pagers/rim in the cockpit?

[[email protected]]

dear experts---is it legal to use a pager and/or RIM blackberry device
in the cockpit, or has the FCC outlawed this, just like ordinary
cellphones, too?

I saw a website of some service (via
http://www.aspenleaf.com/palm/radar.html) that supposedly clips nexrad
images into pager messages that I could request from the air. there
are some other services that seem to use blackberries. are any of
these legal if used from the air? if not, this would be a very cheap
way to get basic weather into the cockpit.

of course, the aforementioned service no longer seems to have a
website, at least right now as I am writing this, but it is the
principle that is interesting here.

sincerely,

/iaw

[jmk]

Illegal in airlines. The RIM and other two-way pagers are "intentional
radiation" devices and are not permitted. [Cell phones also fall into
that category, and the plans for eventually allowing them include
"fake" cell towers to force them to minimize radiated power.

What you saw on the referenced web site uses a different system
(PalmNet) which is permitted (mostly because it is not specifically
illegal <G>) and is aimed at General Aviation. There are two issues:
FCC and FAA. The FCC blocks the older-style cell phone protocol from
airborne service. [The newer style simply won't work.] The FAA blocks
these RF Radiation devices from airlines (currently), but they are
permitted on a pilot-approved case-by-case basis for GA.

BTW, PalmNet was shut down last year and is no longer in service. A
lot of pilots used it for just what you mentioned, but it couldn't
compete with the commercial cell phone industry for terrestrial
service.