Taboo Tb Question?

[teamh3]

I have been reading through these threads trying to find an answer to a question that I had. I have seen the question asked but it never seems to be answered. i was just wondering if this was some kind of taboo question. is this the elephant in the corner that no one wants to talk about?

 

in this thread click here to read

 

kf6jax said

cool i guess, i have no problems with them as is now, however i would like to see the option of buying numbvers only even if they are alphanumeric so other can use them on say there own state geocoins or personal coins etc...

 

and The Piston Heds said

Have you ever thought of giving the consumer the option of buying just the TB serial number and letting them make the TB dog tag? That would really cut costs down if your in to making it better for us cachers! I have made some of my own goal tags to put on my TB's and I know how easy it is to make your own dog tag look good. Alot of people do it! Do it for a buck or 2 less and you're still making mad cash on them serial numbers and don't have to supply the actual dog tag!

 

Then in this thread Click to read here

 

Peatry said

IS there a way of buying just the barcode or something like some people add them to toys like matchbox cars and stuff. How does that work? Thank you all for helping me!

 

I (teamh3) said

 

That is a good question, do you have to attach the TB to the item or can you keep the tb and just add the ID number to an item, This would work well for me since I just ordered two tbs and one is destined for "The Spike of DOOM" a rail road spike that I found, cleaned up and painted black with rustoleum. For the life of me I cant figure out how i am going to attach the tb to the spike. Zip Ties wont work since they would just slide off the pointed end of the spike.

 

In each case the question was either ignored or answered but not in the way the question was asked.

 

so i am going to ask the question as clearly as i can. Would i be able to do the following

 

1. order, pay for and receive a Tb

2. Activate it and get it ready to release into the wild.

3. Stencil all needed information onto my bug (say the railroad spike)

4. Keep both copies of the tb safe and sound

5. release the spike of doom (with all the information on it) out into the wild

6. track the spike via the website since it has the info from the Tb on it.

 

Yes Im sure I run the risk of someone picking up my bug and not knowing it is a bug, but that is my problem and not geocaching.com's problem. the question I have is something like the steps listed above proper to do?

 

While I am sure I am going to get alot of opinions on this I was hoping someone from TPTB could kindly answer this question for me.

 

This would allow people to make custom tags and custom coins like geocoins that could be tracked via the tb since it would in reality be a tb.

 

Thank you for talking the time to read all of this and I hope that this question will be answered. I have looked to the best of my knowledge and I havent found anything to answer this question.

[+Puckhoundz]

I have found Travel Bugs, usually in zip lock bags, with the travel bug number written on the bag and no tags attached to the item. So apparently people are already doing it. I was able to log it successfully just like any other TB.

[+Torry]

I realize that there have been some aesthetic and mechanical issues with the TB dog tag but keeping the system standardized is one way of keeping the system simple and streamlined.

 

Allowing folks to mark their own numbers raises problems of misidentification. Practically speaking, you could do it on your own anyways and hope all the finders recognize what you're doing and cooperate.

 

From a gc.com business standpoint selling the dogtags is a practical way of maintaining sales and thus keeping the business running. By requiring the tags be used for each bug sales continue as bugs go missing or lost.

 

Also printing up your own tags would skew the effors of exising bugs that must always face the challenge of becoming lost. If your bug disappears all you'd have to do is print up another. However if the bug re-appears you now have two bugs in circulation simulaneously.

 

I fail to see how the mandatory use of the gc.com dogtag is such a hardship.

[+BlueDeuce]

Don't worry, there's no elephant.

 

The only 'requirement' is to have a number that can be tracked by gc.com. That's what you are paying for. The tag is a convenience, nothing more. You can purchase a more detailed dogtag from Sissy-n-CR, or you can stencil the number on a railroad spike, you can even tattoo it on your....arm if you want to. Go for it

[+Walden Pond]

This is already available outside the realm of Geocaching.com. YOu can make your own "Traveler Tags" at

http://travelertags.keenpeople.com/index.php?Itemid=1

 

Users get 5 free tags to start. I have found some of these and the only limitation is your imagination...

[teamh3]

I realize that there have been some aesthetic and mechanical issues with the TB dog tag but keeping the system standardized is one way of keeping the system simple and streamlined.

 

Allowing folks to mark their own numbers raises problems of misidentification. Practically speaking, you could do it on your own anyways and hope all the finders recognize what you're doing and cooperate.

 

From a gc.com business standpoint selling the dogtags is a practical way of maintaining sales and thus keeping the business running. By requiring the tags be used for each bug sales continue as bugs go missing or lost.

 

Also printing up your own tags would skew the effors of exising bugs that must always face the challenge of becoming lost. If your bug disappears all you'd have to do is print up another. However if the bug re-appears you now have two bugs in circulation simulaneously.

 

I fail to see how the mandatory use of the gc.com dogtag is such a hardship.

Thank you all for the info and i am most likely to stencil the info on the spike.

 

and since i am buying the dogtags from GC.COM I am helping to support them. I am just not using the dogtag part, just the number part.

 

I know I am taking my chances that people might not understand that this spike is a TB but that is the chance that I choose to take if I do it this way. I may just stencil the TB logo on to of the spike to help give people an idea.

 

it is more ofa mechanical problam rather than anything else. The steel used in these spikes is perhaps the hardest metal I have come in contact with. I can simply find no easy way of attaching the TB that will work, be secure, and not look like crap. however, by the time I get the TB that might change.

[+aprilbapryll]

I realize that there have been some aesthetic and mechanical issues with the TB dog tag but keeping the system standardized is one way of keeping the system simple and streamlined.

 

Allowing folks to mark their own numbers raises problems of misidentification. Practically speaking, you could do it on your own anyways and hope all the finders recognize what you're doing and cooperate.

 

From a gc.com business standpoint selling the dogtags is a practical way of maintaining sales and thus keeping the business running. By requiring the tags be used for each bug sales continue as bugs go missing or lost.

 

Also printing up your own tags would skew the effors of exising bugs that must always face the challenge of becoming lost. If your bug disappears all you'd have to do is print up another. However if the bug re-appears you now have two bugs in circulation simulaneously.

 

I fail to see how the mandatory use of the gc.com dogtag is such a hardship.

Thank you all for the info and i am most likely to stencil the info on the spike.

 

and since i am buying the dogtags from GC.COM I am helping to support them. I am just not using the dogtag part, just the number part.

 

I know I am taking my chances that people might not understand that this spike is a TB but that is the chance that I choose to take if I do it this way. I may just stencil the TB logo on to of the spike to help give people an idea.

 

it is more ofa mechanical problam rather than anything else. The steel used in these spikes is perhaps the hardest metal I have come in contact with. I can simply find no easy way of attaching the TB that will work, be secure, and not look like crap. however, by the time I get the TB that might change.

i remember seeing your questions in the forums (with specific reference to the railroad spike, which is how i remember it) but i didn't know how to answer it so i chose not to. I can't see how it would be a problem to use your number without the actual dogtag, but i would, if i were you, at least make sure that the spike is in a baggie that signifies that it is in fact a travel bug. i know my mother has several railroad spikes, and if i came upon a railroad spike i may be tempted to keep it/give it to her without realizing it was a tb. if you are able to engrave the tb number on the spike, i would try to engrave "travel bug" on it too, and put it in a baggie. whether people think bags/tags are tacky or not, this may be a case where you need it for definitive notice.

april