Constant Ignition GroundMastering the Business of GPS Tracking, by Steven Riebman

Good installers get by. Smart installers get paid.

Constant Ignition Ground is the true story of how a kid who took apart his brother's toys grew into a 35-year veteran of the twelve volt trade, and what that road teaches about doing the work right.

It is written for the person under the dash: the technician, the shop owner and the independent installer who wants steady work in GPS, telematics and camera installation.

Read the Book Kindle edition coming soon on Amazon

What the book covers

Steven Riebman takes you from a Radio Shack project kit and a year and a half of hearing “no” at a car audio shop counter, through his own retail shop and dealership expediting, to the first GPS install job he ever did, and then to life as a road warrior installing tracking systems across the Southeast.

Along the way the book answers questions every installer runs into sooner or later:

• Why a twelve volt technician is basically an electrician who does not have to worry about getting electrocuted, and why the job is still harder than it looks.
• Why you never pull a wire you do not know about.
• How to win a job before you ever leave the driveway.
• Why once you touch it, you own it.

Built around three wires

Every chapter hangs on the three wires an installer connects on nearly every job: the constant, the ignition and the ground. The constant stays live with the key out, which is how persistence works too. The ignition tells a device when the vehicle is running. The ground is where it all has to end up, and where most problems start. The wires give the book its name, and they give each story a lesson you can carry to the next vehicle.

About the author

Steven Riebman is the owner of API Signal and has spent 35 years in the twelve volt trade. He started in car audio, built and sold a retail shop, ran a dealership installation business, and has installed GPS, telematics and camera systems for fleets across the Southeast. API Signal has installed on more than 11,000 vehicles.

Where to get it

Read the whole book online, page by page, or turn on Read to Me to listen to it. The Kindle edition is coming to Amazon, and this page will link straight to it as soon as it is live. Book One is the first of a planned series.

What is Constant Ignition Ground about?

It is the story of one installer's 35 years in the twelve volt trade, told through the three wires every install comes back to. Every chapter hangs on the constant, the ignition or the ground, and each story gives you a lesson you can carry to the next vehicle.

Who should read the book?

Technicians, shop owners and independent installers who want steady work in GPS, telematics and camera installation. It is written for the person under the dash, whether you are new to the trade or have years of installs behind you.

Where can you read it?

You can read the whole book online here, page by page, or turn on Read to Me to listen to it. The Kindle edition is coming to Amazon, and this page will link to it as soon as it is live. Book One is the first of a planned series.

Who wrote it?

Steven Riebman, the owner of API Signal. He has spent 35 years in the twelve volt trade, from car audio to dealership installation to fleet GPS, telematics and dash cam work across the Southeast, and API Signal has installed on more than 11,000 vehicles.

© 2026 Steven Riebman. All rights reserved.