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Travel Bug app


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2 hours ago, ''mykez'' said:

I have hidden my first cache, I dropped a Travel Bug in there and it’s currently waiting review. I can’t wait till it’s published. 

 

I have noticed there isn’t a simple way to track a travel bugs journey. Is there an app for travel bugs? 

 

You can track the journal of a travel bug on the TB page.  Here's a map of a TB that I put out several years ago that eventually came back home:

 

https://www.geocaching.com/track/map_gm.aspx?ID=971013

 

 

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8 hours ago, ''mykez'' said:

I have noticed there isn’t a simple way to track a travel bugs journey. Is there an app for travel bugs? 

 

Whenever a trackable belonging to you (or have on watch)  is Dropped, Retrieved, or Discovered ,  you get notification in email.

 - That's pretty simple...  :)

The only time it isn't is when it's "Visited" (took it to logs...) , and easy to look on the cache page to see who might have it last in that instance.

 

Not sure what added benefit a "Trackable app" ("Travel Bug"  only one version of trackable...)  would serve.

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1 hour ago, hayemaker said:

It is an interesting idea, though. It easy enough to go to my insurance company's website page and pay my bill there, but they offer an app for easier use. I could see where this could get some use. 

 

When you can enter trackable actions on the geocaching app as you're logging your finds, please explain how entering an additional app afterwards is "easier".  Thanks.  :)

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Because you just log in the app and view the logs at ease. Rather than views by them in a mobile browser where most the time you have to zoom in and shuffle around the screen a bit. 

 

Its 2018, mobile web browsers should of been made redundant by now lol 

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3 hours ago, ''mykez'' said:

Because you just log in the app and view the logs at ease. Rather than views by them in a mobile browser where most the time you have to zoom in and shuffle around the screen a bit. 

 

Its 2018, mobile web browsers should of been made redundant by now lol 

I admit I'm slower than most, so I am not quite getting what is asked. When I go to the official app, I already have the ability to view any trackable's complete history, or description or goal, whether by entering tracking code or reference number. The only thing that is missing, that is otherwise viewable on a browser, is the map and miles. If maps and mileage are what you are looking for, perhaps rather than asking for a separate app, you could make a feature request to have maps and mileage added to the already existing app.

Edited by Team Christiansen
my poor grammer
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4 hours ago, ''mykez'' said:

Because you just log in the app and view the logs at ease. Rather than views by them in a mobile browser where most the time you have to zoom in and shuffle around the screen a bit. 

 

Its 2018, mobile web browsers should of been made redundant by now lol 

 

Personally I find navigating applications "easier" with a keyboard and mouse.   Accessing  trackable information using an mobile app may be more convenient for those that almost exclusively access the internet with a smart phone, but some things still work better as a web application.   As suggested, a mobile web browser allows one to access content from pretty much any web site and doesn't require installing a native application for everything one might want to do with a smart phone.   

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On 7/15/2018 at 4:40 AM, NYPaddleCacher said:
On 7/15/2018 at 3:17 AM, ''mykez'' said:

I have hidden my first cache, I dropped a Travel Bug in there and it’s currently waiting review. I can’t wait till it’s published. 

 

I have noticed there isn’t a simple way to track a travel bugs journey. Is there an app for travel bugs? 

 

You can track the journal of a travel bug on the TB page.

 

On 7/15/2018 at 5:37 AM, ''mykez'' said:

Yeah I have seen that I just wondered if there was an app to make things easier 

 

I use the official GC app for caching, and dropping and retrieving trackables in the field.  That way I don't forget which cache I dropped one at or where I picked one up.  My inventory and the cache inventory is as accurate and up to date as I can make it.

 

I log all my Finds and DNF's as drafts though, and then complete the log for posting at home on the computer.  Then I "visit" TB's selelctively, post any photos I may have taken. and maybe edit the TB logs for those I dropped or retrieved.  For me, that's much easier and less error prone than logging on my phone. 

 

I can view all the log entries for the TB's via the GC app.  As others have noted, the map is not there in the app, but other than that, is there any other functionality you need for TB's that isn't available in the GC app?  

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11 minutes ago, Max and 99 said:
17 minutes ago, CAVinoGal said:

 

I can view all the log entries for the TB's via the GC app. 

