Faint Trackable Code Etiquette

[+bigswifty1]

Howdy all. I have a trackable that's in pretty rough shape (it's been travelling hard:)). The code on it is extremely hard to read. I managed to ID it with a bunch of bright lights from various angles and a small amount of trial and error. I have a Dremel with an engraving bit. Do I engrave the code on it so it's legible or leave it as I found it?

 

Mike

[+IceColdUK]

1 hour ago, bigswifty1 said:

Howdy all. I have a trackable that's in pretty rough shape (it's been travelling hard:)). The code on it is extremely hard to read. I managed to ID it with a bunch of bright lights from various angles and a small amount of trial and error. I have a Dremel with an engraving bit. Do I engrave the code on it so it's legible or leave it as I found it?

 

Mike

 

I cant see the owner objecting, but I’d ask them first.

Edited September 25, 2018 by IceColdUK
Typo

[+hzoi]

1 hour ago, IceColdUK said:

3 hours ago, bigswifty1 said:

Howdy all. I have a trackable that's in pretty rough shape (it's been travelling hard:)). The code on it is extremely hard to read. I managed to ID it with a bunch of bright lights from various angles and a small amount of trial and error. I have a Dremel with an engraving bit. Do I engrave the code on it so it's legible or leave it as I found it?

 

Mike

 

I cant see the owner objecting, but I’d ask them first.

 

+1

 

If you don't hear back from the owner, write the code on a slip of paper and tape it to the bug, or put it in a ziplock bag with the bug, or something.  But I wouldn't engrave it without the owner's blessing.

[+cerberus1]

The trackable  doesn't belong to you.    After you mail the TO, asking them what they want to do with it (and they agree...) that's fine.

 - What happens if you slip and ruin the trackable more than before,  kinda thing...

 

I'd probably do similar to hzoi and use a labeling machine, or written on tape, and now in a baggie.

[+bigswifty1]

Thanks everyone for the replies. What I ended up doing was buying a little metal dog tag and engraving the tracking code on it and threading it onto the trackable ball chain.

 

Mike

[+kunarion]

9 hours ago, bigswifty1 said:

Thanks everyone for the replies. What I ended up doing was buying a little metal dog tag and engraving the tracking code on it and threading it onto the trackable ball chain.

 

Mike

 

As long as you first contact the owner and receive approval, that's fine.  Otherwise, it's bad form to attach things to found trackables. You were able to read it, I'm sure I can read it. You found it in a cache because things were generally going well.  I wouldn't make any unilateral changes.

 

Edited September 27, 2018 by kunarion

[+kunarion]

On ‎9‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 4:27 AM, IceColdUK said:

 

I cant see the owner objecting, but I’d ask them first.

 

If it were mine, I'd consider releasing a readable one.  But it's important, whether owner of finder, to bear in mind that the item is traveling as is.  If you put it in a bag, attach or include other things, you've changed the paradigm.  It may be the difference between remaining in the game while a challenge to read, or gone.  I might add as the mission, to decipher the code and let it continue to travel unencumbered. If anyone finds any TB that they can't figure out, they have my permission to place it into a cache anyway. Unaltered. Let it go. You found it, someone else can find it, too.

 

I discovered a TB at an Event, and it was tough to read the tag.  A guy at the event attached a metal-punched copper gardening tag.  Big, easy-to-read numbers.  I got home and realized that the number on that copper tag was the public reference number.  That particular number seems not so bad for a TB in play remaining in play.  I'm all about TBs being allowed to remain free, found in caches, placed again somecache else, found again, for as long a possible.  If that tag instead has a nice, readable actual tracking number added, its photo will get posted with that number in view, and now it's on the circulated lists.  And there's the whole plan shot down.

 

 

 

Edited September 30, 2018 by kunarion

[+bigswifty1]

Noted, thank you, reached out to tb owner.

Mike

Edited September 30, 2018 by bigswifty1

[+kunarion]

On ‎9‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 1:55 AM, bigswifty1 said:

Thanks everyone for the replies. What I ended up doing was buying a little metal dog tag and engraving the tracking code on it and threading it onto the trackable ball chain.

