[dcarmich]

Is it safe to use a PowerBook on an airplane with AirPort turned OFF?

--Douglas

[jessejlt]

Yes

[romeosc]

Originally posted by jessejlt:
Yes

I turn mine on after we reached altitude. The captain said it was okay to use airport & my wife & I shared files and updated our calendars in flight..... I know we could have used ethernet, but this was easier!

[melman101]

me too. on my way to Amsterdam, three of us all connected and rendezvous ichatted because our seats werent next to each other. Mel

[aleph_null]

insert joke about Airport and airplanes here.

[Oneota]

Originally posted by aleph_null:
insert joke about Airport and airplanes here.

Insert sarcastic comment about how joke wasn't funny.

[Drakino]

Wireless transmissions from any product that passed regulatory approval will not cause problems with airplanes. Hence, the regulatory approval.

The rules against cell phone usage on planes is more due to the havok it can wreck on the cell towers, and not the plane equipment. Because a jet flys so high and so fast, it causes unnecessary strain on the cell network as the system tries to keep up with the rapid change in towers. Airline phones use a different network, one built to deal with this issue. Hence the high cost of using those phones onboard an aircraft.

[Angus_D]

Originally posted by Drakino:
Airline phones use a different network, one built to deal with this issue. Hence the high cost of using those phones onboard an aircraft.

Don't they use satellites?

[hadocon]

Originally posted by Drakino:
Wireless transmissions from any product that passed regulatory approval will not cause problems with airplanes. Hence, the regulatory approval.

The rules against cell phone usage on planes is more due to the havok it can wreck on the cell towers, and not the plane equipment. Because a jet flys so high and so fast, it causes unnecessary strain on the cell network as the system tries to keep up with the rapid change in towers. Airline phones use a different network, one built to deal with this issue. Hence the high cost of using those phones onboard an aircraft.

Really? Where did you hear about this? Care to cite any sources?

[macgyvr64]

I've heard that, too. I think it's expensive for the cell towers to hand off calls to the next tower.

[kupan787]

Originally posted by macgyvr64:
I've heard that, too. I think it's expensive for the cell towers to hand off calls to the next tower.

What I heard was that the is really no issue at all, other than the fact that once you are at crusing altiude you wont be able to get a signal (I think it is once you are above 10,000 feet). The reason they say "no cells" is so they can charge you up the ass for making calls on their phones.

[hadocon]

Originally posted by kupan787:
The reason they say "no cells" is so they can charge you up the ass for making calls on their phones.

BA5TARD5!!!!

[mrmister]

"What I heard was that the is really no issue at all, other than the fact that once you are at crusing altiude you wont be able to get a signal (I think it is once you are above 10,000 feet). The reason they say "no cells" is so they can charge you up the ass for making calls on their phones."

Actually, this is untrue--cell towers actually get great reception up, and the problem is actually that your cell would lock onto multiple towers and generally put a lot of stress on the cellular network. They may be able to fix it in the future, but for now it is a real technical challenge.

[tooki]

Either way, 802.11 wireless is totally no problem: some airlines are installing access points in their cabins so they can sell overpriced internet access in-flight.

tooki

[Drakino]

Originally posted by hadocon:
Really? Where did you hear about this? Care to cite any sources?

The FCC. They are the main reason for cell phone bans on airplanes, not the FAA.

"The use of cellular telephones while this aircraft is airborne is prohibited by FCC rules, and the violation of this rule could result in suspension of service and/or a fine. The use of cellular telephones while this aircraft is on the ground is subject to FAA regulations."

And the site has this to say about a system in development by AirCell.
" is designed to avoid causing significant interference to terrestrial cellular systems."

Source

It's doubtful the cell networks have a hard time these days passing off a call to the next tower at rapid speeds, thanks to the advancement of computers. But, with new cell phones comes a new problem. Digital cell phones work off of using a certain frequency that is unique to any other cell phone that a tower sees. If your phone can see two towers with a decent signal strength, there is a good chance it will hold frequencies on both towers. Now, put a plane at 10,000 feet or higher, and there is a high probility that your phone will get a good enough signal from multiple towers at once, thus locking out a usable frequency for multiple people on the ground.

[bamchum]

This is neither here nor there, but Aer Lingus has got to be the worst airline ever for the use of electronics. They prohibit the use of all "laser-based" electronics in flight. No CD players, no watching DVDs.

I fly to and from Ireland quite a bit and I sometimes ask the flight attendants: "So, is my life in jeopardy when I fly on other airlines that let me play DVDs or is Aer Lingus just being arbitrary and capricious?"

I haven't tried ripping a DVD to my hard drive and playing it from there but I can imagine what it would be like to try to convince them that it wasn't laser-based.

[chabig]

Don't they use satellites?

Generally no. It's a ground based system.

Chris