I didn't even know I could do that on the app.

Yup - If you go to your inventory, or the inventory in a cache, and tap on any of the TB's, it will bring up the description, the goal, etc... Activity will show the most recent, but tap on View All and you'll see all the logs that have been entered, Visits, drops, retrieves, discovers - all of it!

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There is a lot of room for improvement on the trackable webpages.

Right now all you get are total number of logs, total number of pictures, and miles.

 

Information if you wanted you would need to compile:

1. Number of cachers to move the bug

2. Number of cachers to discover the bug

3. Types of caches the bug has visited

4. Which state/countries a bug has visited

5. Number of logs per cacher

6. Time each cacher has held the bug

7. Time spent in caches

8. D/T of the caches visited

9. Longest stretch without a log

10. Most logs in a day/week/month/year

11. Most mileage in a day/week/month/year

12. Number of pictures from each cacher

13. Total number of favorite points of caches the bug has visited

14. Total number of favorite points of caches the bug has been in

etc.    

 

Even the map page is missing a lot of information that would be nice.

For instance right now you point at a number on the map and get the name of the cache.   It would be nice if you could click the name and scroll to the log.   Also it would be nice if the ones with pictures or logs of 10+ words were color coded differently.  It would also be nice if the log on a travel bug and the log of the cacher on the cache were linked.   That way you could click through and read any information there if you wanted to.   

 

 

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4 minutes ago, hayemaker said:

@mykez

 

Was going to install Geocaching app and this showed up in suggestions.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.capslock.tbscan

 

I have not installed it so I don't know exactly what it does as far as your question but it is strictly TB related.

It is a fun convenient app that actually scans the tracking code on the trackable and lets you log a grab or a discovery right then. Some fonts can't be scanned and it does take practice to get it to work right, but once you get the hang of it, it is fun. 

 

You can also manually type the tracking code in. The reference number doesn't help. Once you type in (or scan) tracking code, you can view trackable description and mission, and view previous logs. But like the official app, it doesn't show map or mileage.

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5 minutes ago, hayemaker said:

@mykez

 

Was going to install Geocaching app and this showed up in suggestions.

 

https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=ch.capslock.tbscan

 

I have not installed it so I don't know exactly what it does as far as your question but it is strictly TB related.

 

If you've been typing a lot of Tracking Numbers in a row, such as discovering TBs at an Event, TBscan can speed up the process.  It's available now for IOS and Android.


Here's a thread about it:

 

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5 minutes ago, Team Christiansen said:

It is a fun convenient app that actually scans the tracking code on the trackable and lets you log a grab or a discovery right then. Some fonts can't be scanned and it does take practice to get it to work right, but once you get the hang of it, it is fun. 

 

You can also manually type the tracking code in. The reference number doesn't help. Once you type in (or scan) tracking code, you can view trackable description and mission, and view previous logs. But like the official app, it doesn't show map or mileage.

I forgot to mention -- if you have already taken numerous photos of trackables at an event, you can tell TBScan to look at those photos on your device and it will attempt to read the codes on the photos and allow you to post a log.

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15 minutes ago, Team Christiansen said:

I forgot to mention -- if you have already taken numerous photos of trackables at an event, you can tell TBScan to look at those photos on your device and it will attempt to read the codes on the photos and allow you to post a log.

 

That sounds pretty cool!  I always take the pictures anyway, with and without the Tracking Number shown, in an attempt to keep everything straight. :)

 

I don't use a TB App. "Discoveries" only, that's OK.  But there's so much that will probably always require a PC at home, especially creating decent TB logs after posting the cache "retrieved TB" and "dropped off" logs (Re-sizing photos, anyone?  Blacking-out a Tracking Number?), I keep notes and post everything later.  If I pick up a TB from a cache, its logs are often all scrambled anyway.  "The App" would have to be very powerful to be any help with that.

 

Edited by kunarion
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15 hours ago, kunarion said:

 

If you've been typing a lot of Tracking Numbers in a row, such as discovering TBs at an Event, TBscan can speed up the process.  It's available now for IOS and Android.


Here's a thread about it:

 

Hi. 

