How to create 'trackable' sig item

[+Pilkojr]

Hi All,

 

I started geocaching yesterday, by being invited on a geocaching hike close to home. I'm hooked!

 

Those of us that I went caching, were talking about crafting a sig item for the group. Some small craft item that we'd create ourselves, and personalise. We would love to make this item trackable by including serial number of sorts on each item, but we don't know where to start in regards to making an personally crafted item trackable.

 

Any help/advise would be greatly appreciated.

 

Regards,

Nag

[+ipodguy]

Welcome to geocaching!

 

Creating trackable sig items is a bit tough. Each trackable item for geocaching.com has its own unique code that is purchased from Groundspeak. If you plan to leave the trackable sig item in each cache, it will wind up costing you lots of money.

 

If you really wanted to do it, you could attach your sig item to a Travel Bug or you could have geocoins created, but it would get expensive.

 

I suggest buying some Travel Bugs to make your trackable sig item and only leaving them in caches you really, really like.

 

Good luck!

[+kunarion]

The Geocaching term "Trackable" is for The Travel Bug or Trackable Geocoins. They are available for purchase, which includes the Tracking Number and a special web page to follow its travels. You may attach a Travel Bug to most anything.

 

Many people place a handmade item in caches, with a request for an email when people find it. If you did that, you'd track it yourself. If you're only making one, it probably doesn't need a "serial number", but you could use a serial numbering system that makes sense to you.

 

Signature items are usually considered trade items (Official Geocaching Trackables are not). So if you make your own sig item intended to travel, be sure to include clear info that you'd like it moved to another cache.

[+Gitchee-Gummee]

Trackable number codes are available in bulk through Groundspeak.

You cannot concoct a number and expect to be able "track" it with any reasonable degree of efficiency.

 

Geocaching.com is owned by Groundspeak, it is their website that does the tracking and therefore, they control what does/doesn't get tracked. It is a for-profit business and they have the right to do it that way.

 

You could have another website do the tracking for you, but understand that most geocachers will not go through the trouble of signing onto a different website just to record what you desire. It just doesn't happen. I've seen other items that do that and they just don't get logged.

 

This and similar questions pop up occasionally.

 

What kunarion eludes to is true, if you cannot really make it so that other folks understand that your item is "trackable", it probably won't go far. What you want to do is not a new idea, but sig items and trackable items have been around a long time... they are different animals. By combining the two, there will be an amount of confusion. Confusion generally equates to little if any, movement.

[+Pilkojr]

Thank you all for your response so far.

[+hobgoblinkiteflier]

You could buy a Geocoin or Travel Bug tag and use the tracking number for your signature item. You would keep the original item and not let it travel. I have seen this sort of thing with Geocoins that the owners don't want to put out in the wild. They create a proxy - a laminated picture of the coin and send that out instead.

 

If you include the code and the words "trackable on geocacing.com" I think your traveller stands as good a chance as any regular trackable. However, you can only use one code per item, otherwise it would be seen as an abuse of the system and get locked.

[+redwoodkestrel]

I've seen cachers create their own tracking website for signature items they've created. For example, digitalfish.

 

So if you have someone savvy enough to create the website, you'd just have to include a tracking number and the website url with each item.

[+J Grouchy]

I've seen cachers create their own tracking website for signature items they've created. For example, digitalfish.

 

So if you have someone savvy enough to create the website, you'd just have to include a tracking number and the website url with each item.

 

That's cool. I found a far less tech-savvy personal trackable in a cache back in January...searching for it online led me to this site: http://thatthingilike.wordpress.com/cache/

[+KazumiSun]

Welcome. And have Fun

[+Pilkojr]

You could buy a Geocoin or Travel Bug tag and use the tracking number for your signature item. You would keep the original item and not let it travel. I have seen this sort of thing with Geocoins that the owners don't want to put out in the wild. They create a proxy - a laminated picture of the coin and send that out instead.

 

If you include the code and the words "trackable on geocacing.com" I think your traveller stands as good a chance as any regular trackable. However, you can only use one code per item, otherwise it would be seen as an abuse of the system and get locked.

That's a great idea hobgoblinkiteflier.

 

I've seen cachers create their own tracking website for signature items they've created. For example, digitalfish.

 

So if you have someone savvy enough to create the website, you'd just have to include a tracking number and the website url with each item.

 

Redwoodkestrel, this is a great idea. I just so happen to know a web-savvy person. Might look into this a little more.

 

Thank you.

[+MtnMutt-ProDuckShins]

Up here in the NW we have a gentleman called TotemLake. Every month he put together a HOTM or Hike of The Month. All participates got a Signature item which represented that Hike.

 

These hikes were to get to a certain Cache with several others along the way. The Special Sig piece would be dropped off at that Cache which the Hike was about.

 

No, these were not traceable but the fact was each who went on HOTM got a Sig piece and each Sig piece was different from the previous HOTM.

 

Create and have fun with it.

[+FalseFruit]

You could buy a Geocoin or Travel Bug tag and use the tracking number for your signature item. You would keep the original item and not let it travel. I have seen this sort of thing with Geocoins that the owners don't want to put out in the wild. They create a proxy - a laminated picture of the coin and send that out instead.

 

If you include the code and the words "trackable on geocacing.com" I think your traveller stands as good a chance as any regular trackable. However, you can only use one code per item, otherwise it would be seen as an abuse of the system and get locked.

Wow! That's cool, how about GeoKret?

[+kunarion]

how about GeoKret?

It's possible to make or use a different tracking web site, but it would have to be very simple to use. Many cachers balk at signing up to web sites to log a found item. Also, "free tracking" sites come and go. "Geokrety" was down for a long time, is it back? A "sigitem" site I once intended to sign up for, stopped accepting new items. But if you're tech savvy, make your own site, and use "QR Codes"... people gleefully fill their phone memory with QR Code Apps.

 

Typically, a Non-Groundspeak "trackable sig item" won't require a whole new web site for management, since its travels are not particularly complicated. Simply attach your email address and ask for a note when someone wishes to tell you about it.

Edited October 9, 2013 by kunarion