Proxmark3 community

zeppi

Contributor

Registered: 2021-03-07

Posts: 36

Why do UL -C or EV1 cards only work -under- PM3? Why is PM3 so "flaky"

I realized that all Ultralight cards I have seen to far (be it UL-C, EL EV1 1101 or EV1 2101) are only read by my PM3 if I put them UNDER the device, so that the card actually is overlapped by roughly half of the PM3 logic board. Other HF cards do not really like that, but the UL cards only work this way with my PM3?

Intuitively one might think that this way the card is barely covered by the default HF antenna. Weird.

Is that normal für UL cards with PM3?

(BTW, no such strange behavior with a SL3711 reader, it always reads the cards that the PM3 has some difficulties with, actually I found no card that it does not read) The SL3711 is a much much cheaper device (roughly one tenth of the RDV4.01 price). Why is PM3 so difficult to detect the cards, while "commercial" dongles just read them without problems?

iceman

Administrator

Registered: 2013-04-25

Posts: 9,538

Website

Re: Why do UL -C or EV1 cards only work -under- PM3? Why is PM3 so "flaky"

you need some distance between tag and antenna when it comes to 14A.   Usually 1-2cm, 
I tend to use a post-it block. 

Since the Proxmark3 can read/write/simulate/sniff  then antennas usually are designed for each one of those purposes.
Pm3 tries to do all with one.   Hence you get some quirks but once you know them,  then you don't think more of it.

zeppi

Contributor

Registered: 2021-03-07

Posts: 36

Re: Why do UL -C or EV1 cards only work -under- PM3? Why is PM3 so "flaky"

Thanks understood, still the SL3711 seems to be better at this, at least reading and writing. Haven't tried simulating and sniffing with that dongle.