GPS locator to find a stolen Vanagon

[Steve M.]

Just saw this ad on eBay. A GPS Tracker hidden inside a Bosch relay.

I do not know anything but what the ad says.
"Compatible with almost all vehicles. It can be connected directly with the battery of the vehicle. Supports GSM Quad Band Frequency (850/900/1800/1900Mhz) worldwide. You can set the security zone."

https://www.ebay.com/itm/387255860555?_trkparms=am...YW16WJCSQF
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This free advice is worth exactly what you paid for it.

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[markswagen]

one of the youtube channels l watch has their own trackers
$135 for the unit, 1st year subscription free, $24 a year after that.

https://www.sickmachining.com/collections/sick-gps-trackers
l'm considering and saving, as l need 3.
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markswagen {mobile mechanic} san diego area all early VW's cared for.

619 201 0310

[DeLvxe]

I came here to sing the praises of GPS And Track. I installed this two years ago and just renewed service for another year. This is a great value for anyone looking for a low cost van tracker that uses a cell signal. Mine is hardwired to the aux battery. The only downside is that it relies on a cell signal, but if you want satellite signal, those are several orders of magnitude more expensive.

I paid $119 for the unit and two years of service. I just renewed for another year for $20.

The service is geared toward fleet tracking and repossessions, but they have a new app that that is more suitable for personal use and works great.

[NWRangefinder]

Cross post from a thread I started before checking to see if there was an existing thread (sorry about that):

After a bit of research, I stumbled upon Monimoto and installed the Monimoto 9 yesterday. The system comprises a small tracking device (with SIM card), a key fob, and an app. Should the vehicle start to move when the key fob isn't present, you receive a phone call from Monimoto and can track the vehicle on the app. The tracking device has a rechargeable battery that lasts roughly a year between recharges and the fob has a coin cell battery (you are notified when recharge or replacement is needed). Device/fob is $169 and includes 2 months of free service, after which the cost is $49 a year.

I don't have any relationship to this company, just sharing here in case other people have been looking for a similar solution.

[Andymon]

This looks promising. $119 for two years then $25/year after that.
https://gpsandtrack.com/car_tracker/
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"Blanch" '85 Westy
"Too many freaks and not enough circuses".

[Abscate]

FYI Van tracker not accepting orders for units at present. Still supporting existing customers. This probably needs to be at a $500 price point to survive
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[bobbyblack]

[kourt]

That's the one thing I miss from the TK series tracker... the door alarm.

I suppose I could use the ACC alarm like a door alarm in the SinoTrack. For all the same reasons, I find the door alarm to be more valuable.

kourt

[vanis13]

I'm still loving my van tracker made by VW dude. https://www.thevantracker.com/

It has the typical kill switch stuff and tracking and geofencing and the feature I use the most - the door alert. It sends text each time I open the door. This is valuable for me went on a trip with my toys because I want to make sure that if someone just goes inside I don't lose the things that allows me to play on my trip. The tour alert also gives me advance notice of one of the van might be leaving its location without me in it.

I have a separate kill switch so will be using the text activated kill switch input for an auxiliary activation to be used in the future, likely furnace activation.
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83.5 Westy with Subaru 2.5, 4 spd manual, center seat, COLD A/C on 134a!, Winter camp heated with an Espar B4 gasoline furnace

www.SuperVanagon.com - some stuff I make

[kourt]

Updating my GPS tracker setup info:

I sold the Vanagon and bought a Eurovan, and wanted a tracker.

Retirement of old cell networks is a thing, so some discrimination is needed in your purchase.

I found the SinoTrack ST-901L to be a good deal so far.

I put a Ting SIM card in this ($6 per month, and then any additional fees are part of my consolidated Ting bill) and installed it in the van about a year ago.

The tracker is functionally the same as the prior TK series tracker I posted about in 2013, but it lacks any sort of relay to control the fuel supply. I don't really care about that--I just want tracking.

The old TK series tracker also had a "call in and listen" feature that allowed you to call the tracker and listen to cab audio. What an interesting feature, just waiting to be abused. This new tracker does not have that feature, and I'm fine with that.

