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Communications Crime Music Piracy Transportation Wireless Networking Technology

Pirate Radio Station In Florida Jams Automotive Electronics 315

New submitter titanium93 writes "For months, dozens of people could not use their keyless entry systems to unlock or start their cars when parked in the vicinity of the eight-story Regents bank building in Hollywood, FL. Once the cars were towed to the dealership for repair, the problem went away. The problem resolved itself when police found equipment on the bank's roof that was broadcasting a bootleg radio station. A detective and an FCC agent found the equipment hidden underneath an air conditioning chiller. The man who set up the station has not been found, but he faces felony charges and fines of at least $10,000 if he is caught. The radio station was broadcasting Caribbean music around the clock on 104.7 FM."
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Pirate Radio Station In Florida Jams Automotive Electronics

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  • RTFM (Score:5, Funny)

    by subanark ( 937286 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:15PM (#42412245)

    From the article:

    Most drivers were forced to read their owner's manual to learn how to access their manual key, Camara said.

    • Re: (Score:2, Funny)

      by Anonymous Coward

      But it's locked in the glove box!

    • Re:RTFM (Score:4, Interesting)

      by SJHillman ( 1966756 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:46PM (#42412381)

      It's amazing how many people forget to use their key if the remote stops working for any reason, including a dead battery. And from my experience, it's mostly middle-aged people who were driving for decades before remote entry became common.

      • Re: (Score:3, Informative)

        by whoever57 ( 658626 )

        It's amazing how many people forget to use their key if the remote stops working for any reason

        Could that be because the remote also dis-arms the alarm system? Using the key alone will set off the alarm on many cars.

        • Re:RTFM (Score:5, Informative)

          by krovisser ( 1056294 ) * on Friday December 28, 2012 @03:10PM (#42412625)
          Negative. Unlocking the car from the inside sets off the alarm. Using your key on any OEM system will disarm the alarm.
          • Re:RTFM (Score:5, Interesting)

            by Golddess ( 1361003 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @03:18PM (#42412735)
            My Ford Escort proves you wrong. If I lock it with the remote, and then stick the physical key into the lock on the door and unlock it, the alarm goes off.
            • Re:RTFM (Score:4, Informative)

              by BitZtream ( 692029 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @03:25PM (#42412797)

              And putting said key in the ignition will turn it off.

            • Yea, I had this problem with my mazda as my wife didn't have a remote and was always setting it off. You need to put your manual key in and turn the car off and on 3 times to reset it. Might be different for your ford. Then I read that there was an alarm "reset" button in the fusebox. So I found it, and taped it down... no more alarm. So I ripped out the stupid button and soldered the leads together so I'd never have to bother with it again. You want to steel my car? I'll give you my friggen address.

              • Yea, I had this problem with my mazda as my wife didn't have a remote and was always setting it off. You need to put your manual key in and turn the car off and on 3 times to reset it. Might be different for your ford. Then I read that there was an alarm "reset" button in the fusebox. So I found it, and taped it down... no more alarm. So I ripped out the stupid button and soldered the leads together so I'd never have to bother with it again. You want to steel my car? I'll give you my friggen address.

                Was there a happy dance to do too? I know the need for security, but that borders on the ridiculous. All that is missing is the ctrl-alt-delete key.

            • With my Sonata w/ factory alarm, the only way to turn off the alarm without the remote is to put the key in the door and turn it. However, if I'm inside the car and lock it with the remote, then open the door, the alarm goes off.

              My last car was a an older Chrysler and worked the exact same way - had to put the key in the door to turn it off. Found that out the hard way when the alarm went off because I started the car while it was armed and the remote battery was dead... took me five minutes to discover and

            • Re:RTFM (Score:5, Funny)

              by cusco ( 717999 ) <brian.bixby@[ ]il.com ['gma' in gap]> on Friday December 28, 2012 @04:06PM (#42413229)
              My Ford Escort

              Well, there's your problem . . .
          • Re:RTFM (Score:4, Informative)

            by icebike ( 68054 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @03:30PM (#42412847)

            Negative. Unlocking the car from the inside sets off the alarm. Using your key on any OEM system will disarm the alarm.

            Depends entirely on the car.

            My owner's manual specifically states:

            The driver’s door key cylinder cannot arm or disarm the Vehicle
            Security Alarm.

