Car remotes don't work on 6900 block of California Ave. SW

[valvashon]

Has anybody else noticed that OEM car remotes (locking and unlocking key fobs) have trouble or just don’t work on this block of California Ave SW (at Frontenac)? I frequent a local business on this block about every other month and just had my memory jogged about how my car didn’t lock when I was down there the time before as well. I asked the business owner if they have trouble and they confirmed that they do- sometimes theirs works but much of the time it doesn’t. Like me, they only have the trouble on this block.

If you live, work or park on this block or in this area please post the experience you have had with your door locks. Sometime in the future I plan to take some measuring equipment down there and try to determine where the interference is coming from, but for now I’d like to hear from you.

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[j]

Yes! When I take my daughter to The Little Gym, I try not to park along California (in front of Cafe Ladro) because my key fob NEVER works. My husband also has trouble with his.

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[metrognome]

I live in a condo in this block and my key works just fine — maybe because it’s the kind you actually stick in the lock and turn. I’ve never heard my neighbors mention problems with key fobs. We also use a garage door opener and I’ve never heard of problems.

However, as TR has noted in a few recent articles, this area has the oldest City Light equipment on the peninsula. Our bldg. was the first multi-family bldg. in this stretch of CA (don’t get mad; we have one parking space per unit plus 2 extra) and we are on a separate feed from most of the ‘hood. Sometimes during a power outage, our bldg. is on when everyone else is dark and other times it’s the other way around.

Gatewood power outage – but not a surprise this time

I mention this because your fobs are probably affected by electro-magnetic interference from old equipment. I would suggest two possible solutions: 1) replace the batteries in your fob, or 2) wait six months or so until the old equipment is replaced.

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[towhee]

Me too. Park the block over for Stella Ruffington’s and I think my key fob has worked maybe twice in the last year.

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[Sue]

I used to have problems with our Mazda5 remote on the block of Cafe Ladro, now that you mention it. It either wouldn’t lock or I couldn’t get it open. Weird. I wonder what kind of geopathic disturbances are going on over there.

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[miws]

FWIW, and I don’t know if it could be related, but I recall back in the days of my having a car,(’67 VW Beetle) from the mid-’80’s to the mid-’90’s, the (aftermarket) FM radio would cut out, or get static-y at the bottom of Gatewood Hill, in the vicinity of where Ladro now is.

Mike

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[miws]

And that area is pretty much a direct line-of-sight to Vashon.

Is there a broadcast tower over there? Or am I thinking of one being there in the past?

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[Sue]

Mike, I know there are cell phone towers (or similar) on top of the UU church at Othello and California, a few blocks away.

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[Franci]

i doubt that itis the cell towers on UU. I used to live across the street and was living there when Gatewood Baptist had them installed. Never had any issues with my remote key fob.

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[fc43]

Yes! This has been going on for several years. We, too, used to go to The Little Gym. Whenever I parked on Myrtle, my key fob would work just fine. But on California, in front of Cafe Ladro, I often had issues. I have also heard the same from other parents at the gym.

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[sam-c]

YES!!! it is sooo annoying. can’t lock the doors when we are trying to drop our dog off to board him at Stella Ruffingtons, nor when we go to birthday parties at the Little Gym. it takes several tries, mumbling grumbling, and other attempts.

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[miws]

Okay, here’s another line of thought; does anyone have this issue anywhere else, in West Seattle or elsewhere?

I’m trying to think of various, possible commonalities if so.

In this area we have an espresso joint, that presumably has Wi-Fi, and elementary school that likely has Wi-Fi, and undoubtedly has an up-to-date security system, a doggie daycare, several condo/apt buildings, cell towers, and surrounded on two sides by large hills, and on one side in line of sight of water.

Perhaps the dogs, bothered by the a high-pitched sound from the remotes that we are unable to hear have devised a jammer? (Although that would likely require the assistance of cats).

But seriously, maybe the more tech-savvy folks that know the differences and commonalities of various radio related stuff could take this brainstorming further?

Mike

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[ernieusafret]

Their are several things that could affect this.

Most likely are a faulty transformer, or lighting equipment in the area.

It could also be a rouge transmitter or a home wireless transmitter(not likely since it has been going on for a while).

Possible solution is to get the FCC involved( that is if you want to wait for a loooooooong time).

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[sam-c]

yes, actually we have had the exact same problem – at the Swedish West seattle parking lot. the lot to the south of the bldg. came out from a doctor appt. – what- why is the car unlocked. tested the key fob and that was it and it happened on another occasion. now we park down in the lot under the bldg and key fob works down there.

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[miws]

sam-c, is that the 3400 block of California, at Hinds location?

Mike

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[sam-c]

yes, that’s the block

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[wsn00b]

+1. Our Mazda remote wouldn’t work recently while outside Ladro on California. Radio reception also gets bad as we approach that block. Definitely some interference there.

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[maplesyrup]

Same thing happens to me in the Admiral Safeway parking lot, usually if I park near the bank.

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[Franci]

Could it be ham radio interference? I know someone in another neighborhood and their electronics are interfered with by a neighbors ham radio.

