Weird Central Locking/Alarm behaviours.

[Ext User(mg)]

I have an Astra SRi, I think it is 02. I park at a council car park near
sometimes for a visit to the shops/pub, have done so for years. Recently an
apartment block has started construction right-next-door. I noticed that my
Central locking (remote key) refused to work one day. For the first time I
ever I had to put the key in the door to lock it. I didn't think much of it
at the time as it worked when I got back to work, and then again when I got
home.

Then I went to the car-park again, and again... still no cental locking. On
this, the third occasion I noticed a Ford Territory with it's alarm
screaming. The male drive reversed it (Alarm still screaming) and his wife
and two kids jumped in (Alarm still screaming). Then he drove off alarm
still screaming.

There must be a frequency on the construction site that nerf car
alarms/central locking. Weird? Anyone experience this before?

[Ext User(David Springthorpe)]

On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 11:04:05 GMT, "mg" <nospam@home.ok> wrote:

>I have an Astra SRi, I think it is 02. I park at a council car park near
>sometimes for a visit to the shops/pub, have done so for years. Recently an
>apartment block has started construction right-next-door. I noticed that my
>Central locking (remote key) refused to work one day. For the first time I
>ever I had to put the key in the door to lock it. I didn't think much of it
>at the time as it worked when I got back to work, and then again when I got
>home.
>
>Then I went to the car-park again, and again... still no cental locking. On
>this, the third occasion I noticed a Ford Territory with it's alarm
>screaming. The male drive reversed it (Alarm still screaming) and his wife
>and two kids jumped in (Alarm still screaming). Then he drove off alarm
>still screaming.
>
>There must be a frequency on the construction site that nerf car
>alarms/central locking. Weird? Anyone experience this before?

I've had problems with my similarly aged Astra CD for yonks ever since
the little module inside the key got loose after a few battery
changes. I've taken to making it less loose by packing it in with some
suitably cut foam packing. It still needs regular re-programming, and
it also likes setting off shop alarms. My spare completely gave up the
ghost remote-locking wise even earlier and a new battery plus
re-programming achieved nothing. As to your particular problem, I used
to have occasional problems when parked on the top floor of Warringah
Mall parking station for some reason.

[Ext User(Toby Ponsenby)]

On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 22:32:56 +1100, David Springthorpe wrote:

> As to your particular problem, I used
> to have occasional problems when parked on the top floor of Warringah
> Mall parking station for some reason.

Line of sight to Artarmon RF poison distribution centre?

--
Toby.
quidquid latine dictum
sit, altum viditur

[Ext User(David Springthorpe)]

On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:08:32 GMT, Toby Ponsenby <toby@privacy.net>

>Line of sight to Artarmon RF poison distribution centre?

Eh ?

[Ext User(Toby Ponsenby)]

On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 23:30:00 +1100, David Springthorpe wrote:

> On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:08:32 GMT, Toby Ponsenby <toby@privacy.net>
>
>>Line of sight to Artarmon RF poison distribution centre?
>
> Eh ?

:-)

There's a quite reasonable pub at Artarmon that has a 'bugger your
own' BBQ Grill system - Pacific Goat-track and Mowbray (or maybe it's
in Chatswood) that is shadowed - in fact monstered - by TV
transmitters.
I noticed that pissed drivers or indeed pissed pax tend to believe
that it's the piss that's causing them to mis-operate their remotes.
And maybe that's right.
This is particularly amusing during rainy weather. The same people
who'll stand under a shower for an hour at a time go quite mad when
common or garden rain nails 'em. (That's after the imbeciles amongst
them put out their hand to 'see' if it's raining, of course)
However, the RF field in that area is such as to reduce the range of
the remotes to a *very* significant degree.

The trick is to know the location of the alarm modules aerial.
That way, you can arrange the remote to transmit/receive through glass
and plastic.
That gives the wee remote a sporting chance, you see.

Amazing the number of people who do the pointy thing at the door locks
and get bugger-all result:-)

Anyway, I reckon the unified RF field theory is a goer in terms of
reducing pissed driving.
--
Toby.
quidquid latine dictum
sit, altum viditur

[Ext User(athol)]

Toby Ponsenby <toby@privacy.net> wrote:

> The trick is to know the location of the alarm modules aerial.
> That way, you can arrange the remote to transmit/receive through glass
> and plastic.
> That gives the wee remote a sporting chance, you see.

When the ABC closed down their studios at Gore Hill, my wife and I went
to the auction of costumes, props, etc..

With the VP, I used to do the key-lock "deadlock" thing because the
remote was a fixed code type (pre rolling code). Hence, the usual was
that I'd use the remote to lock the central locking and arm the
immobiliser then key lock the door to "deadlock" mode.

