Hi ! This page talks about software, including GPSS, for Geocaching. For an introduction to this subject please see the Geocaching Page As I've said elsewhere on this site, I am enthusiastic about geocaching because it has enormous scope to popularise GPS to a much wider audience: this (indirectly) helps my GPS Software business. It is also great fun :-) In January 2001 there were only 300 Geocaches Worldwide, mostly in the USA. There are now nearly 10,000 as more people discover the sport and buy a GPS receiver. The UK, like many countries, is some way behind the USA, where geocaching started, but I'm confident that the handful of Geocaches and Geocachers in the UK will rapidly rise, as more people get to know about it: hundreds will rise to thousands ;-)

Robin Lovelock, Sunninghill in UK, November 2001.

GPSS Geocaching Software

You can upgrade your copy of GPSS.EXE by visiting the OLDNEW Page. The small GEOC1 data download will enable all users to see some of what is now possible. If you want access to the capability of converting data downloaded from www.geocaching.com into GPSS format, you will need to register GPSS first. See below.

Here are the steps for use of GPSS with the Geocache location data:

• First do Step 1 (test GPS-->Laptop PC) then step 2 (Register GPSS) on the GPSS DOWNLOAD Page. Promise Robin that you will abide by the conditions of the Geocaching.com download licence. Some will argue about who owns copyright of material on geocaching.com, but Robin regards Grounded Inc. as, at the very least, "Guardians of the Copyright", and so is very happy with this arrangement.
• Use the automated tips provided by Robin to add detailed mapping to GPSS and check that it all works correctly "on the desk" and "on the road".
• If you have not already, upgrade GPSS for Geocaching via the OLDNEW Page.
• Download one or more waypoints from geocaching.com as a file, but change the filename into GEOC.TXT in the GPSS folder. e.g. \gpss\geoc.txt
• Run GPSS. You should see a message during the GPSS startup sequence saying that Geocaching data is now in $LGEO.GTX
  Hitting "G" should select Geocaches, Enter will search, D makes destination.

You may want to read "Tips on using GPSS" below, but this may not be needed now.

Following further discussion between Robin and Grounded Inc., some details may change. e.g. a direct download of GPSS-compatible data from geocaching.com or use of George Chung's new software. George has written some excellent software to automatically collect the more detailed information from geocaching.com including pages of text "details" - and potentially in the future, images and sounds (although sounds are not yet hosted on geocaching.com). This software is not being released at the request of Grounded Inc, because its widespread use could put a heavy load on the geocaching.com website. You can visit George's Geocaching website on www.geocities.com/georockers - but please do not plague George or Robin for copies of this software - it is NOT for general release.

For the moment, until there is a better solution, you will need to restrict yourself with simply having the names and locations of caches within GPSS. Access to the more detailed information can be done, but not (yet) with automatic support. e.g. you would need to copy text from your browser into correctly named TXT files. Details are available from Robin, although you will probably work it out yourself by looking at the example data in GEOC1.EXE for some of the "Lovelock" Geocaches.

Tips on using GPSS

YOU MAY NOT NEED THESE TIPS NOW :-)
Hitting "G" followed by Enter key should find nearest Geocache in $LGEO.GTX
Hitting "D" should make it the destination for voice guidance.
However, I've left these tips here for now.

Here are a few, very brief, tips on using GPSS. Those who have complete GPSS registration can get limited but free support from Robin by email.

You can test GPSS "on the desk" without a GPS connected, by simply hitting the Q key (be Quiet) followed by the / key (to toggle the automatic map selection from "car" (gps) to "destination".

clicking with the normal mouse left button will then move the destination to a new position. The map is automatically selected based on the destination, so clicking on the edge of a map will normally change map to the most detailed covering this location.

Hit Z ("Zoom out") or X ("Zoom in") to change the scale of map.
(only effective if you have added the required mapping, of course)

This can be used to search for places in the GPSS.LOC and GTX files.

e.g. Control-C will display the list of destinations in GPSS.LOC
Hitting 3 followed by D (3d) will make line 3 of GPSS.LOC the destination.
Hitting 2, then 3, then D (23d) will make line 23 the destination.
(allow time for the audio feedback after hitting 2 before hitting 3. This may seem strange, but related to use with voice recognition. e.g. "two... three...destination" from the user).

You can practise this with the (UK) locations already in the GPSS Baseline.

GTX files can be search by location and name. You may want to start with the "Interesting Places" file ($LNTEH.GTX) in the baseline.

Hitting I (Interesting place) followed by Enter key, will make GPSS search for nearest (UK) interesting place. (speech recognition use would be "Interesting Place.... Search").

Hitting d ("destination") will make this place the destination, and the map will be automatically changed (if you used / key earlier to control the map from the destination).

Each further Enter ("search") will find the next nearest.

To search for a place by name, use the ` key, and enter:
`winds
- followed by Enter.
GPSS should respond with Windsor Castle.
i.e. the nearest Interesting place starting with "winds".

You could use the wildcard * to search for the nearest including "Castle":
`*castl

Further Enter ("search") actions will find the next nearest with the specified name match.

Hitting I again will seach for ANY interesting place (i.e. not just those with same text).

After practising this with the GPSS Baseline (both "on the road" and "on the desk") you should be able to see how this can be easily applied to geocach sites exported and processed into LOC.TXT and GTX.TXT

e.g. LOC.TXT can be pasted into the start of GPSS.LOC

e.g. GTX.LOC can be pasted into start (after first 2 lines) of $LNTEH.GTX

So the "Interesting places" searches above will also apply to these Geocache sites.
So you could look for Virginia Water by
`virgin
d

- or the nearest cache hidden by Robin and June with:
`*robin and june
d

When used "on the road" you will be given voice guidance down to the last few yards
- if you can get your GPS and Laptop PC that close :-)

- but don't forget:

"Keep your eyes on the road !"