As one with 20 year old shuttle vehicles, I've always just kept a $1 spare mechanical key on my PFD zipper to open my vehicle at the end of a paddle. Today, however, newfangled cars like my Mercedes have expensive electronic keys -- up to $500 to replace -- that allow automatic unlocking, locking and starting with names such as "keyless-go".
A few years ago, someone here asked about how to store a spare keyless-go key in the car. The problem with these new electronic keys is that, as a safety precaution, you can't lock the car if a key is inside it. Hence, what do you do with a $500 electronic key while you're paddling, and/or how can you store a spare key in the car?
A second problem is that technosmart thieves can steal your keyless-go car by intercepting, with electronic sniffers and amplifiers, the code that is continuously being interchanged between the car and key, even when the car is parked and the key is inside the house. This continuous signalling, by the way, can fairly rapidly deplete even a lithium battery in the electronic key, unless the key is kept sufficiently far away from the car when it's parked, which could mean dozens of yards.
One part of the spare key shuttle solution is to take only the mechanical key part with you in the boat. Most of these electronic keys have a removable mechanical key that will open the car door, such as this one:
However, this mechanical key probably can't start the car. Moreover, this still doesn't solve the inability to store the electronic part of the key inside the car (because the doors will not then lock).
The solution is to block the electromagnetic signal between key and car with a small Faraday cage or Faraday shield. You could DIY a Faraday cage out of a suitable metal container, but Amazon sells a right sized Faraday pouch that's also available on eBay:
I haven't bought this device because I don't use my Mercedes for canoeing, so I can't vouch for its effectiveness. But you should be able to put the electronic part of the key inio this Faraday pouch and store it inside the car while you keep just the mechanical key insert on you while paddling. Or, if you do take your entire electronic key in your boat, suitably waterproofed, you should be able to store a spare electronic key inside the car in the Faraday pouch. That sure beats hiding a $500 spare shuttle key in the bushes.
A few years ago, someone here asked about how to store a spare keyless-go key in the car. The problem with these new electronic keys is that, as a safety precaution, you can't lock the car if a key is inside it. Hence, what do you do with a $500 electronic key while you're paddling, and/or how can you store a spare key in the car?
A second problem is that technosmart thieves can steal your keyless-go car by intercepting, with electronic sniffers and amplifiers, the code that is continuously being interchanged between the car and key, even when the car is parked and the key is inside the house. This continuous signalling, by the way, can fairly rapidly deplete even a lithium battery in the electronic key, unless the key is kept sufficiently far away from the car when it's parked, which could mean dozens of yards.
One part of the spare key shuttle solution is to take only the mechanical key part with you in the boat. Most of these electronic keys have a removable mechanical key that will open the car door, such as this one:
However, this mechanical key probably can't start the car. Moreover, this still doesn't solve the inability to store the electronic part of the key inside the car (because the doors will not then lock).
The solution is to block the electromagnetic signal between key and car with a small Faraday cage or Faraday shield. You could DIY a Faraday cage out of a suitable metal container, but Amazon sells a right sized Faraday pouch that's also available on eBay:
I haven't bought this device because I don't use my Mercedes for canoeing, so I can't vouch for its effectiveness. But you should be able to put the electronic part of the key inio this Faraday pouch and store it inside the car while you keep just the mechanical key insert on you while paddling. Or, if you do take your entire electronic key in your boat, suitably waterproofed, you should be able to store a spare electronic key inside the car in the Faraday pouch. That sure beats hiding a $500 spare shuttle key in the bushes.
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