What’s causing his Bluetooth to disconnect on the 405 Freeway? – Orange County Register

Q: Hello Mr. Honk: Ever since the Orange County Transportation Authority completed the 405 Freeway-widening project, I have noticed something strange just north of the Beach Boulevard exit. When I cross this area, my car’s Bluetooth connection invariably fails and sometimes I need to manually reset it; other times the Bluetooth will reattach after I drive through the area. Any idea what was done at this spot on the 405 to cause electromagnetic interference?

– James Nissenberg, Villa Park

A: No.

Honk reached out to Joel Zlotnik, a spokesperson for that Orange County agency, with your query, James. An OCTA official then reached out to Kapsch TrafficCom, which installed and maintains the setup on the adjacent 405 Express Lanes that helps ensure drivers are paying their fair share on that tollway.

There are gantries along the way, which hold overhead high-resolution cameras and transponder readers.

A Kapsch representative told the OCTA that the equipment shouldn’t be causing any interference.

“No one else has raised this issue with us,” Zlotnik said.

Something else could certainly be causing the interference. If anyone else in Honkland has had such a problem, caused by outside-the-vehicle interference, please pass along the when and the where to Honk.

Honk’s radio gets messed up, too, but it can happen on any roadway and he knows the problem: When Mrs. Honk chooses to fiddle with stuff on her cellphone, the Bluetooth can momentarily interrupt Honk’s 1980s tunes. Sometimes, a sideways scowl stops the interference — but usually not.