No way! If you do that, they'll never catch you!

You know, most people complain when devices "phone home" but in this case it was actually useful for the owner.

Hrmmm,my cheap 200 dollar Garmin has no home feature. Bastards! Oh well, works rather well, cept on military bases cuz it doesn't know which of the 50 gates are actually open!

daveb0rg: Hrmmm,my cheap 200 dollar Garmin has no home feature

Just waypoint your house and name it "home".

Ya can't stop what's comin' to ya..

I didn't think bad people rode bicycles.

(actually, now that I read the article, I see that the GPS device has a "home address" written to the device's memory that you can display on the device. I initially thought that the device was transmitting its location, like in "No Country for Old Men)

Per the below article, you may want to disable the time travel functionality of the GPS also...

But.. but... but... he wasn't stealin... he was uh,, geocaching. yeah, that's it, that's the ticket.

Be sure to also disable the time...travel....wait, how'd you do that?

Just how dumb do you have to be to steal an item that tracks your every movement?

Plain old GPS devices don't exactly track your every movement . . . or at least not in a way that is available to anyone other than you. They simply use the data they are receiving from overhead satellites to triangulate your current location.

GPS doesn't require a transmitter, just a receiver.

Actually I left the home feature on mine disabled... in this case it worked out, but I figure if someone is going to steal my GPS they're willing to break into my house too. Why give them turn by turn directions to it?

Cops should have sent him to 112 Ocean Avenue...

Void Where Prohibited: I initially thought that the device was transmitting its location, like in "No Country for Old Men)


Beep....Beep...Beep

10 years ago when I bought my first GPS (Garmin GPSMAP195), I read a story about a fellow pilot who had a GPS stolen from his plane. He got it back because a cop knew enough to look for a waypoint called "HOME". So of course, I immediately put in a waypoint called "HOME" on mine. Now I have a Garmin GPSMAP296, and I guess Garmin got the message too because this one allowed me to put in my full home address, and it displays it as soon as you turn on the unit. I still have a waypoint called "HOME", however - just in case the thief knows how to clear the home address.

In fairness to the criminal, it seems that he was caught just after he stole it. It's not like he stole it, made it back to his lair, catalogued it, and stored it -- all without changing the address.

Perhaps the dumber action was using a bike as your getaway vehicle.

The lesson here is to steal the car too, or at least bring a knapsack to carry your ill-gotten gains away on your bicycle. Like most dumb criminals, it was drawing attention to himself that brought the law down upon him. Probably a junkie grabbing whatever he thought he could pawn for his next fix. Short-term planning.

Yeah, mouser is spot on. Stealing a GPS is probably the stupidest thing you could possibly do.

Next to holding up a police station or a gun store.

Hah... Generally the sphere of "people who can afford navigation systems" and "people who can afford a farkin' car" intersect

TheDirtyNacho: Actually I left the home feature on mine disabled... in this case it worked out, but I figure if someone is going to steal my GPS they're willing to break into my house too. Why give them turn by turn directions to it?

mine requires a PIN when it turns on. the PIN can only be reset at the geographical location designated 'home' and otherwise needs to be sent to the manufacturer, which with the device is registered.
you can steal it, but it's gonna be complete useless to anyone else.

zn0k: mine requires a PIN when it turns on. the PIN can only be reset at the geographical location designated 'home' and otherwise needs to be sent to the manufacturer, which with the device is registered.
you can steal it, but it's gonna be complete useless to anyone else.

what make/model GPS is that you have? I'm planning to get one and I like the sound of that PIN feature.

-G

George_P_Burdell: what make/model GPS is that you have? I'm planning to get one and I like the sound of that PIN feature.

My Garmin does that. Garmin makes a really great unit; I love mine. I've driven cross country, around town, in other cities, etc. and it never lets me down.

Void Where Prohibited: Ya can't stop what's comin' to ya..

Alright, I have to know - who the hell is that, and where is he from?

