From: kmr4@po.CWRU.edu (Keith M. Ryan)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.car,alt.locksmithing,alt.tasteless
Subject: Re: Car alarms
Date: Wed, 18 Nov 1992 14:20:19 GMT
Organization: Case Western Reserve University
NNTP-Posting-Host: b64746.student.cwru.edu

In article <49700@shamash.cdc.com> gmh@cloud.awd.cdc.com (Gregory M. Heideman) writes:
>It can't die soon enough for me.  All this stuff is boring.
>
>Cheap, poorly installed (junk) alarms give _MANY_ more falses than good, well
>installed alarms.  The world is full of cheapskates.  'nuf said!

	Inexpensive alarms do not necessarly have many false alarms. I agree 
with the poorly installed alarms. If the alarm is falsing on a regular 
basis, then either: the installation was incorrect or it is defective. Many 
people think the correct sensitivity on the shock alarms is "if the thief 
breathes on it...". Let me tell you a story about me and an inexpensive 
alarm.

	My first alarm was a Crime Stopper Pager (4901?), for $110 from 
crutchfield. I bought this particular alarm, because the car was 
ridiculously easy to break into. Yet, I had about $1600 in Alpine and BA in 
it, but was low on cash. The local mall where I worked had a notorious 
record of car theft. The pager was better than any siren, and with the 
optional antenea, the range of the pager was greater than 2 miles. While 
this particular one did not have a back up battery, the car had two ground 
staps- the normal one, and a very short ( 6" ) cable from the battery to the 
fender. This one could not be cut without opening the hood, and lifting out 
the battery ( strapped down). While if you cut the main engine block ground, 
it was not wise to start the car, the alarm still worked fine. It had the 
full assortment of the usual, plus some modifications, Dual door pin 
switches ( you might disable one, but I had one positive pulse, and one 
ground! The alarm has both kinds of door pins, for the different types of 
cars. I said, shoot, I could use both! All I need it to modify it a bit) 
Glass breakage sensors, Door opening sensors, twin trunk and hood pin
switches, and a motion detector. No fancy stuff as power lock opener, 
ultrasonic detectors, etc. 

	Since this was a passive alarm, ( insurance reasons ) I modified 
the "kill switch". Normally, to disarm it, you just have to supply power to 
the ignition circuitry ( ie turn the key, but hotwiring it would also disarm 
it-bad) So, I mounted a seperate key lock, under the dash, but out of easy 
sight. The "brain" was located deep inside the dash, and the wires were 
looped inside the car's wiring, to disguise them. So, if they ripped open 
the fuse box, etc, they could not disarm it.

 	It saved my system on three occasions, twice they had cut the ground 
strap, and foolishly thought it was disabled. One time, the thief ( a local 
punk who knew I had a sound system ) thought this disabled the system. 
	( oh yea, I had it wired so that a rocker switch in the glove 
compartment determined if cutting the main ground disabled the siren. That 
is, there were two wires to the siren, one was closely strapped along the 
ground line. The switch determined which line was used. That way, at home, 
the thief will think he disabled the system, allowing me time to catch him, 
call the cops, etc )

	Late one night, ~ 3 am, my pager went off, and I quickly put my 
shoes on, called 911 then grabbed the family 12 ga. I quietly went out the 
back door, and came around. He was lying on the seat, trying to work the 
Alpine head unit out. I shone my maglight on him, and told him to freeze. I 
think he lost his bowels. :-) Doing hard time, doing hard time. They got him 
on grand theft auto. 

	|:-0 

	>:-/  

	 :-| 

	 :-} 

	 :-)

	 
and virtually no falses 
even though the local cat liked to sleep on my hood when I came home late at 
night.