View CartWe occasionally receive inquiries about recreational vehicle (RV) remote transmitters. Replacing a key fob for an RV can prove to be a bit of a challenge. Many of the systems are old add-on technology and they often are installed to perform custom functions. We also have found that most RV customers do not have any of the original paperwork for the systems in their vehicles.
We recently received an inquiry from a customer who was looking to replace a remote with FCC ID ELV777K. This FCC ID can appear on remotes for many systems because it dates from a time when many different technologies used similar circuit boards that all fit in the same case. So, remotes with FCC ID ELV777K could have any of at least a half dozen different circuit boards in it. Some of these are common and easy to replace and others are very rare.
The customer’s remote transmitter had a circuit board with the number MT7B on it. This is a rare board. We searched the Internet to seek information on this part and found a single stale link to this part. Here is the gist of our response to the customer:
The fact that there is only one Google hit on the PCB number you gave us is a further indication that the circuit board in you remote is very rare. That is why we feel it is possible that the RV fabricator placed a custom order with an alarm system manufacturer for the system in your vehicle. If so, it may have unique encryption and/or a distinctive programming process.
Based on the Silencer models listed in the one reference we found, our corresponding part would be 255-1255.
Because of data reliability concerns about the information we did find, we could not guarantee that part 255-1255 would work for the customer’s system. My guess is there would be a 50-50 chance that it would match his transmitter. And there was another complication. Neither the customer nor Remotes Unlimited had programming instructions for the system, which means that, even if it were a good replacement remote for his system, it might not be possible to program it to his RV.
There were two other paths that we could try. One is to find the receiver in the RV and see if it has identification numbers on it that provide more definitive reference information. For instance, if it were a specific Silencer model, we could better determine that part 255-1255 is the correct replacement part.
The second option was for the customer to send his original remote to us for cloning if it would transmit any signal at all. (Most of the boards compatible with ELV777K operate on a fixed code, meaning they transmit the same code each time you press a button.) This would allow us to copy the customer’s precise signal onto our ReMoto part 175-2663. In this situation, cloning would have a much higher probability of success than buying a remote that may or may not be the correct one for the system and that needs to be programmed. Cloned remotes do not require programming because they are a copy of the remote you are already using.
This turned out to be the best approach.