          • Assuming it's working properly.

            My VW's system is supposed to do that, but because it doesn't sense the door unlocking or opening properly, the alarm stays armed, and you then get the alarm going off when you try to start the car.

        • Yep, that happens with my car. Had the fob battery die while I was out at band practice, and when I unlocked it the alarm went off.

          Of course, I couldn't turn it off so I just drove it home like that. I stopped off at the pub on the way.

          (I had a club soda.)

      • Some of the car makes mentioned in the article have push to start, meaning the user never needs to use a physical key if it all works properly. I can't say what those cars are equipped with definitively, but my push to start key fob has a manual key hidden inside the key fob. It's somewhat physically difficult to get it out of the fob, and it only works on the doors, there is no cylinder to insert a key into to start the car.

        The article mentions keyless entry systems specifically, and I'm not sure if the
        • I've heard an owner of a new Ford Focus talk about the back up systems. In addition to the manual key for the door, if the battery in the fob is dead, you can hold the fob where the ignition key cylinders on cheap models would be, and the PATS transponder system would recognize the key, and pressing the start button would start the car.

          The transponder key systems on cars are passive systems, so the key needs no battery for it to work.

      • by alen ( 225700 )

        for the last 5 years or so Honda cars won't start without the keyless entry. you can get into the car but you need the keyless system to activate the chip in the steering column to start the car. key alone won't do it

    • Many FOBs can only unlock the door with the manual key, but won't start the car, so you're dead in the water.

    • From the article:

      Most drivers were forced to read their owner's manual to learn how to access their manual key, Camara said.

      Well, this IS in Florida

    • "Huh, this thing says I am supposed to replace the oil every 5,000 miles...learn something new every day!"

      So, do we count this as a double win, or what?

  • by frovingslosh ( 582462 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:17PM (#42412259)
    Keyless entry systems might be handy (although yet another security risk), but having a keyless system with no key backup is insane. Do these people also get their car towed when the keyless entry battery dies? Or if the car battery dies? I would never accept a system that didn't have some form of alternate entry and starting.
    • by cvtan ( 752695 )
      Keyless entry fob for my Prius has a physical key built into it. They can't be the only manufacturer that does this.
      • On our Hyundai Santa Fe, the keyless fob is attached to the physical key similarly to yours. But you need the physical key to start the car, so it's not quite the same situation being described in the story (I think).

      • My Prius was the same way, and when I got my Nissan LEAF I was concerned that there was no slot in the dashboard to insert the key in the event of the fob battery running out. There is a metal key in the fob but only to open the doors. For the LEAF the procedure is to hold the key over the power button on the dashboard for 3 seconds then push the power button, so there must be some sort of NFC style chip in there as well. I could imagine that illegal interference could mess that up and the car companies
        • by ChumpusRex2003 ( 726306 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @04:00PM (#42413155)

          A number of the Japanese manufacturers use a similar system.

          Toyota use a dual NFC (RFID) / "far-field" radio system. The same transponder in the fob is connected to both an NFC antenna, and a battery powered MCU and RF power amp.

          With a working battery, a button push on the fob will cause it to transmit an appropriate radio signal to the car. When key-less starting, the battery will provide power to the RFID transponder, and power the RF amplifier to allow a successful authentication whenever the fob is in the interior of the vehicle.

          In the event of a discharged or removed fob battery, there is a mechanical key concealed in the fob which can open the vehicle doors. By placing the fob directly on top of the "push-to-start" button, then transponder will be sufficiently energized by the car's antenna (which is concealed in the button) to complete an authentication transaction.

    • by swb ( 14022 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @03:11PM (#42412651)

      There's different kinds of "keyless" systems.

      Most "keyless entry" systems are remotes that unlock the doors and disarm any security system the car might have. Otherwise, the car is as normal and has physical keys, physical locks on the doors and requires a mechanical key to operate the ignition.

      My Volvo has what Volvo calls "Personal Car Communicator" -- a wireless proximity key that allows the doors to be opened and car started without any button press other than the starter button. The key can stay in your pocket.

      Now in the case of my Volvo, the "normal" starting process for non-PCC cars, the same keyfob fits a slot on the dash. There's no mechanical bypass, although I assume starting would work without any battery in the keyfob.

