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Pet Tracking


AwesomeSauceDuo

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HI!

Not sure if this has been asked/posted before. If it has, I apologize.

 

We are just about to hit the road for full timing, and we will be traveling with three cats.

Does anyone have any experience with tracking devices?

Would a key tracker work (i.e TrackR, Mynt, etc)?

 

Ideally we would like to find something light weight, and easy to use. Any suggestions would be appreciated! Thanks!

 

Rig: 2000 31ft Class C Forest River Sunseeker (The Great A'Tuin)

Toad: 2009 SmartCar (Tyrian, of House Mercedes)

 

Kevin (Awesome K) of House AwesomeSauce

Genevieve (Sauce G) of House AwesomeSauce

Three Cats;

Sir Archer Funnyfoot of House Fluffington

Lady LanaBoBana of House Fluffington

Miss Matilda Pants, First of Her Name, Hun of the Andals, Queen of the All the Things, Khaleesi of the Great A'Tuin, Breaker of Souls, and Mother of Dragons.

 

http://awesomesauceadventure.com

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Our cats stay in the rig, they are all chipped. Most CGs do not want your cats out wandering around and I, as a cat owner, would worry about them wandering outside in a strange location. Besides strange dogs there are all sorts of other animals that wander through campgrounds. Do your cats a favor, keep them in your rig.

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Do your cats a favor, keep them in your rig.

 

X2.

 

I would, however, make sure they're chipped in case they do escape. I have no knowledge of, or experience with, trackers, so can't comment on them.

LindaH
2014 Winnebago Aspect 27K
2011 Kia Soul

 

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They are all chipped, and all will remain in the rig. We won't let them loose at all.

This is for in case they escape. I am very nervous about one of them darting out a door and disappearing.

Rig: 2000 31ft Class C Forest River Sunseeker (The Great A'Tuin)

Toad: 2009 SmartCar (Tyrian, of House Mercedes)

 

Kevin (Awesome K) of House AwesomeSauce

Genevieve (Sauce G) of House AwesomeSauce

Three Cats;

Sir Archer Funnyfoot of House Fluffington

Lady LanaBoBana of House Fluffington

Miss Matilda Pants, First of Her Name, Hun of the Andals, Queen of the All the Things, Khaleesi of the Great A'Tuin, Breaker of Souls, and Mother of Dragons.

 

http://awesomesauceadventure.com

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I have in the past and know other hunters that use tracking devices on their hunting dogs. There are three types that I am aware of. GPS systems. radio frequency units and beepers. The GPS units I have seen for dogs are pretty large. There are micro units that are used in wildlife research, some small and light enough to use on birds, but they are pretty expensive and for the smallest units battery life may be only a year or two. GPS technology has improved, but I am not sure that if the animal was hiding under a rock, stump or in a building, that the satellite(s) would receive the signal.

 

A second type uses a radio transmitter collar and a receiver (usually with a directional antenna) that is used to locate the animal by the strength of the signal. Again, the ones for dogs are pretty good size.

 

A quick search turned up several beeper units on Amazon marketed for cats. A radio transmitter is used to turn on the beeper. The animal has to be within range of the radio transmitter, and then you have to be close enough to the animal to hear the beep. The ones for dogs that I am familiar with are pretty loud and can often be heard 100 yards away.

The one that dies with the most toys is still dead!

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Thanks! I will look into the beepers on Amazon.

I might get them all orange collars, too. http://smile.amazon.com/Kitty-Convict-Cat-ID-Collars/dp/B018IRQ33E/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1464973944&sr=8-3&keywords=orange+collar

Rig: 2000 31ft Class C Forest River Sunseeker (The Great A'Tuin)

Toad: 2009 SmartCar (Tyrian, of House Mercedes)

 

Kevin (Awesome K) of House AwesomeSauce

Genevieve (Sauce G) of House AwesomeSauce

Three Cats;

Sir Archer Funnyfoot of House Fluffington

Lady LanaBoBana of House Fluffington

Miss Matilda Pants, First of Her Name, Hun of the Andals, Queen of the All the Things, Khaleesi of the Great A'Tuin, Breaker of Souls, and Mother of Dragons.

 

http://awesomesauceadventure.com

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Here is the one I use - Send it a text and it responds with its location on Google maps. (Works great on a dogs collar but may be a little large for a cat.)

 

It's actually a mini Cell Phone with GPS tracking,Geo Fence, emergency button, microphone, etc. (Coban TK102B)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GPS-GPRS-SMS-waterproof-magnet-minitracker-GPS102B-TK102B-coban-original-WithBox-/270560507536?hash=item3efea9b690:g:cI8AAOxy2CZTWiks

 

Here is a YouTube video on how it works

 

You can also get a version in a waterproof case with solar cells on top to keep its internal batteries charged. Made to glue to the roof of your RV. It can sit for years and if your RV ever moves more than 3 feet (or whatever you designate) it sends you a text message. You can call it and silently turn on its microphone and listen to whats going on in the area. Fantastic if you leave your RV unattended for any length of time.

 

It also has an emergency button on the side that sends texts to predefined numbers who can then call the unit and listen in on the microphone. Poor mans "Help I've fallen and can't get up" without the monthly monitoring fee!

 

Not bad for a $30 unit!

