Pocket Queries

[+crunchiespg]

ive currently got 7284 caches in my Uk database.

so got most of them. using mark and lynns dates to get them originally.

what do people run to keep the whole database up to date?

at the mo i am running a "updated in last 7 days" every day. which is normally more than 500 caches, but seems to get a random set each time. so should get them all each week.

and "new this week" twice a week, and i am also running the latest date one, i think its from mid july to into the future.

i think this is doing the job, as i am slowly adding the missing few. and keeping the ones ive got up to date ( i think)

 

have i missed any vital ones?

 

is there anywhere i can download the full UK database as it stands, so i can be sure ive got them all as of today, and then just keep it updated. as i think i am mising about 200 from the whole uk.

[+macroderma]

If you go to http://stats.guk2.com/ you can download the whole database in a variety of formats

 

You will need to register - I use the same username/password as for geocaching.com

 

It is a copy of the main database, but seems to be updated pretty frequently

[+walkergeoff and wife]

Trouble is, it is not in gpx format, so a lot of info is lost. I am using CacheMate, which needs gpx to give all the details of a particular cache.

[+DomHeknows]

The "best" way is to run pocket queries of all caches placed in a country (uk in this case) limiting by date found. This way you can get them all. However, I think all the uk caches are up to 15 pocket queries now. If you search on the board you should come up with a list of dates that will get you them all.

[+arndale]

Like crunchiespg I've been looking for a better way to keep the my cachelist up to date, without running the 15 or so pocket queries a week. Maybe just 1 or 2 a day to keep the list ticking over. I'd love to hear any other way of doing it.

 

Cheers

Dean

[+crunchiespg]

The "best" way is to run pocket queries of all caches placed in a country (uk in this case) limiting by date found. This way you can get them all. However, I think all the uk caches are up to 15 pocket queries now. If you search on the board you should come up with a list of dates that will get you them all.

yeh thats what i did originally, its just i find running them all everyweek seems pointless. as half of them never arrive.

so in theory there should be some way to just keep them updated.

[+Pengy&Tigger]

half of them never arrive.

so in theory there should be some way to just keep them updated.

Try scheduling on a quiet day. Fridays are terrible. I usually run the older caches earlier in the week, so that I only get new ones on Fridays.

 

As for updating, you could try the updated in last 7 days option, but then split it up by dates.

 

T

[+crunchiespg]

half of them never arrive.

so in theory there should be some way  to just keep them updated.

Try scheduling on a quiet day. Fridays are terrible. I usually run the older caches earlier in the week, so that I only get new ones on Fridays.

 

As for updating, you could try the updated in last 7 days option, but then split it up by dates.

 

T

yeh i do run them on quiet days, but as we are running out of pocket queries to cover the uk, as i am up to 16 seperate plus the weekly updates ones, and only 20 are allowed. i cant help running some on busy days with only 5 per day allowed.

give it 2 months we wont fit them all in.

so either they will have to give us more. or we wont be getting the full service.

Edited August 15, 2005 by crunchiespg

[+Pengy&Tigger]

I doubt they will give us more, given the problems that currently have with sending out PQs. Really we should have 35 queries, since you can run 5 per day for 7 days.

 

They're more likely to suggest cutting down the area you maintain them for, for example sticking to a 50 mile radius from home. They've said in the US forums that PQs are not designed for you to maintain a database of every cache in your State or Country, even though that's what most of us use it for.

 

T

[+crunchiespg]

I doubt they will give us more, given the problems that currently have with sending out PQs. Really we should have 35 queries, since you can run 5 per day for 7 days.

 

They're more likely to suggest cutting down the area you maintain them for, for example sticking to a 50 mile radius from home. They've said in the US forums that PQs are not designed for you to maintain a database of every cache in your State or Country, even though that's what most of us use it for.

 

T

yeh but the whole reason i have paperless caching is so wherever i go in the uk i have cache details. even if its an unplanned trip.

if there was some sort of map system that one could simply draw round the area they want that would do it and cut down on unwanted caches.

like im not planning on going to scotland any time soon, but theres no real way for me not to include it at the mo.

[+S&G.Davison]

Strange I put a request in for an enhancement to allow 35 stored PQs, the alloted 5 per day for each day of the week just a week or 2 ago, didn't hear anything. I've got the 15 PQs to cover the UK, then run a 500 cache limit around home the day before we are due out, plus caches we've found to review to certain TBs. I think we are adding 1 new PQ about every 4-5 weeks so it won't be that long before we run out.

 

While we're on the topic of PQs - the ones that ran today, yesterday, Thursday and Friday have not resubmitted themselves - anyone else notice that ?

 

Sue

[+crunchiespg]

Strange I put a request in for an enhancement to allow 35 stored PQs, the alloted 5 per day for each day of the week just a week or 2 ago, didn't hear anything. I've got the 15 PQs to cover the UK, then run a 500 cache limit around home the day before we are due out, plus caches we've found to review to certain TBs. I think we are adding 1 new PQ about every 4-5 weeks so it won't be that long before we run out.

 

While we're on the topic of PQs - the ones that ran today, yesterday, Thursday and Friday have not resubmitted themselves - anyone else notice that ?

 

Sue

im up to 16 pq's to cover the uk.

thats using pharisee's dates, ive had to add another recently.

 

the reaosn why the last 3 days havnt resubmitted is because you have to click a link in EVERY email pq to resubmit it as in GC.com's words "we cant cope as it is" so they are hoping lots of people wont click it to cut down the number of pq's generated.

personally i think we are paying, so we should get what we want.

