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What should new geocachers know about trackables?


OpinioNate

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These days, my biggest pet peeve is when I drop a TB/coin into a cache or event, and I don't have the time to return home to log my found and drop and somebody already have grabbed it!!

Can people be so impatient that they can't wait for a proper drop before doing a retrieve? that they have to do a grab immediately?

 

I believe that the "Grab" feature should be treated just like last resort. Get a warning and a note like "Can't you wait for a proper drop, or contact geocacher by email in parallel before a grab".

When doing a "Need Archive", you get a "You are submitting a note that this listing should be archived. Click "yes" to continue".

When doing a "Need Maintenance", you get a "You are posting a "needs maintenance" log entry. This will add an attribute and alert the owner. Click "yes" to continue".

 

Your thoughts?

Pierre (Tipete)

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Great info in this thread, thanks much!

 

I'm ready to start caching and transporting in earnest with a family adventure planned around the state. We're prepping a bunch of TB's to drop off in various locations. Here's a new question (I've been scouring the forums and haven't come across anything like this):

 

If one of my shiny newly activated TB's has a goal like "visit every state park in the state", can I have it "visit" several caches before dropping it off at its first home? Or does a TB not become loggable until dropped once?

 

Somewhat related, if I'm going on a cross-country trip, is it kosher to stop by a new cache on the way out, but make the first drop at my destination? I'd like my bug's initial location to be near my home, but I don't want to be seen as artificially inflating its mileage. FWIW, I'm also planning on stopping by a TB Hotel near the airport to pick up a few other bugs and give them a several-hundred-mile boost!

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If one of my shiny newly activated TB's has a goal like "visit every state park in the state", can I have it "visit" several caches before dropping it off at its first home? Or does a TB not become loggable until dropped once?

That plan should work. A "Visit" performs the same function as dropping and retrieving the TB.

 

if I'm going on a cross-country trip, is it kosher to stop by a new cache on the way out, but make the first drop at my destination? I'd like my bug's initial location to be near my home, but I don't want to be seen as artificially inflating its mileage.

It's common to do a Visit at a cache near "home" before going on a trip. But you may wait to visit or drop it on arrival, and the mileage will start there. Whatever makes the most sense to you.

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I have found a trackable a few days ago. I logged it in as it should be, but I would like to take it with me to other caches, without letting it there. And put it into another cache next weekend. So my question is, how do I write on the trackabel page, that I took it to a cache? Because I tried and the only thing I can do is write a note. Is it how it should be? Thanks for the help

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I have found a trackable a few days ago. I logged it in as it should be, but I would like to take it with me to other caches, without letting it there. And put it into another cache next weekend. So my question is, how do I write on the trackabel page, that I took it to a cache? Because I tried and the only thing I can do is write a note. Is it how it should be? Thanks for the help

 

Post a note on the cache page.

Before submitting the log scroll down and see your trackable inventory.

Choose the "visited" option from the drop down menu.

Submit your log.

The trackable will not leave your possession.

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I am a starting Geo-cacher and I picked up three separate tracking bugs and a Geo coin. How do I log them and move them onto the next cache. I looked at the FAQ's and the "info"page but it seems like it runs me in circles. Any help would be greatly appreciated so I won't be holding these for very long. My email is Droccon77@Gmail.com

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I may have missed this while reading about trackables so figured I would ask. First I am getting ready to buy some bugs and send them out in the next month just as an adventure and see where they go. My question is; If I find a trackable and due to its mission and the fact that I basically just goecache locally should I just leave it? If I leave it in the cache should I log that it is there or at least send the owner an update that it is there and condition? Just curious of the proper etiquette if I do not take the trackable with me to relocate.

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I may have missed this while reading about trackables so figured I would ask. First I am getting ready to buy some bugs and send them out in the next month just as an adventure and see where they go. My question is; If I find a trackable and due to its mission and the fact that I basically just goecache locally should I just leave it? If I leave it in the cache should I log that it is there or at least send the owner an update that it is there and condition? Just curious of the proper etiquette if I do not take the trackable with me to relocate.