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Here is the one I use - Send it a text and it responds with its location on Google maps. (Works great on a dogs collar but may be a little large for a cat.)...It's actually a mini Cell Phone with GPS tracking,Geo Fence, emergency button, microphone, etc. (Coban TK102B)

http://www.ebay.com/itm/GPS-GPRS-SMS-waterproof-magnet-minitracker-GPS102B-TK102B-coban-original-WithBox-/270560507536?hash=item3efea9b690:g:cI8AAOxy2CZTWiksPoor mans "Help I've fallen and can't get up" without the monthly monitoring fee!...

If I am understanding the video, you need an activated Sim card for it to work. While you may not have a monthly monitoring fee, you probably do have to add the device to your cellular plan? As with some of the other locator devices, it seems it has to be able to acquire the satellites and have a cell phone signal at the same time? While RVing, I've been in a number of locations when one or both is not available. How well does it work in structures? My Garmin auto GPS will not work inside a two story building, but the GPS unit for Streets and Trips does work in the same location so all GPS units are not created equal. I've also learned from experience that all cellphones and Mifis are not created equal, will it work on a 1X signal?

 

Thanks for any additional information you can provide as the current market prices for hunting dog locator collars are pretty pricey.

The one that dies with the most toys is still dead!

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Yes it requires an active SIM card. I got a T Mobile one from Best Buy for $1.00. You can then sign up with TMobile on a prepaid annual minimum plan for $84/year ($7/month) That's all the tracker requires - a minimal SMS messaging account with a small amount of data - primarily to give the device an active cell phone number.

 

Needless to say it only works in areas with cell phone coverage.

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You might want to look into some of the Avalanche Transceivers available. Some have become quite small and are often worn on wrist band or hung from a cord around the neck. They have also become a lot easier to use with directional arrows and distant to the victim displayed. Over the years I have used many variants and most work very well indeed at locating one hidden or worn. The high end one are not inexpensive. Good luck with your cats on the road.

Later,

J

 

PS Decided to add this postscript because most avalanches I have seen are very defined areas. Most transceivers only have a range of about 50 meters (70 or so tops) so you would need to be actively looking in order to get within range but if you can do this they are very accurate.

2012 Landmark, San Antonio

2013 Silverado CC, 3500HD, Duramax, DRW, 4x4

Backup, side and hitch cameras, Tireminder TPMS

 

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Duffman,

 

Thanks for the response. I am not sure from the video whether the unit is capable of active tracking. Will it stay connected and show if the dog is moving or does it just show the point in time location when it receives the cellphone text?

The one that dies with the most toys is still dead!

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Duffman,

 

Thanks for the response. I am not sure from the video whether the unit is capable of active tracking. Will it stay connected and show if the dog is moving or does it just show the point in time location when it receives the cellphone text?

 

Yes, it actively monitors it's location. You can set up a "Geo Fence" area (anywhere from 3 ft square to a defined area on Google Maps.) If it ever moves outside that area it sends you a text with it's location (The text automatically calls up Google Maps and shows you it's current location.) (Parents use to keep an eye on their kids preventing them from visiting say a boyfriend!) (It also can be set to text you it's location and speed if it goes over a set max speed/ Kids w/ lead foot!)

 

If you want to continuously monitor it's location, you can set it to send you it's current location say every 1, 3, 5 etc minutes.

 

All communication with the device is by sending it a text message with various numeric codes telling it what you want it to do from that point forward. So as long as it has a cellular connection, you can communicate with it and control it from anywhere in the world.

 

Here is the manual (It's a PDF File)

http://gpsrf.ru/download/usermanual_tk102b_eng.pdf

 

Not bad for a $30 dongle!

 

PS: Here is alink to the Solar Powered version:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/321244310973?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT

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Thanks for the response Duffman!

 

Still not sure how well it would would work on my hunting dogs. A dog can move a pretty good distance in a minute.

The one that dies with the most toys is still dead!

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  • 2 weeks later...

They are all chipped, and all will remain in the rig. We won't let them loose at all.

This is for in case they escape. I am very nervous about one of them darting out a door and disappearing.

 

Hey AwesomeSauceDuo!

 

I was concerned about Kitty escaping, too, when we first started traveling. Get a little spray bottle that will shoot a good straight stream of water. You can train a cat to back up from the door pretty fast. After a few times, all I had to do was show Kitty the pink bottle and she'd moonwalk away from the door. It won't take long. They'll get it.

 

Keep it handy for remedial lessons.

 

Make sure you get good harnesses and leashes for your cats, too. Kitty learned she didn't get to go outside unless she was on a leash. We don't really go for walks on the leash any more, but I always have her harnessed and leashed when transporting her from the rig anywhere else, even if she is in the carrier. It gives me one last chance to stop her by stepping on that leash (I link 3 together - about 18'). She doesn't try to make a break for it, but it's there in case of surprises. There have been moments she wandered away from me to a shady spot under the rig and the thin red line made her easy to find quickly.

 

Your cats will adapt as long as they're with you.

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  • 4 weeks later...

As a person who drove 3.5 hours one way to meet up with a person to retrieve my escapee (that liked their storage compartment more than our own rig) I soooooo love this idea!!! Must check into this!

~*~Becky~*~

 

Virtual Assistant by trade, mother by grace & traveler by choice.

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  • 3 months later...

I bought XY Find Its to attach to my 5 cats' harnesses. I've connected them to my phone and activated them. Haven't had to track anyone yet but my phone lets me know when I am 150 feet away from the XY Find Its. The app gives you a google maps like display with blips for your XY Find Its locations. Very accurate. Got mine on Amazon in two 3-packs.

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