I apologize for my uncoolness, but I've other shots of this dude, and curiosity has gotten the best of me.

The higher dollar GPS units will transprt you to the waypoint indicted. (just kidding). Beam me up Scotty.

zn0k: mine requires a PIN when it turns on. the PIN can only be reset at the geographical location designated 'home' and otherwise needs to be sent to the manufacturer, which with the device is registered.
you can steal it, but it's gonna be complete useless to anyone else.

...unless they show up to your house at 3am in the dark, reset the PIN in the backyard, and carry on their merry way...

George_P_Burdell: what make/model GPS is that you have? I'm planning to get one and I like the sound of that PIN feature.

garmin nuvi 650

SecretAgentWoman: ...unless they show up to your house at 3am in the dark, reset the PIN in the backyard, and carry on their merry way...

how do they know where my house is? unless they steal it while in the garage/house, in which case i've got a whole 'nother set of problems other than losing my gps.

you'll get my map when you pry it from my cold dead hands

zn0k:
SecretAgentWoman: ...unless they show up to your house at 3am in the dark, reset the PIN in the backyard, and carry on their merry way...

how do they know where my house is? unless they steal it while in the garage/house, in which case i've got a whole 'nother set of problems other than losing my gps.

I guess you'd need the PIN to see the "home" location, huh? Ok, you got me. However, how does the thief know all of this before they steal the device? And does it help you in any way to recover said device?

ptomblin: Now I have a Garmin GPSMAP296

I have one too and they didn't tell you in the docs (at least I don't recall they do) if you press the NRST three times it will select HOME as the destination waypoint.

lohphat: ptomblin: Now I have a Garmin GPSMAP296

I have one too and they didn't tell you in the docs (at least I don't recall they do) if you press the NRST three times it will select HOME as the destination waypoint.

I never knew that. In aviation mode, will it select your home airport?

Actually on my Garmin (350 Nuvi). You can set the home location. But then you setup the pass code seperate. When you do the pass code it will setup the override location wherever your at when you set the code.
I figured that the most likely place for the GPS to be stolen would be:
1) Any malls / stores that I frequent
2) Work
3) Home

So I setup the pass code at a different location other then the above 3.
So if the GPS is stolen. I will at least know that the thief will never get any use out of it.

SecretAgentWoman: I guess you'd need the PIN to see the "home" location, huh? Ok, you got me. However, how does the thief know all of this before they steal the device? And does it help you in any way to recover said device?

No. You need the PIN to turn on the device (or rather, to start using it). And yeah, the thief will probably grab it anyway, but at least you know it'll be useless to him.

I had my Garmin stolen from a parking lot in Boston, the farker smashed out my side window on my brand new car.

They take the GPS and they also take your registration, most people set the lock place to be their house. You either need the pin or go to the lock place to unlock it.

I've been waiting with a baseball bat, when the shiat head shows up on a bike, I've got a surprise for him.

The insurance company was equally a thief, they are quick to take your payment but you have to take them to small claims court to get your money from them.

I guess none of you think about car registration or insurance papers or 50 other things in your car with your home address.

if it's more than a smash and grab they have all the info they need.

Johnny Girlpuncher: Void Where Prohibited: Ya can't stop what's comin' to ya..

Alright, I have to know - who the hell is that, and where is he from?

I apologize for my uncoolness, but I've other shots of this dude, and curiosity has gotten the best of me.

He's the main antagonist in the recent Coen Brother's movie "No Country for Old Men". I highly recommend watching it.

aseras: I guess none of you think about car registration or insurance papers or 50 other things in your car with your home address.

Who says the PIN reset location has to be your house?

Alien Robot: aseras: I guess none of you think about car registration or insurance papers or 50 other things in your car with your home address.

Who says the PIN reset location has to be your house?

he's got a good point though - i never thought of that. *will reset it to somewhere else just so no one can use it*

My GPS was stolen earlier this year & I still don't have it back. A cell phone was also stolen, the phone was used to make calls & the police still did nothing. I miss my Garmin iQue 3600. I hope it directs them into a river & they follow it.

