# Cell Phone Jammer: Your Opinion? **URL:** \ **Category:** In My Humble Opinion\ **Created:** [August 6, 2004, 3:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631 "2004-08-06T15:41:20Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![Czarcasm](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/czarcasm/32/4050_2.png) [@Czarcasm](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Czarcasm)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 1:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/21 "2004-08-07T13:48:02Z")
> [@Bongmaster](#): > > Ah, I didn’t realize that, should I ask someone to remove the thread? I just broke the link instead. ---
**Author:** ![Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ccd318/32.png) [@Paul\_in\_Qatar](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Paul_in_Qatar)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 2:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/22 "2004-08-07T14:33:52Z")
Excuse me, not all the things talked about here are legal in Saudi Arabia. Can I ask you to remove links to pork and alcohol sites? It is the responsibility of the company and the user to obey local laws. It is not clear to me why the SDMB would take it upon themselves (itself, whatever) to enforce US/UK law on the rest of us. Did the OP violate the Terms of Use? ---
**Author:** ![Q.E.D](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/51bf81/32.png) [@Q.E.D](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Q.E.D)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 2:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/23 "2004-08-07T14:38:36Z")
> [@Paul in Saudi](#): > > Did the OP violate the Terms of Use? Yes. Well, the link did, at least. From the [Rules](http://boards.straightdope.com/sdmb/rules.php?) page: > [@](#): > > You agree, through your use of this service, that you will not use the SDMB to post any material that is knowingly false and/or defamatory, inaccurate, abusive, vulgar, hateful, harassing, obscene, profane, threatening, invasive of a person’s privacy, or violative of U.S. law. **You agree not to post material that in our opinion fosters or promotes activity that is illegal in the U.S.** Bolding mine. ---
**Author:** ![hajario](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/hajario/32/171_2.png) [@hajario](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/hajario)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 4:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/24 "2004-08-07T16:00:16Z")
It seems like the perfect tool for the malevolent asshole who wants to take it upon themselves to be the Karmic Avenger. Haj ---
**Author:** ![Bumbazine](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bumbazine/32/362_2.png) [@Bumbazine](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bumbazine)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 6:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/25 "2004-08-07T18:03:48Z")
> [@hajario](#): > > It seems like the perfect tool for the malevolent asshole who wants to take it upon themselves to be the Karmic Avenger. > > Haj You rang? Seriously, having a cell phone ring in a theatre can be an annoyance, but little more. On the other hand, I have been rear-ended on the freeway in rush hour traffic by a woman talking on a cell phone, and have narrowly escaped being involved in other vehicular mayhem caused by other drivers’ notion that whatever they have to _say_ is so much more important than what they have to _do_. That kind of activity is a threat to my life and limb, and I’m not so sanguine about it! Unfortunatly, there are a lot of people who will only learn consideration of others by force. There are campaigns underway in some areas to make cell-phone use while driving illegal. I say good on 'em. It’d be nice if they’d also make newspaper-rreading-while-driving, playing-with-baby-while-driving, applying-make-up-while-driving, etc. illegal. But one step at a time, I guess. ---
**Author:** ![ParentalAdvisory](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/53a042/32.png) [@ParentalAdvisory](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ParentalAdvisory)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/26 "2004-08-07T20:24:50Z")
> [@Q.E.D.](#): > > Ok, my thought on using this is that since they’re illegal, they shouldn’t be used. Better? I disagree with this statement. Just because something is illegal doesn’t mean that it cannot be contested and debated about. Huge mistakes are made all the time in the legal system. A classic one is Marijuana. Don’t get me wrong on this though, this particular device should be illegal for the emergency interference alone (may cause harm to others). I’m only arguing your statement in general. Just because something is illegal, means that we should trust our government and obey their laws just because… It’s illegal? Without question? ---
**Author:** ![DougC](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@DougC](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DougC)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 8:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/27 "2004-08-07T20:58:22Z")
- - - Well damn, it’s half of what I wanted for Christmas: the other thing was a hand-held jammer that makes super-loud car stereos blasting ghetto music to play only static. ~ ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 9:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/28 "2004-08-07T21:03:18Z")
> [@Mockingbird](#): > > Gee… how did they all survive without cell phones 25 years ago? > > :rolleyes: Seems possible to me that some people did indeed not survive because of lack of cell phone. What did transplant surgeons do before cell phones? Was it as effective as a cell phone, or did it taken a even a few minutes longer? Certainly it’s possible some folks died because the surgeon had to take some time to find a phone to answer a page. ---
**Author:** ![11811](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/1/9d8465/32.png) [@11811](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/11811)\ **Post date:** [August 7, 2004, 10:22pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/29 "2004-08-07T22:22:38Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I think it’s a horrible idea, regardless of the legality. Bear in mind that there are people out there who need access to their phone/pager almost 24/7, like transplant sugeons, detectives, and other things of that nature. You can never know if someone who really needs their phone is in range of your jammer, so it’s a really bad idea to assume that no one in that theater could possibly need their phone on and receiving a signal for a legitimate reason. If you need 24/7 access, stay out of the movie theater and wait for the DVD. We all pay the same price for the ticket, so nobody is more important than anybody else once the lights go down. ---
**Author:** ![Mockingbird](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c68b51/32.png) [@Mockingbird](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mockingbird)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 12:37am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/30 "2004-08-08T00:37:49Z")
> [@11811](#): > > If you need 24/7 access, stay out of the movie theater and wait for the DVD. We all pay the same price for the ticket, so nobody is more important than anybody else once the lights go down. Beautifully stated. ---
**Author:** ![Cisco](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/ccd318/32.png) [@Cisco](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cisco)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 5:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/31 "2004-08-08T05:47:38Z")
I have a question: Do you people _really_ hear cell phones go off in theatres enough to annoy you or do you just talk about it because it has become such a popular cliche? I only ask because I go to the theatre _at least_ once a month (mind you, it’s usually 2-3 times a month, sometimes more), and I haven’t heard a cell phone go off in a theatre since the very early days of the cell phone boom, around 1996-1997. That’s at least 7 years and a gross under-estimