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NOT placing TBs and geocoins in premium member only caches


GeoMeerkats

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My geocaching partner put out his first TB and it was picked up from the cache and has finally been placed in a preium members only cache. I'm upset on his behalf. We're both eager to see his TB travel the world and this person has already hung on to the TB for two weeks and now who knows how long it's going to take for the TB to be moved from this "restricted" cache.

 

How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

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My geocaching partner put out his first TB and it was picked up from the cache and has finally been placed in a preium members only cache. I'm upset on his behalf. We're both eager to see his TB travel the world and this person has already hung on to the TB for two weeks and now who knows how long it's going to take for the TB to be moved from this "restricted" cache.

 

How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

I would rather have my coins and TBs in Member caches...they are alot safer then caches that can be viewed by just anyone.

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My geocaching partner put out his first TB and it was picked up from the cache and has finally been placed in a preium members only cache. I'm upset on his behalf. We're both eager to see his TB travel the world and this person has already hung on to the TB for two weeks and now who knows how long it's going to take for the TB to be moved from this "restricted" cache.

 

How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

Two weeks huh? Someone held one of my geocoins for over Six Months. As for the travel bug sitting in a Premium member only cache, get over it! Once the traveler leaves your hands, you lose 99.9% of the control over it. I'm actually very happy when my TBs are placed in PMOCs because they don't disappear as often.

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My geocaching partner put out his first TB and it was picked up from the cache and has finally been placed in a preium members only cache. I'm upset on his behalf. We're both eager to see his TB travel the world and this person has already hung on to the TB for two weeks and now who knows how long it's going to take for the TB to be moved from this "restricted" cache.

 

How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

I would rather have my coins and TBs in Member caches...they are alot safer then caches that can be viewed by just anyone.

I couldn't agree more!
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...How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

I never once thought about it. It's possible my TB has traveled in and out of a PMOC. I don't know that it's ever been in a restricted cache.

However your preemptive complaint may or may not be a waste of your time. If it moves you wasted your rant. If it doesn't, you won't know until later.

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...How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

I never once thought about it. It's possible my TB has traveled in and out of a PMOC. I don't know that it's ever been in a restricted cache.

However your preemptive complaint may or may not be a waste of your time. If it moves you wasted your rant. If it doesn't, you won't know until later.

 

If it moves along quickly then great! If it doesn't, then that proves my point. Either way, I've made people think about where they're dropping off TBs and to keep them moving along as quickly as possible for the fun and enjoyment of everyone.

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My geocaching partner put out his first TB and it was picked up from the cache and has finally been placed in a preium members only cache. I'm upset on his behalf. We're both eager to see his TB travel the world and this person has already hung on to the TB for two weeks and now who knows how long it's going to take for the TB to be moved from this "restricted" cache.

 

How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

Two whole weeks!! Wow!! I've been waiting for for this one to write home a bit longer:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=1652

 

I'm always happy when they move on, its fun watching thier travels. Enjoy where they go and when they write home.

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My geocaching partner put out his first TB and it was picked up from the cache and has finally been placed in a preium members only cache. I'm upset on his behalf. We're both eager to see his TB travel the world and this person has already hung on to the TB for two weeks and now who knows how long it's going to take for the TB to be moved from this "restricted" cache.

 

How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

It did bug me until I became a premium member ;)

 

It's frustrating to not be able to view the cache page but I'm sure it will move along just as quickly as it would in a non-premium member cache; only (as it's been said), it's likely a little safer in the PMOC

Edited by ThirstyMick
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If you really don't want your TB put into member-only caches, perhaps you should make it part of your TB's goal. Of course, the problem with goals is that cachers often don't see the goal until AFTER they have picked up the TB. If they're doing multiple caches in a single day, they may pick up and drop a TB in a single outing without seeing the goal. Adding something like a keyring with the goal printed on it can help prevent that kind of thing.

 

Having said that, I think if your TB had a label asking to not be placed in member-only caches, it would probably get moved even less than a "go anywhere" bug. I certainly don't look to see if a cache is member-only or not when out caching. In fact, I've never looked since becoming a member. Given the price of a GPS unit, the price of membership is pretty tiny by comparison. I've spent way more on fuel getting to cache locations.

 

TB movement is pretty much out of your control once you release the bug. That's part of the fun of it - you never know where it's going to pop up next.

