From: jch@sumac27.cray.com (J.C. Hamlin)
Subject: Theft resistant vehicles (was Re: TINT)
Originator: jch@sumac27
Organization: Cray Research, Inc.
Date: 12 Oct 92 08:02:44 CDT


In article <2905.110.uupcb@cccbbs.UUCP>, rob.runkle@cccbbs.UUCP (Rob Runkle)  writes:
>         About the person who said 

That would be Joshua Poulson of Widener University.

> that he knows a guy who used a light detector in his alarm system...

That would be me, J.C. Hamlin, of Automotive Sound & Security by Hamlin, 
Minneapolis, MN.

> how the heck did he get the thing rigged so it did not go off with sun 
> light but it did go off with a little flashlight.  

Well, the sensor was in the dash next to the radio.  With a sunshield in 
place in the windshield, the sun never reached the sensor.  If I forgot 
to put in the sunshield (or didn't have time), the sensor should be shunted.
However, in my current security system it isn't used because my implementation 
wasn't flawless.

> Or, was this just an idea he had and not put to use.

Well, my latest idea will win me a few originality points at the next 
security contest I go to -- probably next spring around here :-(  I'm 
going to put one sensor someplace always exposed to exterior light, 
and one sensor in the dash around the head unit.  The first sensor 
will deactivate the second one -- so if there is sunlight, then the 
second light sensor won't be activated.  However, this sensor could still 
be defeated by a thief who know where the first sensor was and had 
two flashlights. ;-)

J.C. Hamlin
Automotive Sound & Security by Hamlin, Minneapolis, MN
jch@Cray.COM

Here's some tips I've come up with the help you in keeping your car safe 
from thieves:

              The Elements of a Theft "Resistant" Installation
                               by J.C. Hamlin

Car stereo theft is a major problem.  So let's face it, we have to defend
ourselves against car audio theives.  There are three elements to a secure, 
theft resistant installtaion:  concealment and misdirection, secure mounting, 
and a high quality alarm system.  These elements may fool a theif into thinking
you don't have something to steal, discourage him from stealing it, or scare 
him away.

The first element is stealth concealment -- if the theif can't see it, *AND* 
he doesn't suspect there is something hidden, then the theif may not even 
bother with your car.  If a theif happens to get into your car for a closer 
look, make sure the components are still well hidden from a thorough 
inspection.  Part of concealment is *NOT* having manufacturer's advertisements 
visibile on your car (i.e. An "Alpine" logo on a tinted windshield sunscreen, 
or a "Kenwood" logo painted on the side of your vehicle).  "Protected by..." 
alarm stickers, and alarm LEDs are debatable--an ameteur theif may skip your 
vehicle because of this; however, a more experienced thief may thank you for 
the information:  that first, you have an alarm; and second, who made it, since
a sticker often reveals the manufacturer of the alarm.  An experienced thief 
may then go about disabling your alarm before attemping to enter your vehicle. 
Do not give away the fact that you have an alarm unless you are sure a theif 
will not be able to disable it.

Make the components dissapear into your vehicle, without being obviously 
concealed, and make the interior and exterior look as factory/stock as 
possible.  Add decoys for components that obviously have to be there, like the 
deck (a low quality phony deck to hide your high quality deck).  Give any 
other in-dash components, like equalizers, the ability to dissapear into a 
stock looking dash when not in use.  If you have any speakers or grilles that 
show by inspection (a bad idea, except for decoys), make sure they appear to 
be stock, or poor quality.

The second element is a secure mount -- if the theif gets in your car, he 
then has to remove the component in order to steal it -- so make sure that if 
the theif does find the component that he has no idea how to remove it, or 
that it would take far too much time to get it without damaging it.

All components should be mounted with all mounting hardware hidden, or 
inaccessable.  The screws and bolts that are used to mount components should 
not be, if possible, accessable from the front, or without a lot of time, or 
without knowing some "trick" to remove a panel to get to them.  Make sure the 
components are mounted securely, and cannot be forced loose without difficulty.

The third and final element is a high quality, properly adjusted alarm system 
with a backup battery.  An alarm sounding is the most effective theft 
deterrent, for an obvious reason -- that's what the alarm is for.  The alarm 
should be of high quality in order to ensure it works when needed -- it will 
only get one chance.  It should be properly adjusted so that it only goes off 
when your car is truly in trouble.  And the backup battery is a must -- without
it, the theif only has to disconnect your single battery from the car in 
order to render the alarm helpless.

These guidlines are not a guaranteed way to stop a theif.  But they may fool, 
discourage, or scare him away.  If you  follow these guidlines, you will 
have a system that will remain *yours* for a much longer period of time.