Inactive TB

[+Aer72]

If there is no activity on a TB for months and months in a cache that has been found many times after it was placed in there what should I do?

[+paticpatic]

I usually leave a note in the cache log asking the next person that finds the cache to see if my travel bug is gone and let me know?  Give that a try as it will confirm if your travel bug is still there.

[+Aer72]

25 minutes ago, paticpatic said:

I usually leave a note in the cache log asking the next person that finds the cache to see if my travel bug is gone and let me know?  Give that a try as it will confirm if your travel bug is still there.

thanks 

[+cerberus1]

I don't think it's nice to use another's cache as a retrieval info site for my side game, and wouldn't ask others (in a note) if they'd spot it for me on the cache page.  On "a cache that has been found many times", that note soon may be too far down for anyone to even notice it anyway. We know of a couple people who tried this, and they all said no one responded.  Add in that few read cache pages of hides 1.5/1.5 or less (much less logs too...) and no wonder...

Best to simply read logs yourself, looking for the telltale "no trackables in cache" mentioned, and if it has been month n months, mark it missing.

[+kunarion]

7 hours ago, aer72 said:

If there is no activity on a TB for months and months in a cache that has been found many times after it was placed in there what should I do?

 

My large stuffed toy duck (which half fills an ammo box) went to Europe, and sat in a cache with no logs. I asked on the cache page, and one reply was that it's gone, another reply was that it's still there .  The Cache Owner later marked it Missing.

What you do as a TB Owner depends on the TB and the cache. Ask here in the Forum, with specifics. But don't post the Tracking Number online.

Have you provided clear information on the TB's page about the situation?  If someone happens to view the TB page (which may happen if they find no TBs in a cache where yours is listed), how much detective work is required just to determine if there's a problem?  Sometimes the TB is only the loose metal tag, and it's sitting inside the container just fine, under all the trash.  TB Owners tend to have a generic Description, other cachers can't tell what may be attached, and there's no clue that there's an issue, or that the TO even cares about it.

 

[+cerberus1]

8 hours ago, kunarion said:

Sometimes the TB is only the loose metal tag, and it's sitting inside the container just fine, under all the trash.  TB Owners tend to have a generic Description, other cachers can't tell what may be attached, and there's no clue that there's an issue, or that the TO even cares about it.

Agreed.  Most TOs we find trackables from these days are long gone, or could care less.  Sent out n done. Kinda amazing that their TBs are still around really...

Majority of times when a frantic TO emails and asks me to look in our own caches for their side-game (and I say "when I do maintenance...") , that tag is in the bottom of the ammo can with whatever was attached, missing.   Kid wants the cool toy, not that "thing" with it... 

When we read "no trackable" logs, we found there's a real good chance that it's still in there, just a tag  (people don't rummage in ammo cans like one'd think), and they just didn't see it.        Should be easier with pill bottles, peanut butter jars, and gladware...

Fortunately, now that most won't think of releasing geocoins these days, most of that problem's gone for us.  They get lost in swag easy...

[+dprovan]

On 3/2/2018 at 1:23 AM, aer72 said:

If there is no activity on a TB for months and months in a cache that has been found many times after it was placed in there what should I do?

First, I'm going to intentionally misunderstand your question and say that what you should do is go visit the cache to see if it's there.

But, of course, you're talking about one of your TBs that's sitting in a cache on the other side of the world. So in that light, by first answer is that should hope someone near the cache follows my other advice. And my second answer is that you should assume your TB is missing. Then if it turns out that it's just been overlooked for a while, you'll be all the happier when it moves on.

You can post a note as people are suggesting, but I doubt it will help.

[+CAVinoGal]

On 3/2/2018 at 5:45 PM, cerberus1 said:

... When we read "no trackable" logs, we found there's a real good chance that it's still in there, just a tag  (people don't rummage in ammo cans like one'd think), and they just didn't see it.    

Fortunately, now that most won't think of releasing geocoins trackables these days, most of that problem's gone for us.  They get lost in swag easy...

If I'm going for a cache and there are trackables listed, I will LOOK for those trackables.  And if I log that there are no trackables, I have gone through the contents to ensure my log is accurate.  I can't speak for anyone else, except for the two others who I do most of my geocachng with, and they operate the same way.  Likewise, if I find a trackable that is not listed in the inventory, I will try to figure out how it ended up in the cache where I found it to make the logs accurate. 

And I do release trackables of my own, with something attached, and a "mission".  If I pick up a trackable, I will do my best to move it in accordance with the mission, and take pics if requested.  I have gotten emails from appreciative owners for taking care of "xxx" travel bug for them and that's always nice.

I am well aware that not all play the game this way - things go missing more often than they get moved from cache to cache and logged properly.  I would like to see my trackables move and travel, that's why I released them!!  I won't lose sleep if they disappear; I'll enjoy their movement while it lasts.

Geocoins (typo above?  intentional?) on the other hand, is a different matter. My son has collected hundreds, and hands out his own as a collectible item, not as a travel item.  I'm not playing that game at this point.

