Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
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Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
Has anyone ever used a cellphone booster in their airplane?
Lets forget about the legal ramifications or STC requirements. I just want to know if a cell phone booster would allow me to work at FL180 - FL200. Thanks!
Lets forget about the legal ramifications or STC requirements. I just want to know if a cell phone booster would allow me to work at FL180 - FL200. Thanks!
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
I don't think such a thing exists. Sat phone seems to be the standard for people that want to make phone calls from an airplane. Alternatively you could try VOIP calls with some kind of wifi solution.
As an AvCanada discussion grows longer:
-the probability of 'entitlement' being mentioned, approaches 1
-one will be accused of using bad airmanship
-the probability of 'entitlement' being mentioned, approaches 1
-one will be accused of using bad airmanship
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Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
I mean they make cell phone boosters for cars, I don't see why it wouldn't work for an airplane.
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
There are wifi providers that work based off cell towers.Dronepiper wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:48 pm I mean they make cell phone boosters for cars, I don't see why it wouldn't work for an airplane.
For cellphone boosters in airplanes, I've been told the problem is the speed, and that the antennas on the towers are usually directed a bit more downward to service cars and houses, not objects in the sky. Data signals (probably 4G or LTE or something like that) generally require less bandwith.
As an AvCanada discussion grows longer:
-the probability of 'entitlement' being mentioned, approaches 1
-one will be accused of using bad airmanship
-the probability of 'entitlement' being mentioned, approaches 1
-one will be accused of using bad airmanship
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
Cellphones work by reusing a limited number of frequencies in non-adjacent cells. At altitude, a transciever will receive and transmit to/from several widely spaced cell towers on the same frequency, appearing to be in several cells at once, and therefore shut itself down.
That’s why cellphones work low down but not high up; it’s not a signal strength or speed problem, the problem is the range is too high. A booster will make things worse, not better.
That’s why cellphones work low down but not high up; it’s not a signal strength or speed problem, the problem is the range is too high. A booster will make things worse, not better.
Last edited by photofly on Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:11 pm, edited 3 times in total.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
Makes sense, thanks for the explanation!photofly wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:07 pm Cellphones work by reusing a limited range of frequencies in non-adjacent cells. At altitude, a transmitter will receive from several widely spaced cell towers on the same frequency, appearing to be in several cells at once, and therefore shut itself down.
That’s why cellphones work low down but not high up; it’s not a signal strength or speed problem. A booster will make things worse, not better.
As an AvCanada discussion grows longer:
-the probability of 'entitlement' being mentioned, approaches 1
-one will be accused of using bad airmanship
-the probability of 'entitlement' being mentioned, approaches 1
-one will be accused of using bad airmanship
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
At FL180 you’re still only 3-4 miles direct line of sight to the tower, in most areas. Cellphones automatically adjust their power to transmit a lot further than that in rural areas.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
So wouldn’t the exact same thing happen if you are right at the equidistant point between towers on the ground?photofly wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:07 pm Cellphones work by reusing a limited number of frequencies in non-adjacent cells. At altitude, a transciever will receive and transmit to/from several widely spaced cell towers on the same frequency, appearing to be in several cells at once, and therefore shut itself down.
That’s why cellphones work low down but not high up; it’s not a signal strength or speed problem, the problem is the range is too high. A booster will make things worse, not better.
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
Towers that border or have reception overlap, function on different frequencies. The problem photofly describes happens if those towers with the same frequency overlap.“Bob” wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:37 pmSo wouldn’t the exact same thing happen if you are right at the equidistant point between towers on the ground?photofly wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 3:07 pm Cellphones work by reusing a limited number of frequencies in non-adjacent cells. At altitude, a transciever will receive and transmit to/from several widely spaced cell towers on the same frequency, appearing to be in several cells at once, and therefore shut itself down.
That’s why cellphones work low down but not high up; it’s not a signal strength or speed problem, the problem is the range is too high. A booster will make things worse, not better.
It's a honeycomb pattern(-ish). Towers operating on the same frequency are spaced apart.
As an AvCanada discussion grows longer:
-the probability of 'entitlement' being mentioned, approaches 1
-one will be accused of using bad airmanship
-the probability of 'entitlement' being mentioned, approaches 1
-one will be accused of using bad airmanship
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
Laws would need to be changed, ya I know you stated "laws aside" but the basic governing law is that the handsets are not licensed for air to ground. Mobile phone manufactures won't support anything outside the licenses issued.
Back in the day before digital and all cell phones were analog (it was fun eavesdropping on phone calls with a scanner -pretty funny stuff) Back then if you took a phone airborne you actually could make long distance for calls for free. Seems analogue systems could not handle the information of a phone hitting multiple towers all at once and just ignored the call.
Today the NG phones and towers are all digital so they limit via handset and antenna and they ain't going to condone air to ground. Can you imagine the mayhem and shit show if passengers could use their personal cell phones during flight in a A380 - damn we are so pathologically attached to our phones. Sitting in a room watching a group of people txting back and forth when sitting 2 feet apart. Have we lost the ability to communicate verbally.
Buy a sat phone for your aircraft -- pretty simple -- or if you are on a budget get a garmin in-reach and txt away. I carry one in my truck and in the boat required equipment because we don't have good cellular coverage.
