First fine for using a cellphone jammer in NZ

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cokemaster

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# 277973 30-Nov-2009 17:11

Perhaps they could just have a policy where you have to either turn your phone off, or turn it on silent.
Same when you go to the movies.

Jamming isn't the solution. Particularly when you're denying the ability to call 111.

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Jadefuzy

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# 278096 30-Nov-2009 22:53

i don't agree with continuous use of jamming but to knock the call off to stop them people from being so loud would be good that's all im really saying. because there are people out there that aren't mind full of others

n4

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# 278104 30-Nov-2009 23:19

sbiddle: Stuff reports this morning that a church in Auckland has been fined $1250 for using a cellphone jammer.

There have been numerous people discuss these here on Geekzone, it should certainly be a wakeup call for anybody who has ignored advice and purchased one. If you are creating interference on the network you will be tracked down!

Its probably worth noting that technically a signal booster (repeater) is also illegal for the same reasons... wonder if a prosecution for that will follow?

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billgates

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# 278114 1-Dec-2009 00:42

Besides a prison these devices should not be used anywhere be it a bus or school. When you are in need of emergency, you'd want a phone with a signal!

Do whatever you want to do man.

exportgoldman

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# 278132 1-Dec-2009 06:58

Did anyone find out the Church in question? I think if that was $1250 a month, it's not a bad price to pay for some cellphone silence :)

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johnr

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# 278139 1-Dec-2009 07:29

c71931f: *wonder's if the church was Destiny Church :o *

Brian would just take the phones off everyone use the credit sell them and buy a new harley

mattk

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# 278307 1-Dec-2009 14:06

exportgoldman:
Did anyone find out the Church in question? I think if that was $1250 a month, it's not a bad price to pay for some cellphone silence :)

Agreed! call it a 'peace tax'

This whole 'what if there's and emergency' thing is out of proportions, i mean, when was the last time someone actually called you for an emergency? 99.99% of all calls to personal phones are social and in the event of an emergency the fire/ambulance/police are far better equipped to deal with the situation than us civvies are anyway. If you need to make a call do what anyone with no signal does, assume it's yet another hole in VF's 3G network, walk 50 feet any direction and try again.

Permanent blackout jamming should only be for classrooms/prisons/hospitals (also it'd run the battery flat) but selective jamming of particular, targeted individuals is fully endorsed.

nathanbarlow

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# 279719 6-Dec-2009 12:43

rather than using a jammer, maybe it would be better to use a sensor. In Otago university during exam times in 2006/2007 (when i was there), there were signs saying people were using sensors around the area, and if you were caught using a phone there would be a ton of bricks waiting coming down on you. lol

So maybe we should have areas, like hospitals (important areas, not the local church guys - you just need to be polite, thats what church is for - to teach manners/etiquitte/caring-for-others!) which the sensor picks up your mobile number or something and then they can send you a fine. BAM byebye mobile phones in hospitals. BTW i understand most modern cardiac equipment and general medical equipment is electromagnetically shielded anyways. So the whole "turn your phone off in hospitals" is probably out-of-date now.

Also agree with idea of blockers in prisons. If you're visiting, you can get by without the internet and phone for an hr or so. Worthy trade off to stop contraband cell phones being able to work.

And TASER FTW! But, on the other hand, tasers scare the bejesus out of me. If i got hit by a cop's taser, my cochlear implant would be fuxxored, and they cant reimplant me (due to my circumstances). . . .

Aaroona

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# 279871 7-Dec-2009 07:53

rossmnz: um certain areas in hospitals require you to turn your phones off at entry anyhow.

thats what i was thinking of.

Perhaps not the whole hospital, but I do see your point.

which is completely besides the point in the first place, because a cellphone jammer trasmits on those frequencies anyway.
And transmits at a higher power, so that should mean its actually worse than a cellphone.

mattk

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# 279891 7-Dec-2009 09:03

nathanbarlow: rather than using a jammer, maybe it would be better to use a sensor. In Otago university during exam times in 2006/2007 (when i was there), there were signs saying people were using sensors around the area, and if you were caught using a phone there would be a ton of bricks waiting coming down on you. lol

And TASER FTW! But, on the other hand, tasers scare the bejesus out of me. If i got hit by a cop's taser, my cochlear implant would be fuxxored, and they cant reimplant me (due to my circumstances). . . .

