Francis' Keys

Francis' Keys Frederick, MD locksmith specializing in car keys, remotes, and key fobs for most makes and models. Licensed and insured, Maryland license #601 Mr.

In 2023, John O'Rangers discovered that the Frederick, MD area has limited automobile locksmith services, especially with the newest vehicles on the road. While the region has many outstanding locksmiths serving a variety of residential and commercial customers, most only provide limited automobile coverage. With the establishment of Francis' Keys, we can provide solutions to 99% of vehicles on th

e road today, and often at a fraction of dealer cost. In addition to Francis' Keys, Mr. O'Rangers is also the owner of Frederick's oldest cell phone and tablet repair shop, CDC Cellular Repair, proudly serving the community since 2013. The shop provides comprehensive repair solutions for iPhones, iPads, Samsung Galaxies, Motorola, and many other smartphones and tablets.

​Prior to his local business career, Mr. O'Rangers worked in the print publishing industry for two national daily newspapers and a national wholesaler of magazines serving major retailers across the country. He is a resident of Frederick County for 29 years. Prior to his residency in the county, he grew up in nearby Poolesville, MD. O'Rangers earned his locksmith accreditation at the American Center for Locksmith Training, an affiliate of Keyman Lock & Safe, in Ogden, UT. In addition to his locksmith training, he has over 10 years of experience in the repair and refurbishment of cell phones, tablets, and consumer electronics. He is also a licensed Amateur Radio operator, call sign KB3ZXO. O'Rangers earned his BS degree in 1995 from Towson University in Towson, MD and an MBA in 2012 from Mount St. Mary's University in Emmitsburg, MD. He is a graduate of St. John's Catholic Prep, Class of 1990, and St. John's Regional Catholic School, class of 1986.

How to correct a boneheaded move thanks to Yours Truly being a bonehead.Changed the oil on one of the vehicles. Everythi...
01/18/2025

How to correct a boneheaded move thanks to Yours Truly being a bonehead.

Changed the oil on one of the vehicles. Everything was all filled up and looking good, then as I dumped the old oil into a jug, OH NO! At the bottom of the drain pan was the crush washer. Forgot to put it back on.

Here's what you do:

-Take off the oil filler cap and put a Shop-Vac in the hole.
-Turn on the vac
-Take out the plug and put a washer on, tighten is back up.

The oil will not come out.

2010 Honda CR-V Remote Head Keys$150. Includes key, cutting, and programming to your vehicle
11/19/2024

2010 Honda CR-V Remote Head Keys

$150. Includes key, cutting, and programming to your vehicle

11/15/2024

Just a quick note that we're open normal business hours today.

Thank you for your flexibility yesterday!!

Francis' Keys will be closed on Thursday November 14, 2024Thank you
11/12/2024

Francis' Keys will be closed on Thursday November 14, 2024

Thank you

Some tips and tricks from our friends at CDC Cellular Repair Services, LLCHow to rip vinyl into mp3 or comparable format...
11/02/2024

Some tips and tricks from our friends at CDC Cellular Repair Services, LLC

How to rip vinyl into mp3 or comparable formats

How to transfer vinyl records into mp3s or similar digital formats

It's fairly easy but can get more detailed once you get into cutting and editing. But in a nutshell here's how you do it:

You need a turntable obviously. A decent quality one is really kind of mandatory. They sell some units nowadays by Ion and a few others that have USB output, and I guess they'll get the job done, but I find they're not that great. In my case I used a Technics Linear Tracking unit that I've owned for over 30 years. Excellent for this purpose as it plays the LP as it was cut and just doesn't mistrack.

If you use a USB turntable, they have a preamp built in which is convenient. But remember they're built to a price point and have questionable quality both in the preamp itself and the cartridge/needle. My turntable is a much higher end unit with a good quality Audio Technica cartridge. It does get a demerit for being a T4P/P-Mount style, which was a type of cartridge that works terrific, but in the audiophile world they hate them. They were a simple plug-in format that the audiophiles dislike. I've always found them to be fine except for one problem: Limited choices. Stereo cartridges range in ability and more expensive ones give you greater sound quality. The TP4 never really developed really super high end cartridges, but for most people they're more than enough.

There are 3 types of stereo cartridges: Ceramic, Magnetic, and Moving Coil. Ceramic is the lowest grade, produce the least desirable sound quality, and tend to be hard on records. They're found in portable and inexpensive kids players and typically have low-grade sapphire styli (needle).

