The WHOLE city!

[+TrailJoy]

Hi all!

 

I bought a new (to me) Magellan eXplorist gc yesterday, (almost) new in box. Exciting! But I'm finding two problems that I need some help to solve.

 

1. My primary computer is a mac. On my mac, it won't let me download more than one cache at a time. Meaning I can send one to my gps, and every other that I send following WILL be seen in the Geocache folder, but not on my device. It is only saving the first cache I download, and none following.

 

2. This problem is solved if I use my husbands windows laptop, but there doesn't seem to be a way to detect which waypoints I have already downloaded - and it will download them as many times as I click the little "send to gps" button.

 

3. Is there a way to download my entire city? There are a ton of geocaches in my city, and I want them all on my unit so I can just turn it on and decide which one to do, without having to plan a sync from my computer first.

 

I am not yet a premium member so I don't know how to use the... Pocket query? I forget what it's called. Can someone please explain to me what that is and why I would need/use it? I will be paying the yearly amount come Jan 1 so I will have access to all of the features for the entire year.

 

But for now, I just want a bunch of coordinates of my device so I can turn it on and be like "Let's do this one"! And also to avoid the problem of downloading them again, not knowing that they've already been downloaded. What a pain that is!

 

It's version 1.8 if that helps, and I've tried doing the update but it keeps telling me that the file is not valid. I am definitely downloading the correct version, but it's just not working. I have not yet tried to install it on the windows laptop. It's not my computer, so I'm trying to keep it strictly to the mac compatible (and I'm not sure what would happen if I try to update the software using windows, and then connect it to my MacBook...? Has anyone does this? Can I do it without causing a bigger problem?

 

Thanks, all!

[+geodarts]

Being a premium member would give you more options - both with pocket queries that allow you to download cache information for a thousand caches at a time (up to ten a day) and with apps that use the "geocaching live" API to search and download full cache information that can be transferred to your gpsr. Premium membership is not determined by the calendar year, but rather by the date you join, so if you are contemplating the purchase, there may be no reason to wait.

 

In the meantime, a caching manager that supports the API (such as icaching) allows basic members to download coordinates and limited cache information. The API only allows basic members to get paperless information for three caches a day, but many of us began caching - many still cache - with gpsrs that support only the kind of light information that the API provides. You can get the light version for up to 6000 caches a day.

 

I have never used icaching or a Mac so I do not know if I would recommend any particular program. But I also rarely use pocket queries since I rely on an iPhone app to search for caches through the API and transfer them to my gpsr. In some ways the live search offers more flexibility than a pocket query. In any event, if you want to wait to become a premium member, that is one alternative.

Edited September 11, 2015 by geodarts

[+T.D.M.22]

In order to download a lot at one time, you need a pocket query.

 

But there are issues with that. If you're planning on getting every cache in the city withing a week you'll be fine. Otherwise that's probably too much. Caches change, new coordinates, added hints, clues in new logs, caches get disabled and archived. A week is old info, or you'll be looking for a cache and can't find it. But 3 days archived go go it got disabled because it was broken and had to get repaired, so you're looking for a cache that isn't there.. or it gets archived because it's on private property, and then you end up looking and have archived gun pointed in your face by some big angry biker dude.

 

Why you need a picket query? So you can download a whole city at once. Or every cache with the flashlight required attribute. Or just caches that are below a 3 difficulty. Or any other of the tons of possible combinations. It sorts based on search area, and other thing you can select, and allows you to download all are at once.

 

And there's no need to wait until Jan 1st for your premium membership. It's good for a year not the year, so if you get it today it expires September 3rd 2016.

 

As for helping with a Mac, I really can't help you out there.

[+TrailJoy]

So what you're saying is that with a free membership, I'm stuck with one at a time. But I can do one thousand at a time, onve per day with a premium. Yes?

 

"And there's no need to wait until Jan 1st for your premium membership. It's good for a year not the year, so if you get it today it expires September 3rd 2016."

 

This is exactly why I'd rather wait. I live in the great white north, and I'd like to be able to get out from the big melt to the first big snow fall (march/april to oct/nov), with the occasional winter hunt on nicer days. We only have another month or so of nice weather, and I don't want my membership to expire a month before the season ends next year.

 

As for my "only saving one cache" problem, has anyone encountered this before? They're all there in the geocache folder, but only the first one shows up on my device.

[+TrailJoy]

And thank you, everyone!

[+T.D.M.22]

I see you're from BC judging by your finds. I'd say unless you're in the mountains and only looking for hides outside the city you can still cache in the winter. Here in Alberta we even have winter events with new caches that come out. And there is always the "winter firendly" attribute you could search for using a PQ.

[+TrailJoy]

Yes, I live in northern bc. I'm not sure how to search with snow taller than my head and -25 degree weather, but perhas you're right! This will be my first winter geocaching, so we will see how it goes! I'm pretty excited, for sure. Thanks for the encouragement!

[+Bear and Ragged]

Hi all!

 

I bought a new (to me) Magellan eXplorist gc yesterday, (almost) new in box. Exciting! But I'm finding two problems that I need some help to solve.

 

 

Worth a read. > http://support.Groundspeak.com/index.php?pg=kb.page&id=183

(Depends on how old your GPS is...

 

Pocket Quries are the best way to load a lot of caches in one go.

[+TrailJoy]

Thank you. Unfortunately, she did active the free trial so there was no code in the box. The box says 2O1O, but she bought it late last summer and only used it a handful of times before going back to her cell phone. She lost interest quickly and hasn't used it since. It still has the screen protector on it, and it looks brand new to me. There's not a scratch or ding on it. For what it is, it's a pretty major score for me!

 

I spent some time sending a whole bunch of ones in specific area, as well as the mystery caches, etc, to the GPS last night. I think I have about 15O loaded now. I just have to remember to check the app on my phone before going to them to make sure that they are still current and haven't been damaged or stolen, or have a new GPS location.

[+geodarts]

 

I spent some time sending a whole bunch of ones in specific area, as well as the mystery caches, etc, to the GPS last night. I think I have about 15O loaded now. I just have to remember to check the app on my phone before going to them to make sure that they are still current and haven't been damaged or stolen, or have a new GPS location.

 

The Explorist GC supports up to one thousand files (and ten thousand caches) so loading 150 will not create an immediate problem.. But if you are transferring a lot of individual caches to your gpsr, it can be hard to keep track of them. Again, a manager like icaching (which has a demo version) may help you -- to allow you to search specific areas, update cache status, manage the caches you want to find, and upload coordinates and basic information as a regular member. I have not used it myself since my computer is not made by Apple, but I rely on apps that support the "geocaching live" interface that Groundspeak offers and find the API to be useful. It might be worthwhile to check out.

[+TrailJoy]

Thanks!

 

Something else. I don't seem to have any maps. Just a grey screen, a blue arrow, and a bunch of little geocache waypoints. Is this normal, or can I download a map from somewhere?