      The door locks are all electronic and unless you've read the manual, you might not realize that the keyfob's "key ring" is actually a slim metal key that can be removed from the keyfob and used to mechanically unlock the door.

      With a system like this, common to many high end luxury cars, I can see nontechnical people freaking out and saying their car doesn't work, either not letting them in because they don't know the bypass exists or not starting because they don't know the non-wireless starting method (ie, fob in slot or similar).

      Or they may just be really high strung people who figure that anything that doesn't work is Mercedes' problem and they need to get the car and give them a loaner.

    • There's a difference between keyless "entry" and keyless "starting". I am unaware of any manufacturer that has keyless "entry" that does not provide for manual entry. Most keyless entry fobs have the mechanical key built into the fob and a traditional mechanical lock on at least the driver-side door. As for keyless "start" otherwise known as keyless-go, there is normally a fallback, reader slot that you can put your fob into. This works off of a different, passive technology such that even if the fob ba
      • by Jeng ( 926980 )

        I have an economy car from Hyundai and I can open the doors to my car with an app on my phone.

        I have the base model, but the tech package allows you to also start your car with the phone app.

        This would not be effected by the pirate station since those signals are sent via the Bluelink system.

    • Re: (Score:3, Insightful)

      So the radio station operator, also operates a tow truck business, I'd assume . . .

  • I'm confused (Score:4, Interesting)

    by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:19PM (#42412265)

    I don't understand. 104.7 FM is a part of the spectrum allocated for radio broadcast. Why was that interfering with keyless entry systems? Is this just an issue of too much power?

    • Re:I'm confused (Score:5, Informative)

      by Urban Nightmare ( 147344 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:21PM (#42412275)

      If the keyless entry is in the 314mhz (thrid harmonic) range then it could possibly be interference. A poorly controlled oscillator can cause this.

    • Re: (Score:2, Interesting)

      by meekg ( 30651 )

      low-quality transmitters emit more on side-bands, IIUC

      • Re:I'm confused (Score:5, Informative)

        by Obfuscant ( 592200 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @03:22PM (#42412777)

        low-quality transmitters emit more on side-bands, IIUC

        "side bands" carry the information in the radio signal. They are created by the modulation of the carrier, and are what make the signal have "bandwidth". While a low quality transmitter may have some noise in the oscillator that appears as side-band information, it is probably not as much "in the side-bands" as a full power FCC licensed FM stereo radio station that has Muzak or other extended signals, also known as "SCA" [radiosca.com].

        It is the poor filtering of the low-quality transmitter that results in the emission of harmonics (third, fifth, etc.) from a non-linearity in the oscillator or the amplifiers. In this case, a third harmonic around 312 MHz, which is a common [allaboutcircuits.com] unlicensed [rfm.com] control device frequency.

    • Re:I'm confused (Score:5, Insightful)

      by mpe ( 36238 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @03:58PM (#42413133)
      I don't understand. 104.7 FM is a part of the spectrum allocated for radio broadcast. Why was that interfering with keyless entry systems? Is this just an issue of too much power?

      Such pirate transmitters are typically built as cheap as possible. Such things as filtering carrier harmonics don't tend to feature in the design. Pirates with two brain cells to rub together tend to assume that their hardware will be quickly found and confiscated. Thus are more likely to spend money on having multiple "hot spare" transmitters than having one half decent one.
  • I get you not supposed to run an illegal radio, but why was the signal causing problems for cars? Was it too strong or was there an underlying signal being sent out?

    For me, the funny part, "people had to get their manuals out how to manually open their car doors"

    • by big_e_1977 ( 2012512 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:30PM (#42412313)
      The third harmonic of 104.7 is 314.1 Mhz. Keyless entry systems operate at 314.93 Mhz. The bootleg transmitter/antenna likely didn't have any filtering to reduce spurious emisions or harmonics.
    • by Technician ( 215283 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:40PM (#42412353)

      Having been in the industry (broadcast) the issue was not with the FM band transmission. The illegal transmitter was most likely home built, improperly adjusted, and lacking harmonic filters and a narrow band tuned antenna. Most transmitters do not run class A or Class AB amplification like a low distrotion audio amplifier, but in Class C a clipped mode transmission rich in harmonics for high energy effeciency (like a switched mode power supply) and the output is filtered with a resonant tuned tank circuit. If the bootleg transmitter was not tuned, or lacked the tuned tank and tuned resonant antenna, then he was not only broadcasting in the FM band but also providing lots of energy on harmonics of the fundemental.