It's fine to make a Discover log, and leave it in the cache.

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Sorry if this in the wrong place as completely brand new to Geocaching after being recommended by a friend who now lives in America! I'd love to get a trackable to send to a cache in their area. Can I send it to any cache I like or do I need to ask owners permission? And do I need to tell my friends it's coming to them? I'd love it to be a surprise!!!

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The last person to retrieve my trackable has had it in their possession for over 6 months and still hasn't placed it. I tried to message them but didn't get a response. I would like to send out my replacement tag. My question is, do I need to mark the original as missing first or do I just write a log saying that I placed my copy in a cache?

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Sorry if this in the wrong place as completely brand new to Geocaching after being recommended by a friend who now lives in America! I'd love to get a trackable to send to a cache in their area. Can I send it to any cache I like or do I need to ask owners permission? And do I need to tell my friends it's coming to them? I'd love it to be a surprise!!!

Sorry no one responded to this! No, you don't need to ask permission. Trackables go in and out of caches all the time. Whether or not you tell your friend is up to you, but eventually you'll want to tell them it's there. ;) (If it gets there, that is.)

 

The last person to retrieve my trackable has had it in their possession for over 6 months and still hasn't placed it. I tried to message them but didn't get a response. I would like to send out my replacement tag. My question is, do I need to mark the original as missing first or do I just write a log saying that I placed my copy in a cache?

No need to mark it as missing, as any action you take will cancel the Missing state. You'll "grab" the TB from whoever has it now, as if you took the original back from them. Then "drop" the replacement in a cache.

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I have a question as a newbie. We (kids and I) keep finding items with what I think are user names on them ( thought they were trackables, they are not). 1 was a name abd we updated via message the owner, but the other has been a complete dead in fir us. Is there somewhere else to log these? Are they even meant to be logged?

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On 7/2/2017 at 8:54 PM, bobbie1414 said:

I have a question as a newbie. We (kids and I) keep finding items with what I think are user names on them ( thought they were trackables, they are not). 1 was a name abd we updated via message the owner, but the other has been a complete dead in fir us. Is there somewhere else to log these? Are they even meant to be logged?

I am new to this but I think you may be talking about path tags. Is there a hole in it at the top? You can register on pathtags.com I was given one by a cacher I met and that's what she told me to do with it. 

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On ‎7‎/‎2‎/‎2017 at 8:54 PM, bobbie1414 said:

I have a question as a newbie. We (kids and I) keep finding items with what I think are user names on them ( thought they were trackables, they are not). 1 was a name abd we updated via message the owner, but the other has been a complete dead in fir us. Is there somewhere else to log these? Are they even meant to be logged?

You don't say what those "items" are, but if there's any place to log them, it'd usually be written on it.

You've found a couple trackables, so you kinda know what to look for.

What you may be finding are signature items, acting as a kind of calling card, simply saying, "we were here ! "  :) 

We find a lot of signature wooden or clay "coins", and other crafty things that folks made for that purpose.

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A general note to newbies...Please, please, please do not join for a short time, grab a bunch of travel bugs and then not send them along. \i cannot count how many of my travel bugs have gone missing, only to discover it was a new person, who got into the hobby for 6 months, grabbed a bunch of travel bugs and then decided they had enough and quit playing....almost as aggravating as those people that steal travel bugs. 

 

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15 hours ago, Gidget75 said:

A quick question.  I have just activated a GeoCoin and a Travel Bug.  Do I put the code stamped on the back of them in my item description/mission? 

No. The code that's stamped onto the item is what the person that finds the trackable will enter onto the website/app to log what they've done with the item (retrieved/grabbed/dropped it).  If you put the code in the item description/mission, then anyone that sees the page will be able to log the item, even if they haven't seen the item in the real world, which could cause problems.

