Dipping Trackables

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

Hubby and I have planned a trip and have created a route for geocaching along the way (about 500 miles.) We have 10 geocoins that we would like to place in the caches that we find along the way, but we would like to have the coins show up as starting from our home area. Also, the true mileage the coin has traveled would be more accurate if we dip it near our home so that the miles will be added to the culmulative further travels of the coin.

 

What I have done so far is not working. We have found a local cache, signed the log, then at home done the following: When logging the find for that cache we added the coin as going into that cache, and then went right to the coin's page and logged that we retrieved it because, obviously, the coin isn't in the cache, plus we need the physical coin back to take with us on our trip. This will be the only "dip" we will make, and then once we leave the coins in the caches along the way they will head off on their respective missions.

 

However, after doing this, what is happening is that the coin is showing up as back "in the hands of the owner" (which is right) BUT it is not showing any miles traveled from our home coordinates to the cache in our area. I can't figure out how to do a sequence of logs to make this work and have the miles traveled to show up for the coin, yet keep the coin. I know there is a way to do this, and have tried to find the exact method to "dip" but have only found discussions about the concept and not the literal process of how to log it.

 

Any help? It would be really appreciated! Thanks!

Edited April 9, 2010 by Desert_Trailblazers

[+BlueDeuce]

Hi, first of all you don't want to post tracking numbers anywhere online or show it in photos. You can instead use the reference number located on the upper left of the coin page. e.g TB3CGAE. You'll want to edit your posting and remove the tracking number.

 

It won't allow people to log it without having found it.

 

Concerning the mileage, you won't have any trackable mileage until you traveler has been logged through two caches.

 

Enjoy your coins!

Edited April 9, 2010 by BlueDeuce

[+StarBrand]

If that was the very first cache they were placed in - then the mileage would be zero.

 

Mileage does not start from your home coordinates but rather from the first cache they were in.

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

Hi, first of all you don't want to post tracking numbers anywhere online or show it in photos. You can instead use the reference number located on the upper left of the coin page. e.g TB3CGAE. You'll want to edit your posting and remove the tracking number.

 

It won't allow people to log it without having found it.

 

Concerning the mileage, you won't have any trackable mileage until you traveler has been logged through two caches.

 

Enjoy your coins!

 

Thanks for that info on the tracking number. There are two numbers associated with coins, and it has been confusing to me which is the one that is ok to have the general population see. Is it ok to post the TB#?

 

So is what you are saying is that I would have to "dip" it in my area twice before we go on our trip?

[+StarBrand]

...

So is what you are saying is that I would have to "dip" it in my area twice before we go on our trip?

No - your good to go now - but it won't show any mileage until you dip on the first cache of your vacation.

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

...

So is what you are saying is that I would have to "dip" it in my area twice before we go on our trip?

No - your good to go now - but it won't show any mileage until you dip on the first cache of your vacation.

 

Well, we will be leaving the coins in the caches at the next stops. That was kind of our idea - to have them all start out from different locations along the route to sort of commemorate the trip. But it sounds like we didn't even need to do anything before we leave home. We could have just activated the coins and then dropped them in the caches along the route, and it would show that mileage from our home coordinates to that cache (say 115 miles, for example.) Is this correct, and if it is, do you only dip coins when you want to keep them with you all them time and never leave them? Otherwise, I don't really see the reason to "dip" a coin.

 

Sorry I'm feeling really dumb about this! These are the first trackables we have ever used and put out in the world!

[+StarBrand]

...

So is what you are saying is that I would have to "dip" it in my area twice before we go on our trip?

No - your good to go now - but it won't show any mileage until you dip on the first cache of your vacation.

 

Well, we will be leaving the coins in the caches at the next stops. That was kind of our idea - to have them all start out from different locations along the route to sort of commemorate the trip. But it sounds like we didn't even need to do anything before we leave home. We could have just activated the coins and then dropped them in the caches along the route, and it would show that mileage from our home coordinates to that cache (say 115 miles, for example.) Is this correct, and if it is, do you only dip coins when you want to keep them with you all them time and never leave them? Otherwise, I don't really see the reason to "dip" a coin.

 

Sorry I'm feeling really dumb about this! These are the first trackables we have ever used and put out in the world!

No - the mileage from your home coords to the first cache wll NOT be recorded ever. Only from the first cache they are in to all subsequent caches.

 

People 'dip' caches for a lot of reasons but mainly as a way to record caching miles.

[+BlueDeuce]

These are good questions so don't worry about asking them.

 

The reference number located on the upper left of the traveler page is the public number. It will NOT allow you to log a discover, grab or retrieve. Feel free to post the reference number in your log or forum post.

 

The tag number (or tracking number) is the private number (the secret number that allows you to log a discover, grab or retrieve log) Never post the tag number online or show the number in a posted picture.

 

I always recommend logging your bug/coin locally before taking it on a trip. That way the mileage start close to home. Your 'Home Location' that you set on your profile will not be part of the mileage tracking. It is only recorded going from cache to cache. The mileage will show up starting from the first cache after you have placed it in the next cache. When we say 'starts' that means when you place it in the next cache, say somewhere in Iowa, then the mileage will show up going from the first cache to the second.

 

Dipping is when you want to give your traveler credit for having visited the cache but it wasn't left behind. You would use dipping as you are doing now, starting it close to home before dropping it off further down the line. You might dip a coin when you have visited a cache, but the container was too small to hold it and you couldn't leave it there.

Edited April 9, 2010 by BlueDeuce

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

...

