GPS tracking

[PFFOG]

O.K. a serious question, has anyone researched or carried a GPS locator?? I am talking about the ones you use to track people/vehicles and can access from a service/web site.

In light of recent “lost” riders and stories of people crashing and not being able to get help, I have been thinking about these devices.

I travel alone frequently and the deal with the wife is I will call every night, the problem with that is even if she knew I was "missing" no one would know where to look. I love to wander the real “back” roads where you see no one for miles at a time and there is no cell service, if I did fall it would likely be hunting season before someone found me.

[SCOTTinNJ]

You talking about one of these ?

[John Lyon]

Or these?

[wswartzwel]

Don't cell phones communicate your approximate location via triangulating signal off different towers? Authorities should be able to find you that way... However if you are riding alone, it is wise to leave an approximate map where you are planning to ride... especially if remote areas are part of the trip.

[Dbltailexit]

I don't give travel plans either- I don't usually know where I might head until about the end of the driveway- and that isn't fixed. I buy lots of insurance for the family but don't expect anyone to be able to trace my ride that day. It's not prudent but I'm not likely to change as my nature has been to windsurf mile and half offshore solo in high winds so please don't expect a lecture will change anything for Yeskino or I. It may be comforting to the one's we leave behind to have a locator.

[JonyRR]

Well, I'm sure DHS (Dept of Homeland Security) can help.
Seriously, what you're talking about is onstar for motorcycles.
Some more expensive gps's do this, as well as EPRB's for the boat set. Most later OBDII-compliant cars havd dormant chips on the engine CPU to do this, and onstar is already activated to do such a thing (OBTW, your OBDII car's airbag CPU already records the last 30 seconds of all kinds of data before deployment, speed, braking, lateral acceleration,,etc, etc, and this data HAS been used by the prosecution successfully, so be careful of what you wish for, big-brother-wise*grin*)
do a search for 'emergency position reporting beacon' and I'm sure you'll find what you're looking for.
They CAN triangulate your cellphone, some models, even off, some models even with the battery out (ain't NVRAM with a tiny backup battery great?).

[be_are_why]

how about tracking all of us?

http://www.risingconcepts.com/frapper/

[tbsstunta]

What about Lojack, isn't it available for bikes now?

[foobeemer]

serious questions warrant serious answers:

http://www.forgetmenotpanties.com/

(thanks Steve!!!)

[JonyRR]

here's an article (with links to other like products) on the real deal. Being found if I'm lost is not usually the problem, it's staying lost enough to not get paged/bothered *grin*
http://www.boatus.com/foundation/findings/findings39/default.htm

[PFFOG]

Originally posted by Dbltailexit
I don't give travel plans either- I don't usually know where I might head until about the end of the driveway- and that isn't fixed. I buy lots of insurance for the family but don't expect anyone to be able to trace my ride that day. It's not prudent but I'm not likely to change as my nature .................It may be comforting to the one's we leave behind to have a locator.

I must have nomad in my blood, I like traveling with the family, but enjoy the solo as well. Insurance is great, but if they don't find a body I think it is 7 years befor they will pay

I have not thought about the emergency beacon to summon help, just the locator to find what might be left. I have done some reasearch, but the real question was has anyone else used or researched these devices?

This was a road that took close to an hour to travel, in the whole time the only thing I saw was a deer that crossed 100 feet in front of me. One of the most challenging paved roads I have ridden in the states. If I went off the side, they might not have found me till an archaeological dig thousands of years from now.

[Dbltailexit]

Good point on the 7 years Yeskino. You must have had an off road bike sometime, to inspire the nomad. Wish your road was closer.
Often riding at 7 am, Pure bliss except for the wild animal kingdom, the deer are active and cows wandering the back roads, few fences just occasional cattle grates , that and road bicyclist which I don't like to disturb or scare. ingmar

[Trevor Rossack]

These guys offer 24 hour monitoring, crash detection, instant theft notification and Police recovery - Nationwide (USA):-

www.PhantomTracking.com

Should be able to fit a unit to your beloved S.

Cheers
Trevor

[VetteRacer]

Take a look on ebay. There are some tracking systems there. Main use, truckers/delivery people. So mother company can monitor where stuff is. I beleive most have a monthly fee, or a yearly account that allows X checks...

Matt

[PFFOG]

O.k. I think I found one, cheap no service charge.

http://www.rmtracking.com/gps/TRAN-Track-Recover-And-Navigate-GPS.html