ETA:  If you want to give other cachers the code to view your item's page, then you could give them the "public" number, which generally starts with "TB".  that public number can be seen at the upper-right of the item's page, above the "Trackable Options" section.

 

Edited by noncentric
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16 hours ago, Gidget75 said:

A quick question.  I have just activated a GeoCoin and a Travel Bug.  Do I put the code stamped on the back of them in my item description/mission? 

Your "To Italy" tag has the tracking number listed at the bottom for all to see in "About This Item". 

If you did intend to allow all to "Discover" a trackable they've never seen, the site says,  "Virtual trackables with virtual logs are not encouraged. It is up to the trackable owner to state if they allow this".   Don't be upset later though, when a hundred or better log it the same day at some mega event (from a list).  ;)

 If you didn't, then simply edit the  tracklable's page, removing the code.  Sometimes I'll log a "Discover" with a note on trackables, when the CO showed the code (usually by mistake...), just in case they didn't intend to.  Nice you asked.   :)

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17 hours ago, Gidget75 said:

A quick question.  I have just activated a GeoCoin and a Travel Bug.  Do I put the code stamped on the back of them in my item description/mission? 

As a follow-up to what cerberus1 has already pointed out. It looks like there are 3 trackables that you may wan to edit. Your "Italy" tag, your "Geokid - girl" coin, and your cousin's "Geokid - boy" coin.

 

Most trackable pages do not include the code number that's stamped on the back in the description of the trackable.  Even the Help Center says:

gc-tb1.png.fccfcdfeb9ac9e3dd5aeee5f72e09f8d.png

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When entering a tracking code into the app or web site, as soon as you enter the first character, it tells you that the code is invalid. Some cachers might stop there, and not realize that the code will be recognized as valid only after it has been completely entered.

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9 hours ago, Henru95628 said:

When entering a tracking code into the app or web site, as soon as you enter the first character, it tells you that the code is invalid. Some cachers might stop there, and not realize that the code will be recognized as valid only after it has been completely entered.

 

Curious where you're entering , or see that message.

I tried four times on the trackable search page, and didn't get an "invalid" message.  Thanks.  :)

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I'm not sure if this question has been asked before, but here goes...

 

A while back I picked up a few trackables, and each time I visited another cache it registered that the trackables had 'visited' those caches automatically.  From the start of May, though, it has stopped doing this.  I don't know if there has been a software change or if I need to make a change to my settings, or what. Or maybe I need to manually log them now, but it seems a bit strange, as I never used to.

 

Can someone advise me on this?   Thanks.

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5 minutes ago, Mark142857 said:

I'm not sure if this question has been asked before, but here goes...

 

A while back I picked up a few trackables, and each time I visited another cache it registered that the trackables had 'visited' those caches automatically.  From the start of May, though, it has stopped doing this.  I don't know if there has been a software change or if I need to make a change to my settings, or what. Or maybe I need to manually log them now, but it seems a bit strange, as I never used to.

 

Can someone advise me on this?   Thanks.

I have never personally seen an automatic log for a TB I had with me. I've always had to log a visit manually.   Interesting that your experience is so different!

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7 hours ago, Mark142857 said:

A while back I picked up a few trackables, and each time I visited another cache it registered that the trackables had 'visited' those caches automatically.  From the start of May, though, it has stopped doing this.  I don't know if there has been a software change or if I need to make a change to my settings, or what. Or maybe I need to manually log them now, but it seems a bit strange, as I never used to.

 

Thought I remembered  this was "corrected/fixed"  when this new app came out,  because so many didn't realize the default was on for that auto "visit" function.   Trackable owners having a fit.  

Can't find where I saw it ...   

