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Tue Nov 19, 2013 7:21 am

Kourt, great, great review! And thank you for the detailed setup descriptions.

Tue Nov 19, 2013 11:37 am

Thanks for the review, Kourt! And welcome to The Samba.

It sounds like a pretty good way to go for Westy security.

Tue Nov 19, 2013 2:16 pm

Kourt,

That is about the best first Samba post I ever recall reading. Superb write up, and big thanks!

-CJ

Tue Nov 19, 2013 3:42 pm

good review on the gps tracking unit.
from my research the cheapest prepaid sim service is through LycaMobile (tmobile network) with no expiration date and only need to have a text/call every 120 day to keep the sim activated. Also the sim card is free as long you order with $10 precharge to the sim. so $10 sim will go for many years as long they dont change their policy.
i got most of the info on this site: http://forums.dansdeals.com/index.php?topic=29998.0

i wonder if the gps transponder need to be install up at the roof??

Tue Nov 19, 2013 6:56 pm

yiucycle wrote: i wonder if the gps transponder need to be install up at the roof??

I found that, in a Westy, the GPS transponder works fine mounted inside the car, behind the driver side rearmost window, hidden behind the curtain back there. Attach to the outside facing cabinet back with double sided tape just above the level of the window sill. Both antennas can be mounted there with good results.

Thank you all for your praise on my post.

kourt

Thu Nov 21, 2013 6:30 pm

Not sure if this has been mentioned.

In Australia we have a telco that claims to cover 99% of the populated area.

But I know for a fact that the mountains I ride and drive in have no signal. This is a huge area. Not a small park. So as soon as the stolen vehicle enters there, it's lost.

Most of our serious keen thieves take there pray out of the suburbs to a remote location, be it a farm or cleared area and take what they need. Then the rest is dumped in the Forrest. Normally a dirt biker or 4wder finds it in no time. But sadly it's too late.

Food for thought for those who live in remote areas.

Steve

Tue Jan 14, 2014 9:35 pm

I did a quick scan of the thread and didn't see this device mentioned already ~ if it has been apologies for repetition.

I was renting a satellite phone today and noticed this unit. I've used the SPOT locator before for backcountry emergency, and this appears to be a new item in their lineup. Cost seems reasonable, especially considering some of the other products mentioned so far. Unit costs $99.95 and requires an annual basic service plan of $99.99.

SPOT Trace theft-alert tracking device. www.findmespot.com/trace

-Satellite technology tracks beyond cell coverage areas
-Receive text/email messages when movement is detected
-Track on phone or computer
-Monitor assets in near real-time using Google maps
-select tracking interval times
-long battery life (takes 4 AAA) and hard-wire options
-Receive notification if unit is powered off
-low battery alert message
-Daily status alert to verify unit is working correctly
-99% or better probability of successfully sending a single message within 20 minutes
-small and unobtrusive and can be attached almost anywhere. H=2.02 in; W=2.69 in; Thickness=0.95 in, weighs 3.1 oz.

Planning to give this a try this summer and will follow up with field test review.

Tue Jan 21, 2014 1:01 pm

tarandusVDub wrote: I've used the SPOT locator before for backcountry emergency, and this appears to be a new item in their lineup. Cost seems reasonable, especially considering some of the other products mentioned so far. Unit costs $99.95 and requires an annual basic service plan of $99.99.

SPOT Trace theft-alert tracking device. www.findmespot.com/trace

Just an FYI: There is a potential group-buy for the SPOT Trace device. Please see http://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=581690 for more details.

Tue Jan 21, 2014 6:44 pm

Done. Thanks Kamz!

Fri Mar 28, 2014 11:27 am

tarandusVDub wrote:
I was renting a satellite phone today and noticed this unit. I've used the SPOT locator before for backcountry emergency, and this appears to be a new item in their lineup. Cost seems reasonable, especially considering some of the other products mentioned so far. Unit costs $99.95 and requires an annual basic service plan of $99.99.

I've bought the spot tracker a few weeks ago and I'm impressed. I haven't installed it yet, just turned it on and put it on the dashboard. and it works like a charm every time. I haven't connected it to the house battery yet, so it's running on its own four AAA batteries for approx three weeks now!

Once the van moves it sends out an email alert and tracks the location every five minutes (you'll have to purchase the advanced plan to get tracking every 2 1/2 minutes). I don't like the tracking interface that they have online but they have an API and I can pull the trackpoints on a regular basis into my own interface.

For a cost of $99/year you can't complain. It's a nice little piece of tech.