 

I have just tried the tbscan app, just to see what it does, it just asks me to sign in with my GC.com details and basically it looks nothing different to the GC app, 

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2 hours ago, ''mykez'' said:

I have just tried the tbscan app, just to see what it does, it just asks me to sign in with my GC.com details and basically it looks nothing different to the GC app, 

 

Most all Geocaching Apps require "authorization", where you sign in.  That part's not very exciting.

 

TBscan is designed for one thing, logging "Discoveries" on a bunch of TBs quickly.  I just now noticed it has templates.  "Saw this at Event X, thanks for sharing".  Pretty decent App for someone who invented it at age 15!

 

Maybe I'll go suggest features that would speed up my process.  I post (resized smaller) photos such as group photos of TBs with other TBs, human-typed logs, I check the "mission", and try to figure out if the TB is original (sometimes it automagically became replaced with a different toy when the original toy was coveted).  Among thousands of robot logs, I post one that actually shows that the TB is "alive".  But it's a slow process if there's a table of these things.  Don't worry if you don't think "Discover" logs are worthwhile. Nobody does.  People at the Event make a point to come over and tell me so.

 

 

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19 hours ago, kunarion said:

I don't use a TB App. "Discoveries" only, that's OK.  But there's so much that will probably always require a PC at home, especially creating decent TB logs after posting the cache "retrieved TB" and "dropped off" logs (Re-sizing photos, anyone?  Blacking-out a Tracking Number?), I keep notes and post everything later.  If I pick up a TB from a cache, its logs are often all scrambled anyway.  "The App" would have to be very powerful to be any help with that.

 

Agreed.   I figure home's the best place too, when some take long-enough to "correct" that I'm wanting a coffee supply.    :)

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4 hours ago, ''mykez'' said:

I have just tried the tbscan app, just to see what it does, it just asks me to sign in with my GC.com details and basically it looks nothing different to the GC app, 

 

Not at all. Here are 3 screenshots: main page, scanning a book @hzoi would like, and manually entering tracking code.

 

main.thumb.jpg.d32181d9cda1fff52496eeb5561fc024.jpg     Scan.thumb.jpg.f939cd9a2f14989d352e2351be82861d.jpg     manual.thumb.jpg.cfa0cf46421afef4805891cdfbc96896.jpg

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30 minutes ago, Team Christiansen said:

 

Not at all. Here are 3 screenshots: main page, scanning a book @hzoi would like, and manually entering tracking code.

 

main.thumb.jpg.d32181d9cda1fff52496eeb5561fc024.jpg     Scan.thumb.jpg.f939cd9a2f14989d352e2351be82861d.jpg     manual.thumb.jpg.cfa0cf46421afef4805891cdfbc96896.jpg

Mine looks nothing like that. It asks me to sign in with my gc account. Which I do. Then it just loads the gc homepage 

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32 minutes ago, ''mykez'' said:

Mine looks nothing like that. It asks me to sign in with my gc account. Which I do. Then it just loads the gc homepage 

 

If you're excited about being able to quickly "Discover" a lot of TBs at Events, you should ask at the TBscan.com web site.  A bunch of Apps (and even site features) have historically had trouble figuring out special characters in cacher names, even if it's just a space!  You have quotation marks in your cacher name.

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3 minutes ago, kunarion said:

A bunch of Apps (and even site features) have historically had trouble figuring out special characters in cacher names, even if it's just a space!  You have quotation marks in your cacher name.

 

Good catch. I think that may eventually catch up with me since I have a space in mine. But it hasn't been a problem yet. I have heard that new cachers can't have spaces in their names now.

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On the website on your profile page you can review your logs and choose for the kind of logs you and to look back at.

 

Your Logs (Last 30 Days)

Show all logs for: Geocaches, Trackable Items, or Benchmarks

 

This is how I look back at coins that I have retrieved and deposited. Somehow I can't figure this out in the app. Maybe it's only possible as a membership owner. Would be strange since as a non premium cacher I can have a look back at it on the website, why not in the app?

 

So yeah, I would love to have some app that could give me this option. If any of you find one please let me know.