Were you using the Geocaching app when it worked?    How far is "a while back" ?   :)

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Think I might have solved it!  At the start of May I got a new phone and installed the c:geo app as before.  HOWEVER, I have just seen that the "Set trackables to 'Visited' by default" option wasn't set.  It is now!  Seems the default was set to 'off'. Thanks to cerberus1 for giving me the idea to check this.

 

So now do I go back to the several dozen caches I have found since I got my new phone and change the logs?  Is that even possible?

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35 minutes ago, Mark142857 said:

Think I might have solved it!  At the start of May I got a new phone and installed the c:geo app as before.  HOWEVER, I have just seen that the "Set trackables to 'Visited' by default" option wasn't set.  It is now!  Seems the default was set to 'off'. Thanks to cerberus1 for giving me the idea to check this.

 

So now do I go back to the several dozen caches I have found since I got my new phone and change the logs?  Is that even possible?

I learned something new. I didn't even know there was an option for automatic visits!

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1 minute ago, Max and 99 said:

I learned something new. I didn't even know there was an option for automatic visits!

 

There are at least a couple of Apps that have that setting.  And it's possible to accidentally set it.  A cacher may have lost a TB a long time ago, yet unknowing to that cacher, it's been "logged" through every cache forever.

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7 hours ago, octroop4126 said:

Girl Scout troop just started out geocaching recently. Planning to release a travel bug today. Can someone look at TB7Z1FG is the code it says to give out and tell me if we have all the info entered correctly and ready to release? Thank you!!

It looks ready to go. And yes, don't give out the secret tracking number to anyone who has not seen it, or moved it, use the number you posted.

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2 minutes ago, Ewe&Me said:

In another part of this forum I read how people are annoyed that someone would pick up a TB and move it further away from it’s goal.  How does one know where it’s headed?  

 

The trackable's listing of course. Some trackables also have a note attached with their mission but that may (will!) go missing after a while. One of my trackables was on a mission to come home from Australia, made it to Belgium but then was taken to Ireland and is now in Czechia :wacko:

 

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13 minutes ago, Ewe&Me said:

In another part of this forum I read how people are annoyed that someone would pick up a TB and move it further away from it’s goal.  How does one know where it’s headed?  

 

On the TB's page is a "Current Goal" which may have a destination.  This info may also be attached to the item.

 

tbgoald-1.jpg

 

Edited by kunarion
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So if it’s not attached to the TB most people would not find this out until they get home and go online - so if you moved it further away from it’s goal it would require returning it?  It all seemed so simple when I first started geocaching but now that I’ve been reading this forum with so many rules and regulations it’s taking much of the fun out of it.  

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25 minutes ago, Ewe&Me said:

So if it’s not attached to the TB most people would not find this out until they get home and go online - so if you moved it further away from it’s goal it would require returning it?  It all seemed so simple when I first started geocaching but now that I’ve been reading this forum with so many rules and regulations it’s taking much of the fun out of it.  

It's not so much rules and regulations as it is etiquette.   If you enjoy geocaching but not dealing with trackables,  just don't pick up the trackables.  And, no,  you don't have to return it. 

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53 minutes ago, Ewe&Me said:

So if it’s not attached to the TB most people would not find this out until they get home and go online - so if you moved it further away from it’s goal it would require returning it?  It all seemed so simple when I first started geocaching but now that I’ve been reading this forum with so many rules and regulations it’s taking much of the fun out of it.  

 

I’d say, don’t sweat it.  When so many trackables go missing, most TOs will just be happy to see their trackables are still in the game.  If you’ve picked up a TB but can’t help with its mission, just drop it off as soon as you can.  If you’ve actually moved it away from its goal, drop the owner a message to explain.

 

(The last time I was in US, I picked up two trackables; both, I discovered when logging later, had missions to travel within US.  Unfortunately, I didn’t have the opportunity to drop them before flying back to UK.  It happens.  I messaged the owners and offered my apologies.  What else can you do?)

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1 hour ago, Ewe&Me said:

So if it’s not attached to the TB most people would not find this out until they get home and go online - so if you moved it further away from it’s goal it would require returning it?

