What Is Your Method

[+Teamhawaii1981 & blueicyrose]

I could really get in to searching for BM's, but I also like to log ones that are existant in the GC.com database - both to keep track of what I find and be able to tell if DNF's aren't worth searching for.

 

What I have been doing is putting together a cache trip on Streets and Trips. Then tranferring a county download to Streets and Trips and picking out BM's that lie close to the caching route I have already picked. Then I have to individually go through each BM to see if it is in the GC.comn database or not.

 

Is this the most efficient way?

 

How are others doing it?

[+BuckBrooke]

I don't look for caches at all. *shrug* If I plan out a route, it's solely for benchmarks, and I use the pure paper route, finding the benchmarks along my route and printing off their original NGS datasheets.

[+Shorelander]

I use the Google Earth KML file for the Geocaches, then I go search the Geocaching database for marks by zip code. I download all the waypoints returned from the search (using the button at the top of the page), run them through GPSVisualizer (at gpsvisualizer.com) and put those into Google Earth as well. Although the Geocache KML file is purposely off a bit, the cache is in the general location and it helps me plan a route.

[+bicknell]

I only do benchmarks. I download the county files from the NGS, process them via bmgpx and then gpsbabble (the mac version won't load GPX right now, only kml). I created state and county levels in my places and copy the marks into the right county. That way I can turn them on and off a county at a time.

 

I plan my route based on the location of the mark, roads, etc to be most efficient. I put the marks in to-find order with notes, then use a custom script I wrote to print out the list of data sheets for that route 4-up. I typically visit the gc.com page for each mark before I go to see if there are interesting notes. For ones with hard to-reach I use usa photo maps and may print out topo or aerial photos.

 

I log everything, if it's not in the gc.com database then it only gets logged to the ngs...

[+Black Dog Trackers]

By the way, Teamhawaii1981 & blueicyrose, those PIDs that are in the NGS database but not the geocaching benchmark database can be logged in the Recovered U.S. Benchmarks site, which, like te regular benchmark site, is also run by Groundspeak.

[+Klemmer]

I've downloaded (and updated) the NGS datasheets for the 6 SoCal counties I'm likely to be benchmarking in. Converted to .gpx (using BMGPX), loaded to GSAK, sorted as required (e.g. filtered so only the pre-1960 ones show), exported to files for my Palm T-3 PDA with Cachemate (with 512MB SD card), exported files for my GPS (many files, as it is a Magellan Meridian with a 256MB SD card), and exported .txt files for Delorme Topoquads. Then, dropped the .gpx files into Google Earth. Luckily, all that only has to be dome once (or maybe every six months or so - it is a 2 - 3 hour job).

 

So - I can look at Google Earth where I may want to go, benchmarks are there, w/ links to GC.com pages. Of course, I can also look at geocaches thru the .kml hotlink if I choose (sometimes I do). I can also look at ALL benchmarks on USGS Topo's on Delorme TopoQuads. Sometimes they are better than Google Earth, as they are OLDER (a good think at times).

 

In the field, it is just my GPS and Palm T-3, with 6 counties of benchmarks (about 22,000 benchmarks). Oh, and some occational geocaches on the T-3. No paper. Except maybe sometimes a Google Earth or Topo paper map if I feel I need it. I have experimented with maps on my T-3, but not happy so far. Too darn small.....

 

Whew! Hope this is interesting or helps someone....

[Difficult Run]

I've been wanting to ask a similar question. (Apologies for hijacking this thread).

 

I would like to download the NGS datasheet for Fairfax County and import it into Excel. Can someone explain the procedure to me without my head exploding?

 

Thanks,

Mitch

[+BuckBrooke]

The question is, what data do you want? I have the state by state Excel spreadsheets here. Lots of useful information, and you can sort by county name. It doesn't have the coordinates, but it's otherwise pretty useful. I can whip up the same thing with coordinates if you like.

 

Doing it yourself:

 

1) Go to the NGS datasheet website. Click on "Archived Datasheets". Then "Yearly Archives". Choose Virginia from the state list, click "Get County Archives". Choose Fairfax County, click the radial Button "PC Unzipped", click "Download File", and save the file.

 

2) Go to the main NGS website. Click on the "download software" link in the upper right. You want DSFILES. Go down to its link, click through and download the PC executable. Now we're cooking with gas.

