First Cellphone Use On Airplane Given OK 305
s31523 writes "With over 1 billion cell phone users worldwide, and with so many business travelers, using the cell phone on the airplane has been a recent hot topic. Emirate airlines is announcing they will give the OK for cell phone use on their planes, making them the first airline to do so. The FCC and FAA still ban the use, but are working to determine safety implications, if any."
Anybody Try to use one on a plane? (Score:2, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Shouldn't be a problem, all the people hijacked on 9/11 were making calls with their cellphones, wasn't a problem for them.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
He mentioned he got a cease-and-desist-please letter from his provider, because his phone being in contact with so many cells at once was causing their network to shit itself.
As mentioned above - the problem is that, unlike wifi, the cellphone is designed to hand off sea
Re: (Score:2, Informative)
How else did you think the Airfone operator got hold of the recordings we've all been able to hear? You think the mother of Mark Bingham had a recording device ready just in case her son's plane would be hijacked and afterwards gave the recordings to Airf
Lying airlines (Anybody Try to use one ...) (Score:3, Insightful)
These concerns are between the cell-phone users and their service-providers. Governments and airlines need not interfere. The etiquette (or lack thereof) of chatting for hours is similar.
Airlines and the governments have been lying through their teethes to us on this and other matters [economist.com] for a long time... It is good thing, someone is finally breaking ranks:
To those confused (Score:5, Insightful)
That is all class.
Re:To those confused (Score:5, Insightful)
OK, I won't have a firearm, but I am large, strong, and will have become extremely psychotic.
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
"If yakking on his phone for 5 hours he is, yak at you for 5 hours he will not."
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
"If yakking on his phone for 5 hours he is, yak at you for 5 hours he will not."
To quote Frankie Vallie:
"Silence Is Golden".
Re: (Score:2, Insightful)
Amen to that - I've done a number of bus trips up and down the east coast of Australia, and you always get some jackass who talk at top volume on their mobiles for hours. Worse is 2 or more people, competing to talk over their neighbour as they infer that what they hear is what the person on the end of the mobile hears. Absolutely frustrating, and thats just in a cabin with
Re: (Score:2)
Anyone ever figured out why people talk louder on cellphones? Are they actually talking louder, or is it just a perception we have? Is it because on of their ears isn't available to hear back their loud talking so they compensate? A J. Seinfeld would say, "What's the deal?"
Re:To those confused (Score:5, Interesting)
Anyone ever figured out why people talk louder on cellphones? Are they actually talking louder, or is it just a perception we have? Is it because on of their ears isn't available to hear back their loud talking so they compensate? A J. Seinfeld would say, "What's the deal?"
Basically, it comes down to this: if they're speaking above a normal conversational tone on a cell, then they're unthinking fools who can't adjust to lack of sidetone because they're too stupid to realize it's not there. The world is full of unthinking fools.
Re: (Score:2)
Your only defense will be noise-cancelling earphones. It's not clear whether society has figured out all the rules of propriety when using a cell phone.
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Your only defense will be noise-cancelling earphones. It's not clear whether society has figured out all the rules of propriety when using a cell phone.
Noise-canceling headphones only work with steady-state noise, such as the low drone of the aircraft as it flies. It can't do squat about someone's voice.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Perhaps my comment is best viewed with a sense of humor... It was intended to convey displeasure, hopefully to not actually predict the future.
/F
Re:To those confused (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Earplugs won't work... (Score:3, Insightful)
People need to make two changes to their behavior in order to resolve this:
1: Be conscious of what effect your cell phone conversations, etc. are having on others, and be reasonable. Be courteous to them, and maybe don't talk on your phone in a crowded space.
2: If someone else is annoying you, confront them about it, but be polite. Getting them angry won't solve the proble
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
I would never dream of holding a loud phone conversation in a quiet restaurant, or recklessly endangering people by using one while driving, or holding up a store queue by answering my phone while at a counter, or leaving the ringer on during a symphony or an exam because "my calls are important".
Yet I have seen all these things ha
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
The other issue ... (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Put your GSM phone under a CRT monitor and watch what happens ...
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Even trying I can't create as much interference as they do.
ratatattat tat tat tat tat
just before a call comes in or whenever you switch between cells (while I'm listening to 1530 AM). Same phone will actually bounce my 22" CRT when a call is coming in. Quite disturbing. Only reason I have it is it's a free everything +GPS as provided by my employer.
-nB
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
But please, go ahead and call em up and make SURE this is correct (I no longer sell cellphones, thankgod, and thus am slightly outta the loop)
Re: (Score:2)
I wasn't sure I believed either of the parents, so I just tried it myself. AM/FM makes no difference. when a cell phone was held near a radio (near the antenna, near the speaker and touching antenna to antenna) in the standby mode, while dialing, while connected or while receiving a call, nothing happened on the radio. Not a single bit of noise or static. Does this "noise" spoken of only occur when the cell phone drops to analog mode?
It happens when the phone is checking in with the tower - not all the time. I've seen this happen a lot in meetings in conference rooms where there is a speaker phone - the speaker phone doesn't have to be on. Lay a GSM on the table within a couple of feet of the speaker phone. From time to time, I would some noise coming from the speaker. Sometimes it means someone's phone is about to ring.
