GPS locator to find a stolen Vanagon

[kourt]

My original review of the TK103 tracker dates from November 2013:

https://www.thesamba.com/vw/forum/viewtopic.php?p=6946473#6946473

...and it is still working and still relevant in the array of tracking devices out there. Others have the same tracker and are enjoying its use. Still others are using different solutions (Spot, etc.) with success.

Everyone has different requirements. The whole thread can really help a determined person figure out what they need.

Welcome to Page 23, everyone!

kourt

[Aryana]

I couldn’t be happier with every page of this thread leading me to the solution I picked.

It definitely saved me time and trouble of experimenting with something that wouldn’t have worked for me.

[davevickery]

[dobryan]

[Tom Powell]

My considerations for a GPS tracker are that I live in Hawaii and have a Vanagon in SoCal and would like to transfer or deactivate the device periodically. I drive the SoCal Vanagon about twice a year and I'll soon be going to the mainland for a two month road and ski trip and will be in areas that have had Vanagon thefts.

I've been searching the internet for a tracker that satisfies my wants. I would like a device that has its own long lasting battery power, does not depend on T-mobile cell tower coverage, has an internal antenna, and could be slapped onto the frame or interior somewhere with magnets. I've read several negative reviews about poor instructions, initialization difficulties and lack of customer service. No monthly fee would be very desirable. Not a deal breaker, but I've read about cancellation difficulties and continuing charges. I've seen models that meet my requirements, but are not compatible with Iphones.

Aloha
tp

[davevickery]

Trackmate might be a good option. They are a US company. They have no contract on the tracking so you could add or remove as needed. Their cheapest plan is 5 minute updates and costs $9/month and has all the normal features like low battery warning, geo-fencing, etc. You would have to hook it up to an aux battery in order to last 6 or more months but it has a good sized built in battery for a tracker.

The first year service is free, so the device and 1 year service is $90. That seems like a great deal to me.
https://www.amazon.com/TrackmateGPS-3G-Vehicles-Wa...&psc=1

They make a couple different units, this mini and one that looks like a tranformer. I'm not sure which is better, they both use the same service.
https://trackmategps.com/

This is a pretty reasonable monthly service plan from a US Company. It runs WCDMA which is AT&T or TMoble 3G. I don't know more than what I read on their website and the reviews on Amazon are good.

[kurtk]

I switched to Trackmate from a TK103 about a year ago. When AT&T supported 2G, the TK103 worked fine in Seattle. After AT&T decommissioned 2G, I switched the SIM toT-Mobile and the reliability of their 2G 1900 Mhz in Seattle was terrible. The Trackmate service for the most part has worked fine, with a couple of short outages in the past year.

YMMV
_________________
'87 Syncro Westfalia

[bsrad]

[dobryan]

[Paulbeard]

[kourt]

[davevickery]

[bsrad]

[dobryan]

[Tom Powell]

My research on some devices tells me that they use T-mobile cell towers. My Vanagon will be in areas where there is no T-mobile coverage. So I want a device that utilizes satellites and I can access information on a laptop connected to the internet.
I've also read that using satellites demands more power and that the use of cell towers is a means of reducing power demand. Something like a Murphy conundrum.

Aloha
tp

[dobryan]

Tom, If it needs to utilize satellites, not cell towers, then I think that the SPOT tracker is what you need.
_________________
Dave O
'87 Westy w/ 2002 Subaru EJ25 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

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

[Paulbeard]

[flyboyaviator]

A question for Dobryan or Kourt, jusst purchased the 103, how can you tell if is 2G or 3G? Is there a # or indications, when looking at the devise I don't see any information. On the specs it reads bands :850/900/1800/1900Mhz, not sure what that means (NewB here)
Thanks for any information.

[B.O.B.Wanders]

I live in an area with very few Vanagon thefts (due in part to there being with very few Vanagons to steal) but that was only part of my decision t get a Spot Trace.

We tend to head up into the mountains where cell phone coverage is spotty and, more often than not, change plans/routes numerous times. On longer trips, we make a lot of unplanned diversions, so no one really knows where we are at any given time except for us (and Big Brother, of course). I can give the web link to my kids and they can find our current location whenever they want/need. While we don't usually go too deep in the wilderness, it's nice peace of mind for when we are "out there" in the sticks. They do offer a higher priced product that actually can send an SOS and such.

Lastly, during the post-trip after-action reviews, we often can't remember (and then argue about) exactly which route we actually took or where we saw this or that. Spot records everything for me. I think there is a way to save trip logs (I still haven't tried that) but otherwise the history log is only available for a limited time (30 days?)

FWIW, the 4 x AAA Energizer Ultimate Lithium batteries lasted ~ 6 months. With batteries or even with the optional USB power there are no lack of good hiding spots that will still receive GPS signals.

_________________
83.5 WBX 2WD Assuan Brown Westy, B.O.B.

"It feels good to be lost in the right direction” - unknown

[dobryan]