Cell phones on GA aircraft

Modern GSM phones don't seem to get any coverage at altitude. When I
had my CDMA phone I could send emails when I flow over populated areas.
Now, nothing.

-Robert


Mxsmanic wrote:
I know the FCC says you're not supposed to use cell phones on an
aircraft (even though recent studies show that such use does not
overload multiple base stations, as the FCC originally feared).
However, has anyone tried it on small aircraft? There is some concern
about cell phones interfering with avionics on commercial airliners
(the jury is still out for most scenarios), but I don't know if the
phones make any difference on a small plane. I suppose it depends on
how much of a glass cockpit you have. Will anyone admit to using
phones on a GA aircraft?

--
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"Robert M. Gary" wrote in
oups.com:

Modern GSM phones don't seem to get any coverage at altitude. When I
had my CDMA phone I could send emails when I flow over populated areas.
Now, nothing.

-Robert



You don't have to go very high to be "at altitude" to not receive a
cell phone signal. Two years ago on July 4 at the top of the Stratosphere
tower in Las Vegas, I overheard several people remarkng how their cell
phones had roamed to analog to connect. My phone is CDMA and was not able
to pick up a digital signal, either on network or digital roaming while
analog roaming gave a solid signal. Excellent digital signal at ground
level.

--
Marty Shapiro
Silicon Rallye Inc.

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