      Fundimental is 104.7
      2nd harmonic is 209.4
      3rd harmonic is 314.1

      My car remote is in the 315 MHZ range and would be impacted by this. The FM signal is not a narrow band frequency as it is Frequency Modulated. It could easily overlap the range used by car remotes. Not getting into the car is only one issue. The second issue is the problem with the chip in the key for anti theft immobolization.

      • by Anonymous Coward on Friday December 28, 2012 @03:02PM (#42412531)

        The illegal transmitter was most likely home built, improperly adjusted, and lacking harmonic filters and a narrow band tuned antenna. Most transmitters do not run class A or Class AB amplification like a low distrotion audio amplifier, but in Class C a clipped mode transmission rich in harmonics for high energy effeciency (like a switched mode power supply) and the output is filtered with a resonant tuned tank circuit. If the bootleg transmitter was not tuned, or lacked the tuned tank and tuned resonant antenna, then he was not only broadcasting in the FM band but also providing lots of energy on harmonics of the fundemental.

        Yes, but couldn't we just reverse the phase-charge polarity of the main deflector array, route the backup thermoquantum buffers through the primary energy manifold, and use a timed tachyon-gamma pulse to cancel out the interference?

  • So people were actually stranded because they couldn't get into their cars because their keyless fobs wouldn't work? The driver's door should at least have a keyed lock.

    The article said people actually had their cars towed to the dealership because they couldn't unlock them, so I'm disinclined to this this is operator error, but a really bad design by asshat engineers. At least the article gives us a clue as to which car companies to avoid in the future: "Cars made by Ford, Lexus, Toyota, BMW and Merce
    • My BMW has a good old fashioned mechanical key inside the fob, with a good old fashioned lock cylinder inside the drivers door handle. This sounds like clueless South Florida douchebaggery to me.

      • by icebike ( 68054 )

        And perhaps equally douchebaggery corrupt towing services, all of which should have known about the physical keys.

        On the other hand...
        Its entirely possible that the interference was so strong that even getting in the car your fob would not allow it to start.
        There is no physical key slot for starting the engine in my car, but holding the but of the fob against the start button is
        supposed to work.
        If that was being DOSed as well, towing might be the only option.

        • Are you sure? My wife's 2012 Kia Soul is keyless entry (with a physical key inside the fob) and doesn't have a visible key slot, but does apparently have one in the glove box for such situations.
    • I initially thought this while reading the article, but then I realized that the people interviewed were people who lived in the apartments and thus parked in that lot every night.

      I too would have my car towed to a dealership after this happened more than a few times - especially with a new car. A pirate radio station is so far outside of the realm of everyday possibilities of your car malfunctioning that even some basic troubleshooting would have completely missed this issue.

      • I don't know about you, but if my keyless entry is not working correctly but I could still get in and start the car manually, I think that I would DRIVE my car to the dealership instead of getting it towed.
        • Re:No thanks! (Score:5, Insightful)

          by bws111 ( 1216812 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @03:28PM (#42412825)

          And as soon as you drive it to the dealer, it starts working normally again, thereby becoming a wasted trip. Better to have the dealer/towing service come and see the problem while it is failing instead of being put into the 'idiot who does not know how to use keyless entry' file.

          • by Anne Thwacks ( 531696 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @04:51PM (#42413643)
            The majority of faults in all technology disappear when exposed to an engineer. Engineers exude technology friendly vibes. (And dont try to dance to Carribean music while putting the key in the slot, unless they are Jamaican, in which case no problem, man!)
          • Yes, you could have your mechanic come to the car and see the problem as it is occurring, and that would probably be a good idea, but that is not what the OP said. And, it would still be stupid for them to tow the car back (they should just drive it).

            When I have had my car towed, the person driving the tow truck has not been there to diagnose problems with my car. He only want to move my car from where it was to where I wanted it to be.

