Tracker Horizon?
Discussion
Just bought a 2004 Vanquish and it has the Tracker Horizon fitted (Standard apparently)
The insurance company isn't that bothered so wondered if I should care and get it reactivated?
What's the general view-is it still a useful device or have the baddies got it all sussed out now and simply jam the signals etc?
Obviously don't want to lose the new P&J, but also don't want to waste money on a system that is out of date.
All feedback appreciated
ACK0
The insurance company isn't that bothered so wondered if I should care and get it reactivated?
What's the general view-is it still a useful device or have the baddies got it all sussed out now and simply jam the signals etc?
Obviously don't want to lose the new P&J, but also don't want to waste money on a system that is out of date.
All feedback appreciated
ACK0
Cost is £250pa.
Insurance Co should be bothered, depending on where you store the car overnight.
Will reduce battery capability from 45 days to 22 days without driving (Thank you for the info Pilgrim).
If you use an appropriate phone, you can pair with it and so not require Tags as I get the feeling they are starting to charge for them at the annual service ???
Insurance Co should be bothered, depending on where you store the car overnight.
Will reduce battery capability from 45 days to 22 days without driving (Thank you for the info Pilgrim).
If you use an appropriate phone, you can pair with it and so not require Tags as I get the feeling they are starting to charge for them at the annual service ???
ack0 said:
I was quoted £149 pa or £399 for as long as I own the car.
Don't understand what you mean by Tags?
(But thx for quick responses)-keep them coming plse
The maths adds up but the premiums are incredible. Is it a Skoda Vanquish ??Don't understand what you mean by Tags?
(But thx for quick responses)-keep them coming plse
Tags are credit card size fobs which feed off the bluetooth and talk to the satellite whilst you are in the car, to confirm the genuine owner is in situ.
If you forget your tag when driving they will phone you and tell you that you're a numpty. If you say you are in the bath, when your car is on the M1, they will acquire a Crime Ref Number from the Police and then cut the fuel supply to the engine the next time it is switched off
Edit - I get the feeling the figures you quote are for the tracker, not the insurance...phew
Edited by Jockman on Monday 20th June 17:01
ack0 said:
The guy from Tracker said if they see the vehicle moving without the ignition turned on then they trigger, either that or an inbound call from the owner saying that the car has been stolen.
A 2004 Vanquish may well move from time to time without the ignition on but that's another story.Thanks for the education, and I hope you enjoy your fabulous masculine beast so to speak
My view: waste of money.
Why? A tracker system uses GPS to work out where the vehicle is and then GSM to call home to base to say the car has been nicked. A GSM jammer is £400. If you are stealing heavy metal like a Vanq then you know what to do to jam the tracker.
I have a tracker fitted and in use on my car because I could not get a quote otherwise. But it's useless in the real world.
The only use is to prevent a kid who steals a handbag and gets lucky. A proper car thief just works around.
Why? A tracker system uses GPS to work out where the vehicle is and then GSM to call home to base to say the car has been nicked. A GSM jammer is £400. If you are stealing heavy metal like a Vanq then you know what to do to jam the tracker.
I have a tracker fitted and in use on my car because I could not get a quote otherwise. But it's useless in the real world.
The only use is to prevent a kid who steals a handbag and gets lucky. A proper car thief just works around.
My understanding of the technology was that it was very similar to Redcare GSM on my commercial premises.
A pulse is sent to the premises / car / whatever, as per a traditional system. Then a pulse is sent back by the receiver, to validate that the system is working correctly. This happens pretty much constantly.
Would a jammer not interrupt this loop, thereby activating a security alarm ??
A pulse is sent to the premises / car / whatever, as per a traditional system. Then a pulse is sent back by the receiver, to validate that the system is working correctly. This happens pretty much constantly.
Would a jammer not interrupt this loop, thereby activating a security alarm ??
ack0 said:
I was quoted £149 pa or £399 for as long as I own the car.
I've got it on my V8V, and was quoted the same price. Can always go for the £399 deal prior to the 12 months coming up which I may do, as I tend to keep my cars a while.Question (and sorry for hijacking thread slightly here) - if you go for the £399 deal and keep the car for say 10 years, how do you know it is still working? Had one on my Elan which I owned for 11 years, and once I'd paid the initial sum I didn't hear from Tracker again!
