SAN ANTONIO -- Hundreds of homeowners in the Northwest part of town can't seem to get their garage doors to open.
"We were wondering why," explains homeowner John Zurita. "We have to go in out and out of the house, the remote doesn't work at all."
He's not alone. Residents that live within a five-mile radius of Culebra and Portranco Road are experiencing the same problem.
It's because a radio antenna used by the National Security Agency is interfering with their remotes. A newly installed Land Mobile Radio antenna is using the same frequency as a lot of garage door manufacturers. Frequent on-site testing makes some electronic household items go haywire.
"We thought it was the remote, so we spent $57 for a remote," says another resident, Nora Villarreal. "I didn't have the house keys to go through the front door, so I had to jump the fence from the house to get in."
The government shut down their entire system for a month for residents to find a fix. But the antenna is back up, and so are the problems.
"We've had several calls, it just started this week," adds President of Hollywood-Crawford Door Company, Randy Oliver. Oliver says it's a problem that's been around since 2004 when the military took over garage frequencies.
He says there are three options for homeowners. First, you can retrofit your entire unit to a different frequency, which could cost some big bucks. Secondly, you can buy a radio replacement control set, and install it yourself. The price ranges from $35 to $100. Lastly, you can wait and see, since sometimes, the problem can just fizzle out after awhile.
"See if the problem disappears," Oliver adds. "Until then use your door button inside the garage or operate manually."
