Fight the mobile phone invasion at 30,000ft

Financial Times ^ | 3/28/2006 | Jagdish Bhagwati

[LiberationIT]

The plan includes putting a small base station on board that communicates to the ground. See http://money.cnn.com/2004/12/09/technology/personaltech/cellphones_inflight/ for more.

The money quote "In July, American Airlines and cell phone maker Qualcomm held a demonstration in which in-cabin calls were made using commercially available cell phones through a small cellular base on board that connected to worldwide terrestrial phone networks."

[MineralMan]

These days, I'm more annoyed by people using the "walkie-talkie" features on their cell phones in public. Now, I have to listen to BOTH sides of the stupid conversation.

Ring Tone

Yeah?
Where are you?
I'm at Home Depot.
Could you pick up a gallon of milk?
Aww...Jeez...
Well, we're out, and the kids won't have any breakfast.
Crap! All right. What's for dinner?
Meat Loaf.
Man....didn't we just have that?
You like meat loaf.
Sure...but not every other night.
So...you won't forget the milk?
{sarcastic voice) No....I won't forget the [bleeping] milk.

[steve-b]

The real problem is that cell phones (if they can pick up a signal at all) are connecting to dozens of towers with about the same signal strength. This tends to screw up the cell network's system for routing calls.

Putting a cell station on the plane itself would fix that.

[null and void]

LOVE IT!

[stuartcr]

How do you cross large bodies of water?

[kerryusama04]

I'm guessing the directv is line of sight EHF on a 3 ais motor in a dome. We do lose it when we do circles. At any rate, when I accidentally leave my cell on during flight, my emal and voicemails pop up around 5K. Another guess is that I am picking up a tower really far away and not the closest tower.

[stuartcr]

Are they expensive? What make and model? I would like to purchase one, but haven't found any locally.

[null and void]

Because FLT 93 wasn't at 30,000 ft., dummy.

(Some day I will read the replies before posting)...

[NaughtiusMaximus]

How do you cross large bodies of water

My old Lincoln is very, very special.

[stuartcr]

Why do they announce that it messes up the plane?

[stuartcr]

Must get incredible mileage too.

[Beagle8U]

"I have always wanted to see someone yank the phone from their hand, and throw it onto the floor and stomp it into a million pieces."

LOL...Just last month at a board meeting at my sportsman's club, I told those present that the next cell phone that rang, I would do exactly that.

That was after the 3rd. one in 5 min.'s.

Why the hell can't kids today just play on a CB radio, at least those would be out in their truck?

[glorgau]

Why do they announce that it messes up the plane?

Because it does. See Cell phone users undermine airplane safety, says study.
EETimes rocks.

[Doohickey]

Judging by the replies on this thread, the conservative principles of freedom and self-reliance are absolute unless it's inconvenient - but then it's only okay to stifle other people's freedoms.

I find grumpy babies and toddlers far more annoying than cell phones. Let's ban those from airplanes too.

[Smokin' Joe]

The smoking ban on all flights came along when the science behind the problem of secondary harm from smoking became well-established.

What a nitwit. The smoking ban came before the first snivel about "secondhand smoke" being a "health hazard", and the computer model used to "establish" alleged harm to anyone's health has yet to be substantiated. BOGUS!

[null and void]

*shrug* I ran the test myself. No signal at angels 30.

I found it very odd that our wonderful government banned cellphones on airplanes after 9/11, especially given that cell phones are the only thing that kept FTL 93 from wiping out, what?, the White House? Congress? the Supreme Court?

Very odd.

Anyway, as others have pointed out Beamer used the seat back phone (All also disabled after 9/11!) and the balance of the calls were made at lower altitude.

I come to FR because I learn things here. Often I learn by asking questions, sometimes by just watching. How about you?

[garyhope]

Don't get me started about noise. We live in an exceptionally noisy world. Many people don't even know what real silence or quiet is. Many don't want to know.

As an ex-musician, I'm surprised that I'm starting to hate music. It's everywhere. You can't get away from it. I ask in some "coffee bars" that they turn down or off the music. Sometimes they do it, but never low enough. I thought some places are for quiet, thinking and meditation.

If you think cell phones are problem on trains, you should ride a train in England, the problem there is worse. So much for British manners.

Then there are the train crossing horns near where I live. They are SO LOUD even at 4 AM. I don't know how anyone gets any sleep.

Then there are insane barking dogs with deaf owners.

Like I said, don't get me started. What's wrong with a little peace and quiet?

[Doohickey]

Wow. You're quite the...(never mind - I promised myself I'd be nicer).

[Huck]

I know what you mean. I used to ride a commuter train every day.

[stuartcr]

Why in the world, would they think about allowing them? Are they going to change the planes electronics, in order to support the cell phones usage?