On this Page:

• Sending Geocache Files to Lowrance. (For Non- Premium Member's)
• Sending Geocache Files to Lowrance. (For Premium Member's)
• Customizing Waypoint Icons for Geocaching
• Loading Waypoints to the i-Finder GO and GO2

Sending Geocache Files to Lowrance. (For Non- Premium Member's)

This post should help those who are not Premium Members (PM) of Geocaching.com. As a non PM you cannot access more detailed data files containing Geocache info. But this does not mean you are stuck with entering waypoints manually, there is still a way to collect data, and send many Geocache waypoints to the GPS.

Programs Needed:

Download and Install the following:

• EasyGPS Companion By Thot
• EasyGPS

• Any Lowrance unit with an SD card slot.
• The i-Finder Go and Go2 will not work with this method as shown.

Cache File Collection

First of all, you must go to the Geocaching.com search pages and find the caches you want to load. I recommend finding a starting point, entering it (A zipcode, coordinates, or cache ID code.) and finding a radius you will reasonably search around, for example 20 miles. From the search page, at the bottom of the page is a "Select All" button, this checkmarks all the caches on that page. Scan up the page and uncheck any caches that you may not want to hunt, be they disabled, multis, or puzzles you feel you will not be able to seek. After that, find and click the "Download to .loc" button. It is better if you have a Folder waiting to accept the file, as you will be accumulating a lot of them in a short time, and need a place to keep them separate. When downloading, save the file as (Example) FileName001, because as you get more, you can name them in order, FileName002, FileName003, and so on. After you save the first Downloaded .loc file, go to the next page in your search, and repeat the process until you reach caches on the search page that are at your radius limit, in the example it was 20 miles.

Combining Files

Now that you have your files in a separate folder, you need to combine them. Personally I have had well over 50 files that needed to be combined, but as long as you search in a smaller area, you should have fewer files. Here is where we use EasyGPS Companion This program will assemble the multiple files into one big file. Go into the program, find your folder, choose an output file name, select all files, then hit combine. A new file will appear in your folder, it has all the other files rolled into one. You can now delete the files you accumulated, but wait until you are done so as not to loose them, in the event you need to re-combine.

Using EasyGPS

Open EasyGPS. Under the "EDIT" tab, select "Preferences." There will be Tabs on top and buttons. Go through and make sure the coordinate formats are correct and the units of measure are to reference. (US or Metric) While in Preferences, under the "My GPS Receivers" Tab, add your unit to the list. (Add GPS button). Now look at the "Geocaching" Button and select the display options for Name, Comment, and Icon. The Cache name and the GC ID# can be displayed to taste, also don't forget to choose a icon. After you are done there, click OK.

**Up to this point, the steps are the same for any GPS unit, simply connect your unit to the computer (Via memory card or cable) and press "Send", then follow the prompts.**

Sending and Loading the Waypoints

For Lowrance units, place the GPS's SD card into your reader. In EasyGPS press the "SEND" button on the top bar to the Right side. Press OK, and then use the "Save As" box to navigate to your SD readers Drive, and save the file onto the card.

Now, turn your unit on, and use the following key entry to load the file to your units active memory. --Menu -->Menu--> System Setup--> Transfer my Data--> Load--. Select your file from the drop down menu, and hit --> Enter. A screen will appear confirming a successful load, now exit out of all the screens, go to the map page, and you should be able to find your waypoints. (Zooming out will let you see them faster, you must move your cursor to the area they are in, if you are not selecting caches in your immediate area.)

Tip:

After finding a cache, enter the waypoint screen, and change the Icon to an "X" to mark it as found, and to be visible when you log at the computer. This way you can use the GPS itself to keep track of the caches you have found for the day.

Sending Geocache Files to Lowrance. (For Premium Member's)

This post is for Premium Members of Geocaching.com, and can get Pocket Queries. By getting these files that contain almost complete cache info, you can configure a Lowrance unit to show pertinent cache info on screen.

Programs Needed:

• GSAK, Geocaching Swiss Army Knife Free for trial use, nag screens appear after the trial period, registration is $25.

Works With:

• Any Lowrance unit with an SD card slot.

• The i-Finder Go and Go2 will not work with this method as shown.

First, you will need to get your Pocket Query. Set it up to receive the data you want, and receive the .ZIP file, which is a .GPX file compressed.

Once you have your Pocket Query, load it into GSAK. From here you can sort and manage the data to fit your needs.

In GSAK, under the GPS tab, is the option, "Send to Lowrance USR." A screen will appear so you can configure the way in which data is sent to the unit. By default the settings will work, but if you are like me you may want to customize the options to better suit you. Personally I changed the icons to reflect cache type and status. For example, a cache I have found is "X 1", a cache I own is an "Exit" icon, and a disabled cache is the "Skull and Crossbones" icon. Also, a micro cache is a "Cross", a virtual is a "Flag", an event is a "store", and traditional caches are "Flag Buoy." There are many options, and you can set them as you like.

Another feature is the name tags. These let you configure what the waypoint name will read. I have mine set so that I see: Cache name/ type/ size/ terr/diff/ last 4 logs/ TB status.

This gives me a load of info, and allows me to see at a glance what I am hunting. This can also be adjusted to taste.

