This was posted to the Cardinal Flyers Online board... I tried it tonight and I now can get weather on my cellphone! Cool! (Of course you need one of those new fangled picture phones, and Verizon for this one)... but I thought It might be of interest.
In flight weather? From: "Nick Sargent" <[email protected]> Subject: Cell Phone Weather FYI - I just learned this, and am trying it out using an LG 4400 series phone on the Verizon network. Punch 'Get It Now; then 'shopping cart', 'start', 'get going', 'weather', 'Pilot-My Cast', and voila - you can download aviation weather - Weather map, Radar, Metars & TAFs. It appears to be near real-time as you would see on an aviation weather website online. Actually, at this point I'm amazed. Uses regular air time minutes, plus $9.95 a month subscription. So I'm gonna try it for a while and see how it goes. I would think this is available in one form or another with other services and phones. [You can sign up on their website for specific services (including Sprint) *and* only specific phones. Paul] Question: What are the ramifications of using a cell phone at little airplane altitudes, assuming one can get a signal? [You're violating an FCC rule, of which enforcement is very spotty, but with a potential $10,000 fine. More practically, digital phones don't work in voice mode, at least, above several thousand feet or so. Don't know about in digital mode. Analog works aloft, but some consideration to multi-cell blanketing should be given. Paul] Nick Sargent, Lebanon OH -- Using M2, Opera's revolutionary e-mail client: http://www.opera.com/m2/
