Moving, New website

I've moved the Lowrance Users Geocaching Guide. It is now HERE. Now I will have more space to organize the info and add more. Thanks for visiting.

Creating Custom 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: (Click thumbnail for full view.)

 

 

On this screen, click the "Change" button in the "Symbols" area of the screen. That will bring you here: (Click thumbnail for full view.)

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.

 

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.

Feedback, have a Question?

I post what I think most people new to Lowrance may like to know, but I need feedback to see what areas you might want to know more about. There is a comment feature for all posts. For a post with information, you can ask a question regarding that post, or add something if you wish. For this post, please comment on what you would like to know about. I can't guarantee I'll know the answer, but I'll try to post something. If I get some questions that will help me add content to this page, because if you want to know, there is probably someone else with the same question. About posting: You do not need to create an account with Blogger to post, you do need to enter in a code displayed as a image, to make sure you are not an automated spam bot. Your message is delivered to me, and as long as it is not offensive or advertising, I'll publish it. So feel free to make a comment.

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 $20.

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.

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:

• GPS Babel By Robert Lipe
• EasyGPS Companion By Thot

Both of these are available free of charge.

 

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 of all, you must go to the Geocaching.com (GC.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 caches, or multis and 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.

 

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.

 

Up till now, the above process would work with any brand of GPS, and still will, provided you translate into your units format, but for this guide, I will explain how to translate for Lowrance .usr files.

 

Now we use the other program, GPS Babel. This will turn our .loc. file into something Lowrance recognizes, .usr. In the GPS Babel window, select the top file type as "All Files", then find your folder, and select the file that contains all the info, the one you combined earlier. Now in the bottom, select, "Lowrance usr" as your output type, and type in your filename, and keep the suffix, .usr (Example: FileName.usr)

 

Now, place the GPS's SD card into your reader. Find the file you just created, which will be in the folder with all the other files you made in this process, and copy it. Go to your computers drive for the SD reader, on mine it is the E: Drive, but varies on different setups. Once inside the E: drive folder, Paste your file into it, thus placing it on the card. You may see other files on the card as well, like a Map file, or another waypoint file, this should let you know you are in the correct drive. Once you see your file appear, it is on the card. Wait a second, close out the window, and then you can remove the SD card, and place it back into your unit.

 

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 more note: The caches should appear with the "Flag Buoy" Icon type, and the name should be the Geocaches waypoint ID # (Example GCQKDF = GC, followed by a four character ID code.) By using this code you can keep track of the caches you have visited.

 

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.