Perhaps a naive question - about the missing aircraft - all those cellphones...

[NRaleighLiberal]

Surely there must have been nearly as many cellphones on board as people - and I would guess not every single one of them was turned off (every time I fly, I can spot a few people sneaking looks at theirs) - and even if they are in airplane mode, isn't there a possible way to detect them? Just trying to figure out some way that something should be detectable from the plane...and if they all went off line at once?

Such a curious situation....

[liberal N proud]

1. Cell phones are no good when there are no cell towers

[DemocratSinceBirth]

2. Not many of em in the ocean /nt

[NYC_SKP]

3. I think the question had more to do with being able to detect them from a search plane or other.

And under some circumstances there are ways, but if they're underwater I would say no.

A smart phone that's turned on or working...

[NRaleighLiberal]

5. Yes - was wondering as it got to lower altitudes...or satellite tracking?

Not my sphere of knowledge - so just thinking outside the box!

[Vox Moi]

7. If I was building a search capability on a plane or a ship

I would put in a device that mimicked a cell phone tower.
I have no idea if they have done that but is seems like a good idea.

Remember KAL 007? The US had monitored the conversations between the Russian pilot and his ground control. The decision to make that public went all the way to President Reagan. He decided to release it but there was a lot of second-guessing on the part of the intelligence community. I wonder if there is more information available in this case that is still under wraps. Just conjecture.

[Jerry442]

9. True, but the cells would have worked if the plane had flown over heavily populated land areas. nt

[KoKo]

4. I've wondered about that also. Don't they use satellites for some of the

cell phone transmissions. And, with an international crowd on the plane could be many different tracking opportunities. Wouldn't they be able to find when and the location where the cell phones stopped emitting signals in tracking?

I know this sounds like a dumb question, too.

[hlthe2b]

6. Much of the world has no cell access--require satellite phones. Heavens that includes considerable

areas of wilderness/mountains of the US--as well as the bottom of the Grand Canyon-- unless something has dramatically changed.

Not to mention the fact that IF by chance this was an intentional diversion by those knowledgeable enough to turn off all the plane's tracking devices, they likely would have thought to include a simple cell jamming device among their gear.

[RantinRavin]

8. I'm luck if the battery on mine lasts for 1 day

much less still having power after 6 days.

[Jerry442]

10. Also, I wonder if this 777 had onboard Wi-fi. nt

[Downwinder]

11. Time for NSA to show they have value.