RF and VHF motorcycle tracking: the Scorpion VHF+ Recovery Network
An RF motorcycle tracker is one that a receiver can find by radio, and Datatool is adding one: the Scorpion VHF+ Recovery Network. VHF is a radio frequency band, so VHF+ is RF tracking, and it works as an extra layer on top of a Datatool GPS tracker. It is launching in the UK under Ofcom licence 1419997/1.
Our GPS trackers do the daily work: live position, movement alerts, journey history. VHF+ is for the last stretch, when a bike has gone into a van, a container, a lock-up or an underground car park. One finds the area, one finds the bike.
- What it is: a radio (RF) layer on the VHF band, added to GPS and 4G tracking.
- Your GPS tracker: still runs the live map, the alerts and the monitoring.
- For bikes: Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+, self fit and wire-free, or a VHF+ beacon beside a Stealth S5.
- Status: launching in the UK. Register your interest.
RF, VHF and GPS: what the words mean
Riders type RF tracker, VHF tracker and radio frequency tracker into the same search box, and they mean the same family of device. This is how the terms fit together.
- RF is short for radio frequency. In the bike trade an RF tracker is a small hidden transmitter that a receiver homes in on.
- VHF is very high frequency, the radio band from 30 to 300 MHz. A VHF tracker is therefore an RF tracker on one particular band.
- GPS and 4G trackers work out their own position from satellites and send it over the mobile network. That is where the app map, the alerts and the journey history come from.
A VHF wave is metres long, which helps it carry round and through walls, vehicle bodies and ground. It has no map and no history, so on its own it makes a thin tracker. Beside GPS it covers the awkward last part of a search.
Why Scorpion VHF+ is the better radio system
- Licensed across the UK. VHF+ runs on its own channel under Ofcom licence 1419997/1, issued to Scorpion Automotive for the whole country.
- Long range. VHF waves are metres long, so the signal reaches further into vans, lock-ups and car parks than short-range radio homing.
- GPS plus radio, not one or the other. Your Datatool tracker and our monitoring team run the live tracking, and VHF+ sits on top, so you get both.
- Quiet until it is needed. The unit is designed to stay silent until a finder calls it, so it gives nothing away while it waits.
- Replies that cannot be faked. Each answer is checked, so a thief cannot fool a finder with a false signal.
- A network on the move. Finder receivers ride in network vehicles and listen as they go about their day, so a hidden bike can be picked up without a search being called.
- Self fit on the Quantum 3. No wires, no drain on the bike’s battery and no dealer fitting charge.
How VHF+ works with your Datatool GPS tracker
There are two parts. A small VHF+ unit rides on the bike, and finder receivers fitted to vehicles in the network listen for it.
- GPS watches. Your tracker reports position and raises the alarm, with our monitoring team behind it. The VHF+ unit waits quietly.
- The radio layer arms. In the network design that follows a confirmed theft, detected jamming or a cut battery feed.
- Finders listen. Receivers in network vehicles pick up an armed unit that comes within range as they go about their day.
- The last stretch. A finder can also be sent to the area your GPS tracker last reported, then follows the signal as it strengthens until the bike is found.
The messages are authenticated. A finder can ask an armed unit to answer, but it cannot arm it, stand it down or fake its reply. Finders are still being put in place as VHF+ launches, and we will publish where they operate and how the system performs once the field results are confirmed.
Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+: the RF and VHF version for bikes
Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+ is our battery tracker with the radio layer added. It costs £269.99, which is £20 more than the Quantum 3, or £578.99 with three years of monitoring included, and it is launching. Register your interest and we will tell you when it is ready to order.
- Self fit. You put it on yourself, so there is no fitting charge.
- No wires. It runs on its own batteries and connects to nothing on the bike.
- No drain on the bike’s battery. Nothing is taken from it, which suits a bike that sits for weeks.
- Long-range radio. VHF reaches further into vans, containers, lock-ups and underground car parks.
- GPS first. The Quantum 3 is a Thatcham S7 GPS tracker with the Datatool app and monitoring behind it. Choose £269.99 and add a plan (£12.49 a month, £119 for a year or £309 for three), or take the bundle at £578.99 with three years of monitoring included.
We make no Thatcham claim for the VHF+ layer itself. The S7 category belongs to the Quantum 3 tracker.
The sums against a Biketrac
Biketrac is also Thatcham S7 and lists RF. Its price is before fitting, and Biketrac does not publish what fitting costs. Your dealer sets it, and one dealer says it can be more on some motorcycles. With Datatool you know the whole price before you buy: one price, nothing to add.