 

Similar to IceColdUK,  if the trackable didn't have a current goal in with it, I'd just try to help it along the next time I'm caching  (I only cache with a GPSr).

 - Though I certainly wouldn't mail the Owner "to explain" anything,  when I did nothing wrong ...

Now that many are using phones instead of GPSrs in this hobby,  those people could simply check it's goal there before taking it, if they'd like.    :)

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This seems like an appropriate place to mention something that recently happened to me regarding a TB (the person who grabbed it isn't "new", but well I think they might benefit from this post.

 

We were on vacation, with my phone getting ZERO cell service, and my husband's getting service sometimes. We dropped off a TB in a  cache, then headed back west. I was constantly checking for service. Finally, about an hour after we left the cache my phone beeped with new messages that had been accumulating. I got a notification that someone had visited the cache immediately after us, and grabbed my TB from ME, that I hadn't even yet had the chance to drop the TB online in the cache. I hadn't logged the cache, either. I think an hour is a little fast, although they might not have realized it. Give someone a chance to log the TB before you jump to grab it from them! Even if it takes a couple of days. At the very least, maybe contact them and ask about the situation?

It wasn't until I got the message that I realized the TB I left was one that had to been to China three times, all taken by locals, and I wish I hadn't left it in a cache. Oh well. Too late now.

 

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30 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

 I got a notification that someone had visited the cache immediately after us, and grabbed my TB from ME, that I hadn't even yet had the chance to drop the TB online in the cache. I hadn't logged the cache, either. I think an hour is a little fast, although they might not have realized it. Give someone a chance to log the TB before you jump to grab it from them! Even if it takes a couple of days. At the very least, maybe contact them and ask about the situation?

 

The opposite,  the last holder not logging and not responding to mail.    Still caching though...

A month later I log it "Grabbed", and within an hour, that last holder "regrabbed" it back from me.  No other log.

I emailed the TO, told them I have it in my possession, and I'm just going to drop it in the next cache found unless they want something special done.

 - No response from them either, dropped it in the next cache and forgotaboutit.  I'm not gonna play some game with a freak...

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57 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:

We were on vacation, with my phone getting ZERO cell service, and my husband's getting service sometimes. We dropped off a TB in a  cache, then headed back west. I was constantly checking for service. Finally, about an hour after we left the cache my phone beeped with new messages that had been accumulating. I got a notification that someone had visited the cache immediately after us, and grabbed my TB from ME, that I hadn't even yet had the chance to drop the TB online in the cache. I hadn't logged the cache, either. I think an hour is a little fast, although they might not have realized it. Give someone a chance to log the TB before you jump to grab it from them! Even if it takes a couple of days. At the very least, maybe contact them and ask about the situation?

It happens. Was it a problem? Just log a note instead of a drop and everything's right as rain, isn't it? While an hour might seem fast to you, you have to recognize that the person grabbing the TB has no idea how long it's been there.

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2 minutes ago, dprovan said:

It happens. Was it a problem? Just log a note instead of a drop and everything's right as rain, isn't it? While an hour might seem fast to you, you have to recognize that the person grabbing the TB has no idea how long it's been there.

I had to grab it back before I could log a note to drop it in the cache to show it was in a new state.  They knew from the log that I had just been there the same day as them, and this was still morning. 

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2 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I had to grab it back before I could log a note to drop it in the cache to show it was in a new state.

All you needed to do was log the note saying whatever you would have put in the drop log -- assuming you even edit the drop log -- and explaining that it was grabbed away from you before you could log it into that cache. For extra credit, you could send them a note reminding them to have the TB visit the cache. If they didn't have it visit the cache where they found it, that's on them. When you grabbed it, you put it in the wrong state, and that error wasn't corrected by dropping it in the cache that you know it's no longer in.

 

What you did isn't terrible, you're just making extra work for the person that grabbed it, and you need to make sure they remember to retrieve it again.