What about all the obvious Jaws references?

Fahkinell: SecretAgentWoman: I guess you'd need the PIN to see the "home" location, huh? Ok, you got me. However, how does the thief know all of this before they steal the device? And does it help you in any way to recover said device?

No. You need the PIN to turn on the device (or rather, to start using it). And yeah, the thief will probably grab it anyway, but at least you know it'll be useless to him.

Except that you'll still have a broken window, costing you time and money. This is why I think that it should be legal to blow away anyone caught breaking into a vehicle.

Thieves around here have been smashing windows on cars that have the suction cup marks, going on the assumption that the GPS unit is still in the car somewhere. Nice, eh? You STILL wind up with a smashed window thanks to some worthless thug bastard.
I say "blow 'em away."

I don't see the reason anyone would steal a GPS unit. The current sale-priced ones at $129 perform most of what the $600 ones did a year ago... there cannot be a huge, high-priced market for hot GPS units... what'd ya get fencing one? $25, tops?

evilstein:
Except that you'll still have a broken window, costing you time and money. This is why I think that it should be legal to blow away anyone caught breaking into a vehicle.


It is legal, in Texas, to blow someone away at night, who is stealing your property/

"A person is justified in using deadly force against another to protect his property to the degree he reasonably believes the force is immediately necessary to prevent the other's imminent commission of arson, burglary, robbery, theft during the nighttime or criminal mischief during the nighttime, and he reasonably believes that the property cannot be protected by any other means."

"A person is justified in using deadly force against another to pervent the other who is fleeing after committing burglary, robbery, or theft during the nighttime, from escaping with the property and he reasonable believes that the property cannot be recovered by any other means; or, the use of force other than deadly force to protect or recover the property would expose him or another to a substantial risk of death or serious bodily injury. (Nighttime is defined as the period 30 minutes after sunset until 30 minutes before sunrise.)"

Protection of the Property of Others

"A person is justified in using force or deadly force against another to protect the property of a third person if he reasonably believes he would be justified to use similar force to protect his own property, and he reasonably believes that there existed an attempt or actual commission of the crime of theft or criminal mischief."

"Also, a person is justified in using force or deadly force if he reasonably believes that the third person has requested his protection of property; or he has a legal duty to protect the property; or the third person whose property he is protecting is his spouse, parent or child."

I'm surprised the officers were allowed to actually use the GPS unit.

Hopefully they obtained consent, and the thief consented because he's a dumbass. Because if not, he'll probably get off. I'm pretty sure evasive answers isn't probable cause for a search.

Okay... some people seem to be unsure as to how a GPS receiver works. GPS receivers CANNOT be used to track someone. All they do is get its own location by triangulating its position relative to various GPS satellites it receives data from. The only person who sees this is the user of the GPS. They only receive data- they don't send it. no one can tell where you are with your GPS except you.

zn0k: TheDirtyNacho: Actually I left the home feature on mine disabled... in this case it worked out, but I figure if someone is going to steal my GPS they're willing to break into my house too. Why give them turn by turn directions to it?

mine requires a PIN when it turns on. the PIN can only be reset at the geographical location designated 'home' and otherwise needs to be sent to the manufacturer, which with the device is registered.
you can steal it, but it's gonna be complete useless to anyone else.

But what if you want to use it someplace else than your home? Do you have to go home, enter the PIN, and then leave it on until you get back?

Greek: Okay... some people seem to be unsure as to how a GPS receiver works. GPS receivers CANNOT be used to track someone. All they do is get its own location by triangulating its position relative to various GPS satellites it receives data from. The only person who sees this is the user of the GPS. They only receive data- they don't send it. no one can tell where you are with your GPS except you.

Mobile phones on the other hand...

/Of course, uncle Sam doesn't want you to think about that too much...