 

Mike

 

Did the engraving itself work out for you? For one of my personal TBs that I carry with me, I bought a dog tag at "PetSmart" which then gets laser-etched in a machine.  Expensive, but engraving is included.  It's very hard to find a non-"pet collar" looking tag there, and I don't want one shaped like a bone, for example.  I set it up in the machine, which engraved the TB name and tracking number, followed by a nice big, readable "PetSmart" logo.

 

So I found a place where I could order exactly what I wanted for about $5 each, where they don't charge by the letter.  Now there are some places on Amazon.com where a complete, engraved tag can be custom made for about $3.  I won't be attaching them to other peoples' TBs, but I have a lot of revived ones (previously "Missing" for a few years), and some kind of tag like that might be perfect.

[+bigswifty1]

On 10/1/2018 at 4:12 AM, kunarion said:

 

 

On 10/1/2018 at 4:12 AM, kunarion said:

Did the engraving itself work out for you? For one of my personal TBs that I carry with me, I bought a dog tag at "PetSmart" which then gets laser-etched in a machine.  Expensive, but engraving is included.  It's very hard to find a non-"pet collar" looking tag there, and I don't want one shaped like a bone, for example.  I set it up in the machine, which engraved the TB name and tracking number, followed by a nice big, readable "PetSmart" logo.

 

So I found a place where I could order exactly what I wanted for about $5 each, where they don't charge by the letter.  Now there are some places on Amazon.com where a complete, engraved tag can be custom made for about $3.  I won't be attaching them to other peoples' TBs, but I have a lot of revived ones (previously "Missing" for a few years), and some kind of tag like that might be perfect.

 

The engraving itself was fine. I bought a cheap circular metal tag at a local store and engraved it myself with a Dremel tool. Not exactly pretty but it works. I waited a few weeks after reaching out to the owner (hence the delay in responding here) and then made a decision. It was impossible to field log the trackable in it's current state so I attached the engraved tag to the chain, enclosed a piece of paper explaining, then released it back into the wild. In case the owner surfaced with a response I dropped it in a cache local to me I can easily get to but which is seldom visited. So far no response from the owner. 

Cheers.

[+cerberus1]

Cool. 

[+Team Microdot]

Anyone would think this was a matter of life and death!

 

The owner has sent this thing out in the world to see what happens to it - knowing that absolutely anything could happen to it.

 

Someone offers to make sure that the trackable number can continue to be read and is made to feel that he's getting involved in some sort of religious practice!

 

It's a bit of metal with a number on it - not a precious family heirloom or religious or historically significant artifact.

 

Give the guy a break.

 

[+hzoi]

On 11/17/2018 at 6:29 PM, Team Microdot said:

Anyone would think this was a matter of life and death!

 

The owner has sent this thing out in the world to see what happens to it - knowing that absolutely anything could happen to it.

 

Someone offers to make sure that the trackable number can continue to be read and is made to feel that he's getting involved in some sort of religious practice!

 

It's a bit of metal with a number on it - not a precious family heirloom or religious or historically significant artifact.

 

Give the guy a break.

 

 

Cool.  We'll keep in mind if we run across your trackables that it's OK to make improvements on them without contacting you first.

 

I think this one could use a nice handlebar mustache.

 

[+Team Microdot]

11 minutes ago, hzoi said:

 

Cool.  We'll keep in mind if we run across your trackables that it's OK to make improvements on them without contacting you first.

 

I think this one could use a nice handlebar mustache.

 

 

Crack on. Enjoy yourself. Couldn't give a fig.

 

You should remember though that the OP was trying to do something helpful rather than issue aggressive threats of vandalism for no useful purpose.

 

I've pretty much given up on any trackables I released anyway. I think that one there might be the only one that hasn't vanished off the face of the planet - which is why I won't be wasting any more money on them. That and I won't have to endure being threatened here on the forum.

[+hzoi]

18 minutes ago, Team Microdot said:

You should remember though that the OP was trying to do something helpful rather than issue aggressive threats of vandalism for no useful purpose.