 

2 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

They knew from the log that I had just been there the same day as them, and this was still morning. 

You said you hadn't logged it yet, so I assume you're talking about the paper log. I don't know about you, but I don't normally look at the signatures in the paper log, and even if I had, it would take some research to find your relation to the trackable.

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2 hours ago, dprovan said:

All you needed to do was log the note saying whatever you would have put in the drop log -- assuming you even edit the drop log -- and explaining that it was grabbed away from you before you could log it into that cache. For extra credit, you could send them a note reminding them to have the TB visit the cache. If they didn't have it visit the cache where they found it, that's on them. When you grabbed it, you put it in the wrong state, and that error wasn't corrected by dropping it in the cache that you know it's no longer in.

 

What you did isn't terrible, you're just making extra work for the person that grabbed it, and you need to make sure they remember to retrieve it again.

 

You said you hadn't logged it yet, so I assume you're talking about the paper log. I don't know about you, but I don't normally look at the signatures in the paper log, and even if I had, it would take some research to find your relation to the trackable.

The only way to be sure the TB got logged into the state I placed it was to do it myself, especially considering the cache was near a border of 2 states.

 

I'm sticking to my original advice to newbies and TBs.  If you found the TB in a cache, take a minute to check the situation before grabbing it from someone. They may be travelling and unable to log it on the road. 

 

I don't understand this; 

When you grabbed it, you put it in the wrong state, and that error wasn't corrected by dropping it in the cache that you know it's no longer in.

 

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3 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

The only way to be sure the TB got logged into the state I placed it was to do it myself, especially considering the cache was near a border of 2 states.

That's fine if that's the way you want to see it. I see it as you taking a TB that was currently reported where it is and changed that database so that it now reports the TB somewhere it's not.

 

3 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I'm sticking to my original advice to newbies and TBs.  If you found the TB in a cache, take a minute to check the situation before grabbing it from someone. They may be travelling and unable to log it on the road.

I don't argue with this advice -- well, I do a little, but I'll come back to that -- I just point out that just because it's polite to wait when you can wait doesn't mean it's wrong to act right away. I didn't say anything against suggesting the person that grabbed the TB should have given you more of a chance. I was only pointing out to you that it's not that big of a burden on you, the dropper, that he didn't. I've waiting for a TB drop many times. 9 times out of 10, the drop never happens because the drop was never ever going to be logged for one reason or another. So I don't lose sleep over that 1 out of 10 when it really is just that the drop log was delayed because I don't think the problems caused by that were significant compared to the problems caused by the system thinking the TB is somewhere it's not.

 

Since this is a thread about what newbies should know, I'll actually go a little further and quibble with waiting as being good advice for newbies. It's hard enough to get newbies to log TBs at all. The last thing I'd want to teach a newbie is to put the TB aside without logging it to wait for an unspecified and unspecifiable length of time for someone to log the drop. First of all, a newbie is very likely to forget all about the TB when he discovers Pokie Joe Go next week and never geocaches again, so the TB will be completely lost with no chance of anyone finding it. Second, a newbie's going to have a hard time even figuring out how to go back and check whether the TB drop has happened, so telling him to wait half a day for you to drop the TB may mean no one knows where the TB is for weeks until he realizes he still has it and goes to look it up to see whether anything's happened to it. Especially with newbies, the one most important piece of knowledge the database can have is who is holding the TB because that's the person that needs to be reminded he has it if he forgets.

 

3 hours ago, Max and 99 said:

I don't understand this; 

When you grabbed it, you put it in the wrong state, and that error wasn't corrected by dropping it in the cache that you know it's no longer in.

