Thanks to everyone who responded to my question. I use my cell phone as an alarm clock (nicer than an alarm clock) so I'm thinking I shouldn't leave it on my nightstand about 12 inches from my head! I only keep it for an emergency and travelling and the alarm clock thing. For some reason, I thought when I wasn't using it, it wasn't doing anything. Who knew! PT ----- Original Message ----- From: Richard Goodwin To: [email protected] Sent: Monday, April 26, 2010 9:54 AM Subject: Re: CS>another question about cell phones
It transmits and receives a lot when you aren't using it. Some phones do much more than others. It periodically checks in with the nearest tower to make sure the system knows it is there. A keepalive thing. This isn't a lot of transmission, just a few packets back and forth. I think it does this every few minutes or so. Most phones I believe use the lowest power they can get away with when they are transmitting, in order to save power. But if the nearest tower is further away, then they will increase their transmit power until they get a response from the tower. Some phones -- I discovered that my latest phone is one -- transmit and receive much more information. Mine periodically synchronizes my contact list with my contacts in gmail, which is nice in some ways, but involved a LOT of data back and forth. I know because I can hear it in any radio that is in the vicinity when it starts doing its thing. I have also heard the radio interference after I turned the phone OFF!!! I have no idea what it is doing when it is supposedly off. Still keeping in touch maybe, sending GPS coordinates? Who knows? I'm sure someone does... So if you don't want anybody to know where you are, turn off your phone, take out the battery, and might as well take out the sim card just for good measure, although I think once the battery is out, nothing else is going to happen. Dick ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ From: PT Ferrance <[email protected]> To: [email protected] Sent: Mon, April 26, 2010 9:45:55 AM Subject: CS>another question about cell phones Hi, I was wondering if anyone know of a cell phone radiation danger when the phone is not in use? Does it only emit radiation when you are actually talking? Or all the time??? Thanks. PT