Edited by Crid
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Have you read how the TB thing works? It's COMMON for TBs/Coins to sit for weeks or more at a time, it's also common that someone might grab and hold a TB/coin for long periods of time!

 

As many have said, you are worried about the SAFER caches, I'd be more worried about the non-member caches than the MOC (MHO).

 

A TB gets dropped into a cache, it might be grabbed within hours or it might sit for months. When it gets grabbed, it might sit for hours or it might sit for months. If you want to see traveling, you might want to drop a few more coins! I've got several traveling, sometimes I get a couple moves a week, sometimes I don't see movement for some time!

 

Good luck and have patience!!

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If it moves along quickly then great! If it doesn't, then that proves my point. Either way, I've made people think about where they're dropping off TBs and to keep them moving along as quickly as possible for the fun and enjoyment of everyone.

 

You are correct.

Next time I move bugs/coins, I will put them in PMO caches!

If, that is I can find one! ;)

PP

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Two whole weeks!! Wow!! I've been waiting for for this one to write home a bit longer:

 

http://www.geocaching.com/track/details.aspx?id=1652

 

I'm always happy when they move on, its fun watching thier travels. Enjoy where they go and when they write home.

 

Congrats on this one being found after lost so long. I just grabbed a green jeep that was placed in a different cache over a year ago. Not sure how he got to the one I found but I'm moving him closer to Colorado next week.

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I can think of several things. I am pretty new, still learning. Even when I think I know what I am doing, I learn even more. A trackable (Travel Bug or Geocoin) could go missing from any cache, members only or not. I would think that to a point a members only cache would be safer...only members can view online but then muggles can stumble upon it still. I have heard many stories of trackables only lasting a few months before they are MIA. I have heard stories of someone seeing that their trackable was last grabbed by someone/thing (muggle, elements, premium member as well as free member) then never seen again. I keep being told over and over that anytime you release a trackable into a cache you are taking a chance to never see it again. Some people are lucky and see theirs, others not so lucky.

 

If you are worried about your trackable I would think that a quick email to the cache owner could help you. If nothing else the cache owner could let you know status, move to non member cache, etc.

 

The only thing that I have found to be certain about this hobby/sport/adventure/addiction is that everything changes.

 

Good luck.

ttfn

Donna

 

PS. My friend and I are premium members. We go caching with our children as well as her dh...they are free members. So they kinda have to go with us on our treks.

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About 1/3 of all my TBs just disappeared off the planet - never to be seen again. It happens. Sometimes they sit in a cache for 6 months. I figure those are gone and then suddenly somebody logs that they took it out.

 

I stopped getting all bent out of shape over Tbs long ago. I set them free and wish them all. Nothing more I can do without moving them around myself.

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How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

I see you are posting from Calgary. If the bug is around here it won't be an issue because almost every cacher in the area I have met is a paid member of Geocaching. It's very rare to run into a "non-member".

 

As others have said, I would rather see my bugs/coins end up in caches that are a little harder. With coins being a favourite target of thieves I'd actually prefer my coins to end up in puzzle caches, long multis or caches which require a significant hike.

 

It's frustrating when you are new to the trackable game because you want to see lots of movements -- I know I sure did. Some trackables will last a long time, some will only last a little while. Some will sit idle for months, some will move a lot. It's the luck of the draw so try not to worry about it too much. Just remember the golden rule of trackables: Never release anything if you want to see it again.

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My geocaching partner put out his first TB and it was picked up from the cache and has finally been placed in a preium members only cache. I'm upset on his behalf. We're both eager to see his TB travel the world and this person has already hung on to the TB for two weeks and now who knows how long it's going to take for the TB to be moved from this "restricted" cache.

 

How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

I am a new TB owner, but this would not bother me. Maybe it would if I wasnt a premium member, but I would buy a premium membership before I would buy a TB.

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I think if your TB had a label asking to not be placed in member-only caches, it would probably get moved even less than a "go anywhere" bug. I certainly don't look to see if a cache is member-only or not when out caching. In fact, I've never looked since becoming a member. Given the price of a GPS unit, the price of membership is pretty tiny by comparison. I've spent way more on fuel getting to cache locations.

I agree. I select my caches and plan my routes offline using pocket queries, and the basic pocket query data doesn't tell me whether or not a cache is a MOC. Typically I don't discover that fact until I go online to log my find. "Oh... that was a MOC. Hooray."

