Vehicle Tracking

UrbanTacticz · 02-16-2002, 02:44 AM

Lets say if my car got stolen, and I wanted to trake it. How would I go about doing that? I know I would need some sort of hardware...is there anyway of "reversing" the GPS unit to post where it is? Thanks for your responces!

Alives · 02-16-2002, 02:57 AM

lo/jack

spud · 02-16-2002, 04:32 AM

I've been thinking for a while now about adding a mobile phone to my setup in the boot for just this reason.

Have it acoustically-coupled to a secondary soundcard or pc-speaker (if that'll work) that uses the standard Microsoft speech API to "speak" it's latitude and longitude.

(I was thinking of doing it in hardware, the SPO256AL2 chip can speak allophones, but it's been out of production for years and is hard to find).

The mobile phone would run off a charge card (so I don't pay a monthly fee) and be set to auto-answer and low volume. It would also be powered by either a 12v gel cell in the boot or the main car battery.

Then, if I discover the car is stolen, I just ring the number and find out where my car is. Feed the coordinates into my laptop and go and get the bastards

(Or get the police onto them, might be safer).

Spud.

Dimitris1976 · 02-16-2002, 04:47 AM

Check my posts here:
http://www.mp3car.com/cgi-bin/ultima...c&f=2&t=002487

Feel free to ask...

Dimitris

Alives · 02-16-2002, 02:16 PM

you'd have to really hide it...if i saw an mp3 player in a car (assuming i stole a car) i'd seriously investigate it.

UrbanTacticz · 02-16-2002, 02:58 PM

Hiding it is not a problem. I want something that will be standalone. I mean if you get something that plugs into your computer, wouldn't the computer have to be on in order for you to get coordinates of your car? What kind of theif would turn on your computer?

A while back I saw a device where you connect a phone line (a cell phone in our case) and dial into it from any phone somewhere else, and turn on the PC. Now that sounds reasonable...but just connecting a device VIA serial port, and leaving it at that? What's the point in that?!

Dimitris1976 · 02-16-2002, 04:02 PM

This system I described has nothing to do with a computer in the car for the reasons you just mentioned. In fact a computer in the car is not needed at all.
All the in-car components of the setup (cell phone, GPS receiver, Tinytrack) are small enough to be hidden (camouflagged) in a box of tissues under the rear window (that's what I did), or somewhere in the engine compartment, under the car, under the spare tire etc... Just make sure that the GPS receiver's antenna has a decent view of the sky (unless your receiver has a detachable external antenna).

Dimitris

Dimitris1976 · 02-16-2002, 04:26 PM

Since a lot of people are asking over e-mail information on this, I am posting what I wrote in a reply.

What you need is:

In the car
1) An old cell phone (with auto answer mode)
2) A modified hands-free harness for the particular cell phone
3) A Tinytrack (version I or II)(www.byonics.com)
4) A NMEA GPS receiver

At home
1) A PC with soundcard
2) The appropriate software (AGW and WinAPRS or UI-View)
3) A phone line and a normal phone appliance
4) A cable that (you 'll have to solder it yourself) connects the phone's speaker to the soundcard's line in.

The Tinytrack board basicaly converts the NMEA serial data from the GPS into sound that can be transmitted by any means. In this case we use the cell phone. The Tinytrack's output is connected to the cell phone through a modified hands-free harness (cut away the mic and solder the wires to Tinytrack's output). The cell phone is set to auto answer mode, ie whenever somebody calls to this phone, it's picking up the call autommaticaly without the need to press a button.
When you are at home and call the cell in the car, the sound (coded data) comes from the home phone's speaker, through a cable to the soundcard's line in and then the software decodes this data and shows your car's exact location (longitude, latitude), speed, bearing and elevation (with TT II) on a moving map. The scale and detail of the map depends on the map you 'll scan and import to the program.
I suggest you use a SIM card in the phone with a unique phone number that only you will know and use only for this reason (not to accept voice phone calls). It should be one of those prepaid credit connections in order to avoid the monthly fees (since this phone will only accept incoming calls whenever you want to track your car and not to make outgoing calls).

Zip-Lock · 02-16-2002, 04:57 PM

I started work on a project that a year ago to track my car, but I haven’t done any thing with it in about a year. Here's how it works: http://www.whereismycar.org/about.asp

It works pretty well I can get my cars’ location and map just by going to that site which is even acceptable from WAP enabled cell phones.

A demo is here: http://www.whereismycar.org/demo.asp

Dimitris1976 · 02-17-2002, 07:08 PM

Ziplock,

you still need a computer in the car and it's much more complicated!

esemay · 02-19-2002, 02:53 PM

Maybe this will help someone. Hook it up to a TinyTrack and hide it anywhere. A little smaller(and cheaper) than a regular GPS.

Shawn
text

moahdib · 02-19-2002, 04:32 PM

Tinytrak is cool... I bought this and installed it inside my randmcnally GPS, but still haven't done the full implementation.
I don't have the money to add another mobile cellphone to it... that's the only thing stopping me. But i have tested everything that Dimitris explained and it works beautifully!!

If the gps was connected permanently to the car battery it wouldn't drain it would it? I believe I had measured the current draw at 55ma. Can anyone tell me if that's a risk to leave it connected 24/7? that way I can find out where my car is even when the engine is off =)

DodgeCummins · 02-19-2002, 07:51 PM

I like that tinytrack idea...has anyone operationally tested this concept...ie cell phone audio tinytrack gps <to> home phone audio soundcard home computer?

Dimitris1976 · 02-20-2002, 06:15 PM

I 've done it and use it two years now. I made for myself and some friends of mine.
I use an old Delorme Tripmate and it's permanetly connected to the battery and never had any problems 'till now.
Fortunately no one stole my car yet...

TwinII · 02-21-2002, 11:14 AM

We have a standalone unit in the uk called the "tracker". The unit is activated (via radio) when the car is reported stolen, it then sends out a tracing pulse which is picked up by recievers in police cars/other vehicles. The boys in blue are then able to get a distance and direction until they get a visual on the car.

Roadside sensors are planned but typical UK burocracy is slowing the whole process

Around 85% of Police traffic cars have the right kit to do this and in a small country like the UK it works pretty well I think the recovery rate is around 85% if the theft is reported within 4 hours.

The unit only costs around $400 and has an annual subscription charge but the unit is recognised by insurance companies as a useful security measure so you get much lower premiums.