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VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners
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HoustonPhotog
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:06 am    Post subject: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

The VanAlert app is LIVE!

I'd like to inform you about a new item I've created... It's an app for Vanagon/Bus owners named VanAlert. We originally had it specifically for Vanagon owners but many bus guys have shown an interest in using it so we just opened it up to all Bus guys as well. I've made a couple of changes to the app in order to accommodate Bus Repair Shops and Bus Rescue Squad people...

Download the app here:
Apple App Store
Google Play Store


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The Stolen Van Alert is the main reason I chose to build the app. I often see vans stolen and wonder if there was a way to help these owners get the help from the Vanagon/Bus community in order to help keep an eye out for their stolen van. Well if a Vanagon/Bus is stolen, the owner can open the app and fill out a form including all of the information about the van as well as a few photos. I then send out a Push Notification to all app users within a certain mile radius of where the van was stolen. App users get notified, then directed to the Stolen Van page to see the Vanagon/Bus they should keep an eye out for. This alert is smart, it won't be sending out a Stolen Van Alert to app users in New Jersey about a Vanagon/Bus being stolen in California. It will only send out the alert to app users within the same state and maybe the neighboring state depending on the specifics of each case.

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Being on the road requires needing to find a place to camp for the night. I often spent a lot of time looking at various resources including my phone, my atlas and my GPS navigation system to try to find a place to call home for the night. VanAlert will now replace all of the methods I previously used. All State Parks that allow camping will be populated in our database as well as other user submitted Camp Sites such as BLM Land camping and other locations.


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Driveway Camp is a section that'll list all users nearest to your phone's GPS location that will allow traveling Vanagon/Bus owners a safe driveway to camp in for the night. Hosts have several amenities that they offer and when signing up you too can list the items you'd like to offer: Driveway/ Curb Space/ Shore Power/ Shower/ Laundry/ Tools. We have signup forms in the app if you'd like to include yourself as a Driveway Camp Host.

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A crowdsourced database of Repair Shops that will be listed nearest to your phone's current GPS location. So no matter where a break down happens, simply open the app and see what reputable Repair Shops are nearby that other Vanagon/Bus Owners have recommended. This database relies on information provided by our members so if you have a reputable shop that you use, please share that info with the community.

In addition to the Repair Shops listing we're allowing Vanagon/Bus owners to be listed as individuals as well. This way in case there are no repair shops nearby, a traveling Vanagon/Bus owner can reach out to a local owner for help, tools and/or guidance. This community loves to share and help others and that's one of the best things that comes with owning a Vanagon/Bus. You gain a support system, a family.

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There are many other features already built into the app and many more that are in the works. We're only a few days old but already have nearly 1,000 registered members and have begun to populate our database with a ton of crowdsourced information. If you're a Vanagon/Bus owner.... you NEED this app. Be sure to share the info with your Vanagon/Bus friends as the more information we get populated into the database, the better it is for the entire community. Oh and did I mention... the app is FREE!

Download the app here:
Apple App Store
Google Play Store

Like our VanAlert Facebook Page in order to keep up with the app updates and new features.
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Spike0180
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:31 am    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

Awesome. just downloaded it. I'll report back in a few weeks if it is found to be useful Smile
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aerosurfer
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:49 am    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

ditto here...

Are the camping functions nationwide, or member loaded only?
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:57 am    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

I too signed up, thanks.
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HoustonPhotog
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 8:02 am    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

aerosurfer wrote:
ditto here...

Are the camping functions nationwide, or member loaded only?


Camping Section will eventually have all State Parks and National Parks that allow camping entered into the database. We're currently harvesting all of the data from state park websites and adding them in. We're locating the gate entrances of each park so that our app can give accurate navigation directions to those spots. A lot of parks list their office address and/or have their gps coordinates located in the general middle of the park which does no good for traveling campers when trying to navigate to a park.

We do allow members to submit their camp site locations as well. this comes in very handy when it comes to BLM and National Forest sites that members have found and are willing to share.

We have 5 main categories in regards to Camp Sites:

Boondocking: good spots travelers can stealth camp in cities etc.

Free Camp: BLM land, National Forest land, Wildlife management areas etc.

Paid Park: State parks, national parks, private parks etc.

Rest Areas: Rest areas throughout the country that have been ok'd by other travelers that are good spots to sleep in for a night.

Truck Stops: Truck Stops throughout the country that have been ok'd by other travelers that are good spots to sleep in for a night.


All of those categories can be displayed in order of closest to your given GPS location or you can select specific categories to show only. For instance if you know you want a State Park with hookups etc, you can list that category only.

We're still very young so we're adding a ton of content daily and will be doing so for quite some time to come. We welcome crowdsourced information so feel free to submit some within the app in order to get shared with the rest of our users.
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Spike0180
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 8:04 am    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

I've been checking out this app. It seems pretty sweet, this would be sweet to expand to the same vehicles thesamba covers.
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Globespotter
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 8:39 am    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

Nice. Downloaded it.
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Tumbledown76
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 9:21 am    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

Wow, this is awesome. Thanks!
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riverside66
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 12:31 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

Downloaded! Thanks!!
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:19 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

Do I also have to be Facebook? I don't want to be facebook
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:22 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

aeromech wrote:
Do I also have to be Facebook? I don't want to be facebook


Nope. We're a stand alone app. No Facebook needed.
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aeromech
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:29 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

Sure looked like they wanted a fb login
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:37 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

aeromech wrote:
Sure looked like they wanted a fb login


That's only for those that want a simple one click registration. Just under that you'll see a link that reads "Not yet Registered? Sign Up". Click that and you can register with your email address and make a password.
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 6:56 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

I downloaded it and have already found a cool, local, free campsite.
Thanks HoustonPhotog! It is gonna be a big help.
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 11, 2017 7:07 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

Got it, thanks
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HoustonPhotog
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 4:13 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

KentPS wrote:
I downloaded it and have already found a cool, local, free campsite.
Thanks HoustonPhotog! It is gonna be a big help.


Sweet! Definitely help spread the word and feel free to input any camp sites youre familiar with. No need to submit state parks as we're in the process of populating the app with every state park in the country that alllows camping. hehe.
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Cap10323
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 7:53 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

Just downloaded it. Super cool.
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PostPosted: Mon Apr 17, 2017 8:19 pm    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

I like it and downloaded it.
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 5:42 am    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

This is the first thing I've seen that makes me actually want to get a smart phone. I'm not kidding.. the motorola flip has been hanging on for almost 10 years.

Nice Job.
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PostPosted: Tue Apr 18, 2017 7:41 am    Post subject: Re: VanAlert App for Vanagon/Bus Owners Reply with quote

a-marshal wrote:
This is the first thing I've seen that makes me actually want to get a smart phone. I'm not kidding.. the motorola flip has been hanging on for almost 10 years.

Nice Job.


Thanks! Trust me... it's worth the change.... =)

Since the VanAlert has been online for about 2 months specifically for Vanagons we've gathered about 600 crowd sourced Vanagon shops that other owners have recommended. Now that we've opened up our base to included buses as well I'm going back through our 600 or so Vanagon Repair shops and checking them out in Google Street View in order to see if they're also service Buses. If they do, then I add them to the Bus Repair Shop Listings as well.

I added about 20 across the country so far... a lot more to go through but it'll be worth it! In our Submit Repair Shop form I have checkboxes for Vanagon Repair and Bus Repair so users can select which their recommended shops services.

This is what I'm looking for.... Makes it easy! =)

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