Please Log your TBs!

[PG 378]

We have cached in 11 states in the last 4 months. Because we travel so much, we can move TBs quickly. We love to trade them. PROBLEM: People don't log them correctly. In these last 4 months, 66 TBs have been listed in caches and were not there! When you take or trade a TB or Coin, PLEASE log them out. We also own a few TBs that are out there lost. Somebody took them and never logged them. We have no way of knowing where they are.

TBs and Coins are supposed to be logged also, not just the cache. It is frustrating to go to caches expecting to do a TB trade, only to find out they are not there.

I don't mean to rant here, but folks really need to know how to do this! The 66 were only in the last 4 months, there have been hundreds in the last year!

Obviously this is an issue all over the country!

 

We love caching,

Steve

[Keystone]

I am moving this thread from the Geocaching.com Web Site forum to the Travel Bug forum.

[+Walts Hunting]

I hope your release of emotions has made you feel better. Sometimes it helps. I am actually surprised that someone with over 800 finds would still be aggravated by this.

 

This has been an issue since the start and will always be there. You basically have two choices.

 

1. Get over it.

2. Stop moving TB's

 

As long as we allow humans into this hobby this will occur. Someone will not doubt post a long message about why this occurs but all that is irrelevant. It's a fact.

 

The best solution is two margaritas.

[+dakboy]

Don't worry about trades - the trading rules for swag don't apply to TBs.

 

Pick up the TBs you see, drop them in places you think are good, lather, rinse, repeat. Don't get hung up on seeking one specific TB, or doing a 1-for-1 trade on TBs in caches.

 

I try to move every trackable I see, but rarely do I find myself at a cache (that isn't a TB Hotel) where I can actually swap.

[+godavid]

We have cached in 11 states in the last 4 months. Because we travel so much, we can move TBs quickly. We love to trade them. PROBLEM: People don't log them correctly. In these last 4 months, 66 TBs have been listed in caches and were not there! When you take or trade a TB or Coin, PLEASE log them out. We also own a few TBs that are out there lost. Somebody took them and never logged them. We have no way of knowing where they are.

TBs and Coins are supposed to be logged also, not just the cache. It is frustrating to go to caches expecting to do a TB trade, only to find out they are not there.

I don't mean to rant here, but folks really need to know how to do this! The 66 were only in the last 4 months, there have been hundreds in the last year!

Obviously this is an issue all over the country!

 

We love caching,

Steve

I AGREE !!!!!!

i only target the bigger cache's now and i go after the 0nes that do have TB's in them i do like finding TB's,and sometimes there is NO TB there so listen LOG them !!!

[7rxc]

I've often wondered just how many 'not there' TB's started out as well intentioned but gone awry attempts at Dipping the trackable... dropping it but not realizing that it should be retrieved again... then the cacher gets frustrated and drops out of caching in a few weeks. We do see logging problems all the time here...

Discovereds rather than retrieves, grabs from people before logs get made, so they don't etc. There is lots of room for things to go wrong... not to mention dropping in the wrong cache ID (one character errors) or miss logging the TB/GC numbers...

 

Did the OP ever note which TB/GC's were not there? Did they mention it in the logs, to either the TB or Cache owners? If not, there isn't much one can do to fix it. The owners won't know there is a problem, or even other cachers who could (but don't) confirm the status... If the owners are not active, there are other means to correct the listing (Eartha, maybe others, once confirmed).

 

There is a glitch that shows trackables in the first cache even when retrieved or grabbed on occasion.

BD could point more at that one, but it usually gets resolved with the next grab or retrieval.

 

Doug

[PG 378]

A couple of you are missing the point. A "trackable" is not a "trackable" if it is not logged.

The Groundspeak Admin asked me to start this thread to help get the info out about logging TBs. We did more caches today that show TBs in them, but were not there. Some have been missing since 2007 and 2008! Why not just teach people how to log their finds correctly. It is a courtesy to all other cachers to keep cache info current. One missing here or there is one thing, but this is a chronic issue.

Anyway,

Happy caching all!

[+BlueDeuce]

<snip>The Groundspeak Admin asked me to start this thread to help get the info out about logging TBs.

<snip> Why not just teach people how to log their finds correctly.

 

That's pretty much all we do here. You need to talk to the people who don't visit the forums.

 

The most current discussion over in the coin forum: Please Mark Trackable Missing

 

There's even a pinned thread up at the top here - What should new geocachers know about trackables?

 

Trust me, when people post here we give them all the information they need.

Edited May 7, 2010 by BlueDeuce

[hoosier guy]

In the short time i have followed some TBs i moved I have seen them listed at one place then found at another a couple times, I try to move them and log them asap.

[+Gooose]

How do you act as owner when your travel bug is listed in one cache and discovered in another? In this case most likely someone has missed logging the transfer.

Should I as the owner grab it and then drop it in the actual relevant cache? Or is there another procedure?

[+KevinWinkler]

As a Noob, I was POed today because I drove 25 miles (50 round trip) out of the way just to pick up a coin that was not where it says it is! (GC1VX6B) So I decided to goto another cache (GC1Q587) to look for a listed object, and it was not there. However, in the same cache, I picked up a TB that is not listed, and I can not even enter the tag number. I already dropped this in a new cache, so I guess it will sit there un-logged until the next person grabs it, or I go back and pick it up until the owner registers it.

