I want to hard-wire a GPS tracker in my '88.

[Headlands]

Hi all,

I was given a GPS car tracker that uses an OBDII connection, which of course an '88 911 doesn't have, so after some research I've decided to get a breakout wire harness for OBD ports and use that to connect the tracker directly to a power source and ground in the car.

My question is:

Since I want the tracker to turn on and off along with the 911 turning on and off (i.e. ignition-dependent), I need to find a place to hook it up to something that's not a continuous draining source of power when the car is off (like directly to the battery would be). What's a good source for that, which wouldn't be too difficult to access...and how would I access it? I'm not a hardcore mechanic though I do basic servicing on the car (changing oil, etc.), so it needs to be something that's not too crazy to get to. :-)

Thanks!

[rwest]

Wouldn’t you want the GPS to stay powered up even if the car is off so if it got stolen you could find it even if it was never started?

[Nick Triesch]

Holy smokes! Just buy a TRACKIMO 3 G GPS unit . With the bigger battery, it lasts weeks !

[Headlands]

Originally Posted by rwest

Wouldn’t you want the GPS to stay powered up even if the car is off so if it got stolen you could find it even if it was never started?

That's a good point. I got this as a gift, is why I'm thinking about it this way. But damn, you're right. If it was on all of the time it would just keep draining the car battery, though.

[Headlands]

Originally Posted by Nick Triesch

Holy smokes! Just buy a TRACKIMO 3 G GPS unit . With the bigger battery, it lasts weeks !

I got this one as gift...plus it doesn't need an expensive ongoing monthly subscription like most others do. Unless the one you're describing doesn't...? I can probably return this one. :-)

[wareaglescott]

Originally Posted by rwest

Wouldn’t you want the GPS to stay powered up even if the car is off so if it got stolen you could find it even if it was never started?

Ya you want it powered.
I have a GPS driven speedometer in one of my cars I built. It is always powered so it does not have to spend time finding its location every time it powers up. The power drain is very minimal.

I would be more inclined to just get a battery powered unit and leave the entire wiring out of it if you are just worried about locating the car in case of theft. Also might just be easier to wire in a hidden kill switch instead of GPS tracker. Will accomplish your desired goal of keeping better track of the car at all times without the pain of actually having it stolen.

[Headlands]

Originally Posted by wareaglescott

Ya you want it powered.
I have a GPS driven speedometer in one of my cars I built. It is always powered so it does not have to spend time finding its location every time it powers up. The power drain is very minimal.

I would be more inclined to just get a battery powered unit and leave the entire wiring out of it if you are just worried about locating the car in case of theft. Also might just be easier to wire in a hidden kill switch instead of GPS tracker. Will accomplish your desired goal of keeping better track of the car at all times without the pain of actually having it stolen.

Yeah I think you're right. The Trackimo looks great, and lasts a long time on a charge.

Thanks for the advice everyone.