Joined: 22 May 2006 Location: South Africa
Online Status: Offline Posts: 12474 GPS Model: GPSV; GPSMAP276C; GPSMAP60CSx; DGPS-XM4-ALT Datalogger Town: Roodepoort
Posted: 01 December 2009 at 4:26pm | IP Logged
We often hear of units being stolen or lost - though the former is more prevalent in our society. There are some pretty serious consequences of this so this note is intended to counter these as best as possible. This is what you should do immediately you discover the loss. A further trick would be a call to your Security Company & Neighbourhood Watch to do some snooping for you.
A thief who steals an unprotected unit could be at you home before you even know the unit has been taken so this advice could be life-saving.
Always use the Garmin Lock feature; it can be a schlep because this requires a PIN to be entered (that you haven't used a permanent marker to note on the body of the unit of course ) and it at least denies the thief the use of the unit, and in some cases
can lead to recovery. If you forget your PIN you have to return to your preset saved location before the unit will open. Only Garmin Distribution Africa can restore a locked unit and they do NOT unlock units without formal proof of ownership.
DO NOT use the "Set your Home Location" feature unless you use a fake location. Remember this facility was created in countries that do not suffer the same security threats we do and it's a cool facility to discover.
Some owners create a Favourite nearby their real home location - others more cautious, name the Police Station or their Security Company location as "Home" but never use your real residence location named 'Home'.
The same applies to your Friends & Colleagues home addresses - use the name of their dog or cat or some other and do not use a home icon for these either - prefer simply a marker icon. If you do enter a phone number for these use only a cellphone number and not a fixed line number. The same may apply to business locations so take care in deciding the POI names you apply.
It goes without saying NOT to leave your unit in full view when parked - that's just inviting trouble. The very best location for a GPSr in a vehicle is centre of dashboard or windscreen, as low down as possible so the installation does not obscure your view ahead and is 'contained' within the background of the bonnet ahead. Some owners mount their unit similarly but to one side or the other (passenger operated). This does expose the unit to a quick grab if the window is open but also to a smash & grab through the front window so it's not the best place from a security point of view. A tether may be a good idea if you use this position. It's just as good a place for not obscuring your view - again if set low down - and falls easier to hand than centre of the dash.
We hope this keeps your unit safe to enjoy for many years and of course also your family & friends too.
If any member has further tricks to add to this post please PM me and they'll be included.
Edited by Shorty - 27 April 2010 at 11:28pm
__________________ The perfect digital map will always be a 'Work-in-Progress' VOOF
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Topic: Set Home Address & keep GPSr/Family safe
) and it at least denies the thief the use of the unit, and in some cases
can lead to recovery. If you forget your PIN you have to return to your preset saved location before the unit will open. Only 
