
Why you can't get cell service on the tarmac - tptacek
https://thepointsguy.com/news/slow-connection-airport-tarmacs/
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tptacek
I'm ruining a good article, but I'll summarize: you can't build good coverage
in an airport with cell towers because of height restrictions, so airports
augment their coverage with indoor repeaters; once you get on the plane,
you're out of range of the indoor repeater network.

~~~
bobowzki
And you are inside a metal tube that does a good job of shielding I suspect,
at least if you are not close to a window.

~~~
beatgammit
Any they don't turn in WiFi until they're in the sky because they don't want
people on their devices (and I'm sure there are technical reasons as well).

~~~
xur17
I've been on a few Delta flights that had working wifi from gate to gate.

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unnouinceput
Not a problem in my country. Every time I flew internally people were texting
and watching youtube all the way to the point where the crew had to tap on
their shoulder before take-off to switch to airplane mode or shut them off.

So my guess this has to do with article's author personal experience on
his/her country implementation of technology.

~~~
alpb
Does anything actually happen if nobody switches their phone to airplane mode
and kept watching videos on YouTube? I have witnessed some people do the
policing on behalf of flight attendees, but I'm never sure enough to say that
rule has no scientific basis.

~~~
dijit
Our phones GSM bands interfere with unsheilded radios. The effect is most
prominent when you’re getting a call and you’re close to a hifi system.

Often you can tell that your phone is about to ring before the phone even
begins to vibrate or chime.

[https://www.quora.com/Why-do-speakers-make-noise-when-
mobile...](https://www.quora.com/Why-do-speakers-make-noise-when-mobile-is-
near)

There is a high likelihood that this isn’t a problem now and hasn’t been a
problem for some time; but it might be wise to err on the side of caution if
you want your pilot not to have to repeat or request repeats of radio
information.

And once you’re in the air your phone will frenetically try to connect to a
cell tower, absolutely murdering battery life. So you should turn it off after
take off anyway just for your own battery sake.

~~~
coding_unit_1
If there was any danger of mobile phones interfering with aircraft systems
then they wouldn’t rely on the general public following instructions to make
it safe.

~~~
antihero
This is the logic I've always held - if it's actually dangerous, they wouldn't
allow it on board.

~~~
dijit
It's annoying that they wont tell us the context of why they prefer it, I'm
assuming it's due to the interference I've seen in my own life.

However it could just as easily be spectrum oversaturation, so if 10% of
passengers disobey there's no issue, but if 100% of passengers disobey then
they have to start restricting phones on planes.

Air travel feels draconian enough, I'm willing to just comply, since this
compliance benefits my battery-life anyway I'm not going to split hairs. I
would like to bring water with me though.

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scblock
This is not an issue I have ever experienced. I can’t get reliable coverage in
my office but planes on the ground seem to be fine (mostly Denver, Detroit,
Minneapolis, Des Moines). Maybe it affect some airports more than others.

~~~
edoo
I concur. I've left my phone on by accident a few times and usually I'm
getting alerts right before touch down.

~~~
gmmeyer
same I have never had an issue

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thesimon
>Once you’re on a plane, you’re farther away from the DAS systems in the
terminal and closer to the larger cell towers that are located on the outer
edges of the airport. Add in on board Wi-Fi systems, and your phone can easily
get confused as to which antenna its meant to connect through.

Huh? On-board WiFi and mobile network are completely different technologies.
They might mean the in-flight GSM they sometimes offer, but that's not on on
the ground.

Seems like a filler article to promote their site, not really too much
interesting content.

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hydrox24
It's late, but perhaps its worth changing this link to point to the original
article from the Atlantic?[0]

[0]:
[https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/12/why-c...](https://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2019/12/why-
cell-reception-so-bad-after-boarding-plane/602812/)

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tom_mellior
> While just about everyone knows to turn their cellphone off or on airplane
> mode once the plane takes off, there’s no rule against using it while your
> plane is on the ground.

In my experience it's not uncommon (but also far from universal) to hear some
version of "please leave your phones in airplane mode until we have reached
the terminal" after landing.

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scarejunba
Explaining why I can’t do something I routinely do has got to take the cake. I
can usually use the Internet. In fact, that’s when I panic buy Kindle books
for the flight.

~~~
snifflumpus
BOS is unusable on the ground, as an example.

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ggm
I use an MVNO, and my roaming is frequently international. I don't notice this
problem because an MVNO roaming is a recipe for a long, slow APN negotiation
war with trombone data effects.

It always causes me some pain to watch others get ping-bombed by texts, until
I remember they are probably locals, reattaching to their base carrier.

I am waiting for the last cab in the rank to groan, walk up, and accept the
'no speak the language' passenger who doesn't know how to behave.

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rtpg
Slightly related to a comment in the article about airport interiors being so
big: Why is it that almost _all_ airports have those huge ceilings?

Is it just for aesthetics? Personally it feels really uncomfortable and just
wasteful. I can't help but think you could make airports a hell of a lot
smaller and make it a better experience overall.

An interesting contrast is Narita's low-cost-carrier terminal 3. It has normal
ceilings, and the only thing really airport-y about it is that there's a
security checkpoint. It's basically a bus terminal, if buses had wings. Plus
it has a normal food court (instead of all the overpriced BS you find in other
places). An airport for the masses

~~~
ajdlinux
When I go into an airport terminal with lower ceilings (e.g. parts of
Melbourne Airport) I feel _noticeably_ more cramped and claustrophobic. It
really does make the experience feel worse for me.

I'm not entirely sure why it makes me feel that way.

~~~
TheSpiceIsLife
Melbourne airport is the one that instantly popped in to my mind as it's the
airport I've spent most time in.

And yeah, there are a couple of noticeably lower ceilings in there.

But, I wouldn't be surprised to discover that tests have shown people become
much more agitated in crowded places with regular (is it 8' / 2400mm?)
ceilings. I can't imagine that scenario would make me feel at ease.

~~~
ajdlinux
I cannot reconcile the number of Australian frequent flyers who love to talk
about how MEL is so much better than SYD with the ceilings of MEL T1.

Yes, yes, I know, it's all about how you don't need to catch a bus to get from
T1 to T2... but I'll always dislike MEL T1 more than dealing with SYD.

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c1yd3i
It's not called "the tarmac" by anyone in aviation. Taxiway and ramp?

~~~
saagarjha
Maybe it's not intended for people in aviation.

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throwaway1777
This is a good thing. Nothing more annoying than sitting next to someone
yapping on their phone in a plane.

~~~
lopmotr
Do you feel the same about people speaking a language you don't understand? It
has the same problems of being a noise that you can't pay attention to because
it doesn't make sense but you can't shut out because it's loud and filled with
features.

~~~
Ensorceled
Very few people converse in person as loudly as some people converse on the
phone. I really don’t care what language people speak to their seat mates in
as long as they are not yelling down the aisle.

