Boost car remote's range with your head

I looked but couldn't this discusses anywhere here.

Boost Car Remote With Skull

From the video feedback it all looks legit. Anyone here verify this? (I would but I don't have a car remote...or a car).

HT

this works - i use it all the time. it's kind of like using your head as an antenna. i don't know that opening your mouth when you do this helps any though, but i can say that it works with your mouth shut just as well.

I used to work as a Valet, this was an invaluable tool for helping find a car.

J.

[RichardM]

I'm an electrical engineer but it has been 35 years since I studied antenna theory. Well maybe less than that since I recently got my ham radio license all the way to general class. I suppose it is possible that your body can act as a reflective plane for the radio waves. I don't think opening your mouth is required for that. Be a fun thing for Snopesters to field test. Just be careful who sees you doing it. You could be mistaken for a terrorist.

[Logoboros]

I know that back in my old apartment, with rabbit-ears antenna TV only, I could dramatically affect (sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse) simply by standing in different spots near the TV.

--Logoboros

Oh yeah! I have done this a few times. Only problem I see is, I don't know if this test is absolute. Maybe the remote fob would work just fine, maybe your head really does boost signal.

I fail to see a controlled experiment, merely a demonstration of instance.

[Wolf333]

Umm... RF (Radio frequency radiation) does not work that way. Most likely, you are just raising the transmitter to a high enough level to pass over more obstructions. You would get the same effect by simply holding the key thingy over your head, and then not look like such a twit.

Let's break this down...

Going by the video, your mouth and skull somehow focus the RF energy forward or spread the signal outward in all directions. In the first case, this would only work if you already knew the direction of the car (thus focusing the energy in that direction). In the second case, unless you have an RF amp in your head, dispersing the signal over a wider range will decrease the strength of the signal.

But, this is not how RF works. Look at a radar dish; radar works on RF, and the dishes are made of a material that will reflect RF. The dish is shaped as a parabola so that the reflected RF is focused in a certain direction. Now, if we look at a radio or cellular antenna, it is just a rod made of metal. The idea here is to disperse the signal 360 degrees. Though these two types of antenna have a different desired outcome, one thing they have in common is that they are not made from flesh and bone. Why? Because flesh and bone are horrible for reflecting or transmitting RF radiation.

RF, at low levels, passes through the human body. Just as it can pass through concrete walls, plaster, electrical wiring (if it isn't too dense), plastics, glass, etc. What it can't pass through are engine blocks, metal rims, rebar, anything metal. In other words, the things you might find in a parking garage. Most of which are found below shoulder height. If the guy in the video had merely raised the transmitter to the same height and NOT pointed it to his chin, he most likely would have had the same result.

Now, for those who brought up the rabbit ears and such... the receiving end is a slightly different story. RF creates an electro-magnetic field and by touching the antenna, moving them or even moving yourself, you are altering the field around that antenna (yes, even you have an electro magnetic field). That's because the signal is weaker at the receiving end, and small changes make a big difference. I do not recommend trying these at the transmitter, because you will be badly burned, and the signal will go out as normal.

Nope, I am not an engineer; but, I have spent the past 19+ years working in ECM (electronic countermeasures), jamming RF and IR (infra red) and you can't jam it unless you understand it.

[Ali Infree]

I remember Click'n'Clack covering this and coming up with a bogus answer as above about your skull becoming an antenna. I dunno.
OTOH, I do this all the time. I will try raising my fob above my head and checking out that theory.

Ali "won't the tinfoil hat interfere?" Infree

Two things to add to Wolf's post.

There might be some "directionalness" to the fob itself. So the angle might have something to do with it. Maybe it broadcasts more out the front/back than the edges. So putting its "face" towards the target might increase the signal reaching the target.

Putting the thing higher might also help for two reasons, first, the various reflections might be reduced (as per Wolf's post) and you might just get a longer "throw" when the antenna is higher.

To hit my car from far away, I just hold the remote high above my head. It does much better there.

[Toys For Big Boys]

Hypno Toad, if you've got access to UKTv G2 or UKTv People, you should be able to see Jeremy Clarkson do the same thing on Top Gear.

I can't find it on YouTube, but Top Gear is on everyday, so it should be shown at some point.

When he did it, there was nothing between him and the car. Well, apart from air, obviously.

Originally Posted by Toys For Big Boys

Hypno Toad, if you've got access to UKTv G2 or UKTv People, you should be able to see Jeremy Clarkson do the same thing on Top Gear.

I can't find it on YouTube, but Top Gear is on everyday, so it should be shown at some point.

When he did it, there was nothing between him and the car. Well, apart from air, obviously.

Not being a driver or interested in cars I've never watched the show. Does he do this on a regular basis? I'll tune in next time I see it and check it out.

Cheers

HT

[Toys For Big Boys]

He only did it once. If I can find out what cars were featured on that show, it'll save you from watching every single one to see it.

[Troberg]

I know that back in my old apartment, with rabbit-ears antenna TV only, I could dramatically affect (sometimes for the better, sometimes for the worse) simply by standing in different spots near the TV.

Yep. And if you do it nude, you might even get the adult channels!

[diddy]

Originally Posted by Troberg

Yep. And if you do it nude, you might even get the adult channels!

Actually you will get on the nude channels...

[Toys For Big Boys]

I r teh sucky. Found it on YouTube

[snopes]

Remote Car Key

Suppose your remote car door opener does not have the range to reach your car across the parking lot. Hold the metal key part of your key fob against your chin, then push the unlock button. The trick turns your head into an antenna, says Tim Pozar, a Silicon Valley radio engineer.

Mr. Pozar explains, “You are capacitively coupling the fob to your head. With all the fluids in your head it ends up being a nice conductor. Not a great one, but it works.” Using your head can extend the key’s wireless range by a few car lengths.

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/02/19/te.../19basics.html