Hide your mobile radio/antenna

[K3ROJ]

I am located outside of Baltimore, Md. and learned from experience that thieves are looking for mobile radio units, GPS devices etc. After parking near a retail store in the city, I returned to my vehicle only to find someone was inside my car after they broke a side window to enter. The thief quickly fled as soon as I clicked my alarm button on my ignition key. An attempt was made to remove my 144/440 transceiver and luckily it still works after replacing the power cord. Needless to say, no more shopping trips in the city

[WA3VZK]

I've had the same problem going into the cities. No longer. My truck is very well marked by the large Hustler antenna mounted across the bed. My rigs are mounted on the wall behind the seat and the seat is locked so that you cannot get in there easily. Under the dash is mounted 3 dummy rigs which are easily taken out without tools.The doors are left unlocked to prevent broken glass. I am never far away. The dummies contain a bit of black powder and a timer set for 3 minutes after losing the 12 volt power from the truck the the internal battery takes over. I got 1 in Baltimore and 3 in Philadelphia so far and was privelaged to watch 2 of them take the radio and run. 3 minutes later the rig went off for a big suprise and a lot of entertainment for myself. I didn't see the others but I did hear the explosion while inside the convenience store. Still it was fun to go outside and watch the guy rolling around on the sidewalk.Not a lethal amount, but enough to make him think seriously about the next time. FOR INFORMATION ONLY, DO NOT ATTEMPT, unless you want to change a theifs mind.

[WB4TJH]

Good way to get yourself 10 years in prison for attempted murder, too, my friend. The thief could turn around and sue YOU, crazy as it sounds. Most police departments would arrest YOU. I agree with the "frontier justice" idea, but in reality YOU will be the one in prison.

[AD6KA]

WA3VZK:

The dummies contain a bit of black powder and a timer set
for 3 minutes after losing the 12 volt power

I fully understand the desire for revenge and retribution, trust me!
Both my car and one of my homes have been burglarized in the last 25 years.
Some stuff they took, like the pocket knife my Grandpa carried through
3 years of combat in WWI, were worth NOTHIN' to anybody but me!

But as WB4TJH pointed out:

A good way to get yourself 10 years in prison for attempted murder,
Not to mention Federal ATF charges for making explosive destructive devices, Homeland Security Antti-Terror Laws, etc. This is serious sh*t.
These charges carry Mandatory Minimums, the Judge's hands are tied,and the length of the Mandatory Minimumsentences have skyrocketed
in the "Law & Order" political environment after 9/11.

[N3UFJ]

I wonder if a rather large cap, charged and wired to the frame/chassis of the dummy rig wouldnt work as well also to grab the theive's attention as long as you remembered to bump it with a chicken stick before you drove off so you didnt zap yourself with it... I dont think the judge would cook your goose as bad for that as with the black powder but I love the BP idea myself.

T.French(ie) N3UFJ

[WD4CHP]

I had my truck broken into.

The glove box was open. The right window was smashed out. Change was taken.

The thief didn't have the sense enough to take the radio.So much for the thieves today.

[KB3SKU]

Hi i'll finally be getting a car soon and i want to put my Mobile in to my car that i have attached to a power supply in the house. My question is how is Nazareth,Pa i mean does this happen a lot here also? If so i might change my mind.

[VE1IDX]

Instead of jeopardizing your freedom from incarceration why not install a recordable voice module connected to a small speaker. a minute or two after the thief yanks the radio the radio starts "STOP THEIF! THIS RADIO IS STOLEN!" or something similar. Hell you could do that to a working radio and use the internal speaker.

[W3RXO]

It's too bad it is nearly impossible for the average, law-abiding, resident of The People's Republic of Maryland, to get a concealed weapons permit. I live, (not for much longer) in The People's Republik of Kalifornia, but am retired LEO, and hold a CWP. I have family in notorious areas of Los Angeles metro (Inglewood, Lynwood, East Los Angeles, Lincoln Heights, El Sereno and myself live in Pomona). I spend a great deal of time there, and NEVER, do I go unarmed. While I have had mostly no problems (one car burglary, in 52 years, at my home), I still go nowhere, without adequate armament. To heck with the alarm, beware of armed owner.

[W3RXO]

Hi i'll finally be getting a car soon and i want to put my Mobile in to my car that i have attached to a power supply in the house. My question is how is Nazareth,Pa i mean does this happen a lot here also? If so i might change my mind.
Check with your local Law Enforcement agency's Public Information Office. They keep statistics of that, which they then turn over to the FBI, for statistical analysis. I would say, that in sheer numbers, nationwide, yes, it happens quite frequently. On the flip side of that coin is the "rural rule". The more rural you are, the less likely you are to become the victim of a property (not rural), or violent, crime.
My best guess is that Nazareth, is a pretty sleepy community, and you have little to worry about. What do you think? How crime ridden, do YOU think your area is? I live, for now, in a very crime ridden city, but my particular neighborhood, is relatively low crime. We have been fortunate, in that respect. However, if you were to go two blocks east or west of my little neighborhood, or a mile north or south, you would not want to go there, without at minimum, a large dog, to ward off potential trouble.
Your Police agency's PIO, should e of great help.