            And honestly, if I worked at a dealership and someone had a car towe

    • They probably do have a physical lock and key that opens it but with many cars there has been a bad decision with the on board anti theft and security systems that the car alarm will go off if the key is used to unlock the vehicle after it has been locked the the remote. If that weren't bad enough when the car alarm goes off the ignition locks and won't let you start the car until you lock and unlock it with the remote.

      It is also becoming more and more common to have sport and luxury cars with no key only t

    • Actually, I'm afraid this is just a case of stupid/ignorant people. Keyless entry systems have a mechanical key--which is normally built into the fob--that will fit a nice little mechanical lock on at least the driver-side door. Keyless-go (start) systems normally have an RFID reader slot--which is unlikely to be affected by the pirate radio station--that you can insert your fob into. Could the engineers have made their keyless systems less susceptible to interference? Probably. Could the car owners ha
    • by Jeng ( 926980 )

      Funny, the doors on my car can be unlocked by my phone and it is an economy car from Hyundai.

  • by ka9dgx ( 72702 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:24PM (#42412287) Homepage Journal

    I'd bet it was corroded feedline or antenna connection not protected against the salt air. If it formed a diode [wikipedia.org], it would set up a strong 3rd harmonic right next to the 315 Mhz band used by keyless remotes according to Wikipedia [wikipedia.org]. Without that, they may have been able to stay on the air much longer.

    I love how Wikipedia makes it easy to give a lot more context for these type of explanations. 8)

    • by Technician ( 215283 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:53PM (#42412431)

      Corrosion or a Class C power amplifier without an output resonant narrow band antenna or tuned tank. My bet would be home built transmitter with a Class C amplifier and lack of harmonic filtering.

      The rusty bolt can give some harmonic power but not nearly as much as an unfilterd power amplifier.

      Rusty bolt tends to be problems near a receiver such as a rusty downspout on a builting making a clean transmitter look bad to locals within a building. This is most often seen with Ham radio complaints where the ham is clean, but the TV in the apartment a block away is due to rusty guy wires or downspout on the apartment. IE the harmonic is generated in close proximity of the TV viewer a block away.

      http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Class_C_amplifier#Class_C [wikipedia.org]

      Class-C amplifiers conduct less than 50% of the input signal and the distortion at the output is high, but high efficiencies (up to 90%) are possible. The usual application for class-C amplifiers is in RF transmitters operating at a single fixed carrier frequency, where the distortion is controlled by a tuned load on the amplifier. The input signal is used to switch the active device causing pulses of current to flow through a tuned circuit forming part of the load.

    • Sherlock Holmes, is that you?

  • wow (Score:5, Interesting)

    by geekoid ( 135745 ) <dadinportlandNO@SPAMyahoo.com> on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:29PM (#42412305) Homepage Journal

    " "We were blaming it on the police. The police were blaming it on the courthouse. We didn't know what was going on.""
    Maybe you should stop blaming people for things when you don't know what's going on?

    ""Something mystical was going on,""
    And there it is. people ascribe something as mystical and then they stop using their brain. This is why SCAMs* are dangerous. "It's energy and mysterious? well then I guess we can't find a real answer."
    This thing happens, and it's always in the same area. Clearly Aliens.

    "Most drivers were forced to read their owner's manual to learn how to access their manual key, Camara said."
    Sigh.

    *Supplements and Complementary and Alternative Medicines

    • by ankhank ( 756164 ) *

      > "Most drivers were forced to read their owner's manual
      > to learn how to access their manual key, Camara said."

      Regrettably, as the owner's manual was usually inside the vehicle ....

      • by Jeng ( 926980 )

        And also available online.

        One can also usually call for customer support, even with cars.

  • My Solution (Score:4, Funny)

    by Westwood0720 ( 2688917 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:45PM (#42412377)
    Drive a shitty car with the doors unlocked and the key in the ignition. Worked for me for over a decade now!
    • I left the keys to my first car on top of the car everywhere i went. Never lost them.

    • I dunno... thieves aren't always the brightest bulbs in the box. I had one break into my beater of a Ford Pinto to steal my crappy $10 speakers, back when I was a teenager.

  • 104.7 FM brings you the best jams~

  • Not only was he broadcasting pirate radio but he did it in the commerical frequency range, more likely to interfere with a licensed operator (who wants that ad money) and get the FCC called to investigate.
    • by mpe ( 36238 )
      Not only was he broadcasting pirate radio but he did it in the commerical frequency range, more likely to interfere with a licensed operator (who wants that ad money) and get the FCC called to investigate.

