Where to connect 12V gps tracker?

[bmassaer]

What is the best place to connect a 12V gps tracker in a 2007 Cali? Of course I want it out of sight...

 

[Stu]

It will need 'line of sight' to the sky so I would suggest to place it under the dashboard so it can 'see' the satellites. This is where I always place GPS antenna for Nav units.

You'll then want to find a permanent 12v supply. Ideally this would be from a unique supply on the fuse panel but it depends a bit on how handy you are.

Have you bought one of these camper van tracker things?

 

[bmassaer]

No, I bought this one:http://www.gps-partner.nl/gps-tracker-g160-met-sms-functie
I have been testing it for some days now, and it seems to do the job. I do have the 12V connection kit and I think I can manage the connection.
But...
- connecting it under the dashboard would mean connecting to the car battery, and maybe draining it? (although we use this car as a daily driver). And by the way, where is the main fuse box located?
- connecting to the camper battery means putting it under the driver's seat, where it would be easier to find. And by the way again, how can I reach the fuse box under the driver's seat? This seat won't slide back enough to reach the fuse box decently...
- Any other place where I can find a permanent 12V cable?

Sorry 'bout these silly questions, but this car is new to me...

 

[Stu]

I'm not 100% sure where the fuse panel is on your dashboard as you'll have the previous / Euro version. Should be in the owners manual.

If you connect under the seat to the leisure bat then that's fine but unless the unit has an external antenna you will need line of sight for the GPS to be effective so will need to run a cable from the power supply to the unit.

For the T5.1 (later than yours) I would say to remove the glovebox and hide behind that or to remove the radio and hide in there somewhere.

Regarding taking a supply from the fuse panel under the seat you can buy this type of thing that fits into a spare fuse way. I think Halfrauds have something in their range.

http://www.ledcom.co.uk/add_a_fuse_circ ... connector_

http://www.autoelectricsupplies.co.uk/p ... ategory/62

 

[Stu]

It's not easy to see from the pictures but I reckon this will be a 5V power supply as it's Mini USB. So you cannot connect directly to the battery without reducing the voltage.

 

[bmassaer]

Problem is... the Cali came without an "owners manual". And these seem very difficult to find...?

 

[Stu]

Can normally be ordered via a dealer - Give Steve + SMG a call.

 

[bmassaer]

OK - this fuse holder might be the way to go! Thanks for that...
- Still wondering how to gain access to the fusebox located underneath the driver's seat?
- Is there any other option connecting it to the camping battery (so not to drain the car battery) but not under the driver's seat (where it can too easily be loacated)?

 

[Barryjm]

Fuse box is under the passenger seat for me, but is a pig to get to! I have had the passenger seat out before now, but this was not the easiest of jobs due to one of the front bolts being difficult to access.

My Cali is a 2009 and the dash board fuse box is to the immediate left of the gear stick, you open it with a small coin or large flat blade screwdriver.

Cheers Barry


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk HD

 

[bmassaer]

All right! I found the fusebox being located behind the "cup holder" in the center of the dashboard! And I found a second camping-battery in the back, behind a small door on de left side (seems like a treasure hunt, right now).
Might there be another fuse box in the back?

 

[bmassaer]

Okay, I think I almost sorted this out... I will connect this to leisure battery, but I prefer to connect it directly (not by the fuse box, but using an extra seperate fuse on the wire). The Tracker has an adaptor "Input DC6-36V Output 5.0V 2500mA". Will this be okay?

 

[Stu]

Yes, assuming you are using the adaptor. 12v on the van reduced to 5v for the device.

I think you'll need to remove the seat to get to the leisure battery under the front seat. Not sure I share your aversion to using the fuse panel, there will be some spare fuse ways.

 

[Ksar-el-kebir]

Okay, I think I almost sorted this out... I will connect this to leisure battery, but I prefer to connect it directly (not by the fuse box, but using an extra seperate fuse on the wire). The Tracker has an adaptor "Input DC6-36V Output 5.0V 2500mA". Will this be okay?

I’ve got a question about fuse boxes too. Hope this is the right place. Just got a 12 volt air conditioner. Do I connect it to the passenger seat fuse box? Is there a separate fuse box for the second leisure battery?