Dog Proximity / Gas alarm

[Guest PeteC]

I have just received my MMM non enclosed supplement Winterising your van So what you say! At the back is an article "Hardened Steel" wherein is mentioned a device that barks like a dog if a person approaches, within a preset range - So it will set off when some one comes near Well I say if a person climbs on the roof - under the van - or whereever to inject gas your on board detecter willl go off & scare them off - Or will it ? It all depends upon - the gas detecter sensitivity - gas used - strength of gas You could be unconscious before the detecter goes off So what do we need to do?? Stop the B ----s from getting close enough to spray the gas in the first place Sit up all night watching Use a proximity device/alarm So if you park in a busy area - you will not sleep because of people passing If you park in an out of the way place you are more vulnerable to attack? Are you? If you are out of the way you would be less likely to get people walking past, antone coming into the range of the device would set it off & wake you up and also scare off the would be intruder I am open to comments befroe spending my money A Yorkshire Tyke - educated in Scotland Not mean just Thrifty

[Guest martin]

I'm not sure what you're saying here. But - I only did two years of statistics and it strikes me we've lost the art of assessing risk and fail to comprehend probability. It is patently in the interest of alarm manufacturers to manufacture alarm and depondancy in order to sell their protection - the original protection racket? Hysteria isn't my thing and a few low key and simple things do the trick ... besides what is this gas? Isn't it more urban myth than reality?

[Guest Will Redfearn,Wirral Motorhome Club]

I agree I have yet to read or meet first hand someone who has had a gas attack. It is more likely to see the Indian Rope trick. Simply the physics of a van and the behaviour of gases liable to induce a comatose state are beyond the realms of practicality (for want of a better word).

[Guest Ray]

If the dog alarm detects movement in the proximity of the van and therefore proximity of the alarm unit, what happens when you turn over in bed at night? I assume it has a remote unit to disable the alarm when you want to get in.

[Guest peter goddard]

As I understand the gas most commonly used is ether which is readily available in products like damp start and other aerosoles used for starting (mainly) stubbon diesel engines.

[Guest PeteC]

Proximity alarms normally work on a change in the Capacitance of the area (van) any thing/body within the van or its proximity when it is set is part of that Capacitance Any movement in bed around the inside of te van does not effect the Capacitance Peole entering into the area will change the capacitance and start the alarm my point was that a proximity alarm would be better that one that detects gas injected into the van As far as the person comming in to rob you when you are under the influence - you have to breath the gas - skin divers have trained to hold their breath for upwards of 2 mins We have been camping / Youth Hostelling since 1950 never been robbed or attacked But You do hear of people being robbed and worse in these places

[Guest Tony Hunt]

Will. You better believe that a gas attack is a real threat. My friend and his wife were travelling down through France in their Bessacar two years ago and stopped in one of the aires overnight like they always did. They were accompanied in another van by his brother and his wife who parked alongside them that night. My friend always strapped his two front doors together at night as a precaution but on this occasion he forgot and left the strap hanging loose. In the morning they awoke later than normal and both he and his wife felt very unwell and then realised that all their personal belongings, handbag, wallet, watches, jewellry and all their money and credit cards had gone. They never heard a thing and nor did their relations in the other van parked alongside. They reported their loss to the police who admitted that this type of theft, using gas to knock out the occupants was becoming a common occurence, especially on the motorways as it was so easy to make a swift getaway before anybody realised what was happening. The best thing to do to protect yourself and possesions in situations like this is to be very careful where you park overnight. I always try to find a campsite off and away from the motorways in Spain and especially France for overnight stops. I have also fitted the new Fiamma interior locks to my Ducato front cab doors. Theres no way they can be unlocked from outside. They are quite expensive but well worth the investment. I also bought a few of the small vibration alarms that you can stick on the inside of doors and windows. These are very inexpensive and are very noisy when disturbed by someone trying to gain entry. A lot of hassle and a bit of extra expense but its worth it to sleep safe in your bed at night. Apparently talking to other friends these gas attacks are also becoming a problem in countries like sweden so believe it it does happen and is becoming more and more common occurence.

[Guest Bob]

I think they were lying to you Tony. All the magazines have been asking for victims to come forward with no success. Gassing appears to be an urban myth with nothing to back it up. Maybe they ought to put a reward up to finish this daft tale once and for all. You'll have us sending cash to these Nigerian emails next.

[Guest Tony Hunt]

Your perfectly entitled to your negative views bob. Just dont come crying to us all when it happens to you. All you have to do is keep your head stuck where the sun dont shine. This same topic has been running on motorhome facts forum and was attracting the same sort of replies as yours to start with until I mentioned the same story. It immediatly brought several replies from other people, some of whom had been involved personally. Anybody stupid enough to park on these foreign motorways overnight without taking extra precautions deserves what they get. All it takes to protect ones family is a couple a hundred quids worth of extra interior door locks and a narcotic gas alarm.

[Guest Bob]

Nope - they lied to you Tony. And as you can see [and, as an alien from Mars I am fully aware of] folks can say anything on these forums and often do. Here's the challenge - lets see a link to a newspaper or other media report into these 'gassers'. It must have had extensive coverage somewhere in the press with all these attacks. I'm not holding my breath !

[Guest Tony Hunt]

This is for starters. The more I delve the worse it gets. Just found this on a truckers website. Truck drivers warned over 'gas attacks' Dec 14 2003 By Sunday Sun North truckers have been warned of a new lorry-jacking craze where it's believed that victims are gassed before having their vehicles ransacked. Crooks are targeting overnight rest stops used by long-distance drivers up and down the country for the crime, we can reveal. They wait until the driver is asleep before spraying commonly available motoring products into the cab through vents or slightly open windows. Police say this can act like an anaesthetic and throw the sleeping driver into a much deeper slumber, incapacitating him for several hours. It is then that the thieves strike . . . able to steal from the vehicle without fear of disturbance. When the driver does eventually wake up he will feel groggy and suffer a severe headache but have little or no recollection of the attack. One North-based lorry driver who did not want to be identified told the Sunday Sun how he has already fallen victim to the crime. He said: "It happened near Northampton about three weeks ago. I'd been quite tired so I just decided to pull over and catch a few hours. "I can remember stopping the truck and getting myself comfortable. It must have been about 1am. Next thing I remember was waking up. It was daylight and when I looked at my watch it was after 9am. "I remember thinking it was strange that I'd slept so long but I thought I may have been coming down with flu or something because my head was pounding. "I got out for some fresh air and when I walked round the back of the trailer I realised I'd been got. I couldn't figure out how I hadn't heard anything. "It wasn't until I got speaking to some other lads that I found out this was the latest thing. I don't know for definite, but I can only assume I'd been sedated in this way. It's quite frightening really." A spokesman from Northumbria Police said. "Our whole force has been told about it and will be keeping an eye on the situation. "We would urge all lorry drivers to be extra vigilant." Top | Back | E-mail to a friend | Printable version

[Guest Bob]

Sorry - you can't get the prize for that. It's just another example of web waffle. I was going to look for the Sunday Sun till I realised it was some truckers CB 'handle'. Still, with all these gassing attacks there must be a news report somewhere eh ?

[Guest Tony Hunt]

How can anybody be such a PRATT.