Wierd Happenings... LONG...

I heat the shops with a combination of electric heat and kerosene type forced air heaters. One of the heaters is on a thermostat the other is controlled by remote control that I usually carry with me. When the shop gets a little chilly, I will hit the remote and the heater fires up. Today I had some time, so I thought I would shred some newspapers for packing. I burnt the last paper shredder up and had bought a new one last weekend. I thought I would try it out and get rid of the papers setting around. I started shredding some papers and I noticed that the heater was running out in the shop, so I got the remote out of my pocket and turned it off. Went back to the paperwork, and the heater came back on??? What the @#$%. Every time I would put paper in the new paper shredder, it would trip the remote for the heater . I thought maybe it was too close to the paper shredder, creating some kind of interference, tripping it, so I took the remote in the next room. Did it again. I had to go out in the shop and unplug the heater. Can I hear Gremlins????

Randy......I suspect that the motor in the paper shreader is putting out "noise" that is causing the heater to come on. If the heater uses an "rf signal" remote, motor noise can simulate it.

Randy,
My Oneida dust collector remote works great in the shop..although it also turns the ovehead fan in the family room 50' away on and off at the same time

This is a common problem that is only getting worse. The FCC has only a few frequencies that are given away and can be used by remote control devices. As more and more items are remotely operated, its a statistical issue. With more remote controlled devices being built, the same frequencies up for grabs, sometimes the same remote frequencies are used in close proximity to each other.

If you want to have some fun sometime, drive down through surburbia and keep pushing the button on your garage door opener. Sooner or later it will open someones garage door. The same can be done in a parking lot full of cars. Sooner or later you can unlock the doors of some one else's car. I learned this when I went to remotely unlock our Toyota Highlander. The locks on a Game Warden's pickup opened that was right next to mine. In the latter case this was kind of scary because there was some guns inside the truck.

The local Ham Radio club here in Waldo County is downright scared of this trend. With the Ham Radio clubs members dropping in number, their average age increasing, they are worried that the FCC will soon look to add more frequencies that are available for remote controlled devices and other uses. They will certainly look to grab the less used frequencies. The Hamm Radio Club is down right scared that they might grab some of their frequencies since they are not used as much.