question Trackers

[arcot1751]

Has anyone here fitted a tracker to their MV ? I am seriously considering fitting one to my GPW but am unsure of the options especially as it is still on its original 6v system. I have also considered the SmartWater marking system but of course the jeep has to turn up first before that is of use. I take all the usual precautions like hidden kill switch, locks on pedals etc but think a tracker may be the safest. I have invested a lot of money in my pride and joy and want to protect it the best way possible. Other people have suggested a hidden mobile phone but how do I keep it charged and how would it work ? Any suggestions ? :-)

[Gordon_M]

I use Carrotech trackers on my cars, no commercial connection apart from being a satisfied customer. You can set them up to e-mail or SMS you if the ignition is switched on, or more significantly, if the vehicle is moved without it being switched on. Positional accuracy is five to ten metres anywhere which is great, and they are small enough to hide inside a chassis rail, although you wouldn't want a lot of metal between them and the sky, so some sort of sealed chamber inside the chassis rail at the end of the vehicle would be ideal. You can fit a GPS ariel but then you have to hide that, and the lead, too.

 

I do remember they would work down to 6 volt, but check that, and the unit cost was reasonable, plus a yearly sum for use of the SIM chip and tracking system - overall not too bad.

 

The one disadvantage is that they did drain down the vehicle batteries. I got mine set to check in with base at a lower frequency which cut down the drain, but it was still significant. I'd think on a jeep you'd need to have them wired to the vehicle, of course, but something like a solar charger in place to provide a constant small charge to make up for the tracker drain. I don't think a separate battery would work unless you were really sneaky about it - and it was huge.

 

Ask for Russell and tell him Gordon sent you :cool2:

[arcot1751]

Thanks Gordon that sounds ideal, when the jeeps here it is in an alarmed garage and connected to an intelligent charger 24/7 so if it was stolen God forbid the battery would be fully charged hopefully long enough for the jeep to be found. I get a bit jumpy at shows when I am away from the jeep and didn't like being forced to park at the showground at Pickering if we wanted to go into the town during the Railway at War weekend. A jeep was stolen from the showground the first year they made people park there I believe. I will certainly mention you when I contact them, thanks :-D

[Gordon_M]

If it is on one of those intelligent chargers I'd just go for it. It took a couple of weeks to drain a 12 volt battery on my parked car to the point where it wouldn't start, so a couple of days at a show would be no problem.

 

Mine came with all sorts of wiring and switches and was professionally installed, but frankly I was paying for professional removal and refit of the car interior and proper connection to the fusebox - none of which would be a particular problem on a jeep ...:-D

 

If you earthed the unit where it was mounted, you would probably have to run one small gauge wire to a constant positive source ( horn feed terminal on column or the like ) and another small wire to the switched side of the ignition. Should be no bother at all on a jeep.

 

Unit is small enough to go inside the frame horn channel or some location like that.

 

 

Other units and suppliers are available but fitting something looks to be a good idea, jeeps have been vanishing a lot recently, and I'm sure it would be a question of getting to a stolen one before it was broken for spares.

 

While we are talking security. I bought a small set of steel stamps and a holder for stamping various data plates. When I'd finished, I made up my postcode as a stamp and dinged it into a few select locations on various items where it would not be obvious. This stamping could be the thing that saves the day if you suspect someone with, say, a freshly stamped chassis number that they say they have had for years - and then you point out your postcode stamping on it.

 

EDIT - should have mentioned - these units have an on-board battery that will keep the tracker going for at least 48 hours even if the main battery is disconnected.

Edited October 6, 2014 by Gordon_M
added info

[stanfonj]

I use one of these in my Land Rover:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Hot-Mini-GSM-SMS-Vehicle-Car-GPS-Tracker-Tracking-Device-TK103B-Alarm-System-VG2-/141337898104?pt=UK_In_Car_Technology&hash=item20e8652c78

 

Hardly costs anything to run; I use pay-as-you-go SIM card. The only issue would be the voltage.

[paulbrook]

The current police advice is to use a dual-band SBD (secured by design) type as the simple ones can be jammed by a GPS/GSM blocking device.

