GPS tracking

[Michael Ramsey]

Did I or did I not, see or hear of info regarding placement of a small, inconspicuous GPS chip in instruments, in order to relocate them if stolen?

I know (I think I know) that I read that somewhere online somewhere earlier.

Please advise.

Thanks,

Mike

[Mike Bromley]

Such a technology is found in larger objects like cars. "Inconspicuous" and "Effective" might not be compatible with a mandolin, in that you would need a power supply for this device, and one powerful enough to stay in contact under some rather unlikely circumstances. The thief isn't likely to leave the GPS and the mandolin attached to it in a place with a clear view of at least three satellites....

[Andy Miller]

Michael, you may be thinking of this thread which talks about not only a GPS device but about RFID chips, which are put into instruments just like they are into dogs and cats. But RFID chips are not GPS - someone's gotta get their hands on that stolen instrument and scan it. Seems like GPS's dependence upon a power supply renders it less appealing for use in a small un-powered item like a mandolin.

[Willie Poole]

The RFID chips would be very useful if pawn shops had the equipment to scan any instrument that came in to be pawned, other than that thre may not be much use for them on an instrument.....Willie

[MikeEdgerton]

I seriously doubt the pawn shops would want to scan them.

[taterbugman]

[Django Fret]

I was going to buy a GPS tracking device with a 4 month battery life to stick in a case, when I ran across this device called a "Tile". There is a lot of information on the website but had to chat with someone to get the pricing info. There is no subscription involved, costs $20 per unit, has a one year battery life, and works with iPhones 4s and higher. There is also a community aspect as it can utilize other Tile users to track things outside the individual Tile's 100 foot range.

I just bought one to try out and might be a better alternative to GPS tracking options. If it doesn't work for a case, I guess I can always just put it on my key chain.

[LongBlackVeil]

I was going to buy a GPS tracking device with a 4 month battery life to stick in a case, when I ran across this device called a "Tile". There is a lot of information on the website but had to chat with someone to get the pricing info. There is no subscription involved, costs $20 per unit, has a one year battery life, and works with iPhones 4s and higher. There is also a community aspect as it can utilize other Tile users to track things outside the individual Tile's 100 foot range.

I just bought one to try out and might be a better alternative to GPS tracking options. If it doesn't work for a case, I guess I can always just put it on my key chain.

This is what I've read about this tile device,

I've read that it's only really useful if you live in a place where a lot of people have the tile app. It sort of send pings to other people's phones, and uses that info to tell you where it is. So if theres no one around who has the app, no one receives the ping and you won't be able to locate it. That's what I've read anyway, not sure how true that is. That's the reason I don't own a tile, I live in a small town and I would probably be the only one with the app

So if it's out of the range of your phone, your out of luck, unless it really starts to catch on and everyone ends up getting one of these

So I just ordered a calton case with the rfid chip. Much more expensive of course though

[almeriastrings]

I use RFID chips quite a bit, not on instruments, but as ID's in animals (endangered species). They are very good and very resilient.. however... they are 100% reliant in someone a) knowing they need to scan whatever carries it (not much of an issue with animals as all veterinarians have scanners, as do most wildlife authorities), and b) having a compatible scanner. This latter is less of a problem these days than it used to be, but still arises sometimes. How many police, for example, might think to scan a mandolin case, I have no idea... certainly if it was recovered, it would incontrovertibly prove ownership. The problem with 'active' GPS trackers is as mentioned above. Battery requirements. They can now make the actual transmitter pretty small, but even with lithium batteries, the operating life is limited and again, size of the battery pack for extended operation limits their use to animals (and instruments) above a certain size. You'd be OK with a string bass. You could fit an auto battery in one of these

[Tavy]

OK stupid question: could a GPS tracker be arranged to only activate and "phone home" when the instrument is plugged in? That would mitigate the battery life issue - you could basically rely on the pre-amp battery for a quick ping home - but would seriously limit it's usefulness of course.... Just thinking out loud yours, John.

[almeriastrings]

That's a pretty good idea, actually....

Could work. It also very much depends on where the instrument is. Active trackers work best in flat areas with a full view of the horizon. High mountains and valleys, for example, limit coverage. Inside buildings the signal is normally attenuated too much to be picked up.