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Chevrolet Impala Key Fob Questions

24

Comments

  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Have you seen the posts regarding the latest fix? I've been waiting to hear back from someone with the new fix but no word so far. I would HOPE after all the complaints and how long they've taken to come up with this fix, it will finally be taken care of.
  • jimk59jimk59 Member Posts: 1
    my 2006 is at the dealer right now. issues are windshield washer pump not working and rke range issue. i am screwed as the car has 40k on it and is out of warranty. service rep says about 400 bucks with one remote! what a crock! any ideas for help? the old key fobs will not work with the new reciever, new fob is $117....what a great car?? :lemon:
  • cuffcuff Member Posts: 11
    was reading your problem and went to check on ebay....there are a few remotes on there for a 2006....stay away from the dealer....hit ebay and save yourself some money.
  • cuffcuff Member Posts: 11
    hit ebay...there's one there it end's in 1 day and 18 hours....item #130082955456...........only $8.00 to buy and $5.00 to ship.........also free progam...hope you get this message on time....
  • zjimzjim Member Posts: 51
    I've had the updated devices and new key fobs installed on my '06 for a few weeks now. Everything is working great! This was the fourth attempt at repairing the problem. The updated parts that were replaced was the receiver, the antenae and both fobs. These new components have changes from the originals that should be a permanent fix. After over a year, I finally have an Impala that I can't complain about. I hope I'm not talking too soon! :)
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    i am screwed as the car has 40k on it and is out of warranty.

    I would fight with GM on this. Mileage isn't the cause of the RKE/FOB problem and it's widespread across the entire model line as well as a few other GMs. Threaten to contact the Better Business Bureau if you don't get any satisfaction and use this forum as evidence if you can't find anything from GM.

    I would be careful about buying replacement parts on Ebay. It looks like the fix is a redesigned FOB, not just a new one.
  • axle52axle52 Member Posts: 36
    Hi

    I had the same issue with the remote range but since then i have had the new antenae and both fobs replaced but not the receiver. It is an improvement but I still don't think the range is as good as it should be. I don't recall the receiver being part of the fix. Could you please correct me if I am wrong. Hope to hear your reply.
  • zjimzjim Member Posts: 51
    I also had the problem with the tire pressure monitoring system, which uses the same receiver as the fobs. That's why they replaced the receiver. Now, not only does the remote work properly, but no more "service tire monitoring system" warning pop up in the dash. I suppose the antenae might have been the problem effecting both, but I was told that there was a problem with the receiver programing. However, there might have been another reason for the receiver replacement that I'm not aware of.
  • spinner1960spinner1960 Member Posts: 10
    I also had the remote distance & tire pressure monitor problems. The dealer first tried reprogramming the receiver and replacing the remotes, this didn't work so they ordered a new antenna. Replacing the antenna didn't work so they ordered a new receiver. With all of the above replaced everything now works fine. The dealer told me that the are instructed by GM to repair this problem one step at a time. I didn't mind as I work a short walk from the dealership and all three times I left my car with them they had it ready for pick-up by quiting time. I'm OK with the deal and now totally satisfied the car. Good luck to all, the fix is there just be firm (and patient).
  • lineman3lineman3 Member Posts: 12
    I recently purchased an 06 LTZ with 16k on it. It's still under the factory warranty. I have been reading the post here and have a some questions. I have noticed that my tire service indicator comes on, and I too have had some strange things with the key fobs. You guys seem to be pretty up to date, so what am I missing? What should I be aware of? I have only had the car a week. Very happy overall, but if there is warranty things, I need to get them done.
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Read through the posts. The issue affects the tire pressure monitor and FOB operation. On some cars, it's just the FOB range that's affected. On others, it includes the tire pressure monitors. It looks like the word is getting down to the dealers. I would mention the TSB about the antenna, receiver, and FOBs when you go for service.
  • spinner1960spinner1960 Member Posts: 10
    After the dealer replaced the receiver my remote range went up to over 300ft. I han't tried from farther than that. Even more impressive is that it works through multiple walls from inside my workplace (inc. concrete). I like it when something actually performs better than is even practical.
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Spinner,
    Did you get the new FOBs and antenna as well?
  • spinner1960spinner1960 Member Posts: 10
    quietpro,
    Yes, fobs 1st, then antennea and finally the reciever. I just read in another forum that the new fobs have stars imprinted on the back, mine do.
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Hey spinner (great name!!)

