Using Bluetooth technology in-flight
 

I haven't seen this addressed (yes I did do a search!):

I purchased a state-of-the-art GlobalSat Bluetooth Audio transmitter/receiver Bundle, enabling me to connect my headphones to a tiny portable receiver with and equally tiny portable transmitter cnnected to my iPod (or the inflight audio system). This enables me to potentially walk around the cabin listening to my iPod remaining safely in the i.e. seat pocket. the technology permits connection from 10 - 100 meters and penetrates all but a few solids.

The question is: are there rules guiding non-cell phone wireless technology in-flight? I have seen many paxes use the in-ear bluetooth device during flight (given away by the blue blinking light) and I (and probably many others) are using their infra-red remote to their PC/video player. I would also be astonished if some did not use a bluetooth connected mouse when working on their PC. But does that mean I can go to the lavaory (close to the cockpit by the way), and keep receiving my music via bluetooth?

Thus, does anybody know any reference to "do's and don'ts" regarding this rapidly advancing, physically shrinking technology?

I don't pay that much attention but on UA I believe they announce that ALL transmitters are prohibited in flight, including Wi-Fi and bluetooth.

You are assigned about three square feet of space on an airplane. Why would you need to use a remote control?
Also, the rule on AA (and I suspect others) is that "you may use devices with wireless technology as long as the wireless feature may be turned off." I take this to include cellular technology, wifi, bluetooth, zigbee, etc etc etc.

On a lot of devices (e.g., portable DVD players) the remote has buttons that the device itself doesn't have (or can only be reached by going through multiple menus) like fast forward/rewind; slow forward, etc.

My recollection of this announcement is actually to "cellular technology" rather than "wireless technology." If that's the case, then Bluetooth would seem to be allowed.

The max range of Bluetooth is so low that I cannot fathom how it could cause a problem. Of course, as evidenced by Boeing Connexion and inflight cell phone service coming to some airlines next year, neither do the things that are currently "prohibited."

I was talking to a guy a while back about the transmitter stuff and he said one concern about cell phone use is that because few cell phones work at 38,000 feet, or over vast expanses of the US while flying, some "experts" have tried to bump up the power, or range, or their cells, and that is what could cause problems and interference. Don't know if it is true but with some people so addicted to their electronics I can see it being an issue.

Bluetooth is not allowed, and even if it was I personally wouldnt be happy about it either considering my cellphone cant even play nice with my PS3(when the headset kicks in during a call my joypad gets messed up and sticks in the last positions for a few seconds), so who knows what it might interfere with 35k feet up there.

I think the intent of the "no radios" rule is clear. We can debate whether or not Bluetooth or WiFi, or GSM or CDMA "cellular" technology really causes problems. But it's just nitpicking IMHO to claim "my kind of radio device is ok because it wasn't specifically mentioned."

Until they change the rules, I assume that anything with any kind of a transmitter in it has to be off for the entire flight (or its radio function disabled in the case of some laptops, PDAs and smartphones). Excepting cellular (or "mobile" in the rest of the world) phones which can be turned on at touchdown.

My guess is that either the airline "announcement-writer" (whatever that job title is for the person who writes the standard announcements for the FAs - they aren't supposed to ad-lib), or the FAs themselves, are not as well versed as many of us FTers on the intricacies of different types of RF-emitting personal electronics. So they say "cellular technology" because they haven't been trained better, but they really mean "anything that transmits".

Just keep the darn thing off, m'kay?

Partially true I'd guess, but not from people actually modifying their cell phones. If anything, fewer and fewer people nowadays know a darn thing about how their electronics work. You don't have nearly as many amateur radio operators or other electronics hobbyists as in the days of yore.

What actually can happen, with both GSM (most of the world plus Cingular and T-Mobile USA), and CDMA (Verizon, Sprint, and some of Asia) technology is that the phone's transmit output is variable power. If it can't find a cell to connect to, it can raise its transmitter power to try harder. If it does find a cell but its signal into the cell is weak, the cell can command the handset to raise its transmit power.

The older analog and TDMA 1st-gen digital phones were dumber. They had a fixed transmit power (300 milliwatts if I recall). CDMA handsets I believe have a 300mw maximum but initially start out lower. GSM handsets I believe can transmit up to 1 watt power. (I'm talking about handsets, not carphones or bagphones where I think 3 Watts is still allowed).

A planefull of left-on mobiles all pumping out maximum transmit power trying to connect to a ground station would be putting out a lot more total RF than the same number of phones in a ground-based metal can like the same plane on the tarmac, or the same people and phones in a bus or a railcar.

I believe (sorry, don't have the cite) that some of the in-air mobile systems will be using a minicell in the plane itself, explicitly programmed to command the phones to use minimum power output.

I have heard announcements where they refer to any wireless device that can transmit or receive a signal. No AM/FM radio receivers. No GPS receivers. It has always baffled me why a receiver would be a problem. I have chalked it up to people making the rules who don't know the difference between tranmitting and receiving, but maybe I am the clueless one.

Although there have been some helpful suggestions and comments thus far, this is probably more a topic for the Travel Technology forum so I’m going to transfer the thread.
Please follow it at it’s new location.

Thanks.


______________________________

Cholula
Travel Safety/Security Forum Moderator

Most receivers use a local oscillator that's mixed with the incoming signal to produce an easier to work with signal. This local signal can be broadcast in the immediate area, so yes, receivers do actually transmit too.

AA makes reference to wireless technology, not cellular, wifi, or Bluetooth technology. It the wireless feature can't be disabled for in-flight use, the device can't be used in flight.

Yes it has been. I asked the same question myself a while back.

No it's not allowed.

:-)

/E

I thought this was dead in the water?