Now, place the GPS's SD card into your reader. In the GSAK "Send to Lowrance" screen, select a spot for your file. You can send it straight to the SD card by selecting it's drive letter under "My Computer." Press the "Generate" button in GSAK, and let it work it's magic. In a few seconds it translates all the cache info into a .usr file by using GPSBabel in the background, and generates a file. You can also save a .usr file to your computer for later use, or to look at in Mapcreate, by simply selecting a different destination for the file.

Now, turn your unit on, and use the following key entry to load the file to your units active memory. --Menu -->Menu--> System Setup--> Transfer my Data--> Load--. Select your file from the drop down menu, and hit --> Enter. A screen will appear confirming a successful load, now exit out of all the screens, go to the map page, and you should be able to find your
waypoints. (Zooming out will let you see them faster, you must move your cursor to the area they are in, if you are not selecting caches in your immediate area.)

One important option you need to set is the waypoint name display. After configuring the name field to show cache info, it will clutter the screen to an extreme extent, making the map impossible to see. Lowrance has a feature to go around this. On the map page, press Menu once. Select "Map Categories" On top will be, "My Waypoints" Buy using the Left/ Right pan keys you can select between "Names" and "Symbols." Place "Names" in the bottom, and if there is a checkmark, press "Enter", if there is not, leave it as set and "Exit." "Symbols" should be checked. By deselecting "Names" only the symbols for waypoints will appear on the map screen, and by hovering over them with the pan key and courser crosshairs, the info will pop- up.

Tip:
You can search for nearest caches, or for caches by name. Hit the "Find" key, and select "My Waypoints." Select either by Name or by Nearest, and the results will appear.

Customizing Waypoint Icons for Geocaching

I touched on creating custom Waypoint icons in GSAK briefly in the post "Sending Geocache Files to Lowrance. (For Premium Member's)" This post will go into more detail and fully explain the process of making each different type of cache display the icon of choice.

Programs Needed:

The instructions in this post are done entirely in GSAK.

Works With:

Any Lowrance unit with an SD card slot.

i-Finder Go and Go2 will not work with the methods shown.

NOTE: I use the words "Symbol" and "Icon" interchangeably. Both refer to the small photo shown for a waypoint.

First, Start GSAK and go to the GPS Tab, then down to "Send to Lowrance .USR" You will see the following screen:

On this screen, click the "Change" button in the "Symbols" area of the screen. That will bring you here:

From this screen you can completely customize each different type of cache and status with a different symbol (Icon). Choose icons that you view as appropriate for each type. Do not forget the tabs on top, these allow you to refine your choices, for example your icon can be overridden for a micro cache, or a cache with a travel bug, for at a glance info.

I choose the same icon for all found caches, an "X" regardless of type for simplicity, I also use one icon for all the caches I own. I use different icons for caches such as "Traditional", "Multi", and "Unknown" so I can see what type I am approaching before I arrive.

Take your time choosing the icons, better yet, turn your GPS unit on and bring up the symbol page (Select a Waypoint, and then edit the icon, that will bring up the screen.) Look at the symbols on the screen, and see which ones you think look best for each type of cache. Below are the Icon sets, the Greyscale being for most units, and the color set for the Expedition C and AirMap 600C (Green Boxes added to show Geocaching Icons.)

When you are done, Save your work. Now when a Waypoint file is generated, your icon settings apply to all caches sent to the unit.

Loading Waypoints to the i-Finder GO and GO2

Note: This is not a feature supported by Lowrance, and thus is not "user friendly." This process requires some experience with computers and data transfers. It is recommended you fully research this before attempting. For additional information and discussion on this feature, go to i-Finder Go2 Undocumented Feature- Groundspeak Forums

Information submitted by budd-rdc, a member of the Groundspeak GPS forums.

Requirements:
1. Obtain PC-D15, P/N #99-74 data cable.
2. PC with RS-232 serial port (COM port).
3. Lowrance iFinder GO/GO2
4. Software to generate NMEA file from LOC or GPX

Procedure:
1. Attach the cable to iFinder GO/GO2 and PC.
2. Go to iFinder GO's COM port menu: [Menu][Menu][System Setup][Com Port...]
3. Turn on "NMEA Input" by checking the box.
4. Set the Baud Rate (any of them will work, as long as the PC can match it).
5. Configure the serial port on the PC: 8 bits, No parity, 1 stop bit, handshaking off. Match the baud rate with the iFinder GO.
6. Use a software to generate NMEA from LOC or GPX and stream it to the COM port:
Example 1: gpsbabel.exe -i gpx -o nmea caches.gpx com1: (GPX directly to iFinder GO)
Example 2: gpsbabel.exe -i gpx -o nmea caches.gpx caches.txt, then run Hyperterminal to transfer caches.txt to iFinder GO.

For steps 4 and 5, I recommend 9600 baud since almost any PC can handle this. To comply with NMEA 1.x spec, the baud rate should be 4800, but iFinder has no problems all the way up to 115200 baud. Most modern PCs should have no problems with that either.

For step 5, serial port may need to be initialized first. Running gpsbabel from the MS-DOS window with older Win32 (Windows 95/98/NT) will NOT work unless SetCommState() is called first. (MODE command does not do this) Don't know if this was fixed with Win2000/XP/Me. That's why I mentioned running HyperTerminal first in the GC forums.

Step 6, Example 2 is for people who don't understand SetCommState().

 Content Last Updated: Sat Sep 15 2007 12:27:51 GMT-0500 (Central Daylight Time)