When I run my stats I get 1999 finds on 1998 unique geocaches. Is there an easy way to find out which one I "found" twice so I can fix that?

you don't remember each and every cache you've found?

LOL

I barely remember the ones I did last week.

LOL

I barely remember the ones I did last week.

Exactly what is it we were talking about?

In your GSAK program there is a column called Fcount(foundcount).

If you click on the Fcount column once or twice it will order them and one will show a count of 2. It will be either the first listing or the last. That one that has the 2 in it will be the cache that was logged twice.

Thanks, I figured that out. Now I need to figure out how to fix it. LOL

Fixed, Thanks.

If it shows a 2 then there are two logs. It could be a cache that was moved and you did it a second time after it was moved. Check the log and that should tell you what is going on. Then if it should only be found 1 time delete one of the logs and then delete the gsak entry of the cache under the waypoint heading and download the new gpx file that shows only one log. Your found count should then show a 1 and you should be all set.

Here is another GSAK question for you....

How can I filter out of my database caches that have been archived. I have been noticing that there is no way when my PQs get generated throughout the week for my Maine and NH database in GSAK that when a cache gets archived, I have no way of seeing this in my PQ, and hence I still have caches I try to go find that have been archived? Any ideas?

I had logged the wrong cache as found. When I did my found caches it saved the log. I deleted that log and logged the correct cache. Then when I did find the first cache GSAK had 2 found logs even though I had deleted it on the cache page. I had to go in and delete the log in GSAk.

Getting rid of archived caches.
You can delete your entire data base and then get all your pocket queries again or do what I did. Spend an afternoon going through the caches with the two panes in GSAK. Archived caches show as archived in the lower pane and you can delete them.

Of course you can leave them in and find them like I have done more than once. LOL

I had logged the wrong cache as found. When I did my found caches it saved the log. I deleted that log and logged the correct cache. Then when I did find the first cache GSAK had 2 found logs even though I had deleted it on the cache page. I had to go in and delete the log in GSAk.

Getting rid of archived caches.
You can delete your entire data base and then get all your pocket queries again or do what I did. Spend an afternoon going through the caches with the two panes in GSAK. Archived caches show as archived in the lower pane and you can delete them.

Of course you can leave them in and find them like I have done more than once. LOL

Would rather not delete my entire database because I have a lot of mystery caches in it with solved cords that I have not yet gone and found.

I found an archived Lexmano cache a few weeks back, the same way ha ha

Here is another GSAK question for you....

How can I filter out of my database caches that have been archived. I have been noticing that there is no way when my PQs get generated throughout the week for my Maine and NH database in GSAK that when a cache gets archived, I have no way of seeing this in my PQ, and hence I still have caches I try to go find that have been archived? Any ideas?


After you receive all of your pq's create a filter that filters out all of your found caches, archived and unavailable and then highlight the last gpx file column. You may find that the date is probably old. You know what dates your pq's are run so most with a date before then are probably archived. You then take the gc code for that cache and look it up and you may find that it has been archived. Click on the gpx file button on the cache page and gsak will remove it or you can delete it if you want. Just be careful to make sure that the cache is in fact archived. I usually filter my maine caches out then start the process. When I first discovered this I had 200+ archived caches to get rid of but now it is usually 2 or 3 a week.

Would rather not delete my entire database because I have a lot of mystery caches in it with solved cords that I have not yet gone and found.
That is the number one reason not to do a complete dump.

After you receive all of your pq's create a filter that filters out all of your found caches, archived and unavailable and then highlight the last gpx file column. You may find that the date is probably old. You know what dates your pq's are run so most with a date before then are probably archived. You then take the gc code for that cache and look it up and you may find that it has been archived. Click on the gpx file button on the cache page and gsak will remove it or you can delete it if you want. Just be careful to make sure that the cache is in fact archived. I usually filter my maine caches out then start the process. When I first discovered this I had 200+ archived caches to get rid of but now it is usually 2 or 3 a week.
I run a PQ every week called Inactive caches. That will mark caches that are temporarily disabled. Then with my fresh PQ it makes it easy to see the potential archived ones. Then I also use the Last GPX column to see the dates. I made this easy with a separate view I called Archive Check. We are doing the same thing I believe. Just a bit different way of going about it.

I have never bothered to use them because I need the archived caches in my database, but there are a couple macros which filter for archived caches and deletes them. I use a similar technique, but just tag the caches as archived instead of deleting them.

macro is the way to go - and you don't have to delete them...it just marks them as archived after your review...still a little tedious, but it works...

I have tried the different macros and such over the years for dealing with Archived Caches. Here is the method I use. It is manual, but after you do it the first time subsequently it does not take much time at all.