 

 

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25 minutes ago, hukilaulau said:

I would pay for an app that did this: condense logs by one cacher to where they picked it up and where they dropped it off. Part of what I used to love about the TB part of the game was following a TB's travels. The hundreds of "took it to" logs have just about ruined that. Any way to do that?

 

That sounds like a job for helper software such as GSAK.

 

Wait... you say there was a hundreds-of-took-it-to Taker who eventually did drop it off?  Cool! :)

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On 9/8/2018 at 10:36 AM, kunarion said:

 

That sounds like a job for helper software such as GSAK.

 

Wait... you say there was a hundreds-of-took-it-to Taker who eventually did drop it off?  Cool! :)

I know, right? But it does happen. Seems like there should be a way to only show first and last log from any individual name.

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13 hours ago, hukilaulau said:

Seems like there should be a way to only show first and last log from any individual name.

 

I notice one of my coins was placed into a cache, after 4 months of no notice... yeah, while it was Visiting a bunch of places the whole time.  "Wasn't it in Japan?"  While paging back, back, back, to see which cache it was last in, I thought of this thread! :)

 

 

Edited by kunarion
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On 08/09/2018 at 3:09 PM, hukilaulau said:

I would pay for an app that did this: condense logs by one cacher to where they picked it up and where they dropped it off. Part of what I used to love about the TB part of the game was following a TB's travels. The hundreds of "took it to" logs have just about ruined that. Any way to do that?

 

I’d agree that a TB’s visits to say, 100 caches along a power trail would be tedious, but there might still be some interest in its movement.

 

I picked up a TB in Greece last week, and dipped it into a few caches in Croatia and Bosnia & Herzegovina before bringing it back to UK.  I know if it were my trackable, I’d be really happy to see that.

 

Maybe, it would be nice to be able to hide those small incremental movements...

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On 2018-09-08 at 8:09 AM, hukilaulau said:

I would pay for an app that did this: condense logs by one cacher to where they picked it up and where they dropped it off. Part of what I used to love about the TB part of the game was following a TB's travels. The hundreds of "took it to" logs have just about ruined that. Any way to do that?

 

Shouldn't need an app.  Groundspeak needs to fix this somehow.  They've wrecked the magic that the TB sub-game used to have.

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1 hour ago, Viajero Perdido said:

Shouldn't need an app.  Groundspeak needs to fix this somehow.  They've wrecked the magic that the TB sub-game used to have.

 

Kind of agree.

Years ago, we knew (and knew of) a couple of hoarders.

This "visit" option has turned many into hoarders, just using other people's property to redundantly keep track of their find count.

We didn't notice many people Drop n Retrieve a backpack full of trackables to multiple caches daily (maybe limited to certain areas ?).

Now everyone notices,  and  don't understand why that logging oddity was made easier.  

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On 9/22/2018 at 2:18 PM, Viajero Perdido said:

Groundspeak needs to fix this somehow.  They've wrecked the magic that the TB sub-game used to have.

^This

But it seems even the majority of TB owner don't care or are even happy with this development. I don't get it.

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2 hours ago, Hynz said:
On 9/22/2018 at 2:18 PM, Viajero Perdido said:

Groundspeak needs to fix this somehow.  They've wrecked the magic that the TB sub-game used to have.

^This

But it seems even the majority of TB owner don't care or are even happy with this development. I don't get it.

 

I care, but since nothing has been done about it, I have become resigned to it.

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On 22/09/2018 at 1:18 PM, Viajero Perdido said:

 

Shouldn't need an app.  Groundspeak needs to fix this somehow.  They've wrecked the magic that the TB sub-game used to have.

 

As I suggested above, I think that used with care and in moderation, the visit option can provide the trackable owner with an interesting story.  Would you want to get rid of it entirely, or somehow restrict its use?

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On 9/9/2018 at 6:48 PM, hukilaulau said:

Seems like there should be a way to only show first and last log from any individual name.

I'd want a middle ground: show Grabbed and Dropped logs, of course (even though most Dropped logs are empty), and show Visited logs only when there is content.

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After grabbing and dropping other people's travelbugs for a while we finally decided to get some of our own bugs.

Now personally I would be extremely interested in an app in which I can 'track' the movement of my bugs. Such an app could be standalone or integrated as feature in the geocaching app. 

