GPS/GSM Tracker

The one thing that we've found disturbing on RIBnet is reading about stolen boats. When our boat is at home, it's in an alarmed, locked, brick garage. When we're in transit or on the water, of course, we're as vunerable as the next guy. So, ... we've recently bought one of THESE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Fashion-GPS-tracker-real-time-tracking-and-location-50g_W0QQitemZ120419893961QQcmdZViewItemQQptZGPS_De vices?hash=item120419893961&_trksid=p3286.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1690%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C 240%3A1318%7C301%3A1%7C293%3A1%7C294%3A50) GPS/GSM trackers (albeit from different eBay reseller).

We'd researched the market...there are a huge number of these devices now and the price range is considerable. UK sourced, subscription devices are the most expensive - many £hundreds plus a monthly fee - but there are a number of non-subscription devices that are around £70 if you're happy buying out of China or HK, or, the same device can be UK sourced for about £110, all through eBay. (JK - there maybe a RIBnet marketing opportunity???)

We paid £64 for ours plus £12 for a 12v charge lead. It arrived within a week and out of the box it looks a well made device. It's the size of a large box of matches, finished in soft touch paint and has a good air of solidity. It comes with a 240v charger, two Li-ion batteries, a magnetic cover, a non-magnetic cover and a waterproof pouch (zip-lock Codders style) that is too small for the device! The device itself is clearly not waterproof. There are no external aerials.

It also comes with instructions that are written in pigeon English: the website for the device is no better, but they're both clear enough to enable use.

And, it's not difficult to set up. You need a GSM SIM (£0.01 off eBay!) and away you go. Within 5 mintues it was powered up, initialised and set up (which phones are authorised to access it, which time zone are you in...) and it then sent us a text to say the boat was in our garage, not moving and it was 15:20 on the 17/05/09. It gives you lat, long, speed and date/time and you can get this everytime you call it from an authorised phone (it hangs up on un-authorised phones). It can also be programmed to text if it starts to move or moves out of a pre-determined area (a Geo-Fence); it has an overspeed alert, an SOS button, a low battery alert, etc etc. and, of course, it doesn't have to be on a boat. It would be just as happy in a car, in a kids backpack or whatever.

Is it robust and reliable? Don't know yet. Watch this space :D

Looks like a decent bit of kit.
Have you tried moving the boat to see if it does text you?

I like the ebay ad you posted. Can be used to check "spouse fidelity"

Looks like a decent bit of kit.
Have you tried moving the boat to see if it does text you?

I like the ebay ad you posted. Can be used to check "spouse fidelity"

Haven't tried moving the boat yet. Will be trying it this weekend...:thumbs:

Spouse fidelity :eek::eek::eek: How does it know the detail? :eek: I'm at 52 36.234, -1 24.525 and therefore must be...Wow. Real clever =)

Without lowering the tone to that of a certain Mr Singleton I think the one in ad also did sound!

It sounds like a primo bit of kit - keep us posted.

On a less serious note, I have visions of a Mr Big in HK (gloating of an ever growing number of red dots on a wall sized map) dispaching black van loads of Triads 'round your gaff armed with Shuriken and boltcutters!

;)

Does indeed sound like a good , simple , decent priced effort that does what most of us want without all the bells & whistles that aren't really needed.

When you ordered did you have to order the 12v lead seperately or was it included ?. Am very seriously looking at one of these as with the boat on a mooring ( while its locked to it )I know its relatively easy to cur the lockas off and away it goes.

for £80 ish I dont think you can go far wrong & but not sure about the wife - she would use it to see where I am on the boat ! Any 'over nighters' in the cosy cabin would have to stop !

For £80 ish I dont think you can go far wrong & but not sure about the wife - she would use it to see where I am on the boat ! Any 'over nighters' in the cosy cabin would have to stop !

Thats maybe why you can decide what numbers can access it!

When you ordered did you have to order the 12v lead seperately or was it included?

The 12v lead was listed seperately :thumbs:

yep, I've had one of those working for over a year now, and so far no problems at all with reliability, all i need to do is find someone with the programming cradle for it as mine is set to GMT+7 :sick:.

and from a covert point of view all i can say is it works well even through lots of fibreglass .;)

Mark

There is a bundle of 6 on ebay for what would be about £67.50 each - any takers for a job lot ?

I cant however see the power lead listed for it - mentioned in the listing but cant find it for sale - anyone find it & send me the link ? I think this will be my latest ' toy' for the boat - but I can really & honestly say to the Mrs is it worth it for security & the insurance is due soon so it cant hurt !

all i need to do is find someone with the programming cradle for it as mine is set to GMT+7 :sick:

And so was mine...but...

You don't need a 'programming cable' ... simply text it:

time zone[yourpassword] 1

Using the default password this would be ... time zone123456 1

Note where the spaces are. This is very important.

123456 should be changed to your own password if you have changed the default.

1 (at the end of the string) means GMT+1, ie BST

:thumbs:

I cant however see the power lead listed for it

HERE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260374409261) is where I got mine...you could email them and ask? :thumbs:

Failing that, it's merely a 12v to 5v device, max current 1000mA

And so was mine...but...

