pq s and garmins

Had an interesting chat today so thought I do a blog on getting pq s onto your garmins.

Firstly log onto geocaching.com and click down right side on build pocket queries.

Next create a new query

Name the pq, for this ill call it today, tick day you want then how often you want it to run. Where it says show me 500 caches of change to 1000

Types=any
Containers=any

Then tick: I haven't found, I don't own, are not on my ignore list, is enabled

Tick difficulty and terrain

Leave within and go to from origin and select what you want, here I'm choosing home.

Within a radius leave at whatever

Place during=none selected

I'm not choosing attributes but they are there if you are looking for say a night cache or a scuba cache.

Then click submit information.

Next click on pocket queries at top then go down to tab pocket queries ready for download and click on tab.

Click on the name of picket query you have just created and choose to save.

Open up the zip folder and highlight the two files ending in .gpx one is caches the other is waypoints

Turn on gps and choose delete all routes reset all trip info under settings and then plug into the computer. Open up the garmin folder on the computer open garmin and you will see some files and folders geocache_visits.txt is here for upload if you have done caches (upload field notes on gc site) if you have already done that then delete this file.

Click on gpx folder delete archive and current folders and anything else in here and paste the two .gpx files here renaming the long number as 1.gpx and the other with -wpts.gpx to 1-wpts.gpx and your all done.

However I save mine to memory card which is memory card, garmin, gpx again delete everything in this folder before pasting the two gpx files and renaming them as mentioned in last paragraph, this I find helps them load up quicker

Go to bottom and choose remove hardware and remove all when told to do so unplug and turn on your gps, it will take a moment to load up and if correct when you open geocaching you be able to find caches. If not (and the reason I recommend sd memory cards) is you can turn it off take out the card, turn it back on and load up, reset waypoints and then turn off, reinstall sd card and turn back on, this time they should load up with no problems. If you are unfortunate for them to go down in the field at least with memory card you get the option to remove it and retry.

Hope this blog helps you out if not feel free to comment.