one of those. Unless there is one for under $150?
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Post by siameseretriever on Oct 24, 2010 11:27:04 GMT -6
Actually, I do have POI's available in the HC. (just thought of this) Maybe not the GSAK macro version? but I can load them in Manually. I do this when I'm scouting out my future cache hides so I have the coords needed to make the listing at GC.com. As for the Chirp Compatible unit ? I think we're a long way from getting one of those. Unless there is one for under $150? The Garmin POI loader doesn't support the HC according to the Garmin site. But, we could always try it! The GSAK macro uses the POI loader to put the waypoints in. And maybe you can get a used Dakota or Colorado for $150 in a few years..
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Post by Cowboy Camper on Oct 28, 2010 18:26:01 GMT -6
Colorado. I think I recently read a DNF log at a chirp cache listing saying that the Colorado wouldn't work either. Bummer.
The POI Loader is gonna have to wait for that class, or at least get into that topic here.
To keep this somewhat on topic, and using the suggestion of multiple databases (something I still have to get to, BTW, setting that up...) I would keep all of the POIs used for cache Hides in with the Main Database of all caches owned and found. I might not even need the POIs per se, cause the caches I own are another color code in GSAK. That would suffice for me in the Main Database.
Now I have another question in mind. If/when I get two or databases set up (Main, and say 1 or 2 planned cache runs) is it possible to Merge a planned list into the main list after they are all found? Or maybe that one needs to be remembered at the class, huh?
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Post by siameseretriever on Oct 28, 2010 20:25:05 GMT -6
I think the Colorado will work, but you have to update the firmware to the very latest version, which came out about the same time as the Chirp. I think...
Terminology - The stuff you have in GSAK are waypoints. You can use a macro that will change them into a Garmin POI format (Points of Interest) that you can then load into the GPSr as POis, using a program from the Garmin website. Does that make sense?
As far as keeping everything in one database, you can still do that. This is where filters come in handy. You can create a filter that only shows caches that you have not found and you do not own, and then send those caches to your GPSr directly from GSAK.
Merging databases can be done, and you can either copy the information over, or you can move it over. Moving it is different in that it deletes the information from the source database. What I do when I get home from caching is pull up my main database, and go through and click on each cache that I completed. I then log it on GC, and mark the cache as found in my main database. When I am done logging, I filter out all unfound caches, which leaves me with a list of caches I found that day. I then move those waypoints over into my found database. Since my regular pocket queries are only for caches I have not found, those caches will never show up in my regular PQs. When that is done, I am then looking at my main database, full of caches I have not yet found (and quite a few I have DNFed).
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Post by siameseretriever on Oct 28, 2010 20:30:24 GMT -6
/ So... here's the Question. If there is a setting in the GSAK Program that I can change to only allow New Caches to be sent to the GPS, where is that setting? It would be Much Nicer if I could use GSAK to only reload my GPS'rs with New Caches Only, as opposed to including the Found It caches also. Any helps on this? Would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Argh - we never addressed this particular question! The short answer is yes! In the bottom right hand corner of the GSAK screen, double click on the white window with the number in it. This is the number of unfound caches in your database. The yellow number is the found count, the pink number is for the disabled caches in the database, and the green number is the ones you own. When you double click on the white window, it will automatically filter out found caches. Hope this helps for now!
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Post by Cowboy Camper on Oct 28, 2010 21:09:56 GMT -6
/ So... here's the Question. If there is a setting in the GSAK Program that I can change to only allow New Caches to be sent to the GPS, where is that setting? It would be Much Nicer if I could use GSAK to only reload my GPS'rs with New Caches Only, as opposed to including the Found It caches also. Any helps on this? Would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Argh - we never addressed this particular question! The short answer is yes! In the bottom right hand corner of the GSAK screen, double click on the white window with the number in it. This is the number of unfound caches in your database. The yellow number is the found count, the pink number is for the disabled caches in the database, and the green number is the ones you own. When you double click on the white window, it will automatically filter out found caches. Hope this helps for now! I'm gonna have to look into that. That appears to make sense. Maybe a simple half butt answer to my query. Clearly, the class will be more informative. Filters? Jeeze! Just what all can this GSAK program Do for us? You have to know that I am a total Software Idiot, by definition of that term. Never Taught = I have No Clue. Kinda makes you wonder how I Own these Forums, huh? All I can say is that I live and Learn. I Do evolve over time when it comes to something that I Want to know.
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