You don't need a 'programming cable' ... simply text it:

time zone[yourpassword] 1

Using the default password this would be ... time zone123456 1

Note where the spaces are. This is very important.

123456 should be changed to your own password if you have changed the default.

1 (at the end of the string) means GMT+1, ie BST

:thumbs:

HI leapy,

Think you must have a newer firmware as mine does not respond to that command.

Thanks for trying

mark

Leapy, based on your recomendation I have ordered one and the car charger.

:thumbs:

The tech aint new.. Ive got several installed that you can poll from the internet and monitor on a live basis.. I think I'll get humped if the wife finds the one I installed in her spanx though :bolt:

Also ordered one today and for some reason ebay gave me 10% off . Cant hurt to keep an extra set of eyes on the boat .

Mine is up and running and doing fine. I just have the move function turned on which texts me if the boat moves more than 200 meters away from the location its in when I sent the "move" command.

I like the fact you can text monitor to the unit and then when you dial it up you can hear what is going on as the built in MIC kicks in :D

One word of warning....

You get a piece of software with the device that allows you to set up a proper monitoring suite on your PC. You have to use a GPRS enabled SIM and then open up a port on your PC that will allow you to communicate with the device.

Sounds nice but I can honestly say that after about 5 hours of fecking about with my PC and sending texts every 5 mins I actually think it has given me a brain tumour.

My advice.. don't even think about trying the GPS Software suite.

Sounds nice but I can honestly say that after about 5 hours of fecking about with my PC and sending texts every 5 mins I actually think it has given me a brain tumour.

My advice.. don't even think about trying the GPS Software suite.

:thumbs:

Do you know why they're so coy? When looking around for a system I couldn't really determine from them what I was going to get for all the extra outlay.
:thumbs:

(from the other GPS unit thread)



Now where was I...... :rolleyes:

To be honest unless you were using it for fleet managment the s/w is not needed anyway.

The texts the device send you have a link to a google map of where your boat is anyway.

On my blackberry it works really well

Now where was I...... :rolleyes:

Paying a lot of money? :D

Paying a lot of money? :D

:D

hehe ... no actually .. they were taken over by RBS a year ago and their credit control was/is fooked :thumbs: no one has a clue whats going on because they've lost the contract terms to some provision agreements :D

But I take on board what you were saying Chris fleet management is where I was coming from

Also ordered one today and for some reason ebay gave me 10% off . Cant hurt to keep an extra set of eyes on the boat .

Arrived today from China ( 9 days ? - better than some UK stuff !) so I will set up in the garden to make sure its all OK & then onto the boat at the weekend ( hopefully ) . The feed from the GPS to the radio packed up on sunday so I can look at that too while I've got the back off the panel ! currently just 'NO GPS INFORMATION' on the display ...... typical.

Memo to self: must nick Blackroady's boat before the week-end. :D

PS Was that your boat in Yarmouth a week last Friday? If so, you don't need a tracker: just employ me! Scurvey Crew and I popped over for supper (nachos!) but you weren't in The Wheatsheaf unfortunately.

David

Dont think it was me ( unless they nicked it, filled the tank & put it back before I noticed !)

There is another blue tubed Shearwater in/ around Yarmouth & newer & with a nice Verado in the back .

Maybe I should just try swapping them & see if anyone notices that ?

So all arrived - texting me its OK & all that , but no Lat & Long at all - even after a few hours sat on the boat to get a fix .

Little light on the side seems to flashing a bit quicker than every 4 secs - any suggestions ?

So all arrived - texting me its OK & all that , but no Lat & Long at all - even after a few hours sat on the boat to get a fix .

Little light on the side seems to flashing a bit quicker than every 4 secs - any suggestions ?

Can the unit see/get a gps signal? is it under cover or in the open?

So all arrived - texting me its OK & all that , but no Lat & Long at all - even after a few hours sat on the boat to get a fix .

Little light on the side seems to flashing a bit quicker than every 4 secs - any suggestions ?

Did you start by texting begin?

Also I have found that sometime you need to hold down the on off button for a few sec to get the unit working once it has a GPS fix the light should in fact go off. It will then come on when it is busy (ie. texting you back etc)

Chris

Also I have found that sometime you need to hold down the on off button for a few sec to get the unit working once it has a GPS fix the light should in fact go off. It will then come on when it is busy (ie. texting you back etc)

Chris

LED flashes all the time when it's working but then goes constant when the unit recives a call etc

LED flashes all the time when it's working but then goes constant when the unit recives a call etc


So call the unit it sends a text back including speed, on the iPhone tap the text & it brings up a map as in the pictures.

I assume we have the same unit two batteries two covers one magnetic

Jim

It flashes on mine whilst it is initialising and getting a fix, once complete the light stops flashing. If you call or send a text the light come son whilst the unit is "working".

Do you have your set up in your boat Jim?

Same one as Bedjamin - yes its well open enough for it to get a signal. Confused by the flashes of the light - who knows ! I'll keep trying . I have texted it , got text back etc , got text back saying only ; Lat: Long: Speed:

It flashes on mine whilst it is initialising and getting a fix, once complete the light stops flashing. If you call or send a text the light come son whilst the unit is "working".

Do you have your set up in your boat Jim?