    Ya, for me too now...!! It's almost like these new fob transmitters are the higher powered versions. :surprise: Most likely though, it's a combination of all new replacment parts here. Well, I tell 'ya, it's certainly a great feeling to finally have everything in good working order.

    Enjoy your ride.....
    Frank ;)
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    OK, new question for yous guys with the new fix. How long have you had the new fix working? I'm trying to rule out any NEW temporary fix before I begin fighting with my dealership. Also, if you have an invoice with some part numbers or other part info, that would be great too.

    Thanks to all,
    Ron
  • spinner1960spinner1960 Member Posts: 10
    My transmitters have been working great since the receiver replacement Feb 21st.

    Her are the part numbers from my invoices:
    #15912860 transmitters
    #25837954 antennea cable
    #25808837 receiver

    The only other technical item on the invoice is "Reprogram receiver through TIS2000", I have no idea what TIS2000 would be.

    I hope don't have to "fight" with your dealership to get this done. I had no problem or resistance at all.

    Good luck though,
    Bob
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    I hope don't have to "fight" with your dealership to get this done. I had no problem or resistance at all.

    Bob,
    I hope not as well but the last time I got the attitude that they knew better than I what was wrong. Of course, once I picked up the car, I noticed it was exactly the same as always. I half expected them to blame my window tinting but they didn't. I think I get some resistance because I didn't buy the car there. I don't think that should make a difference but maybe it did.

    Thanks for the input. I'll take those part numbers with me.

    Later,
    Ron
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Hi There Ron..

    MY APPOLOGIES FOR TAKING SO LONG TO GET BACK TO YOU ON THIS ONE!!

    Fobs (transmitters) GM # 15912860

    Coax cable Anenna GM # 25837954

    Receiver Module GM # 15946938

    You will notice that I have a different GM receiver Number to Spinner's...???
    Not sure why at this point...All is still working perfectly for me and it's been about 5-6 Days.Good luck and let us know how you make out.
    Frank ;)
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Frank,
    Hopefully that difference in part numbers doesn't mean one of you will have problems agin. Hopefully, there are just more than one new part number. I'll let you know how mine turns out.

    Later,
    Ron
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Hi Ron

    Gee....I sure hope all our problems are gone for good..!! ...I looked both numbers up on GM parts direct and they are definately both for keyless entry Receivers.I wonder why the two. Anyway, I e-mailed gm parts direct about this and i will let you know what they say....
    Frank ;)
  • wbowl99wbowl99 Member Posts: 133
    Hi everyone, got the new parts Friday on my 06 LT and it definitely is different. The parts guy apparently forgot it was warranty work and they were going to charge me $533 for these parts and one to fix the ac/heat problem. :mad: I said, I don't think so! Parts mgr was gone so they couldn't get the $$$ taken off system. I had to wait till today to get the paperwork so I'll check and see which part they gave me.

    Anyway, although it wasn't a great distance away, I was able to unlock my car holding my fob behind a truck body a couple of cars away. Opened right up! I usually couldn't get it to open 10 feet away pointing it directly at the car.
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Hi there Ron..
    Well, I'm still waiting for the guys at GM Parts Direct to get back to me as to why my keyless entry receiver part number (15946938) is different than Spinners (25808837) So, I got a little impatient, and called my local GM dealership for an answer. They said that his (Spinners) is the later version. oh no !!....Just great !! I really didn't want to hear this !! Well, cross your fingers for me, I hope this doesn't come back to bite me in the backside. Again , everything is still working great so far......

    Frank ;)
  • wbowl99wbowl99 Member Posts: 133
    Hope when I get my paperwork I'll have the newer ones since they just now ordered them. We'll pray for you Frank. ;)
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Frank,
    You're the man! I'm going to try to ensure I get the latest part numbers in mine now that I know. If they refuse to hook me up, I'll just wait a while and see if their inventory runs out. Of course, with my luck, YOUR part number will be the quality one and the newer will fail in my car. ;)

    If any of you are willing to do some long range testing with your cars, maybe in a large parking lot (Walmart) to get a good idea of range...by parking spaces....from the side and front and back...that would be great. No special trips, just the next time you happen to be out. I've noticed with my limited range now, sometimes extra cars in the lot decrease my consistency...sometimes range.