 

 

Aggressive threats?  A bit of a stretch.  My wry comment doesn't even rise to the level of Tuberville v. Savage, and Tuberville put his hand on his sword, for crying out loud.

 

Please consider this assize time, and rest assured that your trackables will remain blissfully unmolested and free of facial hair, at least on our account. 

 

(I'd say don't get your women's underwear in a wad, but I don't want to further kindle your persecution complex.)

[+Team Microdot]

7 minutes ago, hzoi said:

(I'd say don't get your women's underwear in a wad, but I don't want to further kindle your persecution complex.)

 

Thankfully I have a corset and I'm wearing it - otherwise my sides might have split at your droll comments ?

[+kunarion]

On ‎11‎/‎15‎/‎2018 at 4:39 AM, bigswifty1 said:

The engraving itself was fine. I bought a cheap circular metal tag at a local store and engraved it myself with a Dremel tool. Not exactly pretty but it works. I waited a few weeks after reaching out to the owner (hence the delay in responding here) and then made a decision. It was impossible to field log the trackable in it's current state so I attached the engraved tag to the chain, enclosed a piece of paper explaining, then released it back into the wild. In case the owner surfaced with a response I dropped it in a cache local to me I can easily get to but which is seldom visited. So far no response from the owner. 

Cheers.

 

If I guessed right, the object in question is this one:

https://coord.info/TB67Y98

 

That one was done well. If you decide to change a trackable item, a log about the change is the way to go. I guess that TO doesn't mind.  Good job!

 

I haven't changed anyone's trackables. But if the item seems different from what I expected to find, I post a picture. Often, the coveted collector's piece was previously swapped for junk on hand. The nice souvenir keychain now as a plastic toy attached to the tracking tag instead, no mention of the change. Or even more fascinating, the metal Geocoin is a poorly laminated paper photocopy. Some owners do care about these things. Finders proclaim the items junk, while taking the parts they covet (um, they desire junk? ).

 

Along with placing an attached TB tag, I've often engraved parts of my trackable items with either a tracking number or a reference number.  Hand engraved in my lousy handwriting.  I found an "unreadable" one that a friend had attached a stamped reference number on a copper gardening tag.  "Cool, I don't have to try to read that tracking number!"  ...Except that I didn't realize until too late that the copper tag didn't have the actual tracking number.

 

I have metal stamp sets, but my small set has only letters, no numbers.  When I get the numbers, I'll stamp more of mine before placing them.  But if it seems like a number will be most often in view when held for a photograph, I stamp the reference number instead.  Probably confuses finders.  Probably thwarts people browsing the gallery for tracking numbers. 

 

[+bigswifty1]

I had another weird one on the weekend. A cache which listed a trackable had a pile of swag in it, but no TB. It was only when I got home and spent some time looking about that I realised that a bit of the swag was actually the hitchhiker and someone has taken the actual tag (-sigh-). With hindsight I now wish I had grabbed the hitchhiker in case the owner wanted me to attach a new or replacement tag. Oh well. That cache is about 500 kms from me so I can't go back and rescue it. At least I let the owner know. He or she could I suppose place a comment on the cache log requesting help.

Mike

[+cerberus1]

3 hours ago, bigswifty1 said:

It was only when I got home and spent some time looking about that I realised that a bit of the swag was actually the hitchhiker and someone has taken the actual tag (-sigh-). With hindsight I now wish I had grabbed the hitchhiker in case the owner wanted me to attach a new or replacement tag.

 

Sometimes the chain gives, and the next "finder" doesn't know what was supposed to be attached.  Takes the tag to move on.

A couple dozen of our found trackables are only a tag, not even a chain with it.

 - I wouldn't know unless it's already listed in inventory when I look at the cache page.  I use a GPSr, and rarely bring a phone anymore.

We see most "separated" when it looks like a fun toy for a kid though.... 

Sometimes the parents catch them, and sometimes the parent (unable to say "no" to their little darling...) is the one who takes the "toy" off and leaves the bare tag for another to find.

But there's so many reasons they could have been separated, we don't fault someone anymore when we noticed that oddity.