 

So, if I saw a TB with a goal tag saying that it wanted to avoid MOC's, I would leave it in the cache right where it is. Too much trouble, and why risk a run-in with a bug owner who gets indignant about any deviation from their wishes. Too bad, since I travel a lot, and I generally enjoy moving bugs hundreds or even thousands of miles to help their missions or just give them a nice ride.

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...How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

I never once thought about it. It's possible my TB has traveled in and out of a PMOC. I don't know that it's ever been in a restricted cache.

However your preemptive complaint may or may not be a waste of your time. If it moves you wasted your rant. If it doesn't, you won't know until later.

 

If it moves along quickly then great! If it doesn't, then that proves my point. Either way, I've made people think about where they're dropping off TBs and to keep them moving along as quickly as possible for the fun and enjoyment of everyone.

 

Actually, six of the 17 TBs I have released have completely disappeared, and that was out of "regular unrestricted caches". If they had been placed in a "restricted cache" they may have lasted longer.

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How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

I would be absolutely delighted if my trackables landed in an MOC!!!

 

As many fine premies have already stated, the trackable is much more likely to not be lost, stolen, never logged out and back into a cache, or picked up and held due to confusion in the MOC. Also, as many premies have pointed out, PMs who can see the MOC caches tend to keep an eye on local MOC caches, for the express purpose of moving along a trackable.

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I'm sorry but I can't believe you're griping about this. And you know what, a MOC is probably a nicer cache, one less likely to get muggled, one more likely to be visited by cachers interesting in helping your bug complete it's goal, etc. I pay no attention to whether caches I drop bugs into are MOC or not, I just look for good caches I want to encourage others to visit and figure the TB will give them more of a reason to do so.

 

Scrubs

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If it moves along quickly then great! If it doesn't, then that proves my point.

It not moving would not prove your point. A bug could not move in any cache, MOC or other. I recently found a TB in a regular cache that had not been visited in six months. It wasn't a difficult cache or in difficult terrain, just no one had been there.

 

It looks like the TB you are talking about is "UBC Okanagan" TB1R5H0. It is currently in GC10A7X, a cache that has been found 14 times since being placed on Oct. 14. It seem like the cache is found quite often, including just 2 days after your bug was placed there. Did you look at that cache's history before deciding that your bug would be stuck there for a long time?

 

By the way, on your TB page your photo of the tag clearly shows the tracking number. You might want to change that photo so that the tracking number is blotted out. Otherwise anyone could discover/move/pickup/drop off/etc. your TB without ever touching it.

 

Happy caching!

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If it moves along quickly then great! If it doesn't, then that proves my point.

 

Well not really. You have no idea whether it would have been any different had the cache not been a MOC.

Exactly. It is simply a fact of life that most TBs do not travel very fast, if it all. They may sit in someone's backpack or in a dresser drawer for 6 months at a time, and they may also languish in a regular cache (i.e., a non-PMOC cache) for 8 months or vern for two or three years before being moved -- this is just a fact of life. While I am not personally into TBS and geocoins (I feel that they are the mark of the devil and a tool which the nefarious alien grays use to track us), most geocachers around here prefer to see their TBS and coins placed in PMO caches, as they are much safer there and the caches tend to be frequented by a somewhat higher caliber clientele (this statement is not a slam against non-Premium members in general, but rather a realistic recognition of the fact that a greater number of trolls and hooligans are found in that group than in the group of Premium members.)

 

BTW Brian, I had a great piece of stollen yesterday. While searching for frozen chicken liver in our freezer, I stumbled upon an entire 3 pound frozen fruit stollen from Germany. I defrosted a big chunk of it and have been eating it ever since. sigh....!

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My geocaching partner put out his first TB and it was picked up from the cache and has finally been placed in a preium members only cache. I'm upset on his behalf. We're both eager to see his TB travel the world and this person has already hung on to the TB for two weeks and now who knows how long it's going to take for the TB to be moved from this "restricted" cache.

 

How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

 

To each their own. I won't personally discriminate either way. A cache is a cache.

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I just dumped three coins in a PMOC and didn't really realise it was a PMOC till I got home. Oh, well. I don't think it makes much difference anyway.

 

I think PMOC is probably the least of concern for moving trackables. Much bigger issues are people who don't get out caching for a while (which is the reason I dumped the three today- held them a little long), people who discover but do not move them, and the proliferation of caches that aren't big enough for trading.

