RE: Operations: where are you going to sit?

[John Fraizer <nanog () EnterZone Net>]

On Wed, 6 Dec 2000, Mark Radabaugh wrote:

> > For what it is worth, I believe that the use of cellphones in airplanes
> > is prohibited by the FCC, not by the FAA.  That is, the use of cellphones
> > in airplanes (in flight) adversely affects the cellphone system.  A
> > cellphone at a high altitude is visible in numerous cells, with conflicts
> > with the assumption that a cellphone will be heard (more or less) only
> > in one cell.
> >
> > Now, about the use of other radio receivers and transmitters in airplanes...
>
> And for what it's worth -- they don't work above ~3000 feet.  I assume this is
> due to the design of the cell site antenna.   Not that I ever tried it in a
> private plane or anything...
>
> Mark Radabaugh
> (419)833-3635
> mark () amplex net


They work very well above 3000ft as long as you and the cell site that
sees you are in agreement.

This brings to mind something from WAY back.  When I got out of the Marine
Corps, I flew home to VA.  When we hit pattern elevation, I used my ICOM
2M geer (previously cleared with the Airline) to bring up the auto-patch
and telephone my parents to tell them I was en-route to VA.  My HT was
using a whopping 500mw of power.  Granted, I was probably being heard (on
my TX freq) US wide, but, I happened to know a "control" freq that also
was used as an input freq to the WB4SQC (149.29MHz) repeater in Johnson
City, TN and as such, I wasn't worried about causing problems.




---
John Fraizer
EnterZone, Inc