So is what you are saying is that I would have to "dip" it in my area twice before we go on our trip?

No - your good to go now - but it won't show any mileage until you dip on the first cache of your vacation.

 

Well, we will be leaving the coins in the caches at the next stops. That was kind of our idea - to have them all start out from different locations along the route to sort of commemorate the trip. But it sounds like we didn't even need to do anything before we leave home. We could have just activated the coins and then dropped them in the caches along the route, and it would show that mileage from our home coordinates to that cache (say 115 miles, for example.) Is this correct, and if it is, do you only dip coins when you want to keep them with you all them time and never leave them? Otherwise, I don't really see the reason to "dip" a coin.

 

Sorry I'm feeling really dumb about this! These are the first trackables we have ever used and put out in the world!

No - the mileage from your home coords to the first cache wll NOT be recorded ever. Only from the first cache they are in to all subsequent caches.

 

People 'dip' caches for a lot of reasons but mainly as a way to record caching miles.

 

Okay, let me see if I have this correct. Since I have dipped it in a cache in our local area, it will start the mileage from there. Right? But the problem is that in my trackables list, when I "retrieve the coin" it takes the previously posted mileage away! I know that I'm doing something wrong in how I'm logging a dip. Could anyone tell me the exact steps on how to dip? Thanks StarBrand for being patient with me...

[+BlueDeuce]

...

Edited April 10, 2010 by BlueDeuce

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

These are good questions so don't worry about asking them.

 

The reference number located on the upper left of the traveler page is the public number. It will NOT allow you to log a discover, grab or retrieve. Feel free to post the reference number in your log or forum post.

 

The tag number (or tracking number) is the private number (the secret number that allows you to log a discover, grab or retrieve log) Never post the tag number online or show the number in a posted picture.

 

I always recommend logging your bug/coin locally before taking it on a trip. That way the mileage start close to home. Your 'Home Location' that you set on your profile will not be part of the mileage tracking. It is only recorded going from cache to cache. The mileage will show up starting from the first cache after you have placed it in the next cache. When we say 'starts' that means when you place it in the next cache, say somewhere in Iowa, then the mileage will show up going from the first cache to the second.

 

Dipping is when you want to give your traveler credit for having visited the cache but it wasn't left behind. You would use dipping as you are doing now, starting it close to home before dropping it off further down the line. You might dip a coin when you have visited a cache, but the container was too small to hold it and you couldn't leave it there.

 

Okay, I think I understand now! lol! I think all of this will be more clear after we start making our first real drops. It is nice that one can go on the pages and edit these logs, so if we find that things didn't work out the way we wanted we can fix it. But your explanation is very good, and I really appreciate the details. Thanks for a great explanation! And, also, thanks for making me feel a little less dense!

 

Now that I understand what I can post on the Forum, I will put an example here of what we have done, and then you all can see if I have done this right. One example, we "dipped" TB3CGAJ in cache #GC259EA "Water Works" which is in Scottsdale, Arizona. Basically, we signed the log at Water Works, added the activated coin to the cache contents "on paper" when we logged our find, then went to the coin page and retrieved it. Right now it is showing zero miles traveled, but if I understand what you are saying, when we actually leave it in the next cache, say in Indio, California, it will then show the mileage from the Scottsdale cache to the Indio cache. After that, it's on it's own for others to move along. I hope I'm getting this! Whew!

 

Again, thanks for everyone's help!

[+BlueDeuce]

One example, we "dipped" TB3CGAJ in cache #GC259EA "Water Works" which is in Scottsdale, Arizona. Basically, we signed the log at Water Works, added the activated coin to the cache contents "on paper" when we logged our find, then went to the coin page and retrieved it. Right now it is showing zero miles traveled, but if I understand what you are saying, when we actually leave it in the next cache, say in Indio, California, it will then show the mileage from the Scottsdale cache to the Indio cache.

 

Exactly! The only thing is that it wasn't just on paper. You dropped the coin into the online cache page listing and retrieved it. That will show on the coin page.

 

The next drop into the next cache listing it will show the mileage between the first cache to the second cache.

 

 

uhmmm, Unfortunately now we'll have to talk about the fact that the system doesn't always update the mileage correctly. But there's a fix for that!

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

One example, we "dipped" TB3CGAJ in cache #GC259EA "Water Works" which is in Scottsdale, Arizona. Basically, we signed the log at Water Works, added the activated coin to the cache contents "on paper" when we logged our find, then went to the coin page and retrieved it. Right now it is showing zero miles traveled, but if I understand what you are saying, when we actually leave it in the next cache, say in Indio, California, it will then show the mileage from the Scottsdale cache to the Indio cache.

 

Exactly! The only thing is that it wasn't just on paper. You dropped the coin into the online cache page listing and retrieved it. That will show on the coin page.

 

The next drop into the next cache listing it will show the mileage between the first cache to the second cache.

 

 

uhmmm, Unfortunately now we'll have to talk about the fact that the system doesn't always update the mileage correctly. But there's a fix for that!

 

Uhmmm, okaaaay... should we talk about it now or when it messes up?!

[+BlueDeuce]

Due to recent system problems you may have to hit the recalculate button to get the mileage current.

 

Access the coin/bug page and under the Trackable item Option hit recalculate distance and click Go.

 

[+Desert_Trailblazers]

Due to recent system problems you may have to hit the recalculate button to get the mileage current.

 

Access the coin/bug page and under the Trackable item Option hit recalculate distance and click Go.

 

 

THANKS!!!