Surf Rig - How do you hide your keys?

[sflinux]

Aluminum foil works, though a faraday cage works better.   An electrostatic shielding electronic bag that some computer equipment comes in should also work, depending on the bag.  Else you can buy a faraday key fob bag.

[PonoBill]

Hmmm, while I'm well acquainted with Faraday cages, having zapped myself in the nuts with a home built Van deGraff electrostatic generator when I was a kid, I stupidly googled it to see if there was some difference between a wrap of aluminum foil and a faraday cage--answer, no. But in doing so I found myself in a stew of survivalists looking to have their smartphone still work after an EMP armageddon. Yikes. Mr. Wizard, get me out of here!!

[jondrums]

Honda Element here.
you can ask your locksmith for a "surf key"
They know exactly what you want.
I took the blank they gave me and cut it down to the minimum possible size and took it back to the locksmith to have it cut.  Works great!

[jpeter]

I have a 2020 Tacoma.  It comes with 2 keys,  each with electronics for lock/unlock.  Convert one key to your surf key.  Open the turtle shell,  take out electronics and buttons.  There is a second potted electrical device in the key that allows the vehicle to start.  That small part is not removable and can stay.  Put a string on it and you can now wear it around your neck. 

I would think this would work with just about any modern car having an actual key.

JP

[surfcowboy]

JP calls it... cheap aftermarket key and dismantle it.

Aaaaand scene... if you have a mechanical lock still.

[headmount]

I have the double secret spot... inside my gas cap.  No one would ever think that was a spot, right?

[Badger]

JP calls it... cheap aftermarket key and dismantle it.

Aaaaand scene... if you have a mechanical lock still.

You still would need to have the aftermarket key cut after you dismantle it. If you're going to all that trouble, you might as well just get a valet/surf key.

The Nissan dealer made me two. One I wear around my neck when surfing. The other is well hidden in case I ever get locked out. The electronic keys remain inside the car in a safe place.

[PonoBill]

Back to summer camp with you Badger, didn't you learn to braid keychains at Camp Wapanogagog? A simple string for a guy from New Hampshire?

I put my church camp skills to excellent use, both for my key and for a lanyard for my switchblade. Perhaps that wasn't the use Mrs. Noonan had in mind, but...

Hdip--hey that worked for my dodge van as well. Someone had actually shown me the method, but I didn't realize there was a time element involved. the Instructable worked.

[sflinux]

@Jondrums.  Love it, thanks for sharing.
@PonoBill.  I bought a radiofrequency meter.  My son did a science experiment (unpublished) and measured radio frequencies through different mediums.  He found that a grid metal pattern (like those used for Faraday cages) blocked radio frequencies better than solid metals.  Maybe a physicist can explain the phenomenon.  Concrete was by far the least efficient for blocking (other material tested included wood, H₂O).

Thieves have evolved over the years.  20 years ago, it seemed like they would watch surfers from a distance, then retrieve their "hidden/stashed" key once they entered the water.  Next came the smash the window and retrieve desired contents without opening a door (so the alarm wouldn't go off).  Then they learned how to get keys from lockboxes.  Now instead of stealing the contents of the car, they are stealing the entire car.  If you are lucky they ditch the car, but often any desirables in the car have vanished. 
And now whenever you park your car, you have to worry if your catalytic convertor will still be there (Honda/Toyota) (<3 min).  5-10 years ago they hit trucks, now they just carry a jack and hit whatever they want.  Before they would hit vehicles in the middle of the night, now anytime of day is fair game.  Products like CatShield or welding heavy gauge pipe to either side of your cat seem like the best defense.  Covid interrupted the South Africa mining of precious metals (Pt, Pd, Rh), so now they are more valuable than gold (Au).
https://catshield.com/

[Tom]

This is called hiding in plain sight



oops, didn't work, i'll try again latter
2nd try

[PonoBill]

Yes Tom, I see that all the time. Like no one knows to look there.

[Tom]

He'd probably be safer if he left the keys in the ignition

[Night Wing]

I put two of my keys (ignition, camper) in the magnetic key hider and attach it to the underside of my truck where it can't be seen even if you look up at the underside of my truck. Hasn't failed me yet and I've been doing it this way since 1994.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Nite-Ize-Black-Key-Hider/1000518889

[PonoBill]

@Jondrums.  Love it, thanks for sharing.
@PonoBill.  I bought a radiofrequency meter.  My son did a science experiment (unpublished) and measured radio frequencies through different mediums.  He found that a grid metal pattern (like those used for Faraday cages) blocked radio frequencies better than solid metals.  Maybe a physicist can explain the phenomenon.  Concrete was by far the least efficient for blocking (other material tested included wood, H₂O).

Wavelength. Photons interact with materials depending on the wavelength of the photon. Anything smaller than the wavelength is invisible to the photon--no interaction. Any conductor larger than the wavelength adsorbs the energy. The conductor needs to be continuous though. Any discontinuous conductor forms a leak for the electromagnetic waves and becomes a new point source for radiating. The power is attenuated, but it still radiates the signal. There's no advantage to a screen over a solid piece of metal. Probably the flaw in the experiment was not having a completely enclosing, fully conducting cage.

[Badger]

I put two of my keys (ignition, camper) in the magnetic key hider and attach it to the underside of my truck where it can't be seen even if you look up at the underside of my truck. Hasn't failed me yet and I've been doing it this way since 1994.

https://www.lowes.com/pd/Nite-Ize-Black-Key-Hider/1000518889

I tried that back when I started surfing and found it to be a hassle to get down on the ground to retrieve the key and risk being seen doing it every time I needed to change gear, take a break, get some water, etc. With the key around my neck, all I have to do is open the front zipper of my suit.