If CT is stolen, is there anything we can do?

[Bookleaf]

Following on from my thread about what happens to stolen trailers (CTs), which in turn was prompted by threads by others seeking info on setting up anti theft on the CT upon purchase and the actual theft reported of a CT, I have further pondered the following:-

It is apparent from the above mentioned threads that all we can do is minimise the theft of our beloved CTs, usually by various mechanical means.  Should these fail and it is still stolen, then we might as well just sit down and have a good cry for there is virtually no hope of getting it back.
Or is there?
How would we go about getting it back, other than reporting it to the police and getting a report number to keep the insurance company happy?   Is there further means we can deploy (other than all and sundry keeping a sharp eye out in case it should be spotted)?

It was mentioned by one poster that he had installed a GPS tracking system which would enable him to track the trailer at any time.  Sounds good, but the $$ quoted would seem to put it out of the reach of most people.
Has anyone installed such a system, what is it, how does it work, what costs (buy, install, and on-going) are involved, and has it paid for itself by “saving the day”?
Will the police react immediately if a CT was reported stolen and they were advised there was live, real-time tracking available NOW?

Are there any other means we can use to recover our pride and joy, by either implementing them before the event, or after?

[Bird]

Will the police react immediately if a CT was reported stolen and they were advised there was live, real-time tracking available NOW?

Verses booking deadly murdering people for 4ks over the limit?? No a hope on earth.

There aint enough cops around to go chasing every lead.. they dont even come running when your holding a thief down on the ground until they get 'a spare car'

[JCAT]

Bookleaf,

if you went to a police station and detailed the fact that your camper had a GPS tracking device installed and had just been stolen and its current position is ......... they would and should respond accordingly. Believe it or not most coppers join and stay in the job because they get a kick out of catching crooks.

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with the law Lost, 4 k's is a bit stiff. Hope they didn't leave you with "Have a nice day."

[dazzler]

Sorry to hear about your bad experiences with the law Lost, 4 k's is a bit stiff. Hope they didn't leave you with "Have a nice day."

It was probably 35 over.  In my experience there like fishing stories only the speed goes down 

[Wortho]

You can buy much cheaper satellite trackers on eBay for under $100. They still use the GSM network and can be hidden away and connected to the CT battery to extend the life. A cheap AMaysim sim card or similar can be used for a couple of bucks a month. While not as good as the $$$ trackers they are still functional and better than nothing.
http://www.ebay.com.au/itm/Global-Smallest-GPS-Tracking-Device-Mini-Spy-Vehicle-Realtime-GPS-Tracker-TK102-/320937271551?pt=AU_Electronics_GPS&hash=item4ab95a20ff#ht_5390wt_990

[UR-50-LO]

Fortunately I've never had GPS tracking save the day BUT I have no doubts that it would.
My previous car also had a GPS system similar to what I currently use on my camper trailer except it never had the SMS function (wasn't an option back then). Within a minute of my car alarm going off and me driving away I would get a phone call asking if everything is ok. I don't know about you guys but a few hundred a year for that sort of security & service is a bargain IMO. Well worth the extra money for them to be monitoring 24/7 and be able to track & direct the police on my behalf within minutes of it moving. They also offer full alarms, SMS, perimeter safety zones etc etc

Some advice though is to find a good installer and question them about how long it will take to disarm etc. The best equipment in the world means nothing if it is in sight or easily accessed and able to be disarmed quickly. Also discuss what optional extras can be included such as alarm sirens, movement/tilt sensors, SMS function etc. and try to get a deal on a few items if wanted. And finally research & shop around for a monitoring company as there is a few doing 24/7 tracking these days. But the best advice I can give is regardless of what security you have LOCK IT UP TIGHT...

[Bird]

Theres been numerous reports in the press of people coming in after their houses being robbed, having tracking on their Apple thingys and the cops dont listen or take it serious.
Why would a camper be any different?

Anyone ever reported a car stolen and seen the response you get?

