Hamster Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Had a very distressed call from the wife of one of my old shooting pals, she has always had problems with her chest and breathing around household appliances, for example having to use conventional instead of fan ovens and avoiding perfumes etc. She was in tears saying that in the last couple of years digital stuff cause intense pain on her spine and she gets headaches if she rides on cars fitted with remote locking fobs !! Now I know it all sounds absurd but apparently she's OK with her husbands 2002 BMW as long as he uses the master (non remote) key but her sisters Hyundai is also no good. She was saying that she is having to stay with her sister at the moment as the council have fitted some new gas meters etc, which are too close to their sea front house and the pain there is constant; TV is also a big no no. Anyway I advised her to speak to Hyundai and ask to see if they can either cut a normal key that will open and start the car or at least disable the immobiliser on the car itself so a non remote key would work but their answer has been sympathetic but unhelpful. Last week I read a newspaper article about a man who suffers sleeplessness unless he switches their modem off and apparently the problem is very real if not yet widespread. The point of my post is to ask if you know of anything I can do or advise her to do to mask the signal from remote fobs..............anything useful really please. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Hyundai fobs contain a key which is unlocked when you press a button on the side of the fob. I have no difficulty with any electronic devices and living hear a mobile mast its just as well! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Don't lock the car then she won't need to use the remote, and its not like it will be on the top of the must have list for the any near by chavs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Could you not just use the manual key to open and close the vehicle? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
88b Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 Could you not just use the manual key to open and close the vehicle? You can but the key has a chip that disables the immobiliser. I've not heard of this problem before but as the human body works on electrical impulses I can see it could happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 The chip in the key doesn't give of any type of signal it just holds information that is read by the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted March 3, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 (edited) Could you not just use the manual key to open and close the vehicle? The BMW has a manual key which seems OK, I just called them and said to remove the battery from the Hyundai Matrix keys and see but they called back saying there seems no way of getting into the key which has puzzled me because if that is the case then as (bluesj) has suggested there should be no signals coming off it anyway ?! I think I need to get over there and see the keys for myself. I know most modern cars with battery operated fobs will continue to unlock and start engine manually even with a dead or removed battery. Edited March 3, 2014 by Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bluesj Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 If it is radio signals that cause the problem there are loads of things in a car that well give of a signal, ignition system, abs, traction control etc etc but more a magnetic pulse than a radio signal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted March 3, 2014 Report Share Posted March 3, 2014 All wireless devices are elevtro/magnetic field based. Commonly 2.4ghz and 5ghz but all over the spectrum some are the resonance frequency of molecules or atoms (that's how microwaves cook) and as yet unproven effects in humans and brains. Some people are more sensitive to it Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deershooter Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Sounds like she needs a faraday cage to put the keys or her head in Deershooter Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kent Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I can get a clicking in my ears just before some mobiles start to ring and occasionally with other such appliances. It doesn't create any pain though that must be awful. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
oscarsdad Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Sounds like she needs to seek medical help rather than any mumbo jumbo about specific electronic devices causing her pain which I very much doubt. Would I be correct in thinking she is a fairly mature lady? Whilst I don't doubt that her pain and distress is real, I seriously doubt she can possibly pin point its cause to a specific type of car key or "digital" devices...perfumes I could understand, fan ovens? Nope. Get her to see a doctor ASAP, before someone suggests that homeopathy will cure it or some other "alternative" rubbish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twistedsanity Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 If you open a car with a fob or a key once it's opened and your in it the key fob isn't transmitting any longer so riding in the car would be no different , I can't see any link between a fan oven/perfume ( which would indicate asthma of some kind) and a key fob or tv though ? Tbh she sounds like an asthmatic who suffers from severe anxiety which is causing the other symptoms , I recon a few Valium or laying off of the caffeine would probably help ( I mean that seriously not sarcastically) , if you go to somebody who specialises in reprogramming ecu's or chipping cars they could possibly delete the immobiliser/keyless entry feature for her depending on the software used but this would probably void any warranty and increase the insurance premium or void it if they weren't told Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
amateur Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 A hat fabricated from fashionable tin-foil should eradicate the problem. Failing that, introduce her to classic cars Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted March 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 (edited) She is a church going mature lady with all her marbles intact, the fan oven thing started two decades ago and I personally spent time finding (2 so far) basic function element type ovens to go in her very expensive chestnut kitchen which as you can imagine is not complimented by cheap appliances but it definitely is the only type she can live with ! The situation is bad enough that she tells me has caused her to lose weight with worry so there must be something to do with frequencies / digital causing her pains, why would the pain disappear when not exposed to certain things ? I don't know but she says there is a chap coming down from Scotland to see her who apparently makes covers to mask meters etc. There is evidence to suggest electricity pylons cause problems so maybe some are just acutely sensitive to everyday things ? Edited March 4, 2014 by Hamster Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bobt Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 Funny how you never hear of a bloke with this sort of thing? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
