On Mon, 16 Nov 1998, Bud Krueger wrote:
> LoJack is an alarm system based upon a transmitter that is hidden
> in/on/under the vehicle and is actuated if the car is stolen. Many police
> departments have direction-finding receivers for the LoJack system on some of
> their cruisers and can locate the car within a very short while after being
> notified of its loss.
Actually, it's really a stolen vehicle recovery system. The transmitter in
the/your vehicle is only activated when the police send it a signal telling
it to go active (after you've reported your car stolen). It does nothing to
keep your vehicle from being stolen - it just _may_ help recover it
quickly... and maybe intact.
It will only work in (usually metropoitan) areas where the police have the
equipment to use it. I have no idea what the range is.
In Baltimore it would probably be pretty effective for your average
non-joyride theft since the police claim that they almost always park the
car in a "cool-off" zone for 24 hours to see if the cops magically find it
and take it away. This is presumably to avoid Lojack leading the police to
the chop shop. :-)
> I think they have a web site that you could browse for.
Yep - www.lojack.com . The site organization is a bit counter-intuitive,
and it's full of "glossy" brochure-type propoganda, but it also has a
directory of dealers so that you can find one near you to get real
information...
-Andy (who is still thinking about installing it in a couple of my toys)
PS - I just heard yet another Lojack commercial on the radio while typing
this...
72 Pantera - Rocky 91 Miata - Steve 96 A4Q - Rudolf
80 928 - Phantom 97 Miata - Nadia 84 RZ350 - Sting
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