Published dealer fitting prices are a useful reference: £60, £75 and £90.94, the same three as our Datatool vs Biketrac page. Because the real figure is your fitter’s, the last row below is a worked example, not a Biketrac price.
| Day one | After 1 year | After 3 years | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+ (self fit, nothing to add; three years of monitoring included in the bundle) | £269.99 | £388.99 | £578.99 |
| Quantum 3 (fitted by a Datatool Approved Installer, nothing to add; three years of monitoring included in the bundle) | £249.99 | £368.99 | £558.99 |
| Biketrac standard + dealer fitting at the published prices (£60 to £90.94) | £359 to £389.94 | £458 to £488.94 | £608 to £638.94 |
| Worked example: Biketrac standard if your fitter charges £125 | £424 | £523 | £673 |
Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+: £269.99 + £119 = £388.99 after a year, and £269.99 + £309 = £578.99 after three. Biketrac standard: £299 + £99 + fitting after a year, and £299 + £249 + fitting after three, so with a £125 fitter it is £299 + £99 + £125 = £523 and £299 + £249 + £125 = £673. Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+ at £578.99, with three years of monitoring included, costs less than a Biketrac standard over three years at every fitting price in the table, and the Quantum 3 bundle at £558.99 costs less again, with nothing more to pay for three years. Prices checked on 28 October 2026 from each company’s website and the dealers’ own pages, and Biketrac is a separate business with no link to us.
Stealth S5 with a VHF+ beacon
The Stealth S5 is our Thatcham S5 tracker, the top category, with a rider tag and 24/7/365 monitoring by our team. For a bike you ride every week it remains the tracker we recommend. Because the VHF+ beacon works alongside any tracker, it can sit next to an S5 as a radio layer. How the pair is offered and fitted will be confirmed at launch, and you can ask us now to be told.
Where the radio layer earns its place
- Vans. A bike lifted in and driven off.
- Containers. The route many stolen vehicles take out of the country.
- Lock-ups. Brick, steel and no sky.
- Underground car parks. Concrete overhead and no view of a satellite.
Radio has limits too. A sealed steel box still weakens the signal, a finder has to be within range, and a narrowband VHF signal is not immune to a jammer tuned to it. That is why VHF+ sits on top of GPS and 4G rather than replacing them. Our page on whether a motorcycle tracker works in a van, container or underground car park goes through each one.
Where it sits in our range
| Level | Datatool tracker | Radio (RF) layer |
|---|---|---|
| Thatcham S5 | Stealth S5 | VHF+ beacon alongside it, at launch |
| Thatcham S7 | Quantum 3 and Quantum 3 Self-Fit | Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+, launching |
Compare the whole range on our motorcycle trackers page, or read how to choose a motorbike tracker.
Status: launching in the UK
- Licence: Ofcom Business Radio (Area Defined) licence 1419997/1, held by Scorpion Automotive Limited, first issued on 15 September 2026.
- Area: the United Kingdom.
- Stage: launching. We will confirm the launch date, fitting details and the finder network when they are settled.
- Made by: Scorpion, the UK vehicle electronics manufacturer behind Datatool.
Register your interest
Tell us which bike and which tracker you have through our contact page, or ring the sales team on 01257 249928, Monday to Friday, 8:30 am to 5:00 pm. We will write to you when Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+ opens for orders.
Frequently asked questions
What is an RF motorcycle tracker?
An RF tracker is a small hidden transmitter that sends a radio signal, and a receiver follows that signal to the bike. It normally sits alongside a GPS tracker, which handles live tracking. Scorpion VHF+ is our RF layer, launching in the UK, and it works with Datatool GPS trackers.
Is a VHF tracker the same as an RF tracker?
In practice, yes. VHF stands for very high frequency, which is a band of radio frequencies, so a VHF tracker is an RF tracker working on that band. A search for a radio frequency tracker, an RF motorcycle tracker or a VHF motorcycle tracker is looking for the same kind of device.
Is VHF better than GPS?
They do different jobs, which is why we use both. GPS and 4G give you a live map, instant alerts and journey history, and our GPS trackers do that well. VHF carries a signal into the places a bike can be hidden, so a finder can home in on it. One finds the area, one finds the bike.
Does Biketrac use RF?
Yes. Biketrac’s website lists RF alongside GPS and GSM, and its tracker is Thatcham S7 and wired in, with the dealer’s fitting charged on top. Our answer is Scorpion VHF+, launching in the UK, on top of a Thatcham S5 Stealth S5 or a Thatcham S7 Quantum 3. The full comparison is on our Datatool vs Biketrac page.
When can I get VHF+ on my bike?
VHF+ is launching in the UK under Ofcom licence 1419997/1, and we have no launch date to give yet. Register your interest and we will tell you when Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+ is ready to order, or when a VHF+ beacon can be paired with a Stealth S5.
Do I need a new tracker to get VHF+?
Not necessarily. The VHF+ beacon works alongside any tracker, so it can sit next to a Stealth S5 or another unit. If you would like one box, Quantum 3 with Scorpion VHF+ is the battery tracker with the radio layer included, and you fit it yourself.
Will VHF+ find my bike in a container or an underground car park?
It is built for those places, because VHF reaches further into them. It is not a guarantee. A finder has to come within range, a sealed steel box still weakens a radio signal, and the finder network is being built as VHF+ launches. Your GPS tracker stays in charge of live tracking and alerts.
Is Quantum 3 with VHF+ Thatcham approved?
The Quantum 3 is a Thatcham S7 tracker and the Stealth S5 is a Thatcham S5 tracker, and those categories stay as they are. We make no Thatcham claim for the VHF+ layer itself. Our Thatcham explainer sets out what S5 and S7 mean.