      You wouldn't expect that this would have operated for months if it was interfering with a regular station (at least not one which had any listeners.)
  • Jammin (Score:5, Funny)

    by PaddyM ( 45763 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:48PM (#42412395) Homepage

    ...

    We're jammin', we're jammin', we're jammin', we're jammin';
    Hope you like jammin', too.

    ...
    Credits to Bob Marley

    • The radio station was broadcasting Caribbean music around the clock

      Maybe that's where they should start looking for the operator....

  • by erroneus ( 253617 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:48PM (#42412397) Homepage

    Anyone else finding this amusing?

  • by ischorr ( 657205 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:49PM (#42412401)

    '"At first I thought it was me," said Jacobson, who started to say a little prayer every time she tried to use her electronic key.'

    God: Messing with people's vehicles since 4000BC.

    • God: Messing with people's vehicles since 4000BC.

      Well, at least He didn't make the wheels fall off this time around. But maybe if these had been Segways...

  • by ThatsNotPudding ( 1045640 ) on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:53PM (#42412443)
    We be jammin'

    It's right there in the lyrics!
  • by sillivalley ( 411349 ) <{sillivalley} {at} {comcast.net}> on Friday December 28, 2012 @02:58PM (#42412493)
    Yep, 3rd harmonic, probably from an unfiltered Class C power amp -- and it will desense those silly little receivers if it doesn't block them completely. The more modern ones have some front-end filtering, but not a lot.

    A lot of automotive stuff in that frequency range -- keyless entry, TPM (tire pressure monitoring), and garage door openers.

    I'm surprised nobody has gone after the protocols to see how many low tire pressure warnings they can set off at once...
    • by Animats ( 122034 )

      Yep, 3rd harmonic, probably from an unfiltered Class C power amp.

      Probably. Definitely emissions way out of band. Most US keyless entry devices are at 315MHz. An FM transmitter at 104.7 MHz would have a third harmonic up there. That's a really crappy transmitter. Normally, a keyless entry system will work even when you're parked next to a high power FM station transmitter tower. Sutro Tower in San Francisco has an 8KW FM station at 104.5, and doesn't cause this problem in nearby areas. That tower used to have 10 analog TV stations with a total power of about 18 megawatt

  • On TV, the pirate radio stations are always broadcast from little ships sitting 12 miles offshore - so this guy was obviously doing it wrong.

    The only other option is to use an old motor home as your base of operations... if you're 20 minutes into the future, anyway.

  • How dare the Evil Government abridge my Rights to Disable said other Persons keyless entry systems!

    This was Obviously not the Intent of the Founders when they Wrote the Constitution!

    WOLVERINES!

  • Relatively few people will have access to building roof. Radio station would need constant maintenance, and (assuming it is running autonomously) a way to change music selection (although perhaps they were feeding data wirelessly?).

    Just check janitors and maintenance personnel, and there you'll have it.

    Also, it's Regions bank, not that anyone cares.

    • He's probably using a UHF link (see Technician's posts above). Most repeater transmitters can be left alone for a long time. There are thousands of similar radios on mountaintops all over the world, visited perhaps once or twice a year - usually to service the batteries. If it's hooked up to the grid, even less reason to visit it.

      And getting into the maintenance area of a low security building isn't all that hard. Didn't you watch all of those Mission Impossible series on TV?

    • Radio station would need constant maintenance,

      Not really. Not an unlicensed operation that doesn't have the mandatory FCC maintenance requirements. I have a repeater that I haven't had to do anything to for more than two years. The only reason I had to visit it in the last year was because some idiot smacked it with a board and flipped a switch on it.

      and (assuming it is running autonomously) a way to change music selection (although perhaps they were feeding data wirelessly?).

      A Raspberry Pi can have a 32Gb or 64Gb SD card installed. The 52Gb of audio I have online would play for 74 days without repeating.

  • At least with the jamming effect in place, nobody would walk by with a laptop and steal your car by hacking the doors and keyless ignition. So that's a plus.
    Seriously, all this wireless proximity bullshit it ridiculous. It's jammable, hackable, and breaks often. What exactly is so bad about laser side-cut keys, huh?

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