four-wheel-drive Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I am begging to wonder what on earth is going wrong with people one has to think that a lot of this stuff is all in the mind there was a program on TV or radio the other day saying about placeboes sugar pills and how they can work even if the people are told that the pills are not real all very strange. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kes Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I was thinking from your posts that your old shooting pal is shooting with the big guy in the sky. However his BMW indicates he's still with us thankfully. Is he working abroad ? I think his wife likes you - be careful. Take her out for a day in the countryside away from all these devices and all your doubts will be answered. Something is a little wayward here I would suggest. My apologies if you think this is a scandalous post. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TIGHTCHOKE Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I am very sceptical about the whole thing! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted March 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 The husband is one of my oldest friends, have known him for well over thirty years and sadly he's stopped shooting almost totally which should give you an idea of his age. His wife is about as kind and righteous as they come, there is more chance of me waking up tomorrow to find that I fancy Gary Glitter . I'm open minded about almost everything and won't dismiss people who think there are NO unusual problems in the world but as a friend I think I owe it to her to accept her version of events being told with a quivering voice. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blunderbuss Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I suspect the symptoms may be genuine, but seriously doubt the causes she attributes them to. A genuine issue in modern cars which might cause headaches and chest/breathing issues is an allergic reaction to all the plastics, solvents, upholstery adhesives and other volatile chemicals used. This wouldn't explain the spine pain, but could that be down to something as simple as the seat in the car concerned. I can't possibly see how a remote key fob could cause these symptoms. As has already been said, they are only transmitting whilst you are using then to open/close the car. The rest of the time they are powered down and doing nothing, electronically inert. They also transmit an incredibly tiny power level when they are used, much, much less than phones, and a myriad of other sources of RF energy which constantly bombard us. This sounds like an old lady who is suffering some genuine and distressing symptoms who is also baffled by some modern technology. In her mind she has linked the two and is I am sure, convinced this is the cause. I think she is confused and maybe needs to see an allergy specialist and try some different car seats, perhaps with the advice of a physio. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HDAV Posted March 4, 2014 Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 She is a church going mature lady with all her marbles intact, the fan oven thing started two decades ago and I personally spent time finding (2 so far) basic function element type ovens to go in her very expensive chestnut kitchen which as you can imagine is not complimented by cheap appliances but it definitely is the only type she can live with ! The situation is bad enough that she tells me has caused her to lose weight with worry so there must be something to do with frequencies / digital causing her pains, why would the pain disappear when not exposed to certain things ? I don't know but she says there is a chap coming down from Scotland to see her who apparently makes covers to mask meters etc. There is evidence to suggest electricity pylons cause problems so maybe some are just acutely sensitive to everyday things ? AGA? Meter covers? Best not tell her about all the satellites beaming down to the whole country in the Ku band...... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hamster Posted March 4, 2014 Author Report Share Posted March 4, 2014 I suspect the symptoms may be genuine, but seriously doubt the causes she attributes them to. A genuine issue in modern cars which might cause headaches and chest/breathing issues is an allergic reaction to all the plastics, solvents, upholstery adhesives and other volatile chemicals used. This wouldn't explain the spine pain, but could that be down to something as simple as the seat in the car concerned. I can't possibly see how a remote key fob could cause these symptoms. As has already been said, they are only transmitting whilst you are using then to open/close the car. The rest of the time they are powered down and doing nothing, electronically inert. They also transmit an incredibly tiny power level when they are used, much, much less than phones, and a myriad of other sources of RF energy which constantly bombard us. This sounds like an old lady who is suffering some genuine and distressing symptoms who is also baffled by some modern technology. In her mind she has linked the two and is I am sure, convinced this is the cause. I think she is confused and maybe needs to see an allergy specialist and try some different car seats, perhaps with the advice of a physio. Deep down I think and hope that you're close to the mark, I'm sure she said she was registered by her doctor as sensitive to digitals things which is why the council has taken her seriously enough to say they will relocate whatever it is that is causing her the problems but first they need to find the exact cause. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LPJA Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 Sounds like she needs a faraday cage to put the keys or her head in Deershooter LOL!!!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
parapilot Posted March 21, 2014 Report Share Posted March 21, 2014 As said, the remote (unless keyless with a stop / start button) will only transmit (433mhz) when a button is pressed, it won't any other time. The transponder chip in the key which is energized by the car only happens when you turn the ignition on. Once it's been read that's it until you turn ignition off. Once the car is started you could pull the key out (not possible due to ignition holding it in) and chuck it out the window and car will drive just fine. So it's nothing to do with the immo / key system if she is experiencing this while driving You can program a none remote key into most hyd cars, as long as alarm will disable on door open, or ign on. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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