Old Wolf
I would guess that a lot of it is down to the fact that we use remote control for so many things these days, and some of them *do* use line-of-sight technology.
I've got several devices with remote control in my lounge at home, which vary greatly in their sensitivity to "misalignment". The worst seems to require such precision that it would be easier if it used a visible laser-pointer-like beam.
The variation certainly fosters a tendency to try to aim *all* of the controllers straight at the devices, rather than try to remember which one will work if you point it at the ceiling.
Appalling Police Action in Palo Alto 4398That's a good point, Arif. But doesn't it buttume that people know their limitations? If the speed limit is 85, everyone is allowed to drive that fast - even the teenager who doesn't...
If the power supply is *that* badly run-down then I'd say it's well past time to replace it.
That is quite plausible, as many radio aerials are quite noticeably directional.
I guess a satellite dish pretty much represents the extreme of directionality; a roof-mounted VHF-UHF television aerial tends to work best when pointed at the transmitter, but is less troublesome if not perfectly aligned; an AM radio tends to work best when its ferrite rod is *perpendicular* to the line of sight to the transmitter.
Since holding the controller horizontally and pointing it in the direction of the car would seem to be the *most obvious* way of using it, I suspect that the aerials are *generally* designed to work *best* that way.
When I'm close to the car and the controller is in my pocket with its buttons facing outward, it's often feasible to operate the controller simply by pressing the right spot on the outside of my pocket.
You may be better off (at least on cold days) making a point of warming the thing in your hand, as opposed to simply exposing it to the breeze.
