Why dont phones work on airplanes?

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

This was brought up in a thread today and me and a buddy had a discussion on it

Cell phones work off satelites, arnt you therefore closer to the satelite and in less frequency disturbance in the air. So is it the speed that ruins the signal? Does the airplane itself have equipement that purposely blocks signals? If the later is true if you could theoreticalLy float in the air at 20,000 feet would you get a signal?*

[k13]

Lot of hospitals your phone won't work either.

[benjy]

Satellite phones work off of satellites. Cell phones use cell towers.

Different animals.

[wtt0315]

i think the signals have to go to the towers first which is on the ground

[UntilTheNDofTimE]

i think the signals have to go to the towers first which is on the ground

So its a distance thing?

[FourLengthsClear]

Your cellphone sends and receives radio signals to/from a ground based transmitter base station. Even they do not communicate with satellites, they are connected to the landline network.

[Kindred]

Satellite phones work off of satellites. Cell phones use cell towers.

Different animals.

hint..your iphone isn't a satellite phone

[FourLengthsClear]

So its a distance thing?

Usually, yes.
Sometimes you can get a signal.

[UNCGQ]

Um, your cell phone works off a tower, not a satellite (yes, I'm aware some do).

1) Cell phone towers do not give off signal 'omni-directionally' (uniformly in all directions in a plane). I.e. very, very little signal from a cell tower goes 'vertically'.

2) Planes (most of the ones most people travel on) travel at hundreds of miles per hour. So, the chances you're over a tower for long enough to be 'in range' is very small (even if the signal went "up").

3) The aluminum alloy that planes are made of acts as a shield against RF waves.

I've seen times when a signal will pop up on mine for brief periods, but the chances of completing a successful call are slim to none.

[seaborneq]

There were plenty of calls during 911 attacks. Other than that it seems like the planes electronics supersede any phone waves.

[SportsMushroom]

how can you not know this? its very common knowledge that phones work off cell towers



there is a reason that there are phones called satellite phones, and that reason is because they rest of the phones arent

[NYSportsGuy210]

Also your not supposed to use cell phone I think because it could potentially block wave signals coming into the plane used for directions or something like that. It's to protect the plane from losing contact with tower control I thought

My smart phone has an airplane mode so I dunno. What does that even do?

[SportsMushroom]

Also your not supposed to use cell phone I think because it could potentially block wave signals coming into the plane used for directions or something like that. It's to protect the plane from losing contact with tower control I thought

My smart phone has an airplane mode so I dunno. What does that even do?

yes, anyone who has ever gotten on a plane knows that they should have their phones turned off, because cell phone signals can affect the plane's electronic systems

that guy that posted that he gets a signal mid flight must be stupid or have a death wish, I feel worse traveling knowing there are people like that flying on the same plane that dont have the common sense to take the simplest of safety measures

[EddieMush]

There were plenty of calls during 911 attacks. Other than that it seems like the planes electronics supersede any phone waves.

Most planes have phones it the back of seats that you can swipe A CC and make calls.

I doubt any calls were made from cell phones