Jockman said:
My understanding of the technology was that it was very similar to Redcare GSM on my commercial premises.
A pulse is sent to the premises / car / whatever, as per a traditional system. Then a pulse is sent back by the receiver, to validate that the system is working correctly. This happens pretty much constantly.
Would a jammer not interrupt this loop, thereby activating a security alarm ??
Indeed - there's a heartbeat which is why it flats the battery. A pulse is sent to the premises / car / whatever, as per a traditional system. Then a pulse is sent back by the receiver, to validate that the system is working correctly. This happens pretty much constantly.
Would a jammer not interrupt this loop, thereby activating a security alarm ??
But - once jammed there is an alert. Ok - great, so you know that at 4:45am the heartbeat was missed. But so what? The car is gone and you don't know where.
This makes perfect sense for a commercial premises - you know where the building is - but it's useless for a car.
Trackers prevent idiot joy riders and stupid thieves who steal a handbag or burgle to get keys but are no use against professionals.
JohnG1 said:
Indeed - there's a heartbeat which is why it flats the battery.
But - once jammed there is an alert. Ok - great, so you know that at 4:45am the heartbeat was missed. But so what? The car is gone and you don't know where.
This makes perfect sense for a commercial premises - you know where the building is - but it's useless for a car.
Trackers prevent idiot joy riders and stupid thieves who steal a handbag or burgle to get keys but are no use against professionals.
Logical.But - once jammed there is an alert. Ok - great, so you know that at 4:45am the heartbeat was missed. But so what? The car is gone and you don't know where.
This makes perfect sense for a commercial premises - you know where the building is - but it's useless for a car.
Trackers prevent idiot joy riders and stupid thieves who steal a handbag or burgle to get keys but are no use against professionals.
Why will your Insurer not quote without it ??
My commercial Insurers are 'loathe' to quote on Redcare alone, and are insisting now on Redcare GSM
My concern was that it is all a bit old hat now.
If you look at all the stuff on the tracker site it seems a bit old and none of the testimonials are dated so could be 10 years old when all this stuff was new as whizzy.
xray bloke-I suppose the best way to check is to have a mate take it away on a trailer and see if you get the call.............
If you look at all the stuff on the tracker site it seems a bit old and none of the testimonials are dated so could be 10 years old when all this stuff was new as whizzy.
xray bloke-I suppose the best way to check is to have a mate take it away on a trailer and see if you get the call.............
Jockman said:
Logical.
Why will your Insurer not quote without it ??
My commercial Insurers are 'loathe' to quote on Redcare alone, and are insisting now on Redcare GSM
Well - who owns Tracker?Why will your Insurer not quote without it ??
My commercial Insurers are 'loathe' to quote on Redcare alone, and are insisting now on Redcare GSM
In matters like this I think it's interesting to follow the money.
I do not know who owns Tracker but I could hazard a guess.
Why won't they quote without - I don't know the real reason - I was told that anything above £60k requires a tracker.
But it's old and tired tech that can be worked around.
ack0 said:
xray bloke-I suppose the best way to check is to have a mate take it away on a trailer and see if you get the call.............
Ha ha - I suppose I asked for that The Tracker was on the car when I bought it much like yours...got a few quotes without it but they were all more than £149 more than my Lockwood quote which sealed the deal really...
As has been said many times before, Tracker is NOT the same as AM Tracking. I'm still amazed there is such confusion! 
The tag-based system on later Gaydon cars is AM Tracking, provided by Eurowatch, who have nothing to do with Tracker. This is a GPS/GSM based system which the driver needing a tag to deactivate the system automatically. You pay annually (not sure about lifetime option) and it is more expensive than Tracker.
Tracker is a completely different system which will activate if the car is moved (eg truck) or driven off without the keys (obviously you can notify them if the car is taken with the keys!). You can pay annually or buy a lifetime subscription for a one off payment. http://www.tracker.co.uk/TRACKER/
A 2004 Vanquish will almost certainly have Tracker since the AM Tracking system didn't come until they stopped producing Vanquish (or pretty near to it).
I've had both on V8 Vantage - first car was MY06 with Tracker added as option fitted at dealer whilst second had AM Tracking fitted at the factory. Both our Mercedes have Tracker Horizon fitted.