 

I use Smartwater on all my tools and so-on - they claim a 100% conviction rate.

[arcot1751]

Thanks everyone for the advice so far :-)

[snort]

I too use Carrotech, great also to see where you have been on holiday with the Jeep as it records every movement!

[cosrec]

just out of curiosity what is the figures for jeeps stolen genuinely and who steals them. It wont be opportunists looking for there scrap value I doubt it will be traders in jeeps for parts this only leaves other enthusiasts who are maybe jealous but what would they do with them so this gives the scenario your jeep has been stolen your tracker tells you where it is what next I will guarantee unless it is being followed as suspicious vehicle you will be told to report it to insurance and given a crime number. its ok giving a vehicle a tracker smart water etc the only things that work are stopping vehicles getting taken in the first place. but people because they have a desire to own a certain vehicle automatically assume every body else has the same desire and feel vunrable

Edited October 6, 2014 by cosrec

[arcot1751]

just out of curiosity what is the figures for jeeps stolen genuinely and who steals them. It wont be opportunists looking for there scrap value I doubt it will be traders in jeeps for parts this only leaves other enthusiasts who are maybe jealous but what would they do with them so this gives the scenario your jeep has been stolen your tracker tells you where it is what next I will guarantee unless it is being followed as suspicious vehicle you will be told to report it to insurance and given a crime number. its ok giving a vehicle a tracker smart water etc the only things that work are stopping vehicles getting taken in the first place. but people because they have a desire to own a certain vehicle automatically assume every body else has the same desire and feel vunrable

 

I take it you don't like jeeps then :-D however they DO get stolen all the time, if I fit a tracker and other security devices I have taken "reasonable care" to prevent that happening, and I would be shouting from the rooftops if the police refused to attempt to recover it using the tracker. Round here plant and farm machinery are often recovered BECAUSE of trackers. Jeeps like Land Rovers are by their very nature easy to disguise and ARE soon disposed of either in parts or abroad. Any second hand parts we buy have come from somewhere and they could easily be from a stolen vehicle. As anyone knows people have gone to huge lengths to steal jeeps removing hedges, garden walls other vehicles etc. No vehicle is 100% safe but as owners we have to take as many precautions as possible. As for traders not being involved I am sure the major companies are honest however there will be small part time traders who will buy second hand parts no questions asked. To be honest how would they know where for example a second hand axle came from ? Do I feel vulnerable parking my jeep ? Too bloody right I do because YOU may not like jeeps but someone out there certainly will. :-(

[cosrec]

 

I take it you don't like jeeps then :-D however they DO get stolen all the time, if I fit a tracker and other security devices I have taken "reasonable care" to prevent that happening, and I would be shouting from the rooftops if the police refused to attempt to recover it using the tracker. Round here plant and farm machinery are often recovered BECAUSE of trackers. Jeeps like Land Rovers are by their very nature easy to disguise and ARE soon disposed of either in parts or abroad. Any second hand parts we buy have come from somewhere and they could easily be from a stolen vehicle. As anyone knows people have gone to huge lengths to steal jeeps removing hedges, garden walls other vehicles etc. No vehicle is 100% safe but as owners we have to take as many precautions as possible. As for traders not being involved I am sure the major companies are honest however there will be small part time traders who will buy second hand parts no questions asked. To be honest how would they know where for example a second hand axle came from ? Do I feel vulnerable parking my jeep ? Too bloody right I do because YOU may not like jeeps but someone out there certainly will. :-(

Sorry for my delay in replying. First I dont dislike jeeps. I fully understand you fear of losing your pride and joy. What I was trying to point out is the market for stolen jeeps and parts is much less lucrative for people who steal vehicles for a living than commercial vehicles/land rovers/4X4/plant etc. Second if it were stolen don't expect blues and twos screaming after it even if the company running the tracker have informed the police.The idea of owning a cherished vehicle is to enjoy having it and using it. You do what is ever required to satisfy your self its safe. But don't get to paranoid about protecting it. By the way the police love Landrovers as they are the easiest vehicles to identify even from parts I think the prospect of losing it much less than you might think what are the figures for jeeps genuinely stolen in the UK