Weather update GPS theft
John Deere and Thieves Guild Continue Battle
John Deere's GPS systems are particularly popular with the thieves' guild. The manufacturer is obviously not happy with this unwanted popularity and therefore tries to do everything to prevent this. Meanwhile, GPS theft in Europe remains a hot topic.
In the Netherlands, in October 2018Â Stolen several more systems, including from John Deere. However, Trimble is also popular with thieves because it is used everywhere. Meanwhile, the manufacturers try to thwart the thieves as much as possible. For example, John Deere has been able to supply a lock for their terminal for some time.
However, the phenomenon is not limited to our country, because this technique is also popular in Belgium, Germany and the United Kingdom. Vantage Agrometius, an importer of Trimble, recovered some stolen systems in England last year. This after an unsuspecting farmer tried to activate it.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom is once again a target of gps thefts, as reported by several people on Twitter. Local police say 8 systems have been stolen in county Norfolk, eastern England, and this is not the first time. Farmers also report theft themselves; in many cases there are several systems involved. Rural crimes are a major problem for the British anyway. The sparsely distributed police force can do little against the many burglaries.
John Deere is also taking measures itself, for example with the aforementioned lock. This literally locks the screen to the support. "If an SF3 activation is requested, the system reports to the manufacturer," says employee Eric Tuwsen. "Always inform your dealer in the event of theft, because he can pass on the serial number. This will be placed on a blacklist."
PIN security
In addition to the screen, the expensive receiver on the roof is also stolen. To counter this, John Deere launched a software update this month. In version 4.10J to get all StarFire 6000 receivers have double pin protection. Only the newest rectangular receiver gets a pin code. Hopefully the StarFire 3000 (the round green-yellow sphere) will also follow soon.
This 4-digit PIN code is duplicated. For example, the user has a pin code to use the system and there is a pin code for the administrator. He can then unlock the receiver and change the code.
Update yourself
The update is also available to install in the Netherlands. John Deere dealers have already started doing this. If you are a little handy, you can also install the new software version yourself download† All you have to do is put the system on a USB stick and plug it into the receiver. Via the display, it is then provided with the new software in 3 minutes.
Niels van der Boom
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