All Tracker units uses VHF. They does not reply on a GPS or GSM signals, although some versions (Horizon I believe) also have GPS with GSM along side the VHF system. The police have directional finders installed in cars and helicopters which "point" to an activated VHF Tracker unit. I'm pretty sure there also used to be receivers at ports to detect cars in containers, etc.
As quoted on their website -
"Vehicle crime is an ever-present problem in the UK so it is important to protect your assets against theft and the inconveniences that come with vehicle theft. All TRACKER’s stolen vehicle recovery products are operated by all 52 police forces in the UK. Our unique Very High Frequency (VHF) radio technology is unlike our competitors’ GPS-based systems that rely on being able to see the sky. If your vehicle is parked underground, inside a garage or in a shipping container, our VHF-based technology means that your vehicle can be tracked, unlike the GPS-based products our rivals produce."
I'd recommend getting a lifetime subscription price from Tracker by calling 0845 603 9368 and then decide whether it is worthwhile.
Hope that helps.
The tag-based system on later Gaydon cars is AM Tracking, provided by Eurowatch, who have nothing to do with Tracker. This is a GPS/GSM based system which the driver needing a tag to deactivate the system automatically. You pay annually (not sure about lifetime option) and it is more expensive than Tracker.
Tracker is a completely different system which will activate if the car is moved (eg truck) or driven off without the keys (obviously you can notify them if the car is taken with the keys!). You can pay annually or buy a lifetime subscription for a one off payment. http://www.tracker.co.uk/TRACKER/
A 2004 Vanquish will almost certainly have Tracker since the AM Tracking system didn't come until they stopped producing Vanquish (or pretty near to it).
I've had both on V8 Vantage - first car was MY06 with Tracker added as option fitted at dealer whilst second had AM Tracking fitted at the factory. Both our Mercedes have Tracker Horizon fitted.
All Tracker units uses VHF. They does not reply on a GPS or GSM signals, although some versions (Horizon I believe) also have GPS with GSM along side the VHF system. The police have directional finders installed in cars and helicopters which "point" to an activated VHF Tracker unit. I'm pretty sure there also used to be receivers at ports to detect cars in containers, etc.
As quoted on their website -
"Vehicle crime is an ever-present problem in the UK so it is important to protect your assets against theft and the inconveniences that come with vehicle theft. All TRACKER’s stolen vehicle recovery products are operated by all 52 police forces in the UK. Our unique Very High Frequency (VHF) radio technology is unlike our competitors’ GPS-based systems that rely on being able to see the sky. If your vehicle is parked underground, inside a garage or in a shipping container, our VHF-based technology means that your vehicle can be tracked, unlike the GPS-based products our rivals produce."
I'd recommend getting a lifetime subscription price from Tracker by calling 0845 603 9368 and then decide whether it is worthwhile.
Hope that helps.
Edited by steve_amv8 on Monday 20th June 21:57
Just done some looking around and found the following prices:
SUBSCRIPTION FEES:
Annual : £109 or £132 inc VAT
Lifetime: £325 or £342 inc VAT (duration of ownership)
(pricing depends upon which site you look at but these seem about right compared to what I paid)
source: http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-tracker-...
and http://www.electromobile.co.uk/tracker.html
SUBSCRIPTION FEES:
Annual : £109 or £132 inc VAT
Lifetime: £325 or £342 inc VAT (duration of ownership)
(pricing depends upon which site you look at but these seem about right compared to what I paid)
source: http://www.caraudiocentre.co.uk/product_m-tracker-...
and http://www.electromobile.co.uk/tracker.html
steve_amv8 said:
The tag-based system on later Gaydon cars is AM Tracking, provided by Eurowatch, who have nothing to do with Tracker. This is a GPS/GSM based system which the driver needing a tag to deactivate the system automatically. You pay annually (not sure about lifetime option) and it is more expensive than Tracker.
[/footnote]
Thanks for the info Steve. Mine is the above system but I believe OP's will be the older one.[/footnote]
No, I have not heard of a lifetime option
My memory seems to recall me being told Eurowatch don't do lifetime for the AM Tracking system, but I'm not 100% on that since my memory can rarely recall what I've done in the previous week! AM Tracking is a good system (when paired with a phone and not the useless tags!) but Tracker is more flexible/thorough and a lot cheaper!
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