GPS on a plane 4: Ottawa - Halifax

This is real GPS data, captured on my Qstarz BT-Q1000, downloaded on a Mac using BT747, exported as GPX, and converted to Google Earth format using GPSvisualizer.com

Red track is flight from Ottawa to Halifax.

Altitude is enabled, so here's what the takeoff from Ottawa airport looks like

Google Earth track: Download YOW-YHZ-20071222.kmz (5.8K)

Google Maps view of the track.

UPDATE 2007-12-30:

Halifax to Ottawa

Google Earth track: Download YHZ-YOW-20071228.kmz (5.7K)

Google Maps view of this track.

See the reviews list for previous "GPS on a plane" postings.

Reminder: DO NOT enable Bluetooth on any device without first checking with flight staff, and Bluetooth is not permitted at all during takeoff and landing (I had the Qstarz in LOG-only mode).

Comments

[Mario]

Hi Richard

You can export to Google Earth format directly using BT747!

Regards

Mario

[A EE]

You can debate whether it's actually an issue, but technically even what you call "passive" devices emit significant electromagnetic radiation due to the high speed clocks used in the circuits. That's why all electronics have to be off during take-off/landing even if wireless is turned off. So technically, the gps unit should be off too. But like I led off with, it's not clear (to me) how much is really too much to be a problem. Obviously they allow things like wrist-watches. Most are low-frequency circuits and emit less, but some aren't.

The FCC regulates how much EMF can be emitted but I've seen some devices have crazy effects on other devices (eg, squawks on speakers when the device gets close) so it's not trivial amounts. Bluetooth uses low-power signals typically, so I wouldn't be surprised if some poorly designed devices emit more noise than a bluetooth device...