[W3RXO]

Hi i'll finally be getting a car soon and i want to put my Mobile in to my car that i have attached to a power supply in the house. My question is how is Nazareth,Pa i mean does this happen a lot here also? If so i might change my mind.

I decided to look it up, myself, and found this page. (http://www.cityrating.com/crime-statistics/pennsylvania/bethlehem.html) They don't specifically list Nazareth. This is for Bethlehem, which, I believe, is your closest good sized city. It should give you a decent idea. I'm certain a more thorough search of the web will garner more data, as it relates to Nazareth, but this should give you a good start.
Also, remember, you can always mount radios with quick disconnects, and unscrew your antenna, when getting out of the vehicle, if you have reason to believe you may be in an area, where there is a greater likelihood of being ripped off.
It seems to me, the further you stay, from Georgetown, KY, the less likely you will be, to having your ham stuff, ripped off.

[K5RCD]

A lot of smack talk and mostly bad advice.

If you want to greatly reduce your chance of being ripped off, buy an electric engraving pencil, engrave your drivers license and state abbreviation (example TX 12345678), not your social security number, on all items of value. Hams should also engrave your call sign on all ham related equipment.

Then go to the website below and order a supply of these stickers, and place them on all your windows and doors, and display them prominently on your vehicle and your valuables.

This will not only drastically reduce your chances of being a target, but in case you ARE ripped off, the police pawn shop and burglary details can easily identify you and return your valuables.

Thieves and burglars won't mess with you as they really don't want to be caught. They will move on to easier pickings.

I'm surprised I have to 'splain this to y'all.

http://www.nnwi.org/operation_id.asp

http://www.dallaspolice.net/content/11/66/uploads/operationID.jpg

[NW9R]

Old advice. Most remove their radio equipment and place out of sight, just as you should do for a lap top, purse, etc. Anything that suggests they could make a buck off of you, should be removed or hidden. Nothing new.

[W3RXO]

Well, I will agree that the idea of electrifying the car is bad advice, and likely will land your butt in hot water, but, I do not like reducing the value of my equipment, by engraving ANYTHING, that didn't come from the factory, into the surface of the radio. I guess my point is, if you feel that threatened, that you need to ruin the value of your equipment, then by all means, do what has to be done. As for me, I prefer being the guy that ALL of my neighbors know, I am armed, as they see me regularly, packing up several firearms, to head to the range. Aside from that, I carry good insurance. But as someone who owns several highly sought after, older, collectible, pieces, I would NEVER think to permanently engrave my radios, with anything. Otherwise, remove them, from your car, as was advised. That, however, doesn't stop the thief from stealing your car. And, if you have a remote head for your rig, and do as most folks, leaving the radio body, in the car, while removing the control head and antenna(s), when your car gets stolen, you can have a nice radio control head, with no radio to connect it to. I prefer the idea of leaving it there, and being well insured, for my purposes. But, then again, I guess I am the crazy "Gun Nut" here.
Now, for the bad news. Crooks can get almost as much information on you, from your driver's license/state I.D., as they can from your Social Security number. DO NOT ENGRAVE YOUR DRIVER'S LICENSE NUMBER ON ANYTHING SUBJECT TO THEFT! That is, unless you WANT to become a victim of identity theft. Record your equipment's serial numbers, and keep them in a secure location. If you feel so inclined to permanently engrave your rigs, put your pet's name and date of birth, or some other unique identifying mark, that does NOT give a thief any of YOUR PERSONAL identity information. This is as effective as engraving your D.L. number. When the cop takes the report, you can tell him "On the back panel, in the upper left corner, is engraved 'Lucky 12-03-10'" That is FAR better than giving out your DL number, to a thief. As for me, I will continue to advocate the Teddy Roosevelt theory. "Walk Softly, and carry a big stick". You don't need to be threatening to anyone, but don't shy away from letting people know that you are unafraid to use force, if your stuff, or that of your neighbors, is stolen! My dad did it, in this neighborhood, from 1951 on. I have done it, since I bought the house from my parents in 1986, and a few other neighbors do so, too. I've been here 52 years, with very little trouble. The result is, we have an anomaly, for a neighborhood. The local P.D. even tells us, "We don't know why there is so much crime all around your neighborhood, but relatively none, IN your neighborhood", at our neighborhood watch meetings. We DO know we have a thief who lives amongst us, as someone steals cars elsewhere, and leaves them in our neighborhood, which suggests the thief lives amongst us, but knows better, than to steal, from his home neighborhood.
No braggadocia here, just the facts. America is safer, when criminals don't know who all is armed. But, being known, for being armed, does have it's advantages.