No in Billy's truck as a test, got it to have a play with to see if it was any good

Same one as Bedjamin - yes its well open enough for it to get a signal. Confused by the flashes of the light - who knows ! I'll keep trying . I have texted it , got text back etc , got text back saying only ; Lat: Long: Speed:

That sounds like no gps signal, I had that the first time I tried the unit in my office, (steel clad building) but got a text back ok. moved the unit to the window and it worked fine

I assume you've done the admin bit etc

Thats what I'm thinking - i have had it out mid - harbour ( all the other GPS picked up a fix easily out there) - so not sure if I have a duff one.

Done all the admin , password, authorized number bits ok - just not getting a position .

Keep trying I think - then maybe try emailing China for a laugh !

Keep trying I think - then maybe try emailing China for a laugh !

Keep trying a while. Mine gave the same readout initially whilst in the house (ground floor apartment so the roof is about 50ft thick...not good for GPS!) I took it outside for a 'cold' acquire and left it there for about 30 minutes. After that, all was fine and continues fine even when buried in the boat which is itself in a garage and where the garage loft above the boat is full of, well, crap actually.

If you have to email them - I did with some question about the car charger - they emailed back almost by return with an MSN address, so we ended up 'chatting'. The English is local take-away standard :D

You did do the "begin" txt ?

You did do the "begin" txt ?

Yep & got the begin OK text back . :(

Ordered one yesterday!

The emails I have been been sending / getting , dear ....:0

hi,dear
i mean you can turn off it and then turn it on
because now the gps system is fixed in the USA,as to the report ,the gps system will be ok till next mondy

during there period ,many buyers have the problem
looking forward to your reply
best regards

Me :
OK - how do I restart it ?


To: XXXXXXXXXXX
Subject: Re: PIC OF THE 12V CAR CHARGER FOR THE GPS TRACKER

hi,dear
for that problem ,i think you can have a try to restart it
looking forwar dto your reply
bestregards

Me:
OK am seeing for example ;
--------------------------------------------------------
20:35:21
16/06/09
lat: Long: speed:

T:

http://www.wxlxy.com/GPSTracker.aspx?

I have found that pulling the battery and disconnecting from the 12volt adaptor is the best way to restart.

You could also try holding the power button in for a few seconds till the light starts flashing quickly then seeing if this helps.

Hope you get it sorted.

So if your not the bloke that contacted me via ebay there must be a couple of units with trouble out there I've pointed him here

Copy of his email (As my last post disapeared:eek:)

Q: Please can you help me, ive bought a GPS tracker like you and it turns on ok but when i ring for Geo-info, it responds but without any Long & Lat values. Im based in Cheshire, England, and im wondering if the problem is because im using a Virgin Pay-As-You-Go SIM. What SIM are you using and have you had any problems with yours? Thanks ant

im wondering if the problem is because im using a Virgin Pay-As-You-Go SIM. What SIM are you using and have you had any problems with yours? Thanks ant

Blackroady, I think this could be an issue, I use a vodafone PAYG sim with GPRS, voicemail etc disabled.

If you can get hold of a friends Vodafone SIM give it a try.

Cheers Chris - am using a virgin card - I'll get a vodephone one see what happens. Cant understand why it make it show no Lat & long as I'd expect the GPS to dump the position to the text & then the text is sent by the sim - irrespective of type.

Just a word of warning when buying these from China. There are many copies being advertised on ebay which do not work, are not CE approved and worse still not RoHS - this means they may contain hazardous material such as lead solder.

Have a look here www.the-pat.net - here is a small nice looking device primariliy aimed and tracking lost dogs - but could be used for other applications.

Just a word of warning when buying these from China. There are many copies being advertised on ebay which do not work, are not CE approved and worse still not RoHS - this means they may contain hazardous material such as lead solder.

Can you tell us how to tell which from which please? :thumbs:

Just a word of warning when buying these from China. There are many copies being advertised on ebay which do not work, are not CE approved and worse still not RoHS - this means they may contain hazardous material such as lead solder.

Have a look here www.the-pat.net (http://www.the-pat.net) - here is a small nice looking device primariliy aimed and tracking lost dogs - but could be used for other applications. Peterc, welcome to RIBnet- I assume you are Peter Callaway of Pawtrax / the-pat.net ? In which case I would draw your attention to our commercial posting guidelines. http://rib.net/forum/showthread.php?t=4921

In terms of product which may not conform to EU requirements - that is probably actually a non-issue to the private buyer (unless he has an ethical dilema) as so long as it works (and most people who have tried them in the thread seem to get them to work) then anything else is insignificant - I do understand why as a competitor it is not good if cheap imports are not being forced to comply with the same rules as you but I think think pricing is a critical issue for this sort of application.

:popcorn:

Just a word of warning when buying these from China. There are many copies being advertised on ebay which do not work, are not CE approved and worse still not RoHS - this means they may contain hazardous material such as lead solder.

Have a look here www.the-pat.net - here is a small nice looking device primariliy aimed and tracking lost dogs - but could be used for other applications.

Sorry Peter, these units from China are very good and do exactly what they are supposed to mine is "watching" my boat as we speak and it cost a lot less than your cat finder.