When you do your regular weekly, (daily or what ever is regular for you) find the Last GPX column in your Gsak listing and click on it. It will order your Last GPX column by date. You should then see dates either at the beginning or at the end (depending on how many times you click the column). Lets just say you did your PQ downloads today (6/7/2010) all the caches that were updated will have a Last GPX file date of 6/7/2010. All of the ones listed prior to 6/7/2010 either have not been updated recently (and as such are either Archived or disabled) and you need to decide their status.

I do this by double clicking on them and if they are Archived I check the user flag (make sure you cleared all user flags before you do this). When I have completed this I then do a bulk delete from the Waypoint tab deleting the user checked caches. Note that when you do this task the first time the list might be a little long, but you will have removed all archived and at least for me, all unavailable caches.

When the unavailable ones are reactivated you will download them with your new PQ. (I do check the Available tab on my PQ downloads so I am getting only active caches.)

It seems tedious, but I have a nice clean database with only active caches.

You do not need to open up the cache page to see if any individual cache is archived. In the Waypoint menu is Status check. By clicking this GSAK looks at the online page in the background and will change the status of the cache in GSAK and tell you if it is the same or has changed. It is quicker than loading the actual web page because it does not have to load the images. You can even assign a shortcut key to the Status check so you can just type ALT-S or something like it to check the status. This feature is also nice if you want to make sure a cache is active before heading out. This feature can be abused - if you repeatedly click on it on every cache in your database gc.com will likely throttle or suspend your account! But it should be fine for weekly or monthly verification of archiveds.

Gob-ler, everyone has their own way, do what works for you, but if you did this status check on your suspected archiveds, you would not have to set the user flags. Once you have checked the status of the suspicious caches, you could just filter for caches that are archived or disabled and delete those waypoints.

You could also make the filtering easier by using the Mfilter toolbox entry just by entering Status != 'A'. The mfliter drop down saves the last 10 entries, so if you do not use it a lot you would just have to select it from the list and not write it down every time. if by chance the mfilter box is not on your toolbar, you can add it by right clicking the toolbar, selecting Customize search bar and checking Mfilter.

http://www.bytethebullet.com/geocaching/fora/Mfilter%20menu.JPG

There, you see it! Everyone learns something new now and then!

You do not need to open up the cache page to see if any individual cache is archived. In the Waypoint menu is Status check. By clicking this GSAK looks at the online page in the background and will change the status of the cache in GSAK and tell you if it is the same or has changed. It is quicker than loading the actual web page because it does not have to load the images. You can even assign a shortcut key to the Status check so you can just type ALT-S or something like it to check the status. This feature is also nice if you want to make sure a cache is active before heading out. This feature can be abused - if you repeatedly click on it on every cache in your database gc.com will likely throttle or suspend your account! But it should be fine for weekly or monthly verification of archiveds.

Gob-ler, everyone has their own way, do what works for you, but if you did this status check on your suspected archiveds, you would not have to set the user flags. Once you have checked the status of the suspicious caches, you could just filter for caches that are archived or disabled and delete those waypoints.

You could also make the filtering easier by using the Mfilter toolbox entry just by entering Status != 'A'. The mfliter drop down saves the last 10 entries, so if you do not use it a lot you would just have to select it from the list and not write it down every time. if by chance the mfilter box is not on your toolbar, you can add it by right clicking the toolbar, selecting Customize search bar and checking Mfilter.

http://www.bytethebullet.com/geocaching/fora/Mfilter%20menu.JPG

Um you've already lost me... this looks somewhat like my GSAK but nothing at the top does...

As you know GSAK is a very powerful tool. It is really the "Serious Tool" as it relates to Geocaching.

The good thing is that you can use it at the level you are comfortable with and learn other nice things along the way!

Um you've already lost me... this looks somewhat like my GSAK but nothing at the top does...

One of the good and bad things of GSAK is is ability to be customized. If it's the buttons at the top that are confusing you, they are buttons that link to my often used macros. Just ignore the parts that do not look familiar! :D

If anyone would like to add a button to their frequently used macros, there are instructions at http://gsak.net/help/hs35000.htm. It can be a bit confusing, if anyone has trouble speak up.

Don't forget, not everyone has the Platinum membership so their PQ's and GSAK layouts will look a little different...:rolleyes:

I think I have a copper membership...or maybe lead.

