Put key fob to chin to increase range!

OK, I found this post on Roadfly. At first, I thought it was complete B.S.

But, despite the ridicule of Mrs. Jack Russell Racing, this trick works. I was succesfully able to unlock the BMW from a distance of over 30 feet away inside a closed garage.

If you've got a BMW key fob (with the remote integrated into the blade), try this!

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Post from Roadfly E38 forum:

About a month ago a dude at work said if I press my key-fob remote control against my chin, I increase the remote’s range. He claims this is because I end up using my head as an antenna.

When he told this to me I thought it was soooo stupid I didn’t even bother telling him he was full of it. I had better things to do, like read this board on company time.

I also got thinking, how about when I hold the keyfob in my hand with my arm extended? Wouldn’t my arm be an antenna too, huh, moron! And the very high electrical resistance of our skin doesn’t help his theory. Now, if I slashed my face, cut the fob open, and made sure my blood and fob’s antenna contact, I could be swayed into his idea.

Again, that was last month. Last week, we were walking to my car and I figure I can get a dollar out of him so I bet him. At a distance almost twice my remote’s range, I try unlocking the doors the normal way. No yellow lights. Good. I try again. No yellow lights. Good. Now I press the stupid fob against my chin and the lights flash.

In total shock I remove the fob from my chin and try to lock the doors the normal way. No yellow lights. Put the fob on my chin…yellow lights! My jaw drops.

I was so impressed I insisted he take TWO dollars.

Ever since that day last week, I have been able to repeat this experiment with great success – even in parking garages.

This is not a joke. Try it! If you aren’t comfortable pressing a key fob against your chin do it at night. I still look over my shoulder before trying. But it really works!!!

 

I've been doing that for years. Works on a Benz as well... Seriously, I remember someone showing me that one some car we had 15 years ago (yikes, it seems like it was just yesterday), might even have been an American car, and it does indeed seem as if your head works as an antenna.

 

Works with any manufacturer. Old news.

 

Me too. I can remember doing it as far back as 1988.

 

Never heard of that. I'll try sometime soon. Cool.

 

Works with Audis too

 

I too have been doing this for years. Except I find it more consistent by putting it to my temple. Worked on aftermarket alarm remotes as well as both of my BMW's.

Dave

 

Yup this always works... been doing it for years. In fact, just the other night I was in a parking garage searching for someone's car. She didn't know where it was (drunk, hence me getting the car..), so I walked around with the remote on my chin just hitting the arm button waiting to hear the horn honk. I got it honking when I was on the 2nd level of the garage and the car was on the 3rd level. Good ol' skeleton works like a champ...

-R

 

When I'm 60 and have bone cancer, I don't want to be saying to myself, "Damn I knew that funny trick with the car door opener wasn't good for me." =)

 

i'm thinking the same thing; now there's gonna be a bunch of BMW owners running around with brain tumors...

i can't believe that actually works...

 

yep. worked with my Audis, Subaru, and BMW. Not sure why. I just hold the remote under my chin (doesn't have to touch my skin) and I can role the windows down on my BMW from about 100 feet away. Been doing this for about 10 years.

 

Those things put out very little power, plus they're probably UHF. Nothing to worry about.

 

What do you think our cell phones do to our brains? Same radio spectrum, different frequency.

 

Bump


Can anyone post the science behind this?

 

Holding it higher off of the ground would be the factor, not the "near your chin" factor.

A better "trick" is having the doors unlock when you near the car instead of always having to push the button and starting the car with the key in your pocket, never having to touch it is great.

 

It is the "to your chin" factor. Your body acts as an antenna for the signal.

 

At least it will give then an excuse for something......

Never heard this before. Good to know.

 

That's nothing. Circa 1975 I opened my dad's jaguar from 60 feet with a rock... boy was he mad...

 

+1

It must be touching your skin to work. Height from ground is not a factor.

 

Question:

You mean it must be touching skin that is on a part of your head right? Otherwise it is touching your skin when you press the button normally, so what is it about your head that makes it act like an antenna? And hey, I have a large cranium so I know this works well!

 

That's ba ba ba batarded!

Your "chin skin" touching some plastic can send a stronger signal than holding it in your hand?

-1

 

i heard jay leno gets 3X the standard range

 

Mike's explanation is correct.

 

By putting a larger portion of the remote in contact with your body, it enables the remote to "link up" the signal and use you as an antenna. You could do the same thing by placing it on the side of your neck. In your hand, usually held out in front of you, the signal is not able to use the mass of your body.

 

I know a bit about electronics and I admit I have little idea how this works, but it does. When I first heard of it I thought it was one of those Internet stupid rumors and so I tried it at my office (keys always on my desk, car parked outside about 20 feet away, usually have to be closer to get fob to work). It worked. Since then I have tried it in parking lots when I am trying to locate my car and want the lights to flash, and I've tried it in my house and it works there too.

I know that antennae essentially just radiate EM energy from electric energy coming in, and the human body conducts well enought to have an effect. Also, the specifications of an antenna (length, thickness, material) all have an effect on how well it works. If you touch an antenna coming out of a radio the signal usually gets much better, because your body is acting like a big extended antenna to pick up more signal.

As to why it works better on the head than on the fingers, well, I can only take a wild assed guess and say that the body's resitance and the low output of the fob mean that the EM amplifying effect would have a limited range in the human body, so if you use your hand you are only allowing a relatively small mass (compared to the head) to touch the antenna and by the time the signal "works up" to the torso it's too high a resistance and has lost it's effect, whereas touching it to a more massie/larger area like the head gets the signal amplified more without as much signal loss. Total guess though

Try touching it against your torso? I dunno - maybe that would work too.


(cue obvious joke from someone about touching it to his wee-wee for massive amplification)