Also your post might have carried more weight had you made your link to the site clear when you first posted.

Peterc, welcome to RIBnet- I assume you are Peter Callaway of Pawtrax / the-pat.net ?

Nice spot Polwart...Just as I suspected...1st time poster seemingly offering help but just trying to peddle his own goods. About as subtle as the SsangYong guys a few weeks ago :sick:

Peterc...For your info...my Chinese tracker says the boat's in the garage...and it is...and the cat and dog are here too :D

If you have a product that's worthy, then have the decency to market it in the same way. Your method here impresses no-one :yawn:

Just trying to help and advise as I have been the victim of many faulty units from China. Not being RoHS can make them very dangerous and get users in big trouble with Customs.

Just buying the device from outside UK makes you an importer

If the moderator didn't like my post then he can always remove or edit it. Sorry if I have upset anyone here.

There is a forum dedicated to these TK102 units and the problems users are having with them, together with pictures of the copies.

http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=108384

Happy to edit my post and remove website - if I could find out how to

All my problems sorted - just changed it to Vodfone SIM & worked instantly - clearly a problem with Virgin SIMS !

Not being RoHS can make them very dangerous I don't believe that is really the case. The devices are enclosed and users would not come into contact with the materials inside it during normal usage. In reality the contents are unlikely to present a significant hazard even then on an individual/one-off basis - and it is the combined cumulative effect or people and the environment that causes the ban.
and get users in big trouble with Customs. I'm not sure that Customs actually have any role to play in enforcement of RoHS, but in any case I very much doubt that Customs or any other enforcement agency would take any prosecuting action against someone purchasing a single unit even IF it were not compliant, so realistically the worst case is confiscation of the item and loss of the purchase price. I am not condoning it - but I simply don't believe you will be "in big trouble". (Feel free to cite actual factual cases where legal action has been taken against an individual for importing a single item for their own use). This information may be useful however for anyone considering importing these on a commercial basis to consider.

If the moderator didn't like my post then he can always remove or edit it. Sorry if I have upset anyone here. one of the great things about RIBnet is that it pretty much self moderates trade/commercial posting.
There is a forum dedicated to these TK102 units and the problems users are having with them, together with pictures of the copies.
http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=108384
thanks - that information should be useful to anyone considering purchasing one, either from here or overseas.
Happy to edit my post and remove website - if I could find out how to all posts are locked for editing after a short period of time so that they remain a consistent record of the 'conversation'.

If people continue to buy non compliant products in this way it just compounds the issue and will have a combined cumulative effect. The products will get disposed of at some point.

Even buying a one off makes you an importer - even if it is for personal use.

Non CE approved batteries (and chargers have been known to explode big time). Not very nice if its on your boat at the time.

Virgin SIMS can detect if it is placed in a 'modem' that has not been approved for use on the UK network - which is why some of you have found that they do not work as expected - other providers are starting to do the same and will 'turn off' the sim.

ebay are in the process of taking action on anyone who advertises products that do not meet the requirements of the country they are being advertised in.

If people continue to buy non compliant products in this way it just compounds the issue and will have a combined cumulative effect. The products will get disposed of at some point.

Even buying a one off makes you an importer - even if it is for personal use.

Non CE approved batteries (and chargers have been known to explode big time). Not very nice if its on your boat at the time.

Virgin SIMS can detect if it is placed in a 'modem' that has not been approved for use on the UK network - which is why some of you have found that they do not work as expected - other providers are starting to do the same and will 'turn off' the sim.

ebay are in the process of taking action on anyone who advertises products that do not meet the requirements of the country they are being advertised in.

So are you going pay trade membership and plug your product, or just ramble on about how bad the others are, hoping we'll look at yours :( :yawn: :rolleyes:

Bad attitude - I am not forcing people to buy or even look at my product - just some friendly advice.

You will be please to hear I shall no longer be posting to this forum

this means they may contain hazardous material such as lead solder.


Considering we are bouncing around at some speed, on generally hundreds kg of petrol , in a boat that is not made of the most 'friendly' products, with several thousand controlled explosions going on inside a very, very hot lump of metal every minute, - that is spinning a lethal triple bladed thing (in most cases , but sometimes 2 or 4 bladed ), I think the risk posed by the 'hazardous material' is technically, comparatively BUGGER ALL.

Still if we want to we can stick our phones ( also 'full' of hazardous material) to our heads and tell someone.

I'll buy what I want, from who I want & live with the suposed 'RISK' - if someone doesn't like it - tough - its called freedom - not much left in the UK to do this though.

No-one told Barnes Wallis not to spin his bombs in case they bounced & it 'could' be dangerous !

There is a forum dedicated to these TK102 units and the problems users are having with them, together with pictures of the copies.
http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=108384 (http://www.gpspassion.com/forumsen/topic.asp?TOPIC_ID=108384)

I have looked at this link (55 pages, and thanks for the link peterc). There are a few things worth noting...I'm not trying to make a point either way here, I'm simply summarising what's there as fact or what is put across as fact in good faith even though it may only be opinion.

