RE: [DML] anyone know a decent alarm?

["K. Creason" <dmc4687@xxxx>]

Scott sounds very knowledgeable.
I used the Crimestopper 2001FC model, and it interfaced with the lock module
well. It also gave me a dual stage unlock-- but I use the second stage to
pop the driver's door. The trunk open pops the passenger door, and third
output might someday do the trunk but I don't know why-- my trunk has always
been a two-hand operation no matter how I try to adjust it.
-Kevin

-----Original Message-----
From: Scott Gardner [mailto:gardners14@xxxx]
Sent: Saturday, March 01, 2003 10:42 PM
To: dmcnews@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: RE: [DML] anyone know a decent alarm?


Casey,
What you need is a "dual-stage" shock sensor, and most alarms
have them these days. They provide for a "pre-alarm" chirp in response
to light taps, and a full-on alarm in response to harder impacts. Both
levels of sensitivity are adjustable.

Let me start off by saying that you don't have to be concerned
about finding some special exotic alarm to go with a DeLorean. As far
as alarms are concerned, the DeLorean is just like most other cars out
there--twelve volt, negative ground, with electrically-operated locks.
If you had a six-volt car with positive ground and vacuum-operated
locks, your choices would be more limited and more ingenuity would be
required, but that's not the case here.

That being said, there are four things I would certainly look
for in a potential alarm. Look for one that has a lock/unlock pulse
length of at least one second. That's pretty standard now, but some
older alarms might have a pulse that's too short to adequately active
the solenoids. Also, if you plan to have the alarm flash your parking
lights, look for fused parking light outputs. Without them, a thief can
remove one of your parking light lenses and bulb, stuff some tinfoil in
the socket, and then set off your alarm, shorting out the processor and
disabling the alarm. Lastly, find out if the starter-kill circuit is
"normally-open" or "normally-closed". These is also called
"fail-secure" or "fail-safe". With a normally-open/fail-secure type, if
the alarm brain dies, you won't be able to start the car. With a
normally-closed/fail-safe type, you will still be able to start the car
with a dead alarm brain, but it will be slightly easier for a thief to
steal your car if he can disable/destroy the alarm. You'll have to
decide which is more important to you. Lastly, get an alarm with
"passive arming", which automatically arms the alarm after the last door
is closed. This type is usually required for any kind of insurance
discount. I thought that this was pretty much standard these days, but
I've recently seen some very full-featured alarms that did not passively
arm.

Regarding the brand of alarm, decide first what your needs are.
Do you want two-way paging between the car and your transmitter? Do you
want to remotely-start the vehicle? Want a starter kill? A mechanical
hood lock? How many outputs do you need for things like door
lock/unlock, hood/trunk release, remote door opening, etcetera? How
many and what type of sensors do you want? (Doors, hood, trunk, radar,
microwave, glass-breakage, shock, etcetera)

With alarms, there's a *very* wide spectrum of quality. Also
know that there are relatively few companies actually manufacturing
alarms. Many different brands are just "re-boxed" versions of the same
alarms.

You can't really go wrong with DEI (Clifford, Viper, Python), or
Ungo. Crimestopper is pretty fair overall, but I wouldn't get their
"top-of-the-line" remote starter/pager version, the CS2005FM. They
didn't design that one, it's just another company's alarm that
Crimestopper re-boxed, and after installing several of them, I can tell
you the quality just isn't there.

Stay away from Alphaguards, Sparkomatic, Audiovox (Prestige),
and any alarm that only comes in a "white-box" OEM version. These are
the alarms I mentioned earlier that are all made in the same factory,
then put in white boxes and distributed to two dozen different
"companies" that just put their own labels on the boxes and units.

I know that some people have installed $89 alarms and been very
happy with them for years, but the better alarms are easier to install,
work more reliably, and are easier to have serviced if anything does go
wrong.

Hope this helps,
Scott Gardner

[moderator snip]