GSAK challenged cachers, post here

[Trekkin and Birdin]

I noticed a couple of us commenting in the Lonely Cache thread about having GSAK and not knowing what to do with it. Add me to that list. I have a PQ loaded into it, but that’s as far as I’ve gotten. I’m trying to master this paperless thing. The mapping software we have is MapSend(Magellan), but I’m trying to figure out if I have to have CacheMate as an intermediary step.

All of these programs are new to us. We still hand enter our caches, one by one. 😯

[marc_54140]

After you have a PQ loaded into GSAK, got to File, Export. You should see MapSend there in the list. Click on it, and follow through with whatever comes up next. If there are any choices, leave them as they appear.

Next, open Mapsend, and look for an Import function. Find the file you created above, and import it.

Perhaps I should schedule another Going Paperless event.

[Trekkin and Birdin]

Marc, we’ve seen those events and would love to make one of them sometime. Thanks, I’ll run through this process next.

We wanted to go to the puzzle event too. I’m getting pretty good at the kinds of puzzles the Rochester crew does, though. The ones that leave me scratching my head are seldom|seen’s. The ones with just a whole bunch of photos. I’ll sit and try and try to think of numbers that relate to any of those and I come up blank.

Though that’s often a normal state of being for me these days! 😉

Okay, so if I want to put the PQ onto a Palm, what do I click in GSAK to do that? I still need to install that software and all, too. I have an older Palm 3, the kind with a folding keyboard.

[elfdoctors]

I’ll add my name to the ignorant. ….not a lot of fellow cachers up my way.

Can someone back up further and explain what GSAK even stands for? This can be a good thread to explain what it is,why a cacher would want to use it, an how to use it.

I’ve tried to fiddle with cachemate for my pda and geobuddy for my laptop and never really figured out how to use them effectively or if there was any advantage other than saving a tree or two. If there is another program I need to get, this needs to be posted also.

[marc_54140]

Geocaching Swiss Army Knife.

I.E., it does just about everything!

[marc_54140]

Download from: GSAK.NET

It’s a free download. You can use it forever without paying. After so many days however you will get an annoying reminder screen.

You can load any number of caches into it. It had hundreds of bells and whistles. you have to play around with them, to see what they do.

Basically, GSAK will allow you to load and sort cache lists, then download info (to gps, cachemate, streets & trips, whatever).

If you are a serious cacher, GSAK is a necessity. It is well worth the $30 price tag.

[Lostby7]

@marc_54140 wrote:

If you are a serious cacher, GSAK is a necessity. It is well worth the $30 price tag.

I’m rarely serious, but I have managed to find over 1,300 without GSAK. I think I need to sit down with someone and have them tell me exactly what I’m missing….Frankly I just don’t get it.

Then again, before I saw an auto routing GPS (thanks Bec) I had found 500 caches with a non-mapping unit. Mapping has changed everything about the way I cache and has saved me hours and hours or driving down the wrong roads so perhaps GSAK has the same improvement to offer me….

[marc_54140]

Here is a flow chart for the paperless process:

1. Obtain PQ(s)
2. Download PQ(s) to your PC
3. Load into GSAK
4. Manipulate as desired
5. Export files
6. Load gps(s)
7. Hotsync to Palm (CacheMate)
8. Load mapping program
9. Printout map or list
10. Go caching

Obviously this skips a lot of info steps, but it gives you a general idea of what’s involved.

Prices:
PC – $$$
Preminum membership – $30 / year
GSAK – $30
CacheMate – $8
Palm – $50-200
GPS – $100-up
Mapping – $25-100(?)
CacheMobile – $$$$
Gas – $$($($))
Food – Optional
Finding a cache – Priceless!

[gotta run]

We converted to GSAK after trying various other programs and “spinners.” It is a great tool because it allows a one-step conversion of PQs and supports both download to the GPSr (Lowrance Ifinder H20c) and to the Palm from the same PQ extract.

I know Marc has put on paperless caching meetings–but we’ll briefly state what has worked for us. We bought an old Palm VII on eBay for less than $20 and installed Cachemate on it–I think that was another $10. We liked GSAK so much we paid to get rid of the “nag screens” and that may have been another $20.

But when you figure how much you spend in paper and printer ink, not to mention the waste of hundreds of cache sheets, paperless is the way to go. Plus, with a fully stocked Palm you’re always ready to pick up that waypoint you unexpectedly drive by. (Well, we’ve gotten burned a few times by having out of date PQs, but that’s no different than if you have a folder of outdated log sheets in your caching bag.)

If there are specific questions anyone has about the process, be happy to answer them here or elsewhere. I know there are also several threads on the main gc boards about GSAK/paperless, which is where we started out when we looked into paperless.

On the Left Side of the Road...

[marc_54140]

Seldom has several puzzles where you will not come up with any numbers with which to find the cache. It’s all visual and verbal clues. Some of them may involves local knowledge. Otherwise, looking at the cache page, maps, etc, helps to find the solutions.

Also, having found other puzzle caches, it is best to keep the final coords for them, as they will help to eliminate where new puzzles might be.

Since he did several, I had to get into the act. I have a couple, but they are for beginners, so anyone should be able to find mine.

[furfool]

.. .

[furfool]

GSAK. Does that work on a mac? Seems like Groundspeak is geared towards pc. It gets to be more of a challenge to get going on mac, however outside of caching, I prefer the mac. I know mac has downloads for caching, but GSAK?
I don’t even know what GSAK does or is supposed to do. If I am going to hit a new area, I go to the home page and enter the zip code and go from there. Then I save the caches I want to a file and load it to GPSr. If I need any other information that doesn’t all fit on the GPS, I make notes in a notebook that I take with me. Going paperless sound great but I don’t think I need all of the extra headaches. Being as illiterate as I am, I can compare it to trying to learn calculus or rocket science.

[gotta run]

@furfool wrote:

I don’t even know what GSAK does or is supposed to do.

It’s an all purpose tool that replaces the need to use several different tools for paperless caching. When we used paper we were able to get by with a simpler program but GSAK was essential for creating the cachemate files needed for the Palm. That may have changed, or there may be other programs out there.

A good primer on GSAK is at: http://miragee.blogspot.com/2006/08/little-update-to-my-rudimentary-gsak.html

It looks intimidating, but it’s really not. Essentially, open the file you’re already downloading in GSAK and then choose where you want GSAK to send it. You can send the file to your GPSr through GSAK, and create a cachemate (“PDB”) file from the same program.

There’s apparently a lot you can do to manipulate the cache data, but we haven’t even got into any of that. Just open the file and choose what devices you need to send the waypoints and cache info to.

IMO, if you already have a program you’re happy with, there’s not a lot of benefit going to GSAK, but it is essential, or at least very useful, for paperless. And we can’t say enough about paperless caching–once you have a database of hundreds of caches at the ready you’ll never go back to paper printouts. And you can do it for about $50. Now, to get a completely modern setup where you’re using something like a Trio and have wireless Internet in the field–that’ll set you back a lot more, but it would ensure you’re never using out of date cache info.

On the Left Side of the Road...

[marc_54140]

GSAK is a Windows only based program.

However, you can get it to work on a newer Mac, by having additional software installed. That’s what I have did last week!

Besides the Mac, you need to buy Windows and an interface program, and you end up with two computers – Mac and PC – which you toggle between.

Although I wanted the Mac for it’s simplicity, and needed Windows for GSAK! So……..

[furfool]

Thanks for the input. I guess I don’t really need it that bad after all. At least if I change my mind later, I’ll know who to talk to. Of course by then everything here will be obsolete.

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