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another day, then the compressors would have been gonealtogether.“We discovered the value of [a GPS system] after recoveringonly two pieces of equipment,” said the Maryland contractor(anonymity requested for security purposes). “And when you’verecovered your equipment and you see it coming back to theyard, you realize you’d be willing to pay a lot more for it.”Another important GPS based feature is the homing beacon,which remotely instructs the unit to send out a location everytwo minutes. This creates a “bread crumb trail” and all the policeneed to do is follow the dots to the stolen asset. Most GPS systemswill give you a satellite image of the asset’s location, whichis necessary since stolen assets usually end up well off the beatenpath. Imagine the surprise a North Carolina company receivedwhen they located one of their missing machines in Texas, justtwenty minutes from the Mexican border. They remotely turnedon the homing beacon and routed the local authorities to its hidingplace for recovery. Using both the map and satellite view, theowner informed the police exactly which Texas wrecking yard’stree line was hiding the stolen asset.As often happens, this one recovery yielded even morerecoveries since that wrecking yard was a staging area forstolen equipment being sourced from all over the country.Their procedure was to strip the decals and identifying marksoff in the Texas yard, and then move the contraband acrossthe Mexican border and on to their buyers.Book’em DannoIf the peace of mind isn’t enough to encourage you to protectyour entire fleet, then the insurance savings will. As insurancerates continue to rise, a recent theft on the record is sure toskyrocket your premiums. With over 50 percent of equipmentEyes on EquipmentWith innovative security solutions like Doosan Infracore Portable Power’s Blackhawk MVS-6 Mobile VideoSurveillance, contractors can rest assured that their equipment is safe and secure — whether they’re busy on a jobsiteor taking a break at home. This surveillance system monitors and records images in various environments such asconstruction sites and equipment yards — all for less than employing security manpower. The Blackhawk MVS-6 usesa self-contained power unit, which employs a standard hybrid power system of solar and diesel technology to ensuresix months of uninterrupted remote operation. It features an 85-watt solar power array that continuously charges thesystem’s three deep cycle batteries, and a diesel generator with a 27-gal fuel tank that provides power to auxiliaryoutlets and a standard lighting feature.Via a wireless connection, a contractor or crew member can remotely manage the Blackhawk MVS-6 by using softwarethat connects to the system’s day/night imaging camera and a 40-GB DVR. Through this software, the operator cancontrol the pan, tilt and zoom functions of the camera, as well as access the DVR to review recorded images all from thecomforts of their home or while they are on the road. National MSRP: $60,000. For more information about the BlackhawkMVS-6, visit blackhawkmvs6.com.30 Utility Contractor | January 2009