Preferably I can define for which actions (drop, grab, visit) I am getting a notification. 

Hoping some aap programmer out there sees the challenge.. :-)

 

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7 hours ago, monger39 said:

After grabbing and dropping other people's travelbugs for a while we finally decided to get some of our own bugs.

Now personally I would be extremely interested in an app in which I can 'track' the movement of my bugs. Such an app could be standalone or integrated as feature in the geocaching app. 

Preferably I can define for which actions (drop, grab, visit) I am getting a notification. 

Hoping some aap programmer out there sees the challenge.. :-)

 

 

Something like Geooh GO which (besides having a built-in TB scanner and bulk logger) can show your trackables and their logs, photos, and travels?

 

Screenshot_20190815-195920.thumb.png.1b8f262ccc25342f5ff002ff6cf66ecf.pngScreenshot_20190815-195943.thumb.png.56b0be643c7207d8e84f79b32c021e03.pngScreenshot_20190815-200021.thumb.png.1451d86ecd5d61afb905ded23720caab.png

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hmm, never saw that answer coming in ...

I did not now the Geooh app. Just did some browsing. Looks to be a great app and it would indeed answer the challenge of tracking my bugs, but afaict Geooh

would not be able (yet) to work with an offline map such as OSM. I use that mostly due to the limited detail in maps like GoogleMaps. That icw the app being a

(yearly?) paid one, is just a bit too much. 

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On 7/16/2018 at 8:47 PM, CAVinoGal said:

Yup - If you go to your inventory, or the inventory in a cache, and tap on any of the TB's, it will bring up the description, the goal, etc... Activity will show the most recent, but tap on View All and you'll see all the logs that have been entered, Visits, drops, retrieves, discovers - all of it!

well, that may be true for a TB you have in your hands.. but what about a TB that you (originally) dropped, and want to follow? After it's taken by some other cacher, it's no longer available in your inventory. As mentioned in another post, the Geeoh app would be able to do this, but I think it should be in the standard app. If I register a TB, I should have the option to keep it in my inventory! Or any other TB for that matter. Could this generate lots and lots of (move) notifications ... maybe yes, but that would be up to me right .. 

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11 hours ago, monger39 said:

but what about a TB that you (originally) dropped, and want to follow?

I usually put that TB on my watchlist, and follow it for a couple of drops and retrieves.  Once I have moved it to another cache, it is really out of my hands, though I am curious and like to see who picks it up and where it goes, to a point.  I review my list of watched TB's every month or so, and remove some that have been moved around and I no longer am interested.  Basically, I like to assure myself that the TB I dropped into a cache gets picked up and moved along; once that happens I take it off my watchlist.

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11 hours ago, monger39 said:

If I register a TB, I should have the option to keep it in my inventory!

You should have a list of your owned trackables in your profile (on the website).  There you can track where they all are and follow their travels.  You can always view and edit your owned trackables, but technically they are not in your "inventory" as they are either in a cache or in someone else's inventroy (whoever picked them up).

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11 hours ago, monger39 said:

If I register a TB, I should have the option to keep it in my inventory!  Or any other TB for that matter

 

If you never send it out, it'll stay in your inventory, otherwise, it's in the inventory of whoever has it at the time.  :)

Curious what you mean by "or any other" though ...   

 - If talking about another person's property, you're simply "borrowing" it for a while to move it along. 

We've only done trackable Drops/Retrieves, or Discovers on the website.  We never felt any app we ever used replaced the website...

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15 hours ago, monger39 said:

hmm, never saw that answer coming in ...

I did not now the Geooh app. Just did some browsing. Looks to be a great app and it would indeed answer the challenge of tracking my bugs, but afaict Geooh

would not be able (yet) to work with an offline map such as OSM. I use that mostly due to the limited detail in maps like GoogleMaps. That icw the app being a

(yearly?) paid one, is just a bit too much. 

 

Geooh can use OSM Mapsforge maps. It's not a yearly paid app... $4.99 once and then if you want the features that require ongoing 3rd party services that have a cost, it's only .99 cents every six months... MUCH cheaper than the gas you'll buy while out caching.

Edited by SpiritGuide
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