GPS on aircraft (again!)

On the Quantas web page:

http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/inflight-communications/global/en

we find

"Radio transmission using personal communication devices (including
walkie-talkies, two-way pagers, or global positioning systems) is
prohibited at all stages of flight, as it may interfere with the
aircraft's communication and navigation systems."

So, does that mean that, as long as I agree to make no transmissions
periods of flight. Seems to be a bit of confusion here...

jmorriss@idirect.com wrote:


Any _consumer_ grade GPS receiver is an RF noise source. IOW
whether intended to be so or not, it is a "transmitter".

Both the FCC (U.S.A.) and VDE (Germany) have volumes of regs on
the subject. 30 years ago I even new the short form references to
applicable regs. IIRC, for the FCC the regs fall under Part 15.

Richard Owlett wrote on Oct 4, 2010:


Do you mean that GPS receivers create more RF noise than laptops, iPods, or
any other of the electronic paraphernalia that are routinely used on-board
aircraft?

--
Mike Lane
UK North Yorkshire
mike_lane at mac dot com

Mike Lane wrote:

I didn't say *THAT* ;)

I was making the point that just because something is used as
"receiver" says nothing about it not "transmitting".

As to relative levels, as I said in my original post, my

I also was NOT commenting technical justification of rules of
individual carriers.

On Mon, 4 Oct 2010 13:27:29 -0700 (PDT), "jmorriss@idirect.com"


IMHO, there is no confusion there: you cannot use a GPS on their
flights. You have no control on what, if any, emissions that a given
GPS might make (just as a cell phone transmits without any user
actions or interventions...)

If the GPS has an 'air-plane' mode as some phones do, that may be
acceptable to the airline, but you'd have to ask them. Some airlines
don't allow powered up phones/PDAs even in air-plane mode, since they
can't enforce the setting or turning on and off of the mode.