I can do this...as long as there aren’t any pipes in the way.
I use bent hangers and I agree with you. Pipes throw the whole thing off.
I didn’t think anything of it when the water company guy taught me... until I tried to teach my daughter. My son can do it, but my daughter is a complete dud. It’s actually freaky to me that the wires *don’t* cross for her.
After more than a decade, she still gets nothing.