Puzzler

[xoxoxoBruce]

Originally Posted by steambender

snip~ Power generators are also very noisy. ~snip

Yes, working at power plants, we couldn't use cheap walkie talkies so they gave us 4 high rent Motorola units. They cautioned us to watch our language because they were licensed to Westinghouse Broadcasting (KYW, Philadelphia) who loaned them to Westinghouse power Generation Division.
They did work like a champ, though, so they must have been over or under the static band.

[steambender]

Originally Posted by xoxoxoBruce

Yes, working at power plants, we couldn't use cheap walkie talkies so they gave us 4 high rent Motorola units. They cautioned us to watch our language because they were licensed to Westinghouse Broadcasting (KYW, Philadelphia) who loaned them to Westinghouse power Generation Division.
They did work like a champ, though, so they must have been over or under the static band.

Static is a good way to describe it, too.

The interesting thing about making high rent radios that reject the static is that it doesn't have to cost more, sometimes you just have to care about doing it. The next level does cost more money, or size, or space, or a combination. It always costs more (faster) battery drain. That all applies if the static is nearby and can be rejected somehow. If it lays right on top of the signal you're trying to listen to, you may be SOL unless you have some of the sooper secrit signal processing & protocol stuff that the high end designers use for high value comm links. Then, if the manufacturing volume is high enough to justify the silicon investment, we get to go to best buy and get 802.11g dongles for $9.95 that cruise through all sorts of nasty interference and don't complain a bit.

[tw]

Originally Posted by wolf

I agree that I have to return to the scene of the mystery and attempt to replicate my experience.

Without information from the FCC ID number, then good luck even trying to guess what to look for.

Are you sure your were not park over top of a secret nuclear submarine base?

[footfootfoot]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Why am I suddenly worried that Wolf is going to slip through a dimensional tear the next time she goes there, and then we're all going to have to go find her?

I hate to get all spelling cop on your ass in the new year and all, but it's spelled: hoping.

just a frenly fyi.

[footfootfoot]

On another note there are certain areas that when I drive by my car doors automatically lock as thoug I had pressed the key fob.

This sets a whole bunch of shit in motion including having to stop the car, turn off the engine, and unlock the car from the outside with the fob in order to get the crooz control to work and the alarm to stop.

Fun!

[steambender]

Ford uses UHF frequencies, and so does GM, typically 315 or 433 MHz. These are popular garage door opener freqs as well. All of the modern ones use rolling code generators - long unique pseudo random numbers that provide unique IDs out of a large population, and are based on the unique fob serial number.

If you've ever added a new remote to a garage door, you've used the training sequence that "introduces" a new remote to the door opener and permits operation. Sneak into your neighbors, and you can teach their door to open to your control... Cars work the same way, a dealer can "train" your car to open to a new fob if you lose the old one, or you can buy a new one & instructions on Ebay and save $60. Needless to say, there is potential nuisance value in this.

That same frequency band is used for military tactical ground, satellite and ground to air voice and data transmissions, and is just 3% below one of the very popular police voice radio bands - 3% frequency seperation is not enough to provide much in the way of filtering, so a likely culprit is a public safety transmission tower (municipal law enforcement, ambulance, DOT, city, etc) or an Airport, all civilian air traffic transmissions are simulcast on Military aviation frequencies to permit dual use of airports.

Now performing a complete car lobotomy sounds more like a really high power signal is scrambling the car computer, not just the wireless entry - especially if power off reset is required to restore sanity. Probably an intentional radiator - Radio tower, or a radar. Usually secret missile bases are much more discreet, and the FCC limits the amount of unintentional radiation to avoid interfering with paying (intentional) customers - so, is there a forest of broadcast antennas nearby, or an airport, or an FCC regional control center (TRACON), or a government or military comm facility, or a defense contractor, or satellite earth terminal, or are you the target of black heliocopter brain wave modification beams?


Again, I recommend tin foil hats, heavy duty three ply. it works for me, and cuts down on the voices...

[steambender]

RF is crazy stuff, buy me a beer and I'll share the secret of receiving AM broadcast using only your dental work and poor oral hygiene...

steambender

[wolf]

Originally Posted by Elspode

Why am I suddenly worried that Wolf is going to slip through a dimensional tear the next time she goes there, and then we're all going to have to go find her?

I'm prepared for that. I have stuff left over from Y2K.

[zippyt]

That same frequency band is used for military tactical ground, satellite and ground to air voice and data transmissions,

Damn Wolf what have you been up to that the Gubment is trying to get you ????

Steel mills often have electric arc furnaces...really, really noisy for shortwave radio users. {snip} Without knowing, I'd guess that your line of sight link runs at a higher frequency that would only be bothered occasionally.

Yeppers they use electric arc furnaces , DC electric arc furnaces , VERRRRRRRRY Powerfull , they have to be carefull not to blow the bottom out of the furnace , NO SHIT !!! The carbon electrode is about 3+ feet accross !!!
The only time we have interference ( and I have tested this , with a radio link to the Melt shop ) is when they are "JUKEING " the furnace ( putting the POWER ( KVA's !!! ) ) to the furnace .

[wolf]

Originally Posted by zippyt

Damn Wolf what have you been up to that the Gubment is trying to get you ????

Just the usual.

Of course, it could have something to do with that guy ... oh man, that must be it ... the crazy inventor dude with the cobbled together CDs, AA batteries, and wireless mouse drone detectors.