* The thread in question, which is specific to the type of Tracker we have been discussing here, dates back to March 2008 and is still going strong.
* The majority of posts are written by people whose first language does not appear to be English. There are only a few posts identifiable as written from within the UK.
* From the above there is significant confusion about what is written, read and interpreted.
* There are comments and photos regarding 'copies' or 'clones'. It is not clear from those that make this allegation how to identify a copy or a clone from an original. The differences, if ever detailed, are subtle.
* There are suggestions that, in fact, there are no copies, but that there is only one supplier whose product is then packaged and marketed differently by different re-sellers.
* There are 'early' versions and 'later' versions of firmware. Trackers equipped with the 'later' firmware automatically start up when a charged battery is inserted (as does mine). This was done to counter criticism of inactive 'early' Trackers after a power outage.
* There seems to be lots of comment and criticism centred around the 'early' firmware. There appears to be multiple root causes...poorly written instructions, wrongly interpretted instructions, finger trouble, doesn't work as intended...
* Many users with 'early' firmware try to update to 'later' firmware via usb cable, pcb's and usb or the cable that came with their kettle. Tears usually result, apart from those equipped with detailed software and pcb technical know-how. Not for the faint-hearted.
* Many users report problems with particular SIM brands (most of them foreign sounding). From those that appear to write with know-how this has something to do with a code length involving the SMS handshake (?) that I haven't fully absorbed. Changing SIM brand effects a cure.
* Some users report problems with the geo-fence in early versions.
* The majority of the thread is taken up with everybody trying to teach everybody how to get the Tracker to talk to their laptop through the internet. Only for those with programming skills.
* Some users talk about taking the Tracker apart, attaching different aerials, using third party batteries and/or external power devices, manufacturing usb leads in order to modify the firmware with their own code...and it goes on.
* I got bored. Mine works. End of. :thumbs:

Hope this helps someone/anyone:rolleyes:

... just some friendly advice...

peterc...I've followed your link and thanks for that. It's appreciated :thumbs:

Good luck with your own device.

Virgin SIMS can detect if it is placed in a 'modem' that has not been approved for use on the UK network - which is why some of you have found that they do not work as expected - other providers are starting to do the same and will 'turn off' the sim.
Surely that would result in complete failure to send/recieve data rather than the apparent situation where it can send and recieve partial information as reported here?

If people continue to buy non compliant products in this way it just compounds the issue and will have a combined cumulative effect. The products will get disposed of at some point. ah - now you are trying to convince me it is better for the ethical / moral arguments - thats OK. But I will not drop dead from buying one.
Even buying a one off makes you an importer - even if it is for personal use.technically - but proportionality is involved. the consequences of "importing" one unit are inevitable much smaller than buying them to resell.
Non CE approved batteries (and chargers have been known to explode big time). Not very nice if its on your boat at the time.you have actual evidence of this in these devices? similar problems have been encountered by major (reputable) PC manufacturers selling CE marked goods.
ebay are in the process of taking action on anyone who advertises products that do not meet the requirements of the country they are being advertised in. I wouldn't rely on this if I were you... not many people here have good things to say about ebay's policy on policing its content.

You will be please to hear I shall no longer be posting to this forum I am sure there are plenty of people here who would happily give you constructive feedback on how your gps pet-tracker could be adapted for the boating community.

I am sure there are plenty of people here who would happily give you constructive feedback on how your gps pet-tracker could be adapted for the boating community.

:thumbs:

So if your not the bloke that contacted me via ebay there must be a couple of units with trouble out there I've pointed him here

Copy of his email (As my last post disapeared:eek:)

Q: Please can you help me, ive bought a GPS tracker like you and it turns on ok but when i ring for Geo-info, it responds but without any Long & Lat values. Im based in Cheshire, England, and im wondering if the problem is because im using a Virgin Pay-As-You-Go SIM. What SIM are you using and have you had any problems with yours? Thanks ant

He came back to me this morning

Dear bedajim,

Hey Jim

My Tracker works today with the Virgin SIM, the seller was right, it was a satalite update issue.

Thanks anyway
ant...

What's the battery life on these units? They look extremely good and I may be buying a few of these for 5 cars and 2 boats! So before I spend that much money I just need to know how long the batteries will last.

Also, I know it texts you when the battery is low, but how much notice does it give you and how reliable is that?

From what you've all been saying, I think it sounds ideal for me! So all I really need is this answering then I'm good to go!

What's the battery life on these units?

Mine lasts four days...don't have it set up to warn of low battery. I just change it regularly. The device comes with two rechargeable batteries...one in use, one ready to use.

Or, you could hard wire it to the boat battery. There's an optional charging cable :thumbs:

Mine lasts four days...don't have it set up to warn of low battery. I just change it regularly. The device comes with two rechargeable batteries...one in use, one ready to use.

Or, you could hard wire it to the boat battery. There's an optional charging cable :thumbs:

How do you set up low battery warning then?

Mine lasts about 36 hours depending on how often you txt or call it.

Also Leapy I have found that when I plug my unit into the 12V power supply on the boat that I have to remove the battery otherwise it seems to run on battery power then when the battery runs flat the unit turns off. Do you have this problem?

Mine lasts four days...don't have it set up to warn of low battery. I just change it regularly. The device comes with two rechargeable batteries...one in use, one ready to use.

