RE: 'the boomerang'

[Frank de Kat <fdekat@sentex.net>]

Sounds to me like this system use a GPS (Global Position System) receiver
to track the car movement, and uploads the info to some central monitoring
monitoring station (via cell phone) when triggered. 
The GPS system does rely on being able to 'see the sky' as it were, to be
able to get satellite signals. So being under a bridge, or in a cargo
container would cause a problem. However, the antennas can be very small,
and a potential thief would not be able to figure out what bits had to do
with the tracking system.

The amateur radio crowd have a similar setup that can broadcasts a position
to other amatuers. There has been at least one instance of a stolen car
being tracked this way.


At 01:28 PM 11/08/99 -0400, Don Muirhead wrote:
>Geo:
>
>I was looking for a system like this last winter and spoke to Mobile Track 
>(spelling could be wrong) located in Calgary.  They told me their system 
>wasn't available in Canada yet and that know other company offered this 
>kind of service. Something about satellite locations being to low see or 
>read the horizon - whatever that means.
>
>If you've got a lead on something would you mind sharing it?  Greatly 
>appreciated.
>
>Don
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From:	geo [SMTP:gamills@ns.sympatico.ca]
>Sent:	Wednesday, August 11, 1999 11:52 AM
>To:	audifans
>Subject:	'the boomerang'
>
>Any Canucks have this system in their car?  Anti-theft
>device, ~$800 cdn.  I suppose you could call it a 'passive'
>device in that it doesn't do anything to stop the theft, but
>the car can be located within a 'few yards' after the fact
>using cell phone technology, i.e. satellites.  Seems to me
>that a thief could easily figure out where it was installed
>in the car and disable it, unless each car had a 'custom'
>install so that it could be placed anywhere.  Must work like
>a beacon on planes that go down enabling searchers to find
>it (unless they sink to the bottom of the ocean).  From what
>I understand (and they are pretty secretive about how it
>works), after a theft you call and give your personalized
>number, the module is activated via phone, and 'they' zoom
>in on the location.  Doesn't work if the car is in a steel
>box, i.e. cargo container on a ship :)  Perhaps this is
>available elsewhere? If so, comments would be welcome.  It's
>a 'Brave New World.'
>
>Geo - down to two probs on the 5kq.  Think I'll stop fixin'
>for awhile.  Time to smell the flowers.
>
>
>

Frank de Kat 
fdekat@sentex.net   
Dundas, Ontario, Canada

http://www.sentex.net/~fdekat
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