[+cerberus1]

On ‎3‎/‎2‎/‎2018 at 8:45 PM, cerberus1 said:

When we read "no trackable" logs, we found there's a real good chance that it's still in there, just a tag  (people don't rummage in ammo cans like one'd think), and they just didn't see it.        Should be easier with pill bottles, peanut butter jars, and gladware...

Fortunately, now that most won't think of releasing geocoins these days, most of that problem's gone for us.  They get lost in swag easy...

On ‎3‎/‎4‎/‎2018 at 10:17 AM, CAVinoGal said:

If I'm going for a cache and there are trackables listed, I will LOOK for those trackables.  And if I log that there are no trackables, I have gone through the contents to ensure my log is accurate.  I can't speak for anyone else, except for the two others who I do most of my geocachng with, and they operate the same way. 

I simply won't log a trackable missing if I don't look myself.  No offense, but not even if you...   Many claim they trade swag and sign logs too. 

There's only been a handful of times that we went to the ammo cans to find the trackable was indeed missing.  In fact, one had half a dozen mentions of "trackable missing" in with their logs, and I found the travel bug tag stuck to the side of the can.    

 

[+CAVinoGal]

4 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

I simply won't log a trackable missing if I don't look myself.  No offense, but not even if you...   Many claim they trade swag and sign logs too. 

I don't actually log the trackable as "missing" - I can't do that unless I'm the TO?  But I will mention in my log that I found no trackables, especially if we went to the cache expecting to find trackables.

No offense taken - I realize I can write whatever I want here (or in my online logs) and the only way for someone else to be absolutely sure I wrote truth is to check it out for themselves.  Truth is so much easier though - no need to remember what I made up ... LOL!

[+Aer72]

On 05/03/2018 at 8:07 PM, CAVinoGal said:

I don't actually log the trackable as "missing" - I can't do that unless I'm the TO?  But I will mention in my log that I found no trackables, especially if we went to the cache expecting to find trackables.

No offense taken - I realize I can write whatever I want here (or in my online logs) and the only way for someone else to be absolutely sure I wrote truth is to check it out for themselves.  Truth is so much easier though - no need to remember what I made up ... LOL!

I do because if it is in a reguarly found cache it may annoy future finders to have a trackable not actually in the cache it is listed in.

[+Aer72]

17 hours ago, aer72 said:

I do because if it is in a reguarly found cache it may annoy future finders to have a trackable not actually in the cache it is listed in.

For example blue boss one of my Tbs has been in Bolt Head for over half a year. Ihave now marked it missing andmessaged the finder after me.

[+noncentric]

I wonder if Project-GC's TB Rescue page would help?  https://project-gc.com/Tools/TBRescue

I haven't used it and don't know a lot about it, but it appears to be a free service of the site, without requiring PGC Membership.

[+NanCycle]

11 hours ago, noncentric said:

I wonder if Project-GC's TB Rescue page would help?  https://project-gc.com/Tools/TBRescue

I haven't used it and don't know a lot about it, but it appears to be a free service of the site, without requiring PGC Membership.

I have used TB Rescue and have had a couple actually rescued.

[+Team Christiansen]

On 3/5/2018 at 1:07 PM, CAVinoGal said:

I don't actually log the trackable as "missing" - I can't do that unless I'm the TO?  But I will mention in my log that I found no trackables, especially if we went to the cache expecting to find trackables.

Not just trackable owners, but the owner of the cache that the trackable is logged in, can mark it as missing.

Additionally, some can automatically be marked as missing:

• A trackable will automatically be moved to an Unknown Location if all three conditions are true:
  1. The trackable has been in the same geocache for more than one year.
  2. The trackable has not been logged as "Discovered" in more than one year.
  3. There have been at least four finds on different days on the geocache in which the trackable is located.

[+little-leggs]

On 13/04/2018 at 9:05 PM, Team Christiansen said:

Not just trackable owners, but the owner of the cache that the trackable is logged in, can mark it as missing.

Additionally, some can automatically be marked as missing:

• A trackable will automatically be moved to an Unknown Location if all three conditions are true:
  1. The trackable has been in the same geocache for more than one year.
  2. The trackable has not been logged as "Discovered" in more than one year.
  3. There have been at least four finds on different days on the geocache in which the trackable is located.

interesting , I'm trying to come up with the wards needed to start my own thread , re - TB Inventory's , this has given me food for thought , thank you   

[+cerberus1]

44 minutes ago, little-leggs said:

interesting , I'm trying to come up with the wards needed to start my own thread , re - TB Inventory's , this has given me food for thought , thank you   

I think it's misleading...   IIRC, it isn't an actually an "automatic" thing as much as at certain times they're somehow (maybe with an algorithm) marked missing once and done - until next time.

[+little-leggs]

7 minutes ago, cerberus1 said:

I think it's misleading...   IIRC, it isn't an actually an "automatic" thing as much as at certain times they're somehow (maybe with an algorithm) marked missing once and done - until next time.

not keen . there must be a better more transparent way .... 
more thinking .... needed