Truth about Airplane Mode
Although planes fly much higher up, but since planes move faster, sometimes signals of a phonef get too close to a tower on the ground and make a big signal that messes up other signals. When it happens, it may act as a military grade jammer, sending out big waves messing up everything else.
Right now, there are huge number of signals flying through the air all around you. These signals are kind of like invisible messages that your eyes can’t see. They’re big radio waves, may be super wide waves as big as houses. They help things like computers, GPS, and cell phones talk to each other. Imagine, if you could see these waves, your phone’s signal is so strong that one can see your phone from Mars!
But here’s a fun twist: the sky is like a busy highway for signals. Wi-Fi routers in your homes and buildings send out signals so your devices can connect to the internet. Satellites way up in space also send signals down to Earth for various reasons. And then there are people on airplanes who have cell phones, but sometimes they forget to put their phones in airplane mode.
To put it straight, airplane mode isn’t for your flight’s safety, but for everyone’s safety on your flight’s path.
New aircrafts operate in much lower frequency than your phone uses to communicate. There was a point where the wavelength used by phones and the equipment on planes (I think it was specifically older ADFs) were the same.
Let’s break it down a bit: When phones want to chat with each other, they use special waves called electromagnetic waves. The ones we’re talking about are called radio waves, and they have their own special spot in the “waves world.” Think of these waves like rainbow colours your eyes could see. When you make a call, your phone sends out a signal to a nearby cell tower. This signal bounces around from tower to tower until it reaches the person you’re calling. If you’re far away from the tower, your phone does overtime and tries really hard to send a strong signal, like shouting really louder, to get connected.
To avoid confusion in this signal traffic, each phone gets its own colour (wavelength), like having your own special lane on the road. But guess what? This is where things get tricky. With Wi-Fi and other fancy tech on the rise, everyone wants their own special colour, and the air is getting really crowded with all these signals. It’s like a bunch of cars trying to drive on the same road at the same time, and it can make things go wonky. Imagine if too many people talked at once — it would be a big mess!
However, some signal issues can be fixed, like when phones on airplanes search for signals way up in the sky. These phones are like super detectives trying to find the best signal. Although planes fly much higher up, but since planes move faster, sometimes signals of a phone get too close to a tower on the ground and make a big signal that messes up other signals. When it happens, it may act as a military grade jammer, sending out big waves messing up everything else.
Most of the countries requires passengers to put the mobile in flight mode by law. The Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which is the aviation regulatory body in India, The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) etc, require all passengers to put their cell phones in airplane mode. Good to know that if you violate the DGCA’s regulations, you can face a fine of up to INR 50,000 and ban from flying in future.
Even when we’re not flying, our gadgets make sneaky radio waves that slow down the internet and make phone calls fuzzy. This makes people pay extra for faster internet, and that makes companies want more of these special colors for themselves. It’s like a cycle that never ends! And guess what? All these signals can cover up the stars in the sky. Bummer, right?
But wait, there’s more! Even without all those extra satellites, these signals can mess with how we look at the stars and outer space. Telescopes that help scientists explore space need a specific kind of “light” to see far away. But sometimes, other signals get in the way and make it hard for these telescopes to see properly. It’s like trying to watch a movie with someone shining a flashlight in your eyes!
But hey, not everywhere on Earth is filled with these signals. Plans don’t fly around each corner of the globe. There are a few cool spots where the sky is clearer, and those are like treasure places for telescopes. Here, scientists can check out things like the black hole at the center of our galaxy and learn secrets about far-off galaxies billions and billions of light-years away. Just as long as those airplane phones don’t send too many signals, we’ll be able to keep exploring the mysteries of space!