I was also pleased that this tracker is essentially self contained. The old TK series tracker had separate antennas for GPS and cell service. The SinoTrack has all that built in, and you just need to locate it in a spot that allows for its internal GPS tracker to see satellites. That is easy to accomplish--even though some solid plastics. The SinoTrack is essentially waterproof and about the size of a Bic lighter.

In a nutshell, I can call the van tracker's phone number, or send it a specially formatted SMS message, and it will reply with its GPS coordinates, its internal battery state, and its ACC reading. If you have it connected to an ignition-hot wire, you can then see if the engine is running. I didn't bother with that on this install.

I keep a contact record on my phone for the van's tracker, and have a list of its syntax in the record as well, so I can have access to all the capabilities it offers.

Of course, SinoTrack has a complete independent web service, which you can register for with an account, that uses cell data to independently track the van, and a website where you can login and follow the van, configure geofences, alerts, and all sorts of features. I don't care about any of that, and I've turned off cell data for the tracker's SIM card in the Ting control panel. I just want the SMS or phone call interaction.

In real world use, this tracker has been nice to have, and cheap to operate. My wife took the van to a skating meet a few hours away and I was able to better plan when dinner came out of the oven based on occasional pings I made to the tracker.

kourt

[jimf909]

FWIW, SPOT price increase:

I think the price has been something like $125 per year for the last 5 years so this isn't too much of a surprise.

Valued SPOT Customer,

We are adjusting the price of our Trace Service plan along with rising operational costs. Beginning February 12, 2024, there will be a price increase; annual plans will cost $143.40/year for the annual up front plan or $11.95/month for the SPOT monthly payment option.

Have questions? We're happy to help. Visit our Support Center for more information.

Happy Adventuring!
The SPOT Team
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- Jim

[bobbyblack]

Anyone tried RedPocket $5/month SIM card in their locator yet?

https://www.redpocket.com/plans/gsma/E50MRP
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'87 Westy 'Flossie','86 Westy 'R1','86 tintop GL - Subi2.2 'J2','83.5 stock tintop L 'ZoomBus','74 Karmann Ghia, '63 Notch

[jimf909]

The reappearance of this thread prompted me to check my van locator pings and I saw it was pinging much less frequently than spec'd. It turns out the transponder had migrated to a place where the signal wasn't being transmitted well. The point: monitor your locator for effectiveness. Better yet, mount the transponder for success.
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- Jim

[dobryan]

[metalforever]

Oh boy, this is scary/ a wake up call. I keep mine parked in Oakland and I did not take this many security measures. I guess I should take it to the shop and get a better security install.

[dobryan]

[Abscate]

Noodling this

Open up two apple AirTags, pull the speakers out.

Epoxy them into a hard to find place on your van Bus

Name them (local police jurisdiction anti theft device plate)


Now the wanker who steals your car gets an apple tag warning that s/he is getting tracked by the Police but can’t sound it off to find it.
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[jimf909]

^^^ Oy. Do you know the general location of that theft?
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- Jim

[dobryan]

Excerpt from a facebook post. Not my van.
—————-
Our van was stolen last night. I had a steering wheel club and clutch lock in place. They simply bent them and broke them both. We luckily hid two apple AirTags and they only found one so we were able to recover the van this morning. I had to force the key in able to start it cuz they messed up the ignition cylinder. Van is home now.

Lesson was; steering wheel and clutch locks aren’t enough. Apple AirTags and kill switch are a must maybe plus alarm.
---------

Great to see that a tracker recovered the stolen bus.
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Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2010 Subaru EJ25 (Vanaru) and Peloquin TBD

"To travel hopefully is a better thing than to arrive." Robert Louis Stevenson

MD>Canada>AK>WA>OR>CA>AZ>UT>WY>SD
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=620646

Building a bus for travel in Europe (euroBus)
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=695371

The Western Syncro build
https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?t=746794

[VicVan]

Isn't 3G obsolete anyway?
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'90 Little Blue Truck, 2WD auto, FAS GenV 2.0 NA (AVH)