I am lucky I can sometimes manage to load my NUVI and Oregon right. The day I did Coburn Mtn I loaded all my caches and when I got there it wasn't in the Oregon. Luckily it was in the NUVI. Another time I loaded the Oregon, headed out on the road, and when I turned it on there weren't any caches in it. LOL

I didn't realize that Oregons did the same things that Delormes do with regularity. Now what will I buy for my next GPS? I even load mine one cache at a time without using GSAK and they still disappear.

When I had the Magellan as my GPSr, I forgot to take the last step and wound up with an empty GPSr. The eTrex my wife has only lets me load 50 .gpx files so we're still limited in one regard. If I run a PQ with more than 50 results, I can load them on the Nuvi and the Oregon but it only loads the first 50 on the eTrex.

I almost always check the GPSr, Nuvi, Laptop, PDA - anything I load caches onto to make sure the caches are there. Most of the time I clear the unit before I load the new caches, so I just check to make sure there are any caches there, assuming if one made it they all did. If I am adding to some already there, I will look for a unique cache from the new upload.


When I had the Magellan as my GPSr, I forgot to take the last step and wound up with an empty GPSr. The eTrex my wife has only lets me load 50 .gpx files so we're still limited in one regard. If I run a PQ with more than 50 results, I can load them on the Nuvi and the Oregon but it only loads the first 50 on the eTrex.

You must mean 500, right? Even my 'Ol Yeller etrex will take 500 waypoints...

When I know what area I am heading to, I sort GSAK to one of the caches in the center of that area. That way I can load all of the caches in the Laptop/PDA/Nuvi, load the closest 975 to Lee's Etrex, and the closest 475 to my Etrex. I leave a few spares so I can mark the car or other interesting places.

I didn't realize that Oregons did the same things that Delormes do with regularity. Now what will I buy for my next GPS? I even load mine one cache at a time without using GSAK and they still disappear.

My problem was a user problem. It happens when I am in a hurry. LOL

You must mean 500, right? Even my 'Ol Yeller etrex will take 500 waypoints....

Nope, 50. I loaded my PQ into GSAK then told it to load them to the eTrex and it only loaded 50.

The specs on the Venture HC say it'll hold 500 waypoints and 50 Routes. There's no way it could be confusing a .gpx file as a route, right?

Nope, 50. I loaded my PQ into GSAK then told it to load them to the eTrex and it only loaded 50.

The specs on the Venture HC say it'll hold 500 waypoints and 50 Routes. There's no way it could be confusing a .gpx file as a route, right?

GSAK will only send waypoints, not routes, but the venture will hold 500 waypoints so something is amiss. The only thing I can think of in GSAK that limits the number of waypoints being sent is on the Send Waypoints to Gps screen there is a box for maximum to send. Perhaps you have 50 entered in there?

Nope, that's blank. I thought, when I just tried to load the last PQ I did, that the child waypoints was the issue. It was trying to load over 500 including child waypoints so I did another PQ and limited it to 400 so the child waypoints wouldn't be the issue....and apparently they weren't anyway. It still only loads 50.

Ok... here's a thought. How do you know it's loading only 50? I have not used the venture, but the yellow or legends do not report how many waypoints there are. If you are going by the number of waypoints in the nearest waypoints screen, then that list is limited on almost all GPSrs, often to 20 or 50, but there are more waypoints in the unit. If you search for a waypoint by name instead of nearest, all caches are visible.

It has to be something simple like that, we just gotta figure out what.

Okay, knew it had to be something simple this early in the morning.

You have a box on the load page in GSAK as to how caches you want to load. See if it is maybe set to 50. As Dave said earlier he set his a little below the 500 or 1000 threshold to leave room for the kiddie waypoints. This is why I like the new Oregon 450. I have currently have 3476 unfound caches in Maine. They all fit with plenty of room to spare. I don't have to worry about where in Maine I am caching. If I leave the state then I have to do it a bit different.

I like my 550T It has all 4,855 or so geocaches in Maine I haven't found, then as POI it has every geocache in Maine that I have found as well as all of the ones I have placed. It makes it easier placing caches when I can check and see if I am getting close to another cache.

If you read the comments I left on Brdads article you might find that I was having the same problem. As I have said before I should be a beta tester. If there is a way to screw it up I'll find it.

Here is the solution as I have the same unit you do. Place the unit on a hard stable surface and pound the ever living s**t out of it.

No really, the 500 caches are in there. First reset the unit clearing all the caches out by going to the trip menu and selecting the reset and select all.

When it is empty load it up again as usual. Now check again... Holy crap you only have 50 just as before. Wrong.

When you go to the wavepoints or cache screen, at the bottom of the screen you'll see it says from current location. push the menu button and select search by name. Punch in a name that is further out that the fifty you see. You'll find it's in there. Or punch in a different location. You'll find the 500 are in there, it only shows the closest 50 to where you are.