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[valvashon]

Metrognome- Regarding your solutions:

“1) replace the batteries in your fob” I have done many battery replacements and repairs on remotes of other owners of the same make of car as mine, through car club websites and forums. Suffice it to say that my remote and the remote for my wife’s car have fresh batteries and are in perfect working order. Weak batteries are not the problem.

“2) wait six months or so until the old equipment is replaced.” I forgot to put it in my OP, but this problem has been going on for seven years according to the business owner. I’m not sure why you think some old equipment will be replaced in six months, and I can’t imagine what City Light would have that interferes with car remotes operating on 315 Mhz.

miws- The bottom of the hill there is well shielded by terrain from most FM broadcast towers- that would explain the static on your radio. Vashon Island does have the majority of AM broadcasting towers, but the frequencies they operate on are well below the remote frequency of 315 Mhz. It’s extremely unlikely that what should be extremely weak (if they exist at all) harmonic of an AM radio station would be focused on a one or two block area miles away. AM radio engineers work very hard to suppress these harmonics, as they rob power from the main signal.

Sue- outside chance it could be the cell towers. They are close enough, but I think it would be a more widespread problem around the tower location and not just in the one to two block area. Again, the harmonics just don’t add up- cell towers operate in the 900 Mhz range, and typically lower harmonics are at a very reduced level compared to higher harmonics.

miws- Car remotes operate on radio frequencies, not sound waves. Please try to stay OT.

Franci- Hams are a good source of interference. Most take good care to make their installs clean, but there are many amateur ones out there.

Thanks to everybody that responded- it’s good to know that there are quite a few others out there that are experiencing the same problem.

I have a car with only one key lock, on the driver’s side. It was broken for a while and I could only use the remote to get in and out. If I had opened the doors, let everybody out and then hit the button <i>on the door</i> to lock the doors I would then be locked out of my car. I’m sure there’s a way for this to happen on other makes of cars as well.

Next week I will be borrowing a piece of equipment from work and trying to track down the source of the interference. I will keep you posted.

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[waynster]

aliens have arrived and there transmissions back to their planet are interfering with normal electronic signals…….or its the Government and the NSA….or its a jamming signal for a wifi…..or….Oprah is coming……..or I just don’t know lmao………..then again…

http://www.gocomics.com/nonsequitur/2013/07/17

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[metrognome]

valvashon –wow, really? sorry I tried to be helpful; both suggestions are relevant to the general situation that was described. Weak batteries *can* be a factor; ancient, poorly insulated electrical equipment can be a source of electromagnetic interference that can disrupt RF communication. This was a big issue in public transportation a while back when power wheelchairs had problems with their controllers going haywire.

And, if you follow the link I provided, you would know why I think some old equipment will be replaced. The equipment has been there for ages; the issue is the relatively new influx of minivans using key fobs because the Little Gym opened at that location … oh, too bad, their website doesn’t say … was it, oh, 6 or 7 years ago?

anyone who is interested in more info on the effects of EMI can use the following terms in a search engine:

‘EMI interference car key fobs’ (606,000 results with Bing). You can also try adding your vehicle’s make and model;

‘EMI interference consumer electronics’ (4,580,000 hits) and

‘EMI interference power wheelchair’ (2,360,000 results)

waynster — gotta love Non Sequitur; I’ve invested all my retirement money in tin foil futures.

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[Born on Alki]

I had the same problem several years ago at my home.

Turned out to be caused by the floodlight on the back of our house. This is one Costco sold a few years ago that had a secondary radio controlled remote lamp head you could mount up to 200′ within the “home unit”. This was discovered after bringing home our brand new Chevy. The remote on my old Chevy truck went haywire some time before we bought our new car. I figured it was just old age. Brought the new Chevy back to Burien Chev several times for warranty repair, but it worked fine every time at the dealer. I finally discovered what the cause was. I disconnected the floodlight and everything worked fine since, including the neighbors Subarus and Jeep. I would look for this as the cause first. Just my .02

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[bertha]

About a year ago I asked a Cafe Ladro barista about this when my key fob didn’t work. He told me non-functioning key fobs and problematic radio reception has been a known issue for years in that block. No one knows why (at least at Cafe Ladro).

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[F16CrewChief]

I believe it has to do with gravity. The gravitational pull is stronger in that area.

See, this phenomenon in this area is quite simple really.

Lets start with some basic math here:

F = G x {m_1 m_2}/{r^2}

where:

F is the force between the masses,

G is the gravitational constant,

m1 is the first mass,

m2 is the second mass, and

r is the distance between the centers of the masses.

Now we can also express the relationships in the form of an equation using a constant of proportionality. If a quantity x is proportional (directly) to another quantity y, then x is written as x = ky, where k is called the Constant of Proportionality

So lets say your key fob m_1 using the first equation, you yourself is m_2. Now we’ll use stoichiometry to find the chemical reaction of m_2 when m_1 is inititially impacted by the gravitational pull. Assuming this area around Gatewood is not a Brittle-Ductile Transition Zone, the Beta-Decay will be at normal levels for us to use Proton Emission to formulate gravitational constant. However, if we enounter any amorphous, we’ll have to determine the quark in the area. If we should encounter this scenario, we’ll simply use a chromatic aberration.

But regardless of which route we take here, it’s all very simple as you can see above. Just follow the equation and we’ll figure out why your key fob doesn’t work.

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