How about a sensor+taser combo?

It's kinda messed up with the whole cell phones in hospitals affair, Jammers are probably less discrete with broadcast power than cell phones, and wrapping the building in a faraday cage would just result in cell phones blasting away at full power looking for a cell site. At the end of the day there is no cure for stupid people.

There are some certain jammers that are quite smart however - They listen for a cell phone, and when they detect one they only disrupt the downlink rather than blasting out interference and burning up the battery. I'd leave a link but that would be naughty!

icepicknz

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# 279913 7-Dec-2009 10:18

This whole 'what if there's and emergency' thing is out of proportions, i mean, when was the last time someone actually called you for an emergency? 99.99% of all calls to personal phones are social and in the event of an emergency the fire/ambulance/police are far better equipped to deal with the situation than us civvies are anyway. If you need to make a call do what anyone with no signal does, assume it's yet another hole in VF's 3G network, walk 50 feet any direction and try again.
.

Correct, calling the cops or emergency service is a better idea, however lets say for instance you are in a church, a fire breaks out at both exits, how do you call 111 when the cellphone blocker is blocking you.

Another example, more suited to america than here, but cell jammer at the school library, gunmen enter the room and hold everyone up and start shooting, how do you call 111 when the signal is jammed.

My cousin recently had a fall from 15 meter cliff while snowboarding and was in ICU & HCU, the nurses use cellphones in there just as much as patients do.

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nathanbarlow

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# 279931 7-Dec-2009 11:04

like i said, modern medical gear is pretty well protected with shielding etc.

BTW in america you would call 911, not 111 :P

codyc1515

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# 282531 15-Dec-2009 07:29

icepicknz: Correct, calling the cops or emergency service is a better idea, however lets say for instance you are in a church, a fire breaks out at both exits, how do you call 111 when the cellphone blocker is blocking you.

Well, first of all you know where you're all headed ;), and second:

icepicknz: Another example, more suited to america than here, but cell jammer at the school library, gunmen enter the room and hold everyone up and start shooting, how do you call 111 when the signal is jammed.

Maybe, implement a switch or key on the jammer??

MrInfamy

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# 284492 21-Dec-2009 22:20

mattk: Yeah cell phones do my head in, We got a guy at work whose phone beeps a reminder every 60 seconds to say he has a text, we've got all sorts of dance music ringtones blaring away all day at work, and 2 weeks ago a chick was actually using speakerphone on a freaking bus! Selective and responsible usage of a jammer would be fully endorsed.

To top that 3 weeks ago i was visiting my old man in hospital and some inconsiderate swine was playing rap mp3's on his phone in the next cubical, in a electromagnetic sensitive ward.

A jammer wouldn't have helped in that situation but a taser certainly would - somewhat careless considering the room full of pacemakers =)

(apologies for the rant)

firstly: figure a:
http://xkcd.com/479/
To that end, I am one of those guys at work (what can I say, My fiance is planning our wedding, there's a lot of dialouge involved) but I don't have annoying, soul-destroying ringtones (see fig. a)

Secondly. I agree that there plenty upon plenty of irresponsible cellphone users, otherwise New Zealand wouldn't have had to introduce a law banning the hand-held use of cellphones while driving. I like to think I have mastered the art of 'I don't care how important you are, if it's not a good time to talk you can damn well wait' but I think there are a large group of people (mostly young, but one or two older who think they're 'cool') who will just whip it out at any opportunity, such is their need to be reachable, or just to be accepted in their own crowd, while those in the real world, who have a legitimate need to have their cellphone by their side at all times (I'm mostly thinking of on-call, and emergency services) end up losing out in the event that jammers are used in a building like the church that was mentioned earlier.

To remedy the hospital situation, would it be worth medical staff doing a sweep for cell signals, like they have in exams, and confiscating offending devices for the duration of the patient's stay? Yes, it's hard-line and yes there would have to be some finer details worked out, but would it spread the message that by-and-large, irresponsible cellphone use will simply not be tolerated in some places?

As for the tinny music, regardelss of what style it is, I can't stand it if it's playing on something with a frequency range as narrow as Kate Moss' neck. I don't know what's so cool about 'crankin' out 'cho bangin' choons on the world's most pitiful 'loud'speaker. The least they could do it put some earbuds on!

I guess I'm ranting too, Sorry. All I really wanted to post was that XKCD comic.

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