    Good luck!
    Ron
  • spoolerspooler Member Posts: 15
    Hi Everyone!

    I had my 06 SS into the dealer late last week and the service dept looked at my RKE system. The only problem I'm having is low range on the remote start, but everything else works great. The service manager told me that the SS (at least mine) is not included in his TSB's as having these problems and he thinks mine has the latest coax antenna. I told him, I bought my SS last July, and the TSB came out in the fall, so I think he is wrong on that. In my argument to him, whether it does have the latest antenna or RCDLR or not is illrelevant since the range is bad and in my opinion needs to be repaired. My question is.....Have any of you fellow 2006 SS owners had your repairs made and carried out under warranty? Again he thinks the SS is not part of the program! :confuse:
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Hey Spooler,
    Here's my 2 cents.....!!!!!

    Just as a review for yourself, and you may want to also give a copy of this bulletin to your GM Service Manager, please refer to post # 47 from zjim . As stated here, the poor remote range and all the other associated problems in this bulletin specifically states that coverage is for the 2006 - 2007 Chev Impala's and Monte Carlo's. There is absolutely no reference here to any specific Impala model covererage, or, for the exclusion of the SS model, for that matter of fact. Gm would have never left this fix this wide open if it was for specific models only !! The remote start runs off the same fobs( transmitters), receiver, and antenna. They are wrong ! wrong! wrong! What a bunch of MORONS here !!!....Spooler, the new coax antenna cable just came out about a week or two ago....I waited 5 months for mine !!! The bulletin states that it would be available in January 2007... well after you bought your car. Tell them that you are totally not satisfied and that you will now be getting the GM Regional Rep over their dealership involved here. Now let's see how fast they jump to your attention....!!
    Let us know how you make out...
    Frank ;)
  • wbowl99wbowl99 Member Posts: 133
    Finally got the paperwork yesterday where they fixed my fob problem last Friday. They did not put in a new receiver, only the transmitters and antenna and reprogrammed the receiver. It is definitely better, but makes me wonder if it is as it should be and if it will last. Said it was according to the TSB, but didn't one of you guys see the actual TSB and said it should have been receiver also?
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Hi wbowl...
    Check to see if your new fobs (transmitters)have the stars on the back cover....?? ....and, check the Gm part numbers on your invoice. Hopefully, they match the parts numbers reported for some of the fix in prevoius posts ... i.e....see the numbers that I reported for example to Ron !!
    Now, you need to go to post # 47 and have another read. I believe that the TSB does not mention the receiver specifically at that time. Also, to get a good feel here, and some great history and experience, read all the posts fom #47 to the present. It will give you an idea as to what works and what doesn't work and by what was replaced and not replaced. At one point , GM informed some dealerships to change one part at a time . I'm not sure if this is still in effect today. My personal feeling is that ultimately the receiver needs to be changed.Sad to say, if you don't, it may not last !! I guess time will tell.....

    Frank ;)
  • wbowl99wbowl99 Member Posts: 133
    Hey Frank, The transmitters do have the star on the back and I think the information on how to remote start the car. I'll give #47 another look and read closer. I thought I had seen someone say that all 3 were the fix, but didn't find the post I was looking for with a quick scan. If the receiver starts getting alzheimer's and problem reoccurs, I'll definitely be after them to change it out as well.

    I was also a little frustrated to see that they didn't add the oil change to the paperwork. Advisor forgot to put it on there and did it himself since the mechanics had already gone. Should anything happen to the engine, I wouldn't want GM to try to say it wasn't covered because I couldn't prove the oil was changed at the proper time.
  • spoolerspooler Member Posts: 15
    Hi Frank!
    Thanks for your reply! I think you are absolutely right about this. It may be hard to believe, but this Service Manager I think is a pretty good guy, and has went way out of his way to help me a time or two. So I'm going to keep after him, gently nudging him along the way. I'll do as you suggest and get a copy of zjim's #47 post to show him next time I'm there. I'm pretty confident he'll get me fixed up. I'll let you know how it comes out. :)
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Spooler,
    I can't imagine him thinking there is an SS specific receiver. That's about the stupidest thing I've seen on here. That's about the same as saying it has a different windshield. Maybe he was just having a bad day. ;)

