Locked keys in truck?

This sounds impossible, but.... it actually works! I tried it out and it DID work.

For those of you who have a car or truck that can be unlocked by a remote key fob on your key ring, this may save you time and trouble. If you lock your keys in the car and the spare keys (with your other remote key fob on them) are at home, and you don't have "OnStar," here's your answer to the problem.

If someone has access to the spare remote at your home, call them on your cell phone (or borrow one from someone if the cell phone is locked in the car too). Hold your cell phone about a foot from your car door and have the other person (that you called) at your home press the unlock button, holding it near the phone on their end. Your car will unlock. Saves someone from having to drive your keys to you. Distance is no object. You could be hundreds of miles away and, if you can reach someone who has the other "remote" for your car, you can unlock the doors (or the trunk, or have the "horn" signal go off, or whatever!)

Apparently, the radio wave sent out by the remote transmitter on your key fob remote will piggy-back on the cellular wave signal generated by your cell phone. I don't know how it works or why but it did work for me and my wife so I thought I'd pass this on to the group just as an FYI.

M
Reply to
Toy_Man67
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Wow, that's a great tip. Thanks for posting it. Even it didn't work on some cars, trucks, etc., that one time that it does work would make it well worth knowing :-)

-- Cheri

Reply to
Cheri

Doesn't just sound impossible - it is impossible.

1) Phones uses a microphone which relies on minute fluctuations in air pressure to generate electrical signal for either analog or digital transmission. RF will not cause movement of microphone diaphragm - thus it cannot generate any signal for transmission. 2) Frequency of cell phone varies depending on technology but is going to be from 824Mhz to 1.9Ghz. Well beyond the frequency (typically 315Mhz) of keyless fob. Summary: There is no way for the RF from the fob to be transmitted over the phone network so signal carried as payload won't work. There is no way for the phone to communicate with the receiver on the car so direct RF won't work.

Reply to
Mac

He said he tried it out and it worked that's why he was passing it along as an FYI. Are you 100% sure it couldn't work, or are you just guessing it's impossible?

-- Cheri

Reply to
Cheri

Sorry, I think this site has a bunch of Pop-Ups, but it confirms it's just a legend.

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Reply to
Ben Smith

Ben,

Thanks for exposing another "Urban Legend." The original posting just didn't sound right to me. While I did not know the technical details that Mac explained in his posting, I did not think that the radio waves generated by the remote door opener could somehow be "transmitted" through the cell phone system to a far away location to open a car door.

However, when I am in my car, my Nextel cellphone -- when communicating with a tower -- causes about 4 or 5 ticks (it sounds like a jazz drummer's brushes being tapped on a cymbal) in my car radio speakers; and, when left on my desk, my cell phone has done the same thing with my computer speakers. I spoke with a Nextel Tech Support Rep about this and this happens to him from time to time with his clockradio when he puts his cellphone, which is "on", on his night table.

Mac, can you explain what causes this?

Sandy

Reply to
Sandyon66XYZ

Mozilla Firefox!

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stops pop ups dead!

Reply to
Tacoma Dude

Sure, it's R.F.I. ROFL

Reply to
Jeremiah

Friends, I am not saying that it's not an urban legend. I too take these things with a grain of salt so I also checked it out on snopes and read what it said. But human curiosity got the best of me and since it didn't take any time, I tried it out. I had my wife call me on her cell phone from home, 12 miles away, and she tried it using the remote key fob from her end and it actually did work on my 2000 Honda Odyssey.

Now, I appreciate very much Mac's educated input on this subject and I couldn't believe it myself. Having some work experience in the cell phone industry, I agree with everything that Mac stated in his posting. All I know is that it happened to work. Not saying that it will work on everyone's make and model or that it should work. Just saying that it worked on mine at that particular time. Could it be a fluke? Yes. Could it be my cell phone? Who knows? Just thought I'd throw that bit of info out there in case anyone else was interested in giving it a try. After all, it's no skin off of anyone's back if it doesn't work.

M

Reply to
Toy_Man67

Sandy,

Jeremiah is correct Radio Frequency Interference (R.F.I.).

For a little more detail take a look at

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Reply to
Mac

I believe you. :-)

-- Cheri

Reply to
Cheri

This guy just posted the same thing on the Honda news group and they flamed his behind as this does not and cannot ever work. This is troll behavior.

Reply to
dg

Mac,

Thanks for the info and the link.

Sandy

Reply to
Sandyon66XYZ

Folks,

I posted it on the Honda newsgroup because I also happen to own a Honda. My wife drives it. I believe I mentioned this working on my 2000 Honda Odyssey. MY truck is an '86 4Runner, which is why I post here. I am NOT a troll and I have contributed semi-regularly to this newsgroup for over a year now.

Like I mentioned before, I hesitated posting this info at all after reading about the Urban Legend behind it. I only did so after proving to myself that it did actually work on my vehicle at that particular time and place. I'm not one to spread untrue rumors or jump at every "too good to be true" trick that comes down the pike. All I did was post it as an FYI so you can take it and try it yourself or simply ignore it. Your choice. I certainly didn't do it to instigate flaming or argument. However, if my posting generated a little education on the part of some of our readers, myself included, then some good did come out of it. (Many thanks to Mac for educating us all and to Cheri for being so sweet to my honest error.)

M

Reply to
Toy_Man67

Theoretically it's a 1,000,000 to 1 long shot, but it could work. The alarm remote would have to be rather high powered, and the transmitting cellphone highly susceptible to receiving and passing along RF interference injected into the phone, and influence it's transmission in the audio frequencies where the signal would be passed along - the cellular system wouldn't pass a true RF signal in a different frequency band along the transmission chain all by itself. It has to be in the 300 Hz - 3 KHz audio passband.

And the receiving cellphone would have to translate that audio tone back into an out-of-band (for a cellphone) radio frequency signal, modulated with the right remote code, that the car's alarm receiver could read.

Sorry, but I'm sticking with Snopes on this one. But it's a nice fish story, though I'm sorry it got away from you... ;-)

-->--

Reply to
Bruce L. Bergman

Well, I'm sticking with Toy_Man67. I see no reason why he would lie about it, and if there's one chance in one million that it could work, I believe it did. :-)

-- Cheri

Reply to
Cheri

Thanks Cheri but I'm going with Bruce and Mac on this one. It did happen to work for me on that one occasion but it most likely was a fluke and I'm not going to try to explain my way out of it. Nor am I going to continue arguing against proven science and spread this on. I feel embarrassed enough already for even posting it in the first place.

No, I'm siding with Bruce and Mac on this issue. These guys have way more knowledge of this stuff than I do and I respect them for it. Thanks for the education gentlemen. I'm a better man because of it.

M

Reply to
Toy_Man67

Toy_Man,

Guess I jumped to the conclusion that you were a troll on that initial post. My apologies. As someone else pointed out this could happen as a fluke in just the right circumstances. Glad it worked for you and saved SWMBO a trip.

Reply to
Mac

Not a problem, Mac. I would've done the same thing in your place. Thanks again for your input on this.

M

Reply to
Toy_Man67

Mea culpa, mea culpa, Toy_Man! ;-)

Reply to
Jeremiah

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