Magnetic is the most prevalent and they range from OK to super high end. Most better turntables either come with a pre-matched magnetic cartridge or you buy one separately. Most cartridges work well with specific tonearms and poorly with others. You have to know the specs of your turntable and tonearm and buy a cartridge designed to work with that type of turntable. Just because it's a $2,000 high end cartridge does NOT mean it will sound good with your deck.

Also, in most cases even when you find the right match for your turntable, they're not plug and play. They have to be installed and aligned properly. A good audio dealer knows how to do this and can do it for you if it's not something you want to deal with. The T4P does shine in this area because it's a plug and play, so you don't typically need any alignment tools and so forth. But even with those, you still should choose the best cartridge that your deck will take.

Moving Coil is the ultra-high end and just forget about them unless you're wealthy and have stupid money. Yes they produce the highest grade sound there is, but they ought to. You could easily drop $10,000 on one of those. So don't even think about it, especially for ripping vinyl.

Now I mentioned the preamp in the USB turntables. This is probably the MOST important thing to know. Ceramic cartridges are the worst IMO but they do have one attribute: High output so they require no preamplification. Magnetic and Moving Coil require preamplification because they have low output. In the case of Moving Coil, they're REALLY low output and your preamplifier needs to be capable of handling one.

So in my setup I have the Technics Linear Tracker plugged in to an old Harman/Kardon stereo receiver through the phono input. Why the phono input? It is preamplifed! So it upconverts the low output of that magnetic cartridge to a useable line level signal. From there I have an L-R RCA to 3/8" stereo headphone jack. The latter is plugged into the line in port on the sound card of the computer, and the former (RCA) is plugged into the tape out jacks. The blue colored one is line in. You want to use line in and not speaker level, trust me, that's how it's done.

From there you just play your LP and use Audacity or one of the comparable audio recording apps and make a recording. You're basically done. You can then, if you want, edit the recording to make clips and so forth, the choice is up to you.

Two final notes on line-in. I don't know about Mac but in Windows, the line-in connection is switched off by default. Go to Settings>type in "Control Panel">select sound>select speakers>scroll down to line-in and switch to on. Also, make sure to disconnect any other audio-in devices like video cameras and microphones. They tend to turn on when you start recording and screw up your cut.

And THAT, ladies and gentleman, is how you do that!

Have fun!

10/31/2024

Happy Halloween!

GM Flip Keys starting at $110 (in-house price only, mobile visit additional charge)
10/31/2024

GM Flip Keys starting at $110 (in-house price only, mobile visit additional charge)

Check out my blog post https://wix.to/kGU5Qgd
10/10/2024

Check out my blog post https://wix.to/kGU5Qgd

Now open in Frederick, MD. Francis' Keys (www.franciscarkeys.com) is your full-service automobile locksmith. Key fobs replacement, car keys, vehicle lockouts and more.Fully Licensed in the State of Maryland, license number 601. Insured, criminal background check passed.(301) 682-1639; john@francisca...

Find us on Frederick.com
10/03/2024

Find us on Frederick.com

Frederick County home and garden services, home improvement, bathrooms, kitchens, home repair, repair, frederick maryland.

09/30/2024

Key Fob Replacement

//wix.to/a7XfuJR

09/26/2024

Honda Remote Head Keys Starting at $150

Toyota Key Fobs starting at $249
09/26/2024

Toyota Key Fobs starting at $249

Francis' Keys is Frederick, MD's full-service automotive locksmith. We specialize in new car keys, remotes, and lockouts. 5716 Industry Lane, Suite E, Frederick, MD 21704. (301) 682-1639. Maryland License ://www.franciscarkeys.com

09/25/2024

Important note:

Toyota has been going full Apple on us and pressuring the programmer manufacturers to eliminate the "All Keys Lost" programming ability. It's affecting Toyota, Chrysler, GM, and Nissan vehicles.

The programmers affected right now are the Autel units and the prediction is that Auto Pro Pad may follow. The good news is that here at Francis' Keys, we're connected to the best people in the business that have steered us around this issue. As it stands now, our programming equipment is not affected by this problem.

Stay tuned for developments

09/25/2024

Check out my blog post on SEO and backlinks

Address

5716 Industry Lane, Suite E
Frederick, MD
21704

Opening Hours

Tuesday 9:30am - 6pm
Wednesday 9:30am - 6pm
Thursday 9:30am - 6pm
Friday 9:30am - 6pm
Saturday 10am - 5pm

Telephone

+13016821639

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