    Ron
  • axle52axle52 Member Posts: 36
    Axle Here

    Since I work for GM in St. Catharines On., I had one of the GM engineers go into the GM website that the dealers use for TSB,s and he printed out the fix for the key Fobs. It did not mention the receiver as part of the fix, only the transmitters, cable and reprogramming. I had the fix done but as I had mentioned in the other forum to Frank, that I had the TPMS light come on twice in 2 days about 3 weeks after the fix was done. I'm not sure if there was an updated version of the fix after the one I obtained from the engineer. I will have to investigate some more when the engineer comes back from Germany. Maybe he will learn something from the Germans when he gets home and pass it along to GM..........grrrrrrrrrrrrrr.
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Hi Axle...
    Well you know, it doesn't surprise me in the least...After my many, Fob experiences/frustrations here, and also reading everyone elses woes along the way, (some good, but mostly all bad), I personally see the TOTAL Fix as.... 2 new Fobs, Coax antenna cable , yes the Receiver, and the additional re-programming..!! Obviously, the recever would be the most difficult( labor) and expensive part to replace for GM on a general and wide spread basis. Maybe it's one step at a time and only replace it if all else fails.... Am I being too cynical here ..??!! Ya, while the TSB does not specifically identify the receiver as such, again read
    previous Post #47 where it lists about 6 items that.. " a vehicle may exhibit one or more of these following conditions"
    Well, It seems that the reciever is involved in some of the problem functions here..!! Anyway, I will get off my soap box now and hope that everything works out for you soon....
    Keep us posted...
    Frank ;)
  • wbowl99wbowl99 Member Posts: 133
    Well, I was feeling pretty good about the fix even without the receiver because I opened the doors about 80 or so feet away the other day. But then last night, it wouldn't unlock from about 20-30 feet away with an open path straight to it. Earlier it was a straight shot to the side of the car; last night it was to the rear. Don't know if that makes a difference or if that it had been raining and air was really heavy made a difference. I think I'll find a place to park and do a little testing on the distance and directions.
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Well folks... With all that has happened in the RKE area lately, I have totally forgoten what GM states or advertises as the distance that these Fobs will/should work.. :confuse: Probably, our friend Ron out there would be the most knowledgeable one on this topic ...!! So, help me understand here Ron, or others... Because, at this point ,I'm not sure if what I am about to report is good or bad..Anyway, I walked out my front office door this afternoon ,looked straight ahead at my beauty (front facing me) that was parked backed into a building wall. Nervously,I pressed my FOB right from there. And, to my surprise ,it worked the first time and also a few more times after ( just in case) .So, I measured off the distance and it was exactly 175 feet from door to front of car. Is this Fair, Good, excellent...??? Let me know please !!. When I get a chance I'm going to take it to a shopping Mall without any walls and obsticales, to see what the ultimate distance is.
    I'll let you know......
    Thanks
    Frank ;)
  • spoolerspooler Member Posts: 15
    Hi Ron,

    Yes I was somewhat taken back. He's just mistaken. I'm going to keep on working on him, and I'll help him out and bring him his TSB's !!! ;) I personally really like the guy, as he has helped me out with "last minute" appointments, and even offered up loaner cars with out me asking. He also treats my wife respectfully. I have a good relationship with him, and I don't want to rock the boat unless I really have to. I've dealt with many service managers over the years, most had an "I don't give a rip" attitude. In my opinion/experience the Service Manager's at Ford dealerships are usually difficult. I'll keep you posted how it goes!
  • axle52axle52 Member Posts: 36
    Hey Frank , I read somewhere but forget where that the distance is 197 ft., so you were pretty close. I also noticed that the car almost goes into a sleep mode when I try to operate the remote after i intially lock the car with the remote or if I leave it sit for 8 hours when i am at work. It doesn't work right away from a certain distance then all of a sudden it will work from a good distances away. totally strange isn't it. Anyway, I may just have to live with this condition because I am sick of all the BS. Well thats it for now.
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Frank, Axle, Bowl, and the rest,
    I posted the distance out of the owner's manual in here a while back. I think 197ft is correct. Of course, that's only for cars equipped with the remote start. Without the remote start, the range is much less...again, in the owner's manual but I think it's less "buried." :)
    Awesome range, Frank. I look forward to your full report from a parking lot near you. Axle, your "sleep mode" theory is similar to what I was experiencing when testing mine. In my case, when I locked or unlocked the doors repeatedly, it would seem to freeze up temporarily and then work again. It reminded me of when my cable box gets "confused" at times and delays the commands I send to it. Maybe THAT issue is addressed with the new receiver...who knows.
    Mine is inconsistent. Somedays, I can get about 75 ft out of it, others, maybe 20 ft max. Also, I noticed that USUALLY, I get better range facing the front of the car but sometimes, just as good from the back...but only sometimes. I haven't scheduled an appointment yet to have mine fixed but will soon.

