cell phones in private planes, was CEO charged

John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:

>>> Pity cellphones still work fine in private aircraft and are extensively used in those.

>> No they aren't.

> Actually, they are. There's a system called Aircell which is an
> overlay on the regular cellular network using fewer towers with
> antennas pointing upward. It's quite popular on private jets and
> such. I also gather that if you're in a small plane flying at a few
> thousand feet, rather than 30,000 feet or more as in a commercial
> jet, you can use a regular cell phone and get away with it.

Yep, it works very well indeed and is extensively used in choppers etc too.

John Levine <johnl@iecc.com> wrote:

>>> Pity cellphones still work fine in private aircraft and are
>>> extensively used in those.
>>
>> No they aren't.
>
> Actually, they are. There's a system called Aircell which is an
> overlay on the regular cellular network using fewer towers with
> antennas pointing upward.

No it isn't. Aircell uses their own frequencies (3 MHz) that they won in
an FCC auction. Their equipment is not compatible with the regular cell
network, and it has been fully FAA certified to not interfere with
aircraft systems.

> It's quite popular on private jets and such. I also gather that if
> you're in a small plane flying at a few thousand feet, rather than
> 30,000 feet or more as in a commercial jet, you can use a regular cell
> phone and get away with it.

Yes, some get away with it, but I wouldn't call their use "extensive".
Most private pilots I know don't use their cell phones when flying.

"Larry" <noone@home.com> wrote:
>
> Luckily, my electronic calibration lab (aptly designated EAT) was
> equipped with my Heathkit HW-100 ham radio transceiver and had its own
> stablized power supply, sitting like a beacon in the darkness.
.. . .

> I found, on our favorite 3903 Khz SSB, some of my friends who got one of
> my other friends with a Charleston phone patch (interconnects ham radio
> with telephone lines) to come up on another frequency sos not to
> interrupt the chit chat. I ran ham radio phone patches to all the
> appropriate commands, many of whom would not believe us, at first, until
> one of the shoreside captains heard my captain's frustration and fixed
> that in a hurry.
>
> I suppose that could be called a "ham radio approach" to the Charleston
> Navy Base...(c;

Or maybe the non-Kosher "EAT HAM" approach...