 

Anyway I think premium members tend to like TB's so i doubt they will stay in a PMOC any longer than a standard listed cache.

 

Fewer people will see the listing with the bug, but there are still PLENTY of cachers that will see it and they are probably more experienced and dedicated cachers that are more likely to treat the bugs right.

 

Nothing like having a newbie grab a bug and not know how to log it.

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It seems to me that there are more MOC's out there these days than there are otherwise. So, the question is, knowing this, why would someone place a TB out there expecting it to not go to a MOC? That says a lot about a person. HINT HINT

 

The REAL discussion should not be about something so pitiful. Anyone that has placed any amount of TB's out there in the world will tell you that there are fake cachers out there that steal TB's. Be glad that you still know where your TB is located.

 

As for those saying that their TB has been in a cache for a long period of time, well, that's partially their own fault. If you have a TB that hasn't moved for a while, then contact someone in that area to move it for you. At the very least, get them to pick it up and mail it to you COD. How? Do a zip code search for the area in which the cache is located and start checking the profile of users who logged it. If the profile has little or no info and not many finds, then go to the next. Find a user who caches in the area with a lot finds and more than basic information on their profile. That tells you that they have nothing to hide and are hopefully not shady.

 

So again, the real question is why Groundspeak doesn't require specific info from users who sign up. Info like getting an IP address of a user which would allow them to block that user in the future if anything shady comes up... like stealing. After all, it is stealing becasue people pay thousands of dolars for coins that get "pirated" It's not that cheap to by TB's and other equipment used to place the TB.

 

Worried that a TB is going into MOC's... get real!

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I'm glad to see that your TB had a short and pleasant stay in the MOC. It isn't the cache owner's responsibility to ensure that TB's move out of an owned cache though. I'll take no blame nor credit for the activity at this cache of mine. It's had over 1000 visits during it's five year run, so I'm sure over 1000 TB's have passed through it without incident. My responsibility as the cache owner is to keep the contents dry and warm and refresh the log book when needed.

 

And please do heed the advice to relax and let your TB enjoy it's journey without being micromanaged. Your angst level will thank you in the long run. I had one vacation in Hawaii for over a year without so much as a postcard. ;) But it's still alive and has almost 26,000 miles on its odometer.

Others have fallen off the face of the earth; such is the life of a geo-traveler.

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My Girlfriend sat out a TB Hotel about 5 weeks ago. We check on it every week. It is open to the public.

 

On the last check of the hotel, it was in disarray, and every TB/Coin that was supposed to be in it was missing. Maybe somebody took them and just hasn't logged them yet.... maybe somebody that's not supposed to find the Hotel took them... and they'll never be logged. One of the recent cachers that visited the hotel had like 4 finds to their credit. Not saying they pulled all of the travelers, not saying anyone pulled them all.

 

But, she is considering a new location for the hotel. If she does that, she is going to make it Members only at that time. I absolutely do not like members only caches.... except with a TB Hotel, it just makes sense to make sure it is hidden well, but still relatively easy to get to. That's a hard combination. However, she owes it to her guests to have a fair chance at staying alive and in the game.

 

We're going to be checking it pretty much daily until she decides where to put it and when to move it, if ever. I wouldn't be surprised to see it converted to a members only cache very soon.

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How do other TB and geocoin owners feel when their TBs or geocoins are placed in restricted caches?

I don't mind at all if our TBs are placed in premium-members-only caches.

 

I don't mind if they're placed in difficult puzzle caches, or long multicaches, or caches that are visited very infrequently.

 

I don't mind if someone holds onto one for a month or two before dropping it.

 

I don't mind if our bugs take weird detours.

 

I don't mind if they land in countries where I don't speak the language and that babelfish has no Englsih translator for (as is currently the case for our TB Bridget -- we've been enjoying watching her travels through Finland, even though we can't understand half of the logs <_< )

 

Just about the only thing that irritates me about bug placement (and it really irritates me <_< ) is when they land in travel bug prisons with bug-for-bug trading rules, where the cache owner has assumed the power to decide who can and who can't move my bug.

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Noticing that all but 1 reply (other than OP) has been a Premium Member- I'll throw in my 2 cents..... I just like to see my bugs move, but I also like to see where they're sitting/visiting. Would be nice to see at least a general description of cache (no coords or hints or such) when a bug moves in.

 

Simple, become a member and support the site that is the key to your hobby!

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