    Thanks all,
    Ron
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Hey there spooler..

    Ya, for sure he is mistaken here..!! :sick:
    But you know, if you really like the guy and you have some sort of relationship with him, I don't blame you... this is sometimes half the battle in your favour. Again, I would show him a copy of the TSB, and also share with him some of our experiences , the good, bad and the ugly. I don't want to sound like a broken record here (remember these ?), but I still feel strongly, that the RECEIVER is part of the TOTAL fix. AND, just as a reminder, I did have EVERYTHING replaced, and all is very well still, and working as it should..!! :blush: Hey, He could be just one of those professionals really trying to help ,say like some Doctors for example that will come up with a reason or diagnosis, but not really knowing what the true answer is...So, they just have a very difficult time saying...I DON'T KNOW or........ !!
    Oh well ...hope everything works out for you...and keep us posted..!!
    Frank ;)
  • mymittiesmymitties Member Posts: 242
    Many Thanks Ron and Axle for getting back to me on this...
    Wow, I must say , I certainly am impressed at this point with this distance..!! :blush: Obviously, I do have the Remote start (good point Ron), and to get 175 feet of the 197 feet now is pretty awesome. I don't want to seem alittle cocky here, but, I think if it wasn't for that darn wall that I was parkred against, I could of probaly got the remaining 22 feet !! So, We will see.. Well, we (Toronto) just got hit with some significant snow today (thought we were all finihed with this stuff), and I will have to wait for a clear day and and clear shopping Mall parking lot.
    I'll keep you posted....

    Thanks again
    Frank ;)
  • colchester47colchester47 Member Posts: 261
    Mornin, Frank, everyone,
    Yeah, here in Jersey we got about 8 inches last nite...My Impala is snuggled in the garage and will stay there for a few days!! Guess I'll use my wifes Honda today, dirty her car up!! ;) I'm glad you guys are zeroing in on the key-fob problem...just in case I get that dreaded, "key-Fob Virus'!!.............we'll talk later......bryan
  • spoolerspooler Member Posts: 15
    Hi Frank!