Back in the day before digital and all cell phones were analog (it was fun eavesdropping on phone calls with a scanner -pretty funny stuff) Back then if you took a phone airborne you actually could make long distance for calls for free. Seems analogue systems could not handle the information of a phone hitting multiple towers all at once and just ignored the call.
Today the NG phones and towers are all digital so they limit via handset and antenna and they ain't going to condone air to ground. Can you imagine the mayhem and shit show if passengers could use their personal cell phones during flight in a A380 - damn we are so pathologically attached to our phones. Sitting in a room watching a group of people txting back and forth when sitting 2 feet apart. Have we lost the ability to communicate verbally.
Buy a sat phone for your aircraft -- pretty simple -- or if you are on a budget get a garmin in-reach and txt away. I carry one in my truck and in the boat required equipment because we don't have good cellular coverage.
Black air has no lift - extra fuel has no weight
http://www.blackair.ca
http://www.blackair.ca
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
Cellphone use in an airplane is legal in Canada, and it works well, at low altitude.
https://www.aeromobile.net/how-it-works/
Lots of airlines let you make cellphone calls at altitude. This was how things stood in 2013, I have no idea what's happened since:
https://thepointsguy.com/2013/12/in-fli ... the-phone/
You could also use Inmarsat's BGAN network - there's at least once self-pointing terminal that you could try in a light plane, through the front window. Data rates are very expensive though.
The BGAN system is interesting: it's basically a cellular network with all the cell antennas on one satellite, all with very narrow beams pointing at different bits of the earth. As you pass from one beam into another the cell handoff is done in the satellite.
A bunch of companies offer inflight cellphone service by putting a cell on the aircraft, with satellite backhaul. Here's one:imagine the mayhem and shit show if passengers could use their personal cell phones during flight in a A380 -
https://www.aeromobile.net/how-it-works/
Lots of airlines let you make cellphone calls at altitude. This was how things stood in 2013, I have no idea what's happened since:
https://thepointsguy.com/2013/12/in-fli ... the-phone/
You could also use Inmarsat's BGAN network - there's at least once self-pointing terminal that you could try in a light plane, through the front window. Data rates are very expensive though.
The BGAN system is interesting: it's basically a cellular network with all the cell antennas on one satellite, all with very narrow beams pointing at different bits of the earth. As you pass from one beam into another the cell handoff is done in the satellite.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
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Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
photofly wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 10:06 am Cellphone use in an airplane is legal in Canada, and it works well, at low altitude.What self pointing terminal are you talking about?
You could also use Inmarsat's BGAN network - there's at least once self-pointing terminal that you could try in a light plane, through the front window. Data rates are very expensive though.
The BGAN system is interesting: it's basically a cellular network with all the cell antennas on one satellite, all with very narrow beams pointing at different bits of the earth. As you pass from one beam into another the cell handoff is done in the satellite.
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
This is one:
https://satellitephonestore.com/catalog ... ernet-unit
Or you could fit this one to the outside of the aircraft:
https://satellitephonestore.com/catalog ... t-class-11
https://satellitephonestore.com/catalog ... ernet-unit
Or you could fit this one to the outside of the aircraft:
https://satellitephonestore.com/catalog ... t-class-11
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.
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Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
I'm a terrible person, so I'll admit I was able to get phone service working on a q400 when I sat under the wing (maybe it helped reflect the signals?)digits_ wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:56 pmThere are wifi providers that work based off cell towers.Dronepiper wrote: ↑Wed Mar 17, 2021 2:48 pm I mean they make cell phone boosters for cars, I don't see why it wouldn't work for an airplane.
For cellphone boosters in airplanes, I've been told the problem is the speed, and that the antennas on the towers are usually directed a bit more downward to service cars and houses, not objects in the sky. Data signals (probably 4G or LTE or something like that) generally require less bandwith.
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Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
I had phone service in a Q400 from boston to ytzvalleyboy wrote: ↑Thu Mar 18, 2021 8:02 am Laws would need to be changed, ya I know you stated "laws aside" but the basic governing law is that the handsets are not licensed for air to ground. Mobile phone manufactures won't support anything outside the licenses issued.
Back in the day before digital and all cell phones were analog (it was fun eavesdropping on phone calls with a scanner -pretty funny stuff) Back then if you took a phone airborne you actually could make long distance for calls for free. Seems analogue systems could not handle the information of a phone hitting multiple towers all at once and just ignored the call.
Today the NG phones and towers are all digital so they limit via handset and antenna and they ain't going to condone air to ground. Can you imagine the mayhem and shit show if passengers could use their personal cell phones during flight in a A380 - damn we are so pathologically attached to our phones. Sitting in a room watching a group of people txting back and forth when sitting 2 feet apart. Have we lost the ability to communicate verbally.
Buy a sat phone for your aircraft -- pretty simple -- or if you are on a budget get a garmin in-reach and txt away. I carry one in my truck and in the boat required equipment because we don't have good cellular coverage.
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Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
I was under the impression cell towers waves were more horizontal than vertical.
Re: Cell Phone Booster for Airplane
They are more horizontal than vertical but that doesn't mean that you can't receive a signal off-axis. Cellphones have a protocol to increase their transmit power when distant from a tower, and even at 6 miles high, your angle to distant cell sites is quite small - the maximum range for GSM is 22 statute miles (set by the maximum timing advance, not by signal strength) and up to 80 miles with some tweaks for remote base stations.
DId you hear the one about the jurisprudence fetishist? He got off on a technicality.