Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!usc!henry.jpl.nasa.gov!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!gryphon!vector!telecom-gateway From: Kenneth_R_Jongsma@cup.portal.com Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: Re: Cellular Telephone Causes Airline Fire Alarm Message-ID: Date: 28 Aug 89 14:25:59 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Lines: 22 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 330, message 1 of 9 With regard to the question about why it is ok to use the public phones on an airplane and not your own cellular phone: The reason is that the public phones on airplanes are not cellular. There are multiple receiving stations on the ground, but I don't believe they do handoffs. In any case, that is beside the point. Whenever an electronic device is installed in an aircraft, extensive testing is done to make sure it does not interfere with any other device on the plane. Antenna location is critical, as is shielding. By using an unshielded transmitter in a "random" location, you open yourself up to interfering with all sorts of equipment critical to the safe operation of an aircraft. Even the thought of some guy whipping out his phone on the taxi in to the gate bothers me to no end. With traffic on the taxiways as busy as an expressway rush hour, I don't want anything to interfere with the flight crews communication with ground control or attention to detail. ken@cup.portal.com