[UR-50-LO]

I think the difference with a 24hr monitoring team is that you are paying for a service to a company that has a direct connection to the police, not just a random report from Joe blow down the road. Another reason why I'd recommend paying the extra money for their service as opposed to those Ebay self tracking & GSM units which I believe only sends GPS co-ordinates to your phone (not an actual physical map that you can see roads etc on) and that may be fine when your trailers finally reached the crooks location and they have parked it away but I'd imagine it would be a nightmare when the trailers on the move and your phones recieving a different co-ordinate every few seconds lol. The credit on the Sim card in the unit would expire pretty quickly too I reckon unless you had ALOT of credit on it. Then as you said you have to report it to the police yourself with the location (too bad if it starts to move again I guess)...

In all honesty I have no idea what their response would be like under those circumstances but with the 24hr monitoring team it is all left to them & they wouldn't still be in business if they didn't live up to their claims. They are a legal company that would be well and truely in the shyte with their 24hr monitoring, police link & fast response etc. if it wasn't infact true. I think between personal belongings such as Apple products noted in a gutter report from a Joe Blow VS grand larceny auto theft reported by a GPS tracking company with exact location and the ability to stay on the line with the police at the same time is all the difference in the world. If the police are garunteed an easy arrest with 100% courtroom conviction (thanks to tracking mob etc) of course they will jump all over it as it could mean a promotion, pay rise or that months quota being filled lmao

[shrek4]

Just saying.....

Whilst I didn't get around to fitting it before my camper was stolen last week, I had played around with the eBay GPS tracker I had intended to fit.

It has the option to track via SMS i.e you send a SMS to the GPS and it sends a message back with the location. You can send SMS commands to have it SMS you at intervals etc.

Alternatively it can use the GPRS data to poll a website which has a google map that enables you to track it on a map in real time.

The one I purchased also has a battery backup which gave a decent runtime should it be disconnected from the main CT battery. Further, it had the option to store coordinates if the GSM/GPRS goes offline i.e no mobile service. This is handy if/when service is picked up you can upload the coordinates to 'complete' the map. Handy I guess if you wanted to see where they went / stopped along the way.

All in all, not a bad price for the unit with a bunch of functions. Had it been fitted, it would have been interesting to see how the police respond. I'd say they'd be derelict in their duty once informed of the location of the CT based on a proven technology (GPS) if the did nothing as they would have sufficient grounds to investigate.

[prodigyrf]

Had our first Jayco Dove nicked 20 odd years ago which with the eldest hitting HS meant we cut the camping days short as teens soon don't want to be with mum and dad. It was stored at the rear of my factory and they'd cut the gate chain and long gone before  Mon morning. Fully insured and I got back what I'd paid for it near new and 2nd hand, because the new prices had risen somewhat. Given the car wreckers next door were busted with 23 stolen cars a year or so later no prizes for guessing who knew it was there and when to nick it.

Once I was paid out it belonged to the Insur Co but no doubt was in the hands of some unsuspecting buyer. Now unless the mods I'd done were completely removed, I'd recognise it to this day and when tenting at cara parks or spotting a Dove on the road, I couldn't help but check out if it was mine originally. What would I have done if I'd come across it? Checked out the owners and if they looked like innocent new owners I'd have just shrugged and let it go, even though legally I knew it didn't really belong to them, but to all of us with our Insur premiums. What would you do?

Edit: Bought my latest 03 Dove for $12750 and with its extras AAMI let me insure it for an agreed $14k for a $212 annual premium and $200 excess. What's all this about paying to install a GPS and coughing up for annual monitoring fees?

[Tim - Stratford]

Theres been numerous reports in the press of people coming in after their houses being robbed, having tracking on their Apple thingys and the cops dont listen or take it serious.
Why would a camper be any different?

Police and technology....Vicpol are still using Windows XP and Office 2003.....but we are getting better at embracing technology.

I've used electronic gadgets to gain evidence which secured a plea to trafficking speed. Guys at a neigbouring station have grabbed a Bobcat thief as he was travelling along the highway because the owner had the GPS tracker and had called the station. A recent truck theft was monitored via GPS tracking...and crooks caught.