Or, you could hard wire it to the boat battery. There's an optional charging cable :thumbs:

Ah, that's not amazingly long... And I don't really want to have to hard wire the charger to the battery. Hmmm, I'm undecided now! Someone pursuade me! lol!

How do you set up low battery warning then?

Mine lasts about 36 hours depending on how often you txt or call it.

Also Leapy I have found that when I plug my unit into the 12V power supply on the boat that I have to remove the battery otherwise it seems to run on battery power then when the battery runs flat the unit turns off. Do you have this problem?

I've never set the battery alarm as I thought it a bit of a redundant feature (for me). I just used to change the battery every four days. Doing this, it never ran out.

These days I only call it about twice a week now that I understand its abilities. As the boat's in the garage attached to the house I don't really have to ask the Tracker where it is. In a couple of weeks, however, we're going away. It'll be invaluable then.

When the Tracker is hard wired to the boat battery I take the internal battery out having figured out that it defaults to the internal battery even when hard wired. I've had no problems since doing this. Don't think it's necessarily a problem once you know about it :thumbs:

Ah, that's not amazingly long... And I don't really want to have to hard wire the charger to the battery. Hmmm, I'm undecided now! Someone pursuade me! lol!

The internal battery is a small Li-Ion mobile phone battery. Bear in mind that the device never sleeps...it's awake all the time with an active GSM and an active GPS. On that basis, I think four days is pretty good. It certainly works fine for me. Obviously though, it you are calling it frequently to get a response that time will diminish.

Why don't you want to hard wire it?

Because my battery doesn't have a trickle charge from the engine, which means it'd be powering the fishfinder and the tracker without a charge from the engine when it's running. I am looking into seeing how to get a trickle charge from my engine but because it's a manual start and trim there isn't anything setup at the moment.

I just don't know, having only owned the boat for a week, how long the battery will last powering the fishfinder alone.

Because my battery doesn't have a trickle charge from the engine, which means it'd be powering the fishfinder and the tracker without a charge from the engine when it's running. I am looking into seeing how to get a trickle charge from my engine but because it's a manual start and trim there isn't anything setup at the moment.

I just don't know, having only owned the boat for a week, how long the battery will last powering the fishfinder alone.

The Tracker will take milli-amps...the fish finder I don't know. Others on here may be able to advise if you post what type it is. If you have the manual it should also tell you there what the current draw is.

It also depends on how big your boat battery is - in terms of amphrs - what state of charge it's at and what condition it's in.

As the battery isn't part of a system to get you home, you could always suck it and see?

Presumably, the battery goes home with you for a re-charge?

Well I've got a Humminbird PiranhaMAX 215, if anyone knows about that. I'm not with the boat or the manual so I can't have a look unfortunately!

The battery's only a small battery IIRC and I'm not sure about the condition, but I'm pretty confident about it as it's only 8 months old! I'm definately coming round to hard wiring it! It'll just be a case of charging the battery regularly, that's all! :)

It'll just be a case of charging the battery regularly, that's all! :)

With or without Tracker you'll have to charge the battery regularly anyway if you're powering other devices :thumbs:

Well thats exactly why I'm coming round to the idea! lol!

.... the tracker club >> ordered from HK last friday and arrived yesterday. One Vodafone payg sim and it works perfectly
Got it from flea bay here ;
http://shop.ebay.co.uk/merchant/incutex
with hard wired charger
Now for a IP67 box, wire it in and hide it away.
:cool:


FC, CE and ROHS compliant ( well maybe thats just the box but he ho !!)

HERE (http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=260374409261) is where I got mine...you could email them and ask? :thumbs:

Failing that, it's merely a 12v to 5v device, max current 1000mA

It looks like you have to keep it continually wired to the boat battery. What's the drain of battery like, or do you have your boat battery on permanent charge? My thoughts are going to a solar panel, for when I get my stolen boat replacement. Any comments from anyone?

Its a shame that you can't use them with the main battery and the internal battery connected at the same time. Then it has all the capacity of the internal battery but if the thieving b*s*rds disconnect the battery (it can only be a matter of time before they start doing this to disable trackers) then you still have 3-4 days of tracking info. The tracker itself could be well hidden and inaccessible to stop them finding it/smashing it.

Has anyone tried to use the GeoFence option yet?

I tried today but it sets off as soon as I text it the 2 sets of co-ordinates so I can only assume the format I am sending the Coordinates in is not right.

I am sending this message (I have altered the numbers slightly for obvious reasons)

stockade****** 61.57,-02.53;61.55,-02.23

I am using Google Earth to set the area with the first coordinates being top left and then second bottom right as per the manual.

Yet every time I send the message I immediately trigger the Stockade! alert.

I think the issue is in the coordinates format?

Any ideas?

Its a shame that you can't use them with the main battery and the internal battery connected at the same time. Then it has all the capacity of the internal battery but if the thieving b*s*rds disconnect the battery (it can only be a matter of time before they start doing this to disable trackers) then you still have 3-4 days of tracking info. The tracker itself could be well hidden and inaccessible to stop them finding it/smashing it.

