Autowatch 650 Alarm

Have had a problem with the above alarm over the last couple of months.

About eight weeks ago we were preparing to go and visit some relatives, not in the van, when I got a call from Phantom that the alarm was going off. 

Went up to storage and could find nothing wrong so set off. 

Later in the morning got another alert so I asked Phantom to temporarily disconnect their connection and I would sort it on my return. 

When I got back had another look and still couldn't see what was wrong so reset it and as I was about to drive away it went off again and just for good measure it did it again within seconds after a second reset. 

Then decided to contact Autowatch who said to send the unit, remote sensor and fobs back to be looked at. 

The alarm, to my surprise as I thought it was somewhere else, was under the nearside rear bunk. 

Undid the casing to be met by a jumble of wires with various connections of which I still don't know the purpose of most of them

Anyway they only wanted the module out of it so removed that and returned it along with the sensor and fobs. 

Autowatch phoned about ten days later to say it was a faulty remote sensor and one of the emergency keys was not working. 

Replaced everything and sent it back, refitted it, it helps to take a photo prior to removal as I got a wire crossed, but it still wouldn't work correctly

In between this I forgot to put the siren bit in the hole in the van floor so had to take it out and refit. 

Now Autowatch had supplied the sensor with some new batteries but having measured the voltage they were 2.9v and it is important that they measure at least 3v ( thanks internet) so replaced with two new Duracell and all is working OK. 

No more false Phantom calls. 

The moral of this little tale is if you are having problems with this alarm, first replace the sensor batteries ( they last rwo years evidently) and then replace the sensor. 

Incidentally the sensor was about £20 or so cheaper from Autowatch than on the net. 

Anyway I hope the above may be useful to someone. 

Happy Christmas to all my reader(s) it will soon be sunny and we will be out in our vans again. 

Winter caravanning is not for me I'm afraid. 

Ian