Generally when things go to plan and the crook is caught youndon't hear the details as some crooks read pappers and listen to the news. No point in giving away secrets. But you almost always hear about thimes when it doesn't go to plan.....everyone loves bagging someone. 

I'm very tempted with the GPS tracker for our KK - just have to research the right one for me.

Tim

[kylarama]

Theres been numerous reports in the press of people coming in after their houses being robbed, having tracking on their Apple thingys and the cops dont listen or take it serious.
Why would a camper be any different?

Anyone ever reported a car stolen and seen the response you get?

I guess it comes down to how you relay the information to the police...

Phillip Hewitson, an elderly man, from Norwich, was going up to bed, when his wife told him that he’d left the light on in the garden shed, which she could see from the bedroom window. Phillip opened the back door to go turn off the light, but saw that there were people in the shed stealing things.

He phoned the police, who asked ”Is someone in your house?"

He said "No, but some people are breaking into my garden shed and stealing from me.”
 
Then the police dispatcher said "All patrols are busy. You should lock your doors and an officer will be along when one is available."

Phillip said, "Okay." He hung up the phone and counted to 30. Then he phoned the police again. "Hello, I just called you a few seconds ago because there were people stealing things from my shed. Well you don’t have to worry about them now because I just shot them." and he hung up.

Within five minutes, Six Police Cars, a SWAT Team, a Helicopter, two Fire Trucks, a Paramedic, and an Ambulance showed up at the Hewitson`s’ residence, and caught the burglars red-handed.

One of the Policemen said to Phillip, "I thought you said that you’d shot them!"

Phillip said, "I thought you said there was nobody available!"

A mate has a GPS with online tracking fitted to his 50K skid steer after his previous one was stolen.
His wife checked it online oneday (see calls it the 'Husband stalker 6000') to discover of few weeks earlier it did a 3 hour trip around a very large construction site at 3am one Sunday morning.  Problem was my mate wasn't working nightshift that night!  Mate didn't notice anything unusal about his machine the following Monday morning, still parked and locked up where he left it on Friday...

[cruisindub]

Thhts funny
not sure which one, Phillips interaction with the cops (could bbe Dodgy though) the wife checking up on said husband, maybe he visits a mistress to do the neighbors lawn, or that they borred the digger and returned it without trace of it being done so.they must have returned it with fuel replaced.

[Kalebjarrod]

Ummmmmm

I have my camper insured at an agreed value, if it's gets stolen I get paid its value new + mods + gear + stuffaroundtime money for $70 a year

That's what insurance is for!

A car is stolen every 6 min in Australia let alone everything else, in one station in sth Brisbane there are 10 ladies working flat out every Sunday night filling out domestic violence orders, straight 8 hr shift, all info telephoned in from the field so the officers can go direct to the next DVO

If your camper gets stolen, it's gone, sorry

[Barry G]

A mate on one of the Subaru forums just posted this up for me.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=LA9011

No fees, sends to your phone.
Looks worth a go.

(Of course, I'd have to know how to access the bl00dy map on my phone!  LOL  )

[Bird]

A mate on one of the Subaru forums just posted this up for me.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productView.asp?ID=LA9011

No fees, sends to your phone.

There is no installation or on-going tracking charges. You only pay for the GSM sim card and service.

Same as the other ones mentioned, you pay for the SIMM charges.. but yea, thats only $10/mth.

You should see if you can get group together and buy 10 of em... Im sure you'd get better than $118ea for the 4+

[bobnrob]

Thhts funny
not sure which one, Phillips interaction with the cops (could bbe Dodgy though)

T'is, have heard a couple of variations over the years...send meat wagon...send ambulance...but still a bloody good yarn 

[jnik]

Here's my earlier thread on installing a GPS tracker on my boat (must get around to doing the same on the camper).

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=11655.msg173749

~$100 to get set up, had it for 18 months, still no where near $10 of running costs! 


Fortunately I haven't had to use it yet, but I have been involved in using something similar to catch some bad guys ...

http://www.myswag.org/index.php?topic=17605.msg269885