Can't quite work this out but I left my battery in and have it connected to a permanemt live feed. After about a week I got a text warning of low battery, next day I went to check the unit and it was still showing powered up - and on my next 'call' it reported full battery ( and signal). I don't know whether this suggests it works off the internal battery until its low, then recharges from the lead ?? unlikely I guess but who knows the chinese. The test will be to see if I get another low bat warning in a week or so.
Has anyone found that the position accuracy is quite poor/variable - when sending multiple position requests I have found it to be up to 30m out at times.
The move alert also seems to have a delay and triggers 5-10 mins after it is moved............. however, still pleased as it will tell me when it has moved !
Jeff

Its a shame that you can't use them with the main battery and the internal battery connected at the same time. Then it has all the capacity of the internal battery but if the thieving b*s*rds disconnect the battery (it can only be a matter of time before they start doing this to disable trackers) then you still have 3-4 days of tracking info. The tracker itself could be well hidden and inaccessible to stop them finding it/smashing it.

Mine seems to be able to do this - its running off the main boats battery(s) , with its little internal battery fitted. I've tried pulling the main boat power of it & it still stays on 7 texts position on its own battery. I also tested it in the garden for a week prior to puttingon the boat - running off the 'old/spare' boat battery.

Has anyone found that the position accuracy is quite poor/variable - when sending multiple position requests I have found it to be up to 30m out at times.
I think that is the "natural" error in GPS - you probably don't notice it on your chartplotter because the software will average multiple positions to smooth out the effect.

Likewise your "in car" sat nav feature appears to be more accurate than it really is - because it "knows" you must be on a road.

Mine seems to be able to do this - its running off the main boats battery(s) , with its little internal battery fitted. I've tried pulling the main boat power of it & it still stays on 7 texts position on its own battery. I also tested it in the garden for a week prior to puttingon the boat - running off the 'old/spare' boat battery.

Hmmm not sure why mine does not do this.

I have now identified that the GPS102 I bought from ebay is a copy and not an original unit.

You can tell if yours is a copy if it comes with a magnetic back also the TXT message has ttp://www.wxwll etc.

Although the copies work a lot of issues such as false alarms that I keep getting and the battery not working with the power supply are due to the unit being a fake.

If you want to get the real deal then go here www.xexun.com

Chris

Was about to purchase one of these, until a colleague has just told me DABS are selling a tracker finder! Apparently they enable you to find the location of any tracker fitted and either disable or remove.

Cheers DABS, will not get anymore custom from me

Was about to purchase one of these, until a colleague has just told me DABS are selling a tracker finder! Apparently they enable you to find the location of any tracker fitted and either disable or remove.

Cheers DABS, will not get anymore custom from me

There is nothing on their website :]

your right, I believe the Authorities had ask them to remove, so looks like they have.

I withdrawl my comment.

Was about to purchase one of these, until a colleague has just told me DABS are selling a tracker finder! Apparently they enable you to find the location of any tracker fitted and either disable or remove.

Cheers DABS, will not get anymore custom from me I assume it is intended to "sniff" for the GSM mobile phone signal (as GPS is incoming only). But most of the time your GSM tracker is sitting doing nothing - not emitting a signal. Once every 20 minutes or so it will give a ~1 second burst to the network to confirm it is still there, which base station it is listening to etc. "Locating" a hidden transmitter isn't going to be easy with a sniffer if 99.9% of the time it is "silent". Even if you happened to "ping" when the dodgy geezer with the sniffer is there it it only takes about 5 seconds of active communication to send/recieve a text message. By the time they trigger the geofence/movement alert, find the device and disable it - you would at least know it was on the move.

I have now identified that the GPS102 I bought from ebay is a copy and not an original unit.

You can tell if yours is a copy if it comes with a magnetic back also the TXT message has ttp://www.wxwll etc. Chris

Who says?

There's a forum discussing this type of tracker...it runs to over 50 pages...and there's comment about 'clones'. But, who's qualified and who can be believed to comment about what's 'real' and what's a 'clone'? I've read it all through - yes, sad - and the only thing I can say for sure is that there's lots of opinion. Facts, I'm not sure about.

We've already had someone posting on this thread saying these trackers are crap only to find he had a vested interest in marketing his own device. The same guy also posts on this other forum talking about clones. Is he to be believed? You decide.

I'll just reiterate...I've had my device now for many weeks and it works just fine. Is it a clone? Who knows? I don't, for one, and whilst it continues to work, I don't even care :thumbs:

So, how do you buy a genuine one from xexun?

So, how do you buy a genuine one from xexun?

Interesting question...you can buy from Xexun China direct from their website (http://xexun.manufacturer.globalsources.com/si/6008824707304/Showroom/3000000149681/ALL.htm) or HERE (http://www.childsafetytech.com/store/1328792/product/16636745) if you fancy paying £210 from a UK source :eek:

I'm still at the 80/20 philosophy I mentioned earlier in this thread :)

Hi guys just joined the forum, been following this thread for some time now and decided to get one of the tracker units from ebay, ordered the unit and the same day the supplier "incutex" was removed as a "no longer registered member", but luckily the unit turned up. Bought the vodafone sim card and everything looked like it was going well, but the tracker unit sends the lats and longs in the incorrect format. Normally its degrees, minutes and seconds which look like this "50.47'045 & 001.44'19 but my units is giving the readings as 50.783998 & 001.734968 which doesn't match any GPS coordinates I know. I was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and is there some way of changing the units programming to give out the coordinates in the normal way, the instructions I have do not mention anything about this, just hope I have not bought a duff one from a unregistered seller in china, any help or advice would be appreciated.