Anyway, on the viewing day, we came and went without incident.

On the auction day, we arrived earlier (and hence parked closer to the
entrance by about half a block) and armed the immobiliser okay. When we
went to leave, the remotes didn't do anything, even with the things held
directly over the top of the dashboard pretty much everywhere. Luckily,
we carried the keys to the "override" switch in the passenger side front
door jamb on our keyrings, so we disabled the immobiliser with the key
and drove home to Newcastle. After we got home, I turned the immobiliser
override back off and it was normal (as good as before) from then until
we sold the car a few years later.

> Amazing the number of people who do the pointy thing at the door locks
> and get bugger-all result:-)

The Commode remotes tended to go out of tune (little fine-tuning coil or
resistor needed tweaking) and flatten batteries and both of these
problems would allow/neccessitate sensitivity testing. I got to know
the most effective locations to use the remotes from... IIRC, middle of
windscreen right near the bottom just above the wipers was the best.

You know, I'd never thought of pointing it at the door lock! :-)

--
Athol
<http://cust.idl.com.au/athol> Linux Registered User # 254000
The state of infrastructure in New South Wales is a disgrace.
I'm a Libran Engineer. I don't argue, I discuss.

[Ext User(mg)]

"mg" <nospam@home.ok> wrote in message
news:cq7Pf.202$dy4.88@news-server.bigpond.net.au...

> sounds about right. I'd imagine the Consturction site has CD Radio's or
> something. Thanks!

bah, CB Radios.

[Ext User(mg)]

"Toby Ponsenby" <toby@privacy.net> wrote in message
news:1h49f9eoafx8l$.sf0di3thw4un.dlg@40tude.net...
> On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 23:30:00 +1100, David Springthorpe wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:08:32 GMT, Toby Ponsenby <toby@privacy.net>
>>
>>>Line of sight to Artarmon RF poison distribution centre?
>>
>> Eh ?
>
> :-)
>
> There's a quite reasonable pub at Artarmon that has a 'bugger your
> own' BBQ Grill system - Pacific Goat-track and Mowbray (or maybe it's
> in Chatswood) that is shadowed - in fact monstered - by TV
> transmitters.

It's Chatswood and it the Great Northern. It used to be my local, but I
moved North about 2 years ago. Fantatsic pub, probably one of the best on
the North Shore, def my favourite anyway. Unreal steaks mmm... I'm hungry
just thinking about them.

> However, the RF field in that area is such as to reduce the range of
> the remotes to a *very* significant degree.

True, I've noticed when driving past that transmitter that TripleJ goes
spastic.

> The trick is to know the location of the alarm modules aerial.

I think mine is in the dash, but honestly I tried it from all angles and it
wasn't going to work. This is the *only* time my key has failed. Your theory
sounds about right. I'd imagine the Consturction site has CD Radio's or
something. Thanks!

[Ext User(mg)]

"David Springthorpe" <david.springthorpe@idx.com.au> wrote in message
news:p27o02l4r73plet1em9n1flh3iqfgpl8cp@4ax.com...
> On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 11:04:05 GMT, "mg" <nospam@home.ok> wrote:

> re-programming achieved nothing. As to your particular problem, I used
> to have occasional problems when parked on the top floor of Warringah
> Mall parking station for some reason.

Ok, at least I'm not alone in this. Although my key has never failed, ever.
I don't even know where my spare is actually. I think Mum has it.

And Warringah Mall is a wicked shopping centre!

[Ext User(Poxy)]

mg wrote:
> I have an Astra SRi, I think it is 02. I park at a council car park
> near sometimes for a visit to the shops/pub, have done so for years.
> Recently an apartment block has started construction right-next-door.
> I noticed that my Central locking (remote key) refused to work one
> day. For the first time I ever I had to put the key in the door to
> lock it. I didn't think much of it at the time as it worked when I
> got back to work, and then again when I got home.
>
> Then I went to the car-park again, and again... still no cental
> locking. On this, the third occasion I noticed a Ford Territory with
> it's alarm screaming. The male drive reversed it (Alarm still
> screaming) and his wife and two kids jumped in (Alarm still
> screaming). Then he drove off alarm still screaming.
>
> There must be a frequency on the construction site that nerf car
> alarms/central locking. Weird? Anyone experience this before?

It may be a crane operator using a remote - the other day a mate was leaving
a site where a truck with crane had just arrived and was unloading
pipework - he went to unlock his Landrover and when he pressed the button
his car didn't unlock, but the truck's crane gave out a loud "beep" - he
tried again a few times, with the crane beeping each time, but unable to
unlock his car.

