Ducati Sporting Club UK > Model Specific - Discussion, Technical Problems and Help > General Motorcycles only > Cheap tracker using PAYG Mobile - what do you think ?

[Carbon749]

Hi, did anyone see the article in May Superbike mag ?

The tip was to buy a cheap PAYG mobile, stash it on the bike somewhere out of sight and if possible connect up a 12v DC charger to keep it topped up.

The trick is then to register the phone with an on-line finder service for about £5 per month.

If the bike is stolen then contact the phone finder service and ask where the phone is, should be accurate up to 100mtr as long as the phone is switched on.

I'm sure if the bike has been stolen to be stripped they would find the phone, but, you would hope that the finder service would have identified it's location before the phone is found.

What do you think, would this work ?

[Edited on 5-4-2006 by Carbon749]

[dave996]

Yes it does work, but like you say as soon as it is nicked it would be stripped and the phone would be found. Unless the thief is really thick (probably) he would keep the phone.

Dave

[Carbon749]

Originally posted by dave996
Yes it does work, but like you say as soon as it is nicked it would be stripped and the phone would be found. Unless the thief is really thick (probably) he would keep the phone.

Dave

I guess the hope would be that they take the bike and sit on it for a few hours before they strip the bike. You could try and track the mobile signal once it had stopped moving around.

Wonder if the thief found a mobile in the tool kit bag would they assume that it is being tracked, or, would they just think it was were you stored you mobile on rides out ?

I'm 75% convinced and may give it a go for the sake of a cheap phone and £60 per year to track it.

[dave996]

For £60 you can't go far wrong, just make sure the phone is on silent

I can't see why it cannot be tracked while on the move, as the phone passes throught the sectors it will leave a trail.

[Bionicle]

Tracking it is one thing, geting the police to get there before its stripped and shipped is another,

No disrespect to our boys in blue (skidlids) intended, but its a fact of life max responce time to a stolen bike can be a week to ten days any self respectable thief would have got rid of any evedence long before plod was on the scene.

[Carbon749]

Originally posted by Bionicle
Tracking it is one thing, geting the police to get there before its stripped and shipped is another,

No disrespect to our boys in blue (skidlids) intended, but its a fact of life max responce time to a stolen bike can be a week to ten days any self respectable thief would have got rid of any evedence long before plod was on the scene.

Would not wait for the cops, for a £150 each I know a few boys who would fetch the bike back for me and make sure the thiefs that took it would be a little sore next morning. For a tad more cash the thiefs would be having hospital food for a few days.

I know it's not right, but, like you said I could not afford to wait for the cops to react, the bike would be long gone.