Fri Mar 28, 2014 2:55 pm

Thanks for the feedback. :D

Fri Mar 28, 2014 7:35 pm

hey thanks for passing on the info ~ I think I'm going to go that way for our trip this summer.

let us know if you think the standard package is sufficient or if you wish you had the 2.5 minutes...although I guess that may not become apparent until you're trying track down your van?!

Fri Mar 28, 2014 7:56 pm

srmpf wrote: Once the van moves it sends out an email alert and tracks the location every five minutes (you'll have to purchase the advanced plan to get tracking every 2 1/2 minutes). I don't like the tracking interface that they have online but they have an API and I can pull the trackpoints on a regular basis into my own interface.

For a cost of $99/year you can't complain. It's a nice little piece of tech.

Is it easy to share the tracking information? Like if I wanted to share with my friends or parents where I was, do you just send them a link or is it all account based? I'm definitely interested in hardwiring one in my van.

Fri Mar 28, 2014 8:10 pm

tarandusVDub wrote:
let us know if you think the standard package is sufficient or if you wish you had the 2.5 minutes...although I guess that may not become apparent until you're trying track down your van?!
For tracking a stolen vehicle you should get as many trackpoints as possible. Unless your average car thief is stupid enough to park the van on a non covered parking spot you might get the last coordinates 2 1/2 minute before the guy drove into a parking garage and you'll have to search a pretty large area.

This is how the tracking with the Spot device looks like in city driving with one trackpoint every 5 minutes (both start and end I parked the van in a parking lot):

That's a different route but tracked with the GPS on my phone (I think it tries to get a trackpoint every 5 seconds and uploads all data once per minute):

I'll probably go with the 2 1/2 minute plan but at the end of the day you'll just increase your chances to find your van. The nice thing about the spot device is that it doesn't require cell phone coverage and even when the car batteries are dead the spot tracker sends its coordinates for weeks.

Hope that helps you to make a decision.

Fri Mar 28, 2014 8:16 pm

hans j wrote:
Is it easy to share the tracking information? Like if I wanted to share with my friends or parents where I was, do you just send them a link or is it all account based? I'm definitely interested in hardwiring one in my van.

yes, you can create public or private share pages and define what level of detail you want to share. You can create multiple share pages and the only thing your friends need is the URL to see where you are.

Sat Mar 29, 2014 8:17 am

Great real world info. Thanks!

Have you experimented with how different locations within the van affect the signal?

I'd like to hardwire mine and tuck it away somewhere that isn't easy to find, but that still gets a good strong signal...possibly the back closet, or if that isn't good then maybe under the front luggage rack...

Sat Mar 29, 2014 9:28 am

tarandusVDub wrote: Great real world info. Thanks!

Have you experimented with how different locations within the van affect the signal?

I'd like to hardwire mine and tuck it away somewhere that isn't easy to find, but that still gets a good strong signal...possibly the back closet, or if that isn't good then maybe under the front luggage rack...

I haven't experimented too much yet but I think I've found a very good spot for it. I'm not going to reveal that on a public forum, though. Send me a PM if interested. I thought about the luggage rack as well but then you have to figure out a way to route a USB wire up there as well if you don't want to replace batteries every four months.

The Satellite reception is not the best (judging by the LED's only) compared with my GPS navigation or phone and I would be surprised if it works if you hide it in a closet.

Mon Mar 31, 2014 2:13 pm

The SPOT tracker is sold by REI, and if you use your dividend and shop online you can save another 20%.

Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:45 am

thought I'd bump this thread.
I just read over on the Expedition Portal forums of the new offering by SPOT
SPOT TRACE a small (pager sized) GPS 1way tracker for $99/yr $8.25/mo

there's currently a rebate that'll cover the price of the unit.. so overall cost is just the serviceplan..
it's small enough and the battery is said to last long enough to use for other activities where would want your location noted also. (hiking/boating/rafting etc)

anyways here's the original thread
http://www.expeditionportal.com/forum/threads/127334-SPOT-Trace-Product-Theft-Alert-Tracking-Device

Crom wrote: I see SPOT is retailing a new product for tracking purposes only. It retails for about $99. And if my limited brain power understands This rebate correctly, the full cost is returned in the from of a rebate card (up to $100). The rebate appears to be good through 12/31/2014. A subscription is required, if annual option is selected it's $99 per year. From the Reviews on Amazon, the device can be battery powered for a few months, and alternatively can be fed from +5V.

I don't care about 2-way messaging, I do however like the prospect of 1-way satellite tracking.

Have any of you used this thing?

LINK
[/URL]

for size comparison

on rack next to a US quarter

Thu Jun 19, 2014 10:47 am

Shoot, looks like I wasted my REI divided!

Great deal here Dan, thanks for the bump.