 

3) Open up DSFILES, choose the Files menu->Join Files->Disk Files. Choose the Fairfax county file, wherever you saved it. Click Run. Choose DSSELECT format. Now you choose what data you want. You might want the standard five choices (PID, DESIGNATION, POS_SRC, MONUMENTATION, REC_DATE) plus LATITUDE, LONGITUDE, and MARK_LOGO, in this order:

PID, DESIGNATION, MONUMENTATION, LATITUDE, LONGITUDE, POS_SRC, MARK_LOGO, ALL_REC_DATE.

 

Click OK, and it will save the info as a delimited text file in .dat format. Note that the fields are being delimited, separated, by the vertical bar character, | .

 

4) Open up Excel. Open the file you just saved (show all files). Choose Delimited in the new window and click "Next". Choose "Other", and put in the vertical bar symbol, | , which is over the left slash character just above the Enter key on my keyboard. Click "Next", and then "Finish".

 

Now the data's in Excel, and you can save it.

Edited May 9, 2006 by BuckBrooke

[+Teamhawaii1981 & blueicyrose]

These are some great suggestions I am going to try some of the above and see what happens.

 

By the way, Teamhawaii1981 & blueicyrose, those PIDs that are in the NGS database but not the geocaching benchmark database can be logged in the Recovered U.S. Benchmarks site, which, like te regular benchmark site, is also run by Groundspeak.

 

I could be totally off, but when I first saw that Waymarking category I thought it was for marks that were niether in the NGS nor in GC.com. I could be way off and probably am, but if it is that for marks are in NGS that is cool. Very good to know.

[Papa-Bear-NYC]

 

...

 

I could be totally off, but when I first saw that Waymarking category I thought it was for marks that were niether in the NGS nor in GC.com. I could be way off and probably am, but if it is that for marks are in NGS that is cool. Very good to know.

I think you could say that the Waymarking logs are for anything not on the GC benchmark list, irrespective of any thing else.

 

I have a different approach to logging disks or other marks that aren't in GC's benchmrk list: I mention them in a log of a nearby mark that is in the list.

 

For example, last week I found a couple of tidal bench marks at Fort Totten in Queens. I also found two NGS marks there that are too recent to be in GC's copy of the list, so I simply mentioned them and included a picture in my logs. (see KU0978 or KU0979.)

 

The advantage of this is that if someone is planning a trip and looks ahead at the GC logs for various marks, he/she will see that there's another interesting mark there as well, and perhaps he/she will find that one too. If it's just on the Waymark pages, chances are he/she will not know it's there.

[+Black Dog Trackers]

Teamhawaii1981 & blueicyrose -

 

The Recovered US Benchmarks site is for 3 groups of marks:

 

1. Marks that are in the NGS database but not in the regular geocaching benchmark database (usually those newer than 2000 but also some that are in places like Puerto Rico, some older ones that entered the NGS database after 2000, and some that were not imported because of some coding situation).

 

2. Marks that are in online benchmark databases such as those on Zhanna's list.

 

3. Survey disks that are not in groups 1 and 2 above and not in the regular geocaching benchmark database.

Edited May 9, 2006 by Black Dog Trackers

[+shorbird]

I have the benchmarks within 50 miles of me organized by county and township, all done using NGS county lists which I have printed. When I go hunting, I take a township list and copy the latest detailed recoveries from gc.com into a Word file, which I then print. I have paper county maps on which I have plotted all marks in the GC database so for routes I use the map. Lots of paper but it works.

Downloading the NGS county lists to a handheld sounds great, but how do you read the information? Wouldn't you need a certain model of handheld to do that? I use a Garmin Legend.

Edited January 25, 2007 by shorbird

[+GrizzFlyer]

The method I use is similar to what some others are using. I download the NGS data for the county I'm interested in. Run it through BMGPX and import it into GSAK. Then export it as a Magellan POI (NOT geocache) file and save it in a temporary folder. Export it again as a .PDB folder for my Palm running Cachemate. If I want a create a paper map later, I export it again as a DeLorme .TXT file. All that exporting takes only seconds.

 

I then sync my PDA and import the new county file and save it in the proper Cachemate category. Then transfer the POI file to my Explorist's SD card. If I exported the DeLorme file, I start up Street Atlas, import the .TXT file as a DRAW function, and then print off that area for a large area visual aid while I'm out benchmarking.

 

There are about 20 counties that I carry in my PDA and Explorist. The PDA/Cachemate is set up by regions and the Explorist has individual county files, and it can switch from one county to another in seconds.

 

The first time I download a county, I often go through each benchmark and read the descriptions and history while it is in GSAK and before I export. That eliminates some of those that are not recoverable. That is very time consuming, but only happens once for each county.