    Thanks for your thoughts! Your parking lot testing you are doing has me thinking. If you can, would it be possible for you to range test in front of a big box store such as a WAL-MART, and then test say in an fairly empty large lot such as an office complex etc.? Here's my theory on some of this. I work with RF systems for a living, and since I believe these RKE systems operate in the 320 MHz band, I'm wondering how much RF generated interference (or noise being picked up by the RCDLR) that is being generated by all the DATA IT and RF price/inventory tagging technology in those stores. My theory is (and it's only that!) that the RCDLR may be picking up so much RF garbage being generated by external sources like the stores' IT systems, it may not be able to "hear" the RKE until it is closer to the Impala. Of course as we know a bad antenna, low power fobs, or sensitivty problems with the RCDLR will cause the same things. At work, I have access to a poratble RF spectrum analyzer, which measures power levels of RF emissions at a given frequency. When I get some time I plan on doing some measuring at known places where my Impala gets very low RKE range, such as in front of "big box retailers" and look to see if unwanted "interference" is part of the problem. Could be that the new RCDLR has better filtering to help block out all the RF crud. Or maybe the new TIS firmware they are suggesting in the TSB can re-program the filtering of the receiver. At any rate, I hope my Impala loving brothers and sisters don't slam me too hard for sharing these thoughts. These posts are a great community! I'll keep you posted!
  • axle52axle52 Member Posts: 36
    I am a bit confused on what Spooler just said but it makes sense. When I am parked under lights at work or if I am at a Walmart or similiar parking area my remote doesn't seem to work as well, so maybe it is all that crud out there that interferes with the receiver. I tested it out on the street where I parked last night from some distance away, maybe 100 ft or more and it did work fine. What ever happened to just walking up to the car and putting the key in the lock and opening it up. MEN and their remote this remote that....ha ha
  • colchester47colchester47 Member Posts: 261
    Hey!!..Axle, be careful, I'm a guy who doesn't need any remotes at all!!!...Actually, this week I'm taking the door panels off my car (all of them )and leaving them off , who needs them? This way I can change speakers when I want, oil the window tracks at will, etc!! And I'm tired of the stupid radio in my car, the sound is terrible, that's coming out on Tuesday...I have an old Jeep radio that I'm throwing in there( it's been hanging around my garage for years) I could care less what my car looks like or what anybody here in this forum thinks...I'll have a "one-of-a-kind car"! You guys in here can keep your key-fobs, heated seats,XM radio etc...I'm turning my '06 into a street rod!!..it won't even look like an Impala when I get done!!.......I'm tired of the same old boring new cars year in , year out!!...I'm super-charging it this week too...probably bring it up to around 500-600 horse-power!! You guys and gals in here can keep your stinkin new cars with the stinkin new smell, and stinkin new this and that....anybody know where I can get air scoop for my hood?....you guys are boring me too death!!!! :cry:..and don't think for a minute Ron and Frank and others in here that I need your advice on doing this stuff....I'm very capable of doing it myself......I have the internet.....you guys are obsolete!!
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    Damn, Bryan, tell us how you REALLY feel. ;)
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    My theory is (and it's only that!) that the RCDLR may be picking up so much RF garbage

    Spooler,
    I had a similar theory (although I don't have any RF training). My cars (my '06 and '02 Monte Carlo) have had range problems whenever on the air force base or my new job on the navy base. Of course, we have LOTS of RF garbage in our airwaves. I think you're onto something and have the tools to prove it. What's your car's current status? Have you had any of the RKE equipment replaced? I'm all factory fresh in that dept...all I've had so far is a reprogram of the original "junk." Keep us posted and document what you find. You can enlighten us and more importantly, your service manager. Maybe even pass it along to GM. You would think they have some big brains that would've thought about these things but it's apparent they haven't.

    Later,
    Ron
  • quietproquietpro Member Posts: 702
    MEN and their remote this remote that....ha ha

    Hey now...careful. I like the remote because I don't have to worry about scratching my door or trunklid while fumbling with a sharp metal object. I had gotten pretty good at using my fingers as a guide but that left finger prints and smears.

    Now, if only I had a way of keeping my friends from dragging their rings while opening the doors, I'd be all set. Anyone else have scratches in and around their door handles? Maybe GM should start using the rubberized paint that some cars have on the bottoms of their doors to protect the door handle area.

    Have a great Saturday, all,
    Ron
  • colchester47colchester47 Member Posts: 261
    Thanks for all your help, Ron......yeah, my wifes rings are always a culprit when she opens a door...take care........bryan
  • spoolerspooler Member Posts: 15
    Hi Ron!
    I have all the original RKE equipment in mine yet. I talked to my Service manger about my range problems, and he thought my SS had all the newer stuff. But i don't think so! So when I'm able (I have some medical problems right now) I'm going to try to do some experimenting with a spectrum analyzer. First I'm going to verify the frequency that the RKE fob transmits at. It should be at about 320 MHz. Then with the spectrum analyzer, I'll measure the relative power level that the spectrum analyzer sees the fob at distances say of 20' 50' 100' and then 195'. The 195' measurement would be the sensitivity bench mark of the test. With that information I'll head to some shopping centers and bigbox store lots and drive thru looking for RF interference on or near the same frequency as the fobs, and if I see interference, I could measure the relative power level, and that would tell us how much of the signal of the fobs are lost in the undesired RF noise present in the area.
    You know Ron, also I'm thinking that the RCDLR antenna in the windsheild is probably very directional. Since RF at that frequency would be very sensitive to the relative position of the vehicle. So I'm betting the range (with my stock windshield antenna) would be much better to the front, somewhat less from the back, and totally bad from the sides. And I think I have noticed that the range seems very bad from the sides! The new coaxial antennas are probably more omni-directional. As soon as I'm better, I'm going to look into this! I'll keep you posted! :D
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