On Fri, 1 Dec 2000, Eric Laforest wrote: > I brought my radio setup with me on a trip to British Columbia so > I'd have emergency radio and so the guys at work would have a laugh > tracking me over APRS...so naturally I want to try the GPS on the plane. > Being sometimes a really moral person <grin> I asked the stewardess if > she could ask the pilot if a GPS receiver was OK to operate. > She came back with the reply, looking very serious, that I shouldn't > ever operate such a thing in a plane. > > This left me *totally* puzzled. > Next time I'll ask again anyway, for I suspect either miscommunication > or genuine misinformation on the part of the pilot/stewardess. > I just can't stand absolute statements without underlying explanation. > The problem is, in general anyway, that a radio reciever detects RF (radio frequency) signals and at some point generates IF (intermediate frequency) signals. This pretty much needs to happen whether the final signal is analog (FM radio) or digital (GPS, cell phone). How much IF a GPS reciever generates is up for debate, but most are 12 channels, so you can do the math there. Note, too, that airlines tell you never to use an FM or AM radio during any portion of a flight. Paul Archer -- Subscription/unsubscription/info requests: send e-mail with subject of "subscribe", "unsubscribe", or "info" toWear-Hard Mailing List Archive (searchable): http://wearables.blu.org please, Please, *PLEASE* don't subscribe through a forward/false domain
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