I'm not sure how I can make it clearer. The system correctly understood the TB was in the hands of your new friend that grabbed it. That's the correct state. When you grabbed it, you changed that state to being in your possession, which was clearly false, and when you dropped it you told the system it was in a cache that your friend has already reported it's no longer in. The only part of the state you may have corrected is the fact that it was once in that cache, but, as I say, it's easier and more logical for your friend the grabber to have it visit that cache. If he didn't do that, you should suggest it to him. Once he does do it, there's nothing about the state of the TB that isn't perfectly accurate even if you hadn't grabbed it back.

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On 10/27/2018 at 12:45 AM, dprovan said:

That's fine if that's the way you want to see it. I see it as you taking a TB that was currently reported where it is and changed that database so that it now reports the TB somewhere it's not.

 

I don't argue with this advice -- well, I do a little, but I'll come back to that -- I just point out that just because it's polite to wait when you can wait doesn't mean it's wrong to act right away. I didn't say anything against suggesting the person that grabbed the TB should have given you more of a chance. I was only pointing out to you that it's not that big of a burden on you, the dropper, that he didn't. I've waiting for a TB drop many times. 9 times out of 10, the drop never happens because the drop was never ever going to be logged for one reason or another. So I don't lose sleep over that 1 out of 10 when it really is just that the drop log was delayed because I don't think the problems caused by that were significant compared to the problems caused by the system thinking the TB is somewhere it's not.

 

Since this is a thread about what newbies should know, I'll actually go a little further and quibble with waiting as being good advice for newbies. It's hard enough to get newbies to log TBs at all. The last thing I'd want to teach a newbie is to put the TB aside without logging it to wait for an unspecified and unspecifiable length of time for someone to log the drop. First of all, a newbie is very likely to forget all about the TB when he discovers Pokie Joe Go next week and never geocaches again, so the TB will be completely lost with no chance of anyone finding it. Second, a newbie's going to have a hard time even figuring out how to go back and check whether the TB drop has happened, so telling him to wait half a day for you to drop the TB may mean no one knows where the TB is for weeks until he realizes he still has it and goes to look it up to see whether anything's happened to it. Especially with newbies, the one most important piece of knowledge the database can have is who is holding the TB because that's the person that needs to be reminded he has it if he forgets.

 

I'm not sure how I can make it clearer. The system correctly understood the TB was in the hands of your new friend that grabbed it. That's the correct state. When you grabbed it, you changed that state to being in your possession, which was clearly false, and when you dropped it you told the system it was in a cache that your friend has already reported it's no longer in. The only part of the state you may have corrected is the fact that it was once in that cache, but, as I say, it's easier and more logical for your friend the grabber to have it visit that cache. If he didn't do that, you should suggest it to him. Once he does do it, there's nothing about the state of the TB that isn't perfectly accurate even if you hadn't grabbed it back.

Can you please let it go and move on? I do not agree with your logic, at least the parts I could follow.  My post was TB advice, not an invite to dissect my TB activity and decisions. Let's agree to disagree and drop it, please. Thank you.

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On 10/27/2018 at 2:29 AM, Max and 99 said:

I don't understand this; 

When you grabbed it, you put it in the wrong state, and that error wasn't corrected by dropping it in the cache that you know it's no longer in.

 

I think there’s a little confusion between Max and dprovan on ‘state’.  Max, I assume, wanted to mark a trackable as visiting a particular state (US state, nation state?), presumably to help with its mission.  Whereas, dprovan is discussing the state of the trackable (in cache A, or in the hands of cacher B).

 

I can appreciate Max’s efforts to help with the trackable’s mission, but I wouldn’t go so far as to incorrectly change its ‘trackable-state’, i.e. to put it back in a cache that I know it’s left.

 

There is a danger to this.  If the cacher who grabbed the trackable then physically drops it off in another cache without realising you’ve taken it back, then they won’t be able to log it all (unless they’ve recorded the tracking number).  The trackable will then show in the wrong cache until somebody else can sort it out.

 

That said, personally, I do give people time to log drops, but I understand why others might grab immediately.

 

Edited by IceColdUK
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