You can manually upload a PQ anytime using the Upload Pocket Queries page. You can also email your PQs directly to your bcaching account by using the "Alternate Email" option in a PQ or via your own Email forwarding rules. Each bcaching user gets a personalized AutoGPX email address which you can find in the bcaching Profile page.
With your AutoGPX email address you can setup completely automated PQs so your bcaching data is always up to date for the regions you do the majority of your caching.
You can have up to 5 PQs generated on GC per day. You don't want to use them all since you never know when you'll need
to make some quick plans for a geo trip somewhere you don't normally travel, but with only one or two PQs per day you can
keep bcaching up to date.
You can choose a maximum of 1000 caches to be included in a PQ, but if you choose more than 500 the PQ will NOT be emailed. If you want to set up automated PQs that get emailed to you bcaching account you must choose 500 (or less, but why would you choose less?). Choosing 1000 caches can still be useful for "one-offs" like when you're planning to visit an area not in your covered areas, but remember that you will have to download those PQs manually and upload or email them the bcaching manually.
Get the latest updates
You should set up at least one "updates" PQ to run daily to get nearby updates to retrieve all nearby new caches, cache updates and latest logs.
- Days to generate, Check ALL
- Run this query every week on the days checked
- Show me 500 caches
- of ANY type, ANY container
- That (I Haven't Found), (I Don't Own), and (Updated in the last 7 days)
- Within (None Selected)
- From... (choose home coordinates or postal code or a nearby waypoint)
- Placed during (none selected)
- Alternate Email (your AutoGPX email address)
- Compress files checked
Caches I haven't found
You should also set up one or more PQs to run once or twice per week that load all caches you haven't found, regardless
of when they were last updated. This will be the same as the previous PQ except for the following:
- Days to generate: Check only a couple different days
- That (I Haven't Found) and (I Don't Own) and (Is Active)
You may wish to expand your up-to-date caching area beyond 500 caches. This can be accomplished easily by breaking your "Caches I haven't found" PQ into multiple PQs. Although it may differ somewhat by region, you can use the container type typical breakdown:
- 37% Micro
- 27% Regular
- 27% Small
- 5% Not Chosen
- 4% Other, Virtual, and Large
Using that information you can create two somewhat evenly split PQs for the nearest 1000 caches:
- 46% Micro + Not Chosen + Other + Virtual + Large
- 54% Regular + Small
or into three PQs for the nearest 1500 caches:
- 37% Micro
- 32% Small + Not Chosen
- 31% Regular + Other + Virtual + Large
Keeping My Finds Up To Date
If you use bcaching field notes to keep track of your finds, then there is no need to do anything special. bcaching will automatically filter out your finds "according to GC" as well as your finds based on your bcaching field notes.
If you DON'T use BCaching field notes, bcaching won't know about your finds until you upload PQs from GC that contain those find logs. GC only allows you to run a full "My Finds" PQ once every 7 days and it can only be done by hand, but if you have a daily PQ that loads all recent updates for "caches you HAVE found" then your find logs will usually be included in those PQs unless you're caching outside the range of the PQ. Create another PQ like the one above for "Get the latest updates" without (I Haven't Found) checked:
- that (I Don't Own), and (Updated in the last 7 days)