Then the operator came over who was using a remote for his crane - he turned
the remote off, my mate tried the button again, this time his car unlocked
but the crane still beeped when he did. My guess is both where using the
same UHF frequency, but the crane's remote was swamping the Landrover's
receiver, and the crane's receiver was picking up the button's code and
giving out a beep as it didn't recognise the code - probably luckily as the
pipes would have been close to a tonne each.

[Ext User(Neil Fisher)]

On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 13:06:10 GMT, Toby Ponsenby <toby@privacy.net>,
after considering some belly-button fluf, wrote:

>On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 23:30:00 +1100, David Springthorpe wrote:
>
>> On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 12:08:32 GMT, Toby Ponsenby <toby@privacy.net>
>>
>>>Line of sight to Artarmon RF poison distribution centre?
>>
>> Eh ?
>
>:-)
>
>There's a quite reasonable pub at Artarmon that has a 'bugger your
>own' BBQ Grill system - Pacific Goat-track and Mowbray (or maybe it's
>in Chatswood) that is shadowed - in fact monstered - by TV
>transmitters.

And a damn fine place for a cleansing ale or 10 and a slab of red meat
it is too. At least, it used to be when I was working at Chatswood, lo
those many years ago.

>I noticed that pissed drivers or indeed pissed pax tend to believe
>that it's the piss that's causing them to mis-operate their remotes.
>And maybe that's right.
>This is particularly amusing during rainy weather. The same people
>who'll stand under a shower for an hour at a time go quite mad when
>common or garden rain nails 'em. (That's after the imbeciles amongst
>them put out their hand to 'see' if it's raining, of course)
>However, the RF field in that area is such as to reduce the range of
>the remotes to a *very* significant degree.

Wouldn't be surprised at all - 50+kW in VHF tends to do that,
especially nice wideband stuff from TV. It can also play havoc with
body/engine/gearbox computers that don't have either screening or low
impeadance terminations in the wiring too. The real question is: does
it make the fillings in your teeth tingle, the plates and screws in
your joints feel warm and does it dry your eyes out? Now *that's*
exposure! (and I've been exposed to that, BTW - 25W at VHF into a 12x
multiplier with 1200mW out = lots of crap escapes when you're trying
to tune it up. Hell, a 300mm piece of wire hanging off the spectrum
analyser input showed up a nice spread from 180MHz to well past 3Ghz -
of course, it dropped by 45+dB when you screwed on the covers, which
kept a certain FedGovCo Department happy)

>
>The trick is to know the location of the alarm modules aerial.
>That way, you can arrange the remote to transmit/receive through glass
>and plastic.
>That gives the wee remote a sporting chance, you see.

Nah - they'll work OK there, it's just that you can't walk around
pissed pushing the button and looking for the blinking lights. ;-)

>
>Amazing the number of people who do the pointy thing at the door locks
>and get bugger-all result:-)

As you well know, one of the truely unlimited things in this universe
is stupidity.

Neil

---
Neil Fisher / Bob Young
Thundercords
personal opinion unless otherwise noted.
Looking for spark plug leads?
Check out http://www.magnecor.com.au

[Ext User(Ben Thomas)]

David Springthorpe wrote:
> On Mon, 06 Mar 2006 11:04:05 GMT, "mg" <nospam@home.ok> wrote:
>
>
>>I have an Astra SRi, I think it is 02. I park at a council car park near
>>sometimes for a visit to the shops/pub, have done so for years. Recently an
>>apartment block has started construction right-next-door. I noticed that my
>>Central locking (remote key) refused to work one day. For the first time I
>>ever I had to put the key in the door to lock it. I didn't think much of it
>>at the time as it worked when I got back to work, and then again when I got
>>home.
>>
>>Then I went to the car-park again, and again... still no cental locking. On
>>this, the third occasion I noticed a Ford Territory with it's alarm
>>screaming. The male drive reversed it (Alarm still screaming) and his wife
>>and two kids jumped in (Alarm still screaming). Then he drove off alarm
>>still screaming.
>>
>>There must be a frequency on the construction site that nerf car
>>alarms/central locking. Weird? Anyone experience this before?
>
>
> I've had problems with my similarly aged Astra CD for yonks ever since
> the little module inside the key got loose after a few battery
> changes. I've taken to making it less loose by packing it in with some
> suitably cut foam packing. It still needs regular re-programming, and
> it also likes setting off shop alarms. My spare completely gave up the
> ghost remote-locking wise even earlier and a new battery plus
> re-programming achieved nothing. As to your particular problem, I used
> to have occasional problems when parked on the top floor of Warringah
> Mall parking station for some reason.

Me too.

--
Ben Thomas, Melbourne, Australia

"Red Bull tastes like canned carbonated concentrated evil."