I did not have this problem before switching to GSM.
I hear the same distinct noise on my TV sometimes when my phone
Re: (Score:3, Insightful)
Here's an article from the IEEE Spectrum: http://www.spectrum.ieee.org/mar06/3069 [ieee.org].
Re: (Score:2, Funny)
Next problem: how to deal with a hundred foot tall cell tower sticking out of the top of the plane.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Good post, but may be a moot point with current cellphone technology.
My frequently faulty memory tells me that somewhere -- probably here on slashdot -- in the last year or so there is a link to an article about a test of cell phones on aircraft in flight. At low altitude the cell phone worked fine. At higher altitudes -- above a few thousand feet -- connections were not so good.
Here's a link to an article (not the one I had in mind) about some 2003 tests in the vicinity of London, Ontario using sever
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Some people!
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Good news for Bose (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Good news for Bose (Score:4, Informative)
Re: (Score:2)
However, actual physical realities come into play, and as I understand it, active noise cancellation simply isn't that good, yet.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Keep the ban for the sake of quiet (Score:5, Insightful)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
As for the subway being a safe haven from blathering idiots, I would say that there are pleanty of them with out celphones, including cell reception would not change much. Then again, I do live near the arse end of the 7 and probably am just used to people being on their cells anyway...
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What planet are you on? Here's a replay of my last flight:
WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!
This is why I *always* bring earplugs. They help, mostly. Personally, I'd *much* rather listen to cellphone chatter than high-pitched informationless shrieking.
--Rob
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
How do you know those babies arent trying to communicate something about the bad airline food, the moran pushing/kicking on the back of the seat, someone's B.O./fart wafting through the cabin, etc.
If flying wasn't bad enough (Score:5, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2, Interesting)
Considering the way. . . (Score:3, Funny)
Oh, you meant the passengers. I'll pass. I really don't need to have an entire flight filled with, "Guess where I'm at! Yeah, it's great! I can finally use my phone to call you from somewhere over [insert country/state/territory/ocean/whatever]. So how are things going? You get that urine problem taken care of."
Re:Considering the way. . . (Score:4, Insightful)
- Pay a huge premium for the privilege of using the plane's cell, or
- Pay a huge premium for using the phone installed in your seat.
Either way, it's likely to be so expensive that only real idiots would use it just to say "Hello! I'm on the plane!" I've flown quite a lot this year, and I don't think anyone used the in-seat phones on any flight I was on.Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
What a scam! The airline could leave the local cell on after the plane is on the ground. Last flight I was on, at least a third of the passengers pulled out a cellphone to let their family/friends/corporate masters know that they were about to exit the aircraft. Think of the money the airline can make!
--Rob
Counting down... (Score:2)
Can you imagine trying to endure a long flight seated next to one of those insecure, nonstop-talking, loudmouth cell-junkies?
Re:Counting down... (Score:5, Funny)
No, I see no passengers being bothered by this.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
Let's hope at some point airlines and our security apparatus will try to improve the airline travel experience.
Enabling cellphone use on airliners ain't it.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
We switched drivers - after about forty minutes and two warnings - the new driver kicked him off the bus to general acclaim.
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
So I've already had my pad
Re: (Score:2)
I was testing some wifi equipment outdoors a couple days ago and someone came walking along the area, talking on a cell phone. We were out in the open along a roadway and an empty field, and I could hear every word he was saying clearly from 150 feet away (he walked along my test range with it's convenient measurement markers). If someone were talking that loud in an airplane seat next to me and I didn't have ear protection
Health and safety issues (Score:5, Funny)
Re:Health and safety issues (Score:4, Interesting)
Re:Health and safety issues (Score:4, Funny)
Re: (Score:2)
Hmmmmmmm....
Now I get why phone are always getting smaller....
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
>in to is the effect a cell phone has on a trachea
>when forcefully inserted
Trachea?
Brett
Does it mean... (Score:5, Funny)
Issues are technical, not just regulatory (Score:5, Informative)
From what I understand, cellphones work by associating themselves with "cells" of coverage. The closer they are, the less power they use, and so on. When the user moves cells, the network switches them over to the new cell.
From the air, a cellphone will see many, many different cells as being equally good. It will also have to switch across cells much faster than normal. Without the plane itself acting as a roving cell tower for the occupants, it seems to me that this would cause a lot of problems. Not only will all the cellphones be transmitting at full power, but the network will potentially have to handle many many more switches cell to cell, and faster than normal. There's evidence of this from TFA when it said some upscale, long-haul airlines are installing equipment onboard that will allow for cell phone use.
I'd love to hear from anyone in the business that could shed more light on these technical issues, and whether they are as big of a problem as I suspect if airlines were to just say "Sure! Use your phone!"
Re: (Score:2)
Re:Issues are technical, not just regulatory (Score:4, Informative)
The cell in the plane will communicate with a base station somewhere, probably via LEO satellites, without interacting with the rest of the phone network. Once the call reaches the ground, it will be routed accordingly. Equipment for the second part (getting the calls to the ground) is already in many planes for the phones you will find built into seats. The only difference is that now you can pay a lot to use your own handset, instead of theirs.