This also works on the Nuvi.

Now if you need a class...

Another thing is set GSAK to 500 and then after loading go the wavepoints and then menu and then delete. Delete all the blue flags. Those are the disabled ones and that will make room for marking your car and coordinates on multi's.

We're planning on trying to make the breakfast at Kev-Lan. Does anyone know if Kev-Lan has wifi?

I knew the Nuvi only showed about 50 or so. Not sure why it didn't click that Pam's eTrex would do the same. We've got it now, I think. lol

Yes, they have Wifi.

All you can eat. Try it with the special sauce. Yummy!

Of course you wouldn't have to ask if WhereRwe? would get off his a** and put together that list of Wifi places he promised several years ago!

Oh lord, here we go...

Here is another GSAK question for you....

How can I filter out of my database caches that have been archived. I have been noticing that there is no way when my PQs get generated throughout the week for my Maine and NH database in GSAK that when a cache gets archived, I have no way of seeing this in my PQ, and hence I still have caches I try to go find that have been archived? Any ideas?

There are several ways ......
Choose Last GPX update in the view column ..... sort by this and then use :-
Waypoint
Status check to test / update individual points.


Alternatively , if you run a bunch of PQs to cover an area ,

load them all from a folder and select the "set user flag " option , if you then search for "user flag " unset ...any caches shown haven't been downloaded ... so are probably archived.:(

So when will one of you smart people hold Geocaching GSAK event and teach us all how to use it? I would go to that event anyday.

So when will one of you smart people hold Geocaching GSAK event and teach us all how to use it? I would go to that event anyday.

The problem with teaching anyone how to use GSAK is there are so many different ways to use it. I have contemplated writing an article several times but it most likely would only be usable for a select few. Fortunately GSAK has a great help system which I bet many never even look at. it is available both online and through the help menu of the program and is nearly 100% interactive, meaning that many of the help pages show a screen shot of the program in which you can click on any area and see a description of that particular function. For example, the help file for the Maine GSAK screen has help for many of the toolbar items that many may not understand.

Just like reading the manual for your GPSr, reading the manual for GSAK would make a considerable difference for many users, and when you do need help you will have a better understanding for what is being said.

For example, the help file for the Maine GSAK screen has help for many of the toolbar items that many may not understand.

The Maine GSAK Screen. Maine has it's own GSAK Screen? Does it have an "Ayuh" button instead of a "Yes" button. Does it not pronounce the letter "R" correctly?

:eek:

The Maine GSAK Screen. Maine has it's own GSAK Screen? Does it have an "Ayuh" button instead of a "Yes" button. Does it not pronounce the letter "R" correctly?

:eek:

Yeah, yeah.... :p

Some people can't do GSAk, some can't type the correct word!

You do know there was no way I could let that one pass, right?

Sometimes I think people come to chat just to see my bad typing, where I can't edit it over and over!

So when will one of you smart people hold Geocaching GSAK event and teach us all how to use it? I would go to that event anyday.

Can't say when or where yet, but it will happen.

Can't say when or where yet, but it will happen.

In the fall maybe? :D So many good days to be out caching ........;):)

Still, I go back to not providing the right information. What is it people are having trouble with GSAK that they would like instruction on? In chat last night this topic was touched on very briefly until it wandered to the Eustic event. The main question was what a macro was and what they could do. So that might be one subject. But it would be interesting to know what other questions people have regarding GSAK in order to give the most useful class.

Still, I go back to not providing the right information. What is it people are having trouble with GSAK that they would like instruction on? In chat last night this topic was touched on very briefly until it wandered to the Eustic event. The main question was what a macro was and what they could do. So that might be one subject. But it would be interesting to know what other questions people have regarding GSAK in order to give the most useful class.

Agreed - what do folks want to know. I gave an answer to what a Macro was - (thanks BRDad for saying my explanation/understanding was correct) - but what I use for MACROs and others may need may not be everything.

I use one for my Nuvi, one for Field Notes, one to Load the Oregon.......and there are a ton more available.

I am not sure folks who download and start to use GSAK go to the forums on their webpage to learn what might be done with this very powerful program. As for me, I stumble and get picked up by others who know it better.

Believe me - there are some Masters here on this website - who know the ins, outs, tweeks and a ton more. What do you want out of using this data manager and I am sure someone can help.

Thanks BRDad for reminding us we need an agenda..........

