From: holowczk@rwja.umdnj.edu (Richard Holowczak)
Newsgroups: rec.audio.car
Subject: CAR ALARMS/the Q-LIST
Summary: CAR ALARMS/the Q-LIST
Date: 28 Sep 92 22:52:44 GMT
Distribution: rec
Organization: Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, Piscataway NJ


My goodness!! I was overwhelmed with responses.  It's nice to know
there are many of us out there who are not car alarm and
electronics experts.  So many people wrote to me, I decided to post
the listing.  If you can't download or extract my posting please
send me e-mail (again) and I promise to send it right to you.

99% of the mail I got was positive.  A few of you commented on some
areas which I had never thought of so I included them in the list
of questions to ask.  The issue of scanning transmitter codes came
up so I'd like to say a bit about that.

It seems that with cheaper and/or older alarms, it is possible to
transmit all of the codes in rapid fire sequence to a car alarm. 
Eventually, you will hit upon the right code combination to disarm
the alarm.  (Evidently the Viper has 2 to the 29th codes which is
not very many). Newer (and probably more expensive) alarms can
sense this and lock out any further attempts for a given time
period.

In many cases, it might not be worth the extra money for this
feature. I have no idea which alarms support this so it goes down
on the questions sheet. (Thanks to Robert Lau for this . . .)

Also, some people might have gotten the impression that some alarm
features are useless or a waste of money.  It may be that these
features were not important to me personally, but they might be
important to you.  You have to decide if this feature will benefit
you and how much you are willing to pay for it. The Autopage is one
such example.  It might not make sense for me, but you might work
in a office where 20 people have alarms.  It's nice to know which
car alarm is going off without everyone running into the parking
lot to find out.

Some glass breakage sensors also have the ability to sense the
cutting of glass.  This might be usefull and I am looking in to
getting this type of sensor for that reason. I'm still concerend
about other high frequencies setting the alarm off. We'll see.
(Thanks again to R.L.)

Anyway, on to the LIST! Remember, after each question on this list,
you should ask: "Is this included in the price or is it extra?"

I loaned my filled in sheet to a friend for her alarm hunting so I
did not include many examples where the Viper and Derringer differ.
If there is nothing in parenthesis then either I don't know or it
is dealer specific. Otherwise:

            D = VSE Derringer/2
            V = Viper 300/600
            U = UNGO Box


)     Include switch pins for all 4 doors? (D,V,U)

)     Include switch pin for trunk? (D,V,U)

)     Include switch pin for hood? (D,V,U)

)     Include ignition kill when alarm is armed (also called Starter
      disable or Starter Kill)? (D,V-option,U)

)     Include Glass breakage sensor?  (D) What is the quality of
      this sensor?  Is it prone to false alarms (i.e. from creaking
      of inner car parts)? 

)     Can the glass breakage sensor also be triggered by glass
      cutting?

)     Include a seat pressure sensor?

)     Include a high quality adjustable motion sensor (if not very
      adjustable then forget it) ? (U)

)     Include a "dual sensitivity" switch for the motion detector
      (as with the Ungo box)? (U)

)     Include a switch to de-activate just the motion sensor?

)     Include a shock sensor? (V)

)     Is the shock sensor user adjustable? (V-no)

)     Can the shock sensor be shut off or disabled? (V-no)

)     Include a "field" sensor to sense moving objects? (Some Alpine
      systems)

)     Is this field sensor an "add-on" or is the alarm specifically
      designed for this type of sensor? (Some alpine systems)

)     What is the quality of this field sensor?  Is it prone to
      false alarms (e.g. rain, dogs, cats, other cars, passers by)?

)     Is the field sensor user adjustable for distance and time
      spans?

)     Include a current sensor?

)     Does the alarm have a "silent" testing mode so I can test the
      sensors, etc. (like the Derringer/2) ? (D)

)     Can the alarm be switched between active or passive arming
      (active arming only if not) every time the alarm is armed? (V)

)     Are there multiple zones?  (i.e. All doors = zone1, 
      trunk = zone2,  Hood = zone3 . . .) (D,V)

)     Does each zone have lock out capability when armed (i.e. if I
      leave the trunk open, will the rest of the sensors still
      activate)? (D,V)

)     Main unit "brain" mounted inside the dash board behind the
      center column or inside the dashboard.

)     Two sirens, one placed in an inaccessible location under the
      hood.

)     Can you install an internal alarm to sound *inside* the car?
      (Thanks again to R. L.)

)     Is all wiring well hidden. No exposed wires at all, especially
      to sirens and batteries?

)     Is there a remote "Panic" mode or at least some type of
      "finder" mode?

)     Are there relay outputs for automatic door locks when armed?
      (D,V)

)     Is there a switch for silent (lights flash only) or audible
      chirp when arming (like the Viper)? (V)

)     Back-up battery which powers both alarm and siren (How is it
      wired? In series? parallel? re-chargeable?

)     Are there 2 separate fused power inputs to avoid disabling the
      alarm by shorting out?

)     Are the power inputs isolated and fused close to the battery
      to avoid shorting out?

)     Include 2 small remote control transmitter units with decent
      range and long battery life?

)     What type of battery?  Where can I get them?

)     Does the transmitter have good range?

)     Do you have to be in line of sight to arm/disarm?

)     Does the transmitter stop transmitting after 1 second to avoid
      draining the transmitter battery?

)     Is it difficult to press down the buttons accidentally?

)     How many codes can the transmitter use?  Is it easily
      scannable?

)     Does the main unit contain anti-scanning circuitry?

)     Include a valet switch? (D,V,U)

)     Can a paging feature can be added at a later time? (D,V,U)

)     Does the pager use an additional output?

)     Does the dome light inside the car come on when the alarm is
      disarmed (Like the Derringer/2) ?  Does this cost extra?

)     What is your (alarm dealer's) policy for repairs (if the car
      is broken in to and the alarm is damaged)?

)     What is your policy for sensor and adjustments?

)     What is your policy for alarm maintenance (i.e. check wires,
      batteries, etc.) ?