[+Teasel]

Jeremy has said previously that GC.com is short of CPU capacity, not bandwidth. That being the case, his best approach could be to provide a daily GPX file of all caches in each country (or state in the US) which could be downloaded by anyone wanting to keep a full offline database. That would free up the Pocket Query system for people wanting to do the small, complicated queries for which it is best suited.

 

If bandwidth then becomes a problem, he could provide a weekly file, together with daily updates of just what's changed.

 

Alternatively, of course, he could allow sites like GeocacheUK to provide GPX files to premium members, which would also take the load off his servers.

 

But, sadly, Jeremy wants his servers to be the only ones sending data to cachers, even if they can't actually handle the load.

[+crunchiespg]

Jeremy has said previously that GC.com is short of CPU capacity, not bandwidth. That being the case, his best approach could be to provide a daily GPX file of all caches in each country (or state in the US) which could be downloaded by anyone wanting to keep a full offline database. That would free up the Pocket Query system for people wanting to do the small, complicated queries for which it is best suited.

 

If bandwidth then becomes a problem, he could provide a weekly file, together with daily updates of just what's changed.

 

Alternatively, of course, he could allow sites like GeocacheUK to provide GPX files to premium members, which would also take the load off his servers.

 

But, sadly, Jeremy wants his servers to be the only ones sending data to cachers, even if they can't actually handle the load.

100% agree with you.

that would be great.

i dont need half the features of the pq's. i just want all the uk caches.

if i could just download them each week i would.

cos pq's area pain, having to keep activatig them and fiddling the dates.

[+Lincolnshire Mountaineer]

half of them never arrive.

so in theory there should be some way  to just keep them updated.

Try scheduling on a quiet day. Fridays are terrible. I usually run the older caches earlier in the week, so that I only get new ones on Fridays.

 

As for updating, you could try the updated in last 7 days option, but then split it up by dates.

 

T

I've just had a quick count up of the amount of 'updated in the last 7 days' entries there are at the moment and it is certainly far in excess of 4250 per week so even splitting by days/dates we are never going to get them all with the curent restrictions!

Any other suggestions anyone?

[+naffita]

I've asked before and not had a reply, but why does anyone want all the UK caches? I know where I am going to be in the next few days and if I was to be called away it wouldn't be at such short notice that I would be unable to sort out a few caches. I don't intend this in any way as criticism or to suggest that you shouldn't do it. I'm just intrigued why anyone needs them all absolutely up to date.

 

( Add as many smileys as you want )

[+pinguino]

Slighty off subject but what are the dates that your using for your PQs? Im using the ones from mark and lynn but that only goes up to 31st dec 2004, what dates are you using for 2005?? also i found some of mark and lynns dates to go over 500 so i must have missed some. Thanks

[+maxkim]

What is the thing about dates at all, I have been searching around a co-ordinate for 150 miles... nothing about dates... Cheers MaxKim

[+powerbook_fanatic]

Slighty off subject but what are the dates that your using for your PQs? Im using the ones from mark and lynn but that only goes up to 31st dec 2004, what dates are you using for 2005?? also i found some of mark and lynns dates to go over 500 so i must have missed some. Thanks

I run 16 plus 1 to get all caches in UK.

 

The dates are ....

 

1 - 01/01/2000 - 25/07/2002

2 - 26/07/2003 - 14/03/2003

3 - 15/03/2003 - 28/07/2003

4 - 29/07/2003 - 03/01/2004

5 - 04/01/2004 - 04/04/2004

6 - 05/04/2004 - 09/06/2004

7 - 10/06/2004 - 20/08/2004

8 - 21/08/2004 - 29/10/2004

9 - 30/10/2004 - 15/01/2005

10 - 16/01/2005 - 05/03/2005

11 - 06/03/2005 - 08/04/2005

12 - 09/04/2005 - 07/05/2005

13 - 08/05/2005 - 10/06/2005

14 - 11/06/2005 - 21/07/2005

15 - 22/07/2005 - 28/08/2005

16 - 29/08/2005 - date

 

I run those over the week and daily I run a PQ of all in UK that are temp unavailable.

 

When loaded into GSAK, you can then sort GSAK by last GPX updated date - any that haven't been updated in the 7 day cycle must be archived, so you just toggle their status to archived.

 

Malcolm - The Powerbook Fanatic

[markandlynn]

1Dec2000 to 3July2002

4 July 2002 12 Feb 2003

13 Feb 2003 9Jun 2003

10 Jun 2003 18 Oct 2003

18 Oct 2003 22 Feb 2004

23 Feb 2004 30 April 2004

1 May 2004 27 June 2004

28 June 2004 30 Aug 2004

31 Aug 2004 6 Nov 2004

7 Nov 2004 20 Jan 2005

21 Jan 2005 5 March 2005

6 March 2005 4 April 2005

5 April to May 5 2005

6 May to 7th June 2005

8th June to July 16th 2005

July 17th to 22nd Aug 2005

23rd Aug to present

Updated in the last seven days

not found by distance

These are what we currently use.

We set the cache types to all except for locationless

The country's we Ctrl and click on are Guernsey, Jersey, Ireland, Isle of Man and the UK.

All these Pq's are currently under 500 caches.

Yes i wish it was different and keeping updated was easier try getting a complete gpx file for a cache event for example, but the database is "owned" by the site and they don't like letting go. The approach they want you to adopt is do a pq for where you are going caching and then delete the data not much help if you travel a lot.