Macros. I dont know how to set them up or even use them. #2 is there a way to update my database. now I just run a new PQ and then download it into my database to update the logs so I know if one has been disabled or has alot of DNF's. I do read the help sections on gsak but I have an easier time learning when I see it being done. I just know that I am tapping into a tiny fraction of what GSAK is capable of doing. Reading all the forums on here as well as GSAK's webpage is a help. I just think even a basic class would be a great help to all of us newbies who are just getting started. I will learn it eventually one way or another, just trying to make it a little less confusing.

hollora, what's the name of the macro you use to load your Oregon? I scanned down through the ones on the GSAK site and didn't see one that said it was for Oregons. Maybe I missed it?

hollora, what's the name of the macro you use to load your Oregon? I scanned down through the ones on the GSAK site and didn't see one that said it was for Oregons. Maybe I missed it?

Hate to pass you off but it was Mainiac1957 who loaded it for me - here is the cut and paste of it - ColoraoExport.gsk is what I believe it is named. He went to GSAK to get it I think.

Hope this helps. LA

The colorado macro is indeed the one to use for the oregon.

PQs are about the only way to update your database, short of downloading individual GPX files from the site or hand editing the database.

To load a PQ into GSAK, you can use Load GPX/LOC/ZIP... under the File menu, drag and drop the PQ file onto GSAK, or double click the GPX file.

If you use Load GPX/LOC/ZIP... under the File menu, you can load an entire folder of PQs.

The key to updating the database is having the PQs set up correctly, making sure you have all the desired caches in your desired area, and that you update them on a regular basis.

Now all I have to do is learn how to tweak the macro. Looks like it adds some really cool stuff.

Starting to look at loading the macro and what information it can load leads me to filters. Probably not something to try before having to go to work, eh? Looks like I should be able to see attributes on the 450 but GSAK has to have them loaded. Looks like I have to set the filter for that and this is where it might be bad to try before work.....how the heck to I play with filters? lol

Attributes should be in all PQs now and should be able to be filtered in GSAk if you have the newest version. If you have caches in your database that have not been updated in a long time they may not have attributes, but other than that you should be set.

You can filter for attributes just like you can for D/T. distance, or cache type. there is an attribute tab in the filter box. If you use a particular filter set a lot, it is a good idea to save it, then you can just select it from the drop down list on the main screen. Clicking the red X on the toolbar will reset the filter so you can view all caches.

For example, I have a saved filter for all caches with the boat attribute which are available and I have not found.

I have the Oregon macro, but not the GPS. Perhaps someone can explain how the macro tags the attributes to the caches, what it shows on the GPSr screen?

Attributes should be in all PQs now and should be able to be filtered in GSAk if you have the newest version. If you have caches in your database that have not been updated in a long time they may not have attributes, but other than that you should be set.

You can filter for attributes just like you can for D/T. distance, or cache type. there is an attribute tab in the filter box. If you use a particular filter set a lot, it is a good idea to save it, then you can just select it from the drop down list on the main screen. Clicking the red X on the toolbar will reset the filter so you can view all caches.

For example, I have a saved filter for all caches with the boat attribute which are available and I have not found.

I have the Oregon macro, but not the GPS. Perhaps someone can explain how the macro tags the attributes to the caches, what it shows on the GPSr screen?

On my Colorado it displays the attributes early on in the cache description. Very helpful when you need them.

On my Colorado it displays the attributes early on in the cache description. Very helpful when you need them.

Looks very helpful, if you need them. Just gotta figure out how to do the filter thing and then the macro should load them fine.

Okay, GSAK tells me *No attributes specified* whether I get my caches via PQ or download them as individual .gpx files. What am I missing here? It has to be something simple, I'm sure. But I just don't see it.

Are you getting the error from GSAK or from the macro?

You may need to change your PQ GPX version:
Go to http://www.geocaching.com/account/ManagePreferences.aspx

Scroll to the bottom where it says GPX Version Preference and verify it is GPX 1.0.1.

You must have a newer version of GSAK as well.

EDIT: after looking into it more, in GSAK split screen or offline view some caches do show *No attributes specified*, when in fact, the cache owner did not specify any attributes. Even the online page will show the message No attributes available where the attribute icons normally are. Check to make sure on a cache you know has attributes.

For example, little augusta (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=c7da4a3d-ec49-4132-8303-a270b9f7fdf0) (GC1YMGA) by scdakota (http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?id=2597441) (1.5/1.5) has no attributes assigned to it, but Augusta West Creekside Resort Kache (http://www.geocaching.com/seek/cache_details.aspx?guid=9bff7c3f-5179-462c-8b01-6c071006991d) (GC1R0AZ) by Squirrel (http://www.geocaching.com/profile/?id=1637760) (2/1.5) does have them.

Had to select the newer GPX version......now I'll see if I can see the attributes.