Re: (Score:2)
Airlines generally charge a lot of money to use those phones, which raises an interesting possibility... Since the airlines own the onboard cell, could they tack on a hefty toll/surcharge (buck or two a minute) for using it? I'd actually favor that, because it would have the effect of preventing everybody from gabbing all flight long, while still opening an avenue for peop
Re: (Score:2)
What planet did I wake up to?
Re: (Score:2)
Time of the loud mouth jackass begins in the air (Score:2, Funny)
Perhaps we can convince the airlines to make the engine noise louder to drown them out.
Re: (Score:2)
Cellphones don't endanger planes. (Score:5, Interesting)
This "Cellphones in Airplanes" type of article appears periodically in /. and every time I have to rise from my grave to correct the false speculation about cellphones interfering with avionics.
Cellphones do not cause aircraft to crash and burn! There. Thank you.
Here's my longer explanation for those interested: Avionics ABC [slashdot.org]
Airlines offering the use of GSM cellphone services equip the cabin with a basestation similar to one used RF-secure buildings and underground facilities. It will handle all the calls within the cabin and connect to the phone network via satellite datalink. It's all compatible, safe and tested method that has been used for years now on business jets.
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Informative)
Re:Cellphones don't endanger planes. (Score:4, Informative)
I'll address this again then.
The study says there is an 'increased risk', 'higher than was previously thought'. What they did, was find that more often than thought before people's cellphones were on during critical parts of flights. They also found that laptop wifi and bluetooth were emitting RF. All they actually did was log the spectrum from these emissions on some flights. That is all their research found.
Now, what they imply is that this is somehow more significantly dangerous then we previouly thought. My essay [slashdot.org] I think covered most of the things why this is not so dangerous.
However I want to stress here the fact that any potential emissions from consumer RF-devices in the cabin will have a hard time competing with all the structures and shielding between the device and the antenna outside the aircraft or inside in the avionics bay. And no such device can dream of competing the awesome power of the spectrum from a fairly common natural sources, such as static build-up and lightning, under which such avionics have to perform on a daily basis.
And if people are already leaving their cellphones and laptops on during flights by accident, where's the harm in allowing them to use them during flights in a controlled and tested environment. This might actually help people remember to turn them off more often during takeoffs and landings.
Bring back separate sections... (Score:3, Insightful)
The Problem with Microwave Band Signals... (Score:2, Troll)
Re: (Score:2)
Next you have places like hospitals that demand that you turn your cell phone off because the signal between it and the cell tower may disrupt hospital equipment, pace makers and the like. There are some examples from the past that illustrate this but they were most probably from the era of analogue cell phones which had stronger signals and *may* have interfered with someone's pace maker or some hospital equipment at some point in some unusual circumstances. On the other side of the argument you have the people who are in love with their mobile devices and are livid that they have to turn them off in hospitals. You hear a lot of them complain about how the doctors happily use WiFi tablets and other microwave devices and yet they forbid cell phones.
The last time I had a fever I had a digital thermometer sitting next to me on my bed, and I happened to have my cell phone sitting next to it. I noticed that just before I received a text message on my phone, the thermometer would basically freak out. It would make weird noises, light up, and the LCD segments would randomly darken and light up. It seems pretty easy to believe there could be some truth to cell phones interfering with medical equipment.
I've also noticed that when I'm in my car and the s
Oh the humanity! (Score:2, Funny)
Assuming that your definition of peace and quiet includes high-volume white noise and even higher-volume crying babies.
New reality show (Score:4, Funny)
Aluminum-Tube Deathmatch at 36,000 Feet!
Premiering this July on SPIKE TV!"
First you will hear this really stupid tune (Score:5, Funny)
What about other electronics? (Score:3, Interesting)
I don't care about being able to use my cellphone, but can I please use other electronics on the airplane?
I'd love to listen to my iPod for the entirety of my flight, not just the half hour between reaching cruising altitude and beginning descent. Ideally I could put the earbuds in when I sit down and keep them while we taxi, fly, taxi, deboard, and collect our luggage. The flight attendents would treat me as a terrorist if I did that now.
Next year's blockbuster (Score:2, Funny)
Not exactly news, but CNN thinks so (Score:5, Informative)
First airline? (Score:2)
Or is it something that certain government wants us to belive?
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:2)
Re: (Score:3, Funny)
Re: (Score:3, Interesting)
No.
All I am expressing is that there are people that need to be able to be reached anytime, anywhere, and that the statement "Nobody is so important they can't be unreachable for a few hours." is completely false in the modern world.
Re: (Score:2)
Re:I'll be happy when they allow 'other' things (Score:4, Funny)
Most airlines provide this on long-hauls. It's called First Class.
I also wish they would allow you to have sex on an airplane. Might not be for all Slashdotters, but as a frequent member of the High Mile Club,...
Beating off in the head doesn't get you into the Mile High Club.
Re: (Score:3, Informative)