Car travel bug codes

[+evilb+]

Is there a specific size/font which must be used on the travel bugs which you put on the car? Also does it have to start with GC?

[geoawareUSA9]

Moved to trackable forum.

 

The travel bug clings one sees are generally purchased and not made, and include a TB code to be activated.

Edited February 6 by geoawareUSA9

[+TeamRabbitRun]

22 hours ago, evilb+ said:

Is there a specific size/font which must be used on the travel bugs which you put on the car? Also does it have to start with GC?

 

To explain a little further, you can't just put a sticker on your car to make it a 'Car Travel Bug', or any other kind of Travel Bug.

 

You have to acquire an official tracking number from Groundspeak so it can be registered and appear in online. As geoawareUSA9 said, most often, you just get the whole thing from HQ, Number AND sticker because it's easy and not too expensive, but once you have the number registered to you and activated online, you can do anything you want with it.

 

Put it on your own sticker, window cling or card, license plate, paint job, jacket, shirt, or declare 'yourself' the TravelBug, walk up to people and say it out loud, if that's your thing.

 

There MAY be a requirement for displaying the 'Travel Bug' icon (that scarab), but I don't think so.

 

As for the number, it won't start with the letters "GC", that's for 'GeoCaches'. Trackable codes USUALLY start with "TB" which stands for..... you get it.

 

As far as 'font size' on a car bug goes, just consider where your car will be when people are looking at it. If it's in a parking lot, then it doesn't matter, but if you're in traffic, don't be surprised to see some geek (like the rest of us) inching closer, closer, closer at 65 MPH  paying attention to NOTHING around them except your 6-pitch sticker BAM!

[+kunarion]

22 minutes ago, TeamRabbitRun said:

 

To explain a little further, you can't just put a sticker on your car to make it a 'Car Travel Bug', or any other kind of Travel Bug.

 

You have to acquire an official tracking number from Groundspeak so it can be registered and appear in online. As geoawareUSA9 said, most often, you just get the whole thing from HQ, Number AND sticker because it's easy and not too expensive, but once you have the number registered to you and activated online, you can do anything you want with it.

 

Put it on your own sticker, window cling or card, license plate, paint job, jacket, shirt, or declare 'yourself' the TravelBug, walk up to people and say it out loud, if that's your thing.

 

There MAY be a requirement for displaying the 'Travel Bug' icon (that scarab), but I don't think so.

 

As for the number, it won't start with the letters "GC", that's for 'GeoCaches'. Trackable codes USUALLY start with "TB" which stands for..... you get it.

 

As far as 'font size' on a car bug goes, just consider where your car will be when people are looking at it. If it's in a parking lot, then it doesn't matter, but if you're in traffic, don't be surprised to see some geek (like the rest of us) inching closer, closer, closer at 65 MPH  paying attention to NOTHING around them except your 6-pitch sticker BAM!

 

+1

 

For a car, don't buy the reflective kind where the lettering is bordered by the reflective material.  I was stopped at an intersection and the car in front of me had that sticker, and the numbers were washed out by my car headlights.   I couldn't read it.

 

The Tracking Code is a mix of 6 letters and numbers.  The Reference Number doesn't allow all the log options, and typically starts with "TB".  I have the latter for my car TB, because the Tracking Code is hidden (the idea is that you find it).  But the commercial decals and stickers have a Tracking Code.

[+TeamRabbitRun]

14 minutes ago, kunarion said:

 

+1

 

For a car, don't buy the reflective kind where the lettering is bordered by the reflective material.  I was stopped at an intersection and the car in front of me had that sticker, and the numbers were washed out by my car headlights.   I couldn't read it.

 

The Tracking Code is a mix of 6 letters and numbers.  The Reference Number doesn't allow all the log options, and typically starts with "TB".  I have the latter for my car TB, because the Tracking Code is hidden (the idea is that you find it).  But the commercial decals and stickers have a Tracking Code.

 

K - Thanks for clarifying. I forgot to mention the difference between the Reference & Tracking codes. Maximally important!

[+cerberus1]

20 hours ago, kunarion said:

The Tracking Code is a mix of 6 letters and numbers. 

The Reference Number doesn't allow all the log options, and typically starts with "TB".  I have the latter for my car TB, because the Tracking Code is hidden (the idea is that you find it).  But the commercial decals and stickers have a Tracking Code.

 

Thanks for that, it's odd that even long-time members still call each a "code", when one is a Reference Number, the other the Tracking Code.

We say think of spies and "secret codes" for the Tracking Code, and you know where to find the Trackable using it's Reference Number.

It took some time for it to be corrected, but the Help Center is pretty accurate about the difference now too.     

[+kunarion]

5 hours ago, cerberus1 said:

 

Thanks for that, it's odd that even long-time members still call each a "code", when one is a Reference Number, the other the Tracking Code.

We say think of spies and "secret codes" for the Tracking Code, and you know where to find the Trackable using it's Reference Number.

It took some time for it to be corrected, but the Help Center is pretty accurate about the difference now too.     

 

For TBs that are not for other cachers to move cache to cache, the Reference Number (shown in the upper right corner of a trackable item's page) may work just fine on a car decal, or especially on a T-shirt that might appear in a group photo.  Persons finding that number can't mess around with its TB logs the way they can with a Tracking Code.  And there are no tricky settings.  Yet all the log options are available to the owner, who can do Visits or whatever.  The log available to others is "Note", so they don't accrue Stats from it, but worse case scenario, you can tell someone the Tracking Code at times.

 

I started that plan with my car TB, although diligent persons can obtain the Tracking Code.  And I've already done it on T-shirts.  I'm considering it for my hand-crafted bamboo hiking sticks.

 

Just an idea.

 

 

Edited February 7 by kunarion

[+qqnonrev]

Also, don't get the window cling that would stick on the inside of the window if you have tinted rear windows.  Speaking from experience.  It does get logged, but it also gets missed a bunch.

On 2/6/2024 at 1:32 PM, TeamRabbitRun said:

if you're in traffic, don't be surprised to see some geek (like the rest of us) inching closer, closer, closer at 65 MPH  paying attention to NOTHING around them except your 6-pitch sticker

Lol, this was us once.  But couldn't get the driver or passengers attention whenever we pulled alongside as we couldn't read the number.  Somewhere on I-10 if I remember right.  

[+thebruce0]

You can also design window decals to place on the outside of tinted windows. They'll last for some time but may eventually begin to peel or crack. Simple to replace anyway. Plenty of printers stores out there can create window decals.