[+Chokecherry]

I rarely look to see if travel bugs are at a cache since that is almost always wrong. I'd rather have the happy surprise of stumbling across one in my travels. But I geocache for the travels not for the stuff.

 

If a travel bug is not registered on the site there is a chance it might have been a prize for a lucky finder... So before getting upset about one that you can't log online I would look into that possibility.

[+BlueDeuce]

As a Noob, I was POed today because I drove 25 miles (50 round trip) out of the way just to pick up a coin that was not where it says it is! (GC1VX6B) So I decided to goto another cache (GC1Q587) to look for a listed object, and it was not there. However, in the same cache, I picked up a TB that is not listed, and I can not even enter the tag number. I already dropped this in a new cache, so I guess it will sit there un-logged until the next person grabs it, or I go back and pick it up until the owner registers it.

 

If I want to have a good chance of finding the bug I'll check to see if it has been dropped within the last month.

 

When you don't find the bug in the cache try to mention it in your cache log. This will allow the cache and bug owner to decide if it should be removed from the cache listing.

[+KevinWinkler]

I rarely look to see if travel bugs are at a cache since that is almost always wrong. I'd rather have the happy surprise of stumbling across one in my travels. But I geocache for the travels not for the stuff.

 

If a travel bug is not registered on the site there is a chance it might have been a prize for a lucky finder... So before getting upset about one that you can't log online I would look into that possibility.

 

I wasn't so mad about the TB as I was the coin's ... I was on a mission to make finding my new cache that I placed today that much more rewarding for those people who do look for those items in a cache. No biggie for me, as I do not own the coins in the first place, but this just makes me more aware of what goes on as a noob, and if I would want to waste my $$$ on items that are not played right. Like any game, I do not make the rules, I just play to have fun. However ... If this would be a chess match and someone moved their Knight only one space to put me in check, I'd be venting about it too.

[+Chokecherry]

Any time anything works on the honor system there are going to be situations like this and I would bet this is going to get more frequent as people start depending on phone applications more that do not afford them the ability to log any traveling objects. You pick them up you move them and log your visit on your phone with no where to log that you picked up and/or moved a bug anywhere and you never actually come to the website where all that information is.

 

If you don't want to waste money on these items then don't. I personally haven't spent money on them. I may someday but have not had any driving desire to send objects out.

 

The game is casual and not every plays the same. It's not a chess match where you're playing to win. You're simply playing to play. While it's the right thing to do not everyone logs these items and cache owners do not frequently check if the items listed are actually in their caches. Don't let the lack of courtesy of others ruin the overall experience for you.

 

And if you're going to place a cache and make it rewarding then make it rewarding with swag or whatever. Don't rely on other people's habits to make your cache rewarding. If you want coins in it buy some coins and toss them in.

[+KevinWinkler]

Trust me, I'm not in it for the coins. I started playing so the kids would get a better feel for the GPSr and see how it works. It's hard to explain it out on the lake where they just know that when I stop and say "Here's the next waypoint" it means they are about to catch fish. This gives them a better understanding of why I use/have these gadgets. The cache I placed today (Not yet reviewed) was named "For the love of fishing" This is a sacred place of mine that I want to share with the world. A peaceful out of the way spot on a small river that I grew up hunting and fishing. It's not a revolving door for trinkets/junk/or swag. If I don't see that people enjoy this location for what it is, I'll move the cache and just set it 5 feet off the tar road as a P&G. The only reason outside of giving people who find this cache a little extra fun stuff to go along with the expierance, was to give the GC and TB a better resting place then a Altoid can under a dumpster at McD's where they might have ended up. Looking and reading a lot over the past week has me thinking that MOST but NOT all people who would work to get to a location like this and enjoy it for what it is, probobly would never drop a GC in pill bottle and toss it in the bushes at a rest area. The GC or TB would probably make it to some place cool like the top of a mountain, or under a water fall. I know if/when I buy some TB/GC they will be placed with the same gut feeling in mind in hopes they don't get muggled and end up sitting on someones dresser or in a junk drawer with no clue as to where it might have been destined to end up.

[7rxc]

Right Now I'm out on an extended road trip... research showed a TB that was at a cache I was passing and wanting to get to a cache I was passing... good move potential, plus options to dip in a few enroute...

Got to the cache... nope! I did get the only TB in the cache in order to help it, but it will go home with me since I'm currently several thousand km from where it wants to go, but will be there in a week or so. Meanwhile it will tour with me.

 

The 'missing' TB logs show it was placed in this hotel on a certain date... but no paper log entry for that.

No log for retrieval either... OK so someone forgot to log or was traveling around... that is possible.

Also there may be a typo in the logging process... It may never have been in this hotel at all, but in some cache with a close but slightly different GC number... does it upset me? not reallly... this can happen.

I have notified the world in my cache log and the TB page log, and I'm going to monitor the logs while I travel... I'm going to visit the destination anyway on the route home (to allow more time).. These are things you can do to 'investigate' missing Travellers. Just the first time I've done one on the road.

 

Still, the accuracy and promptness of logs is important , at least to those who care. But there are new to the game cachers that are still figuring it out... actually that is me too, although it is clear in most situations.

 

By all means preaching to the choir isn't all that effective, except that new preachers have to learn somewhere so we all say the same thing... then go forth and educate.

 

Doug 7rxc