Lew

Hi guys just joined the forum, been following this thread for some time now and decided to get one of the tracker units from ebay, ordered the unit and the same day the supplier "incutex" was removed as a "no longer registered member", but luckily the unit turned up. Bought the vodafone sim card and everything looked like it was going well, but the tracker unit sends the lats and longs in the incorrect format. Normally its degrees, minutes and seconds which look like this "50.47'045 & 001.44'19 but my units is giving the readings as 50.783998 & 001.734968 which doesn't match any GPS coordinates I know. I was just wondering if anyone else has had this problem and is there some way of changing the units programming to give out the coordinates in the normal way, the instructions I have do not mention anything about this, just hope I have not bought a duff one from a unregistered seller in china, any help or advice would be appreciated.

Lew

The decimal representation is correct. if you google you should be able to find a conversion - otherwise post again and I will explain when sober!

On a slight digression (new thread needed perhaps), how does the Sentinel stack up against the eBay tracker?

www.yacht-sentinel.com

The decimal representation is correct. if you google you should be able to find a conversion - otherwise post again and I will explain when sober!

Thanks for that info, found a conversion from decimal to degrees but still would prefer the coordinates sent in degrees as my iphone doesn't recognize the decimal format nor does google earth and converting everytime is going to be a pain, the instructions sent with my unit are very basic, I was hoping there was a text instruction you could send to the unit to change the information from decimal to degrees. Leapy who started this thread may have more detailed intructions as he advised how to change the time zone earlier in this thread, this info is not anywhere on my instructions, anyway thanks for the response, at least its giving the correct coordinates but in decimal format.

Lew

Snoopy good luck! I suspect it will be easier to find the setting in Google Earth / iPhone to allow you to enter GPS coordinates in decimal format (I haven't checked but I am fairly sure both will accept it - and indeed almost certainly use decimal coordinated internally within their software).

Who says?



I spoke to Xexun and bought one from them directly. The new one has already proven to be much more reliable and I have not had a single false alarm since I installed it. The clone I had from eBay would not last more than a few hours before sending me a warning text to say it had moved. And as for the Geo fence that never worked at all as the unit would not accept a negative number on the longtitude which is kinda essential in this country.

Also the Xexun allows you to run a battery and a 12v supply which the clone does not. So if my 12v supply fails or is disconnected the unit will still function.

If you just want a unit that texts you when you phone it then the clone will probably be fine and in fact one advantage of the clone is it send you that link that points you at the map. On the Xexun model there is no link, just coordinates.

I wanted something that I did not have to monitor all the time, something that would just txt me when the boat is on the move. THe Xexun one has proved to be much more suitable. I was getting so many false alarms with the clone that I was just starting to ignore the texts which made the whole thing pointless.

Thanks for that info, found a conversion from decimal to degrees but still would prefer the coordinates sent in degrees as my iphone doesn't recognize the decimal format nor does google earth and converting everytime is going to be a pain, the instructions sent with my unit are very basic, I was hoping there was a text instruction you could send to the unit to change the information from decimal to degrees. Leapy who started this thread may have more detailed intructions as he advised how to change the time zone earlier in this thread, this info is not anywhere on my instructions, anyway thanks for the response, at least its giving the correct coordinates but in decimal format.

Lew

Google Earth do accept the coordinates in this format. For example try these in the "fly to" bit.

51.650266, -002.437460

Google Earth do accept the coordinates in this format. For example try these in the "fly to" bit.

51.650266, -002.437460

You're right, thanks to Polwarts advice I tried again on both the iphone and google earth and it works just fine, I was just putting in too many full stops and spaces. I'm not sure which hardware/software version I have but I do not get the link to take it to a a map, just the coordinates, time, speed etc. as the xenun version, also tried the move option which worked fine, it txt'd me when I was about 1km away from home, I have not tried any of the other options yet. I have not connected the hard wired battery charger yet, will play with that later this week, hopefully it will work ok, but so far pleased with the unit.

Coincidentally, I've just come across the same problem transposing waypoints from the almanac/chart to Google Earth. The default in Google Earth is 'Degrees, Minutes, Seconds' but this can be changed to 'Degrees, Decimal minutes' in the 'Show Lat/Long' option in Tools/Options/3D View. It then corresponds with the nautical figures without having to multiply the decimal by 60 to enter the waypoint into Google Earth.

You're right, thanks to Polwarts advice I tried again on both the iphone and google earth and it works just fine, I was just putting in too many full stops and spaces. I'm not sure which hardware/software version I have but I do not get the link to take it to a a map, just the coordinates, time, speed etc. as the xenun version, also tried the move option which worked fine, it txt'd me when I was about 1km away from home, I have not tried any of the other options yet. I have not connected the hard wired battery charger yet, will play with that later this week, hopefully it will work ok, but so far pleased with the unit.

Soundslike you have the original unit then :thumbs: