Comments on: Banned on Japanese airplanes: Playing DS, using other similar devices http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/banned-on-japanese-airplanes-playing-ds-using-other-similar-devices/ Gadgets, gear and computer hardware. Mon, 30 Nov 2009 00:16:32 -0500 hourly 1 By: minilith http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/banned-on-japanese-airplanes-playing-ds-using-other-similar-devices/comment-page-1/#comment-464110 minilith Wed, 03 Oct 2007 18:53:22 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/banned-on-japanese-airplanes-playing-ds-using-other-similar-devices/#comment-464110 Aircraft use dedicated bands for communications. The only device which could even possibly potentially maybe influence a plane would be in the 800mhz area. If it were hella-powerful it might flood some of the comm links. But that's pretty far fetched. Aircraft take off and land around high power radar transmitters. They fly over areas with cell phone towers and megawatt-level TV broadcasts. They also have to deal with the possibility of an inadvertent cell phone in passenger luggage. And as such, all systems are tested and retested for reliability. Even if it did somehow mess with something (which it would NOT) Modern aircraft have very good backup systems. Communications are on VHF, UHF, Satellite and have multiple transceivers. Navigation has inertial navigation systems, radar altimeters, optical altimeters, barometric altimeters, radar-based collision avoidance, GPS, and backup systems. I've never heard of an aircraft being imperiled by a low-power consumer device. There's a remote possibility that if it were a crazy-powerful device, then maybe it could cause problems. But this is ridiculous. Aircraft use dedicated bands for communications. The only device which could even possibly potentially maybe influence a plane would be in the 800mhz area. If it were hella-powerful it might flood some of the comm links. But that’s pretty far fetched.

Aircraft take off and land around high power radar transmitters. They fly over areas with cell phone towers and megawatt-level TV broadcasts. They also have to deal with the possibility of an inadvertent cell phone in passenger luggage. And as such, all systems are tested and retested for reliability.

Even if it did somehow mess with something (which it would NOT) Modern aircraft have very good backup systems. Communications are on VHF, UHF, Satellite and have multiple transceivers. Navigation has inertial navigation systems, radar altimeters, optical altimeters, barometric altimeters, radar-based collision avoidance, GPS, and backup systems.

I’ve never heard of an aircraft being imperiled by a low-power consumer device. There’s a remote possibility that if it were a crazy-powerful device, then maybe it could cause problems. But this is ridiculous.

]]> By: Matt http://www.crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/banned-on-japanese-airplanes-playing-ds-using-other-similar-devices/comment-page-1/#comment-462602 Matt Wed, 03 Oct 2007 00:45:41 +0000 http://crunchgear.com/2007/10/02/banned-on-japanese-airplanes-playing-ds-using-other-similar-devices/#comment-462602 Isn't like all the equipment on an airplane shielded anyways? I think MythBusters tried something like this, using cell phones (of almost all the normal cell frequencies) on a small plane, and nothing happened. Isn’t like all the equipment on an airplane shielded anyways?

I think MythBusters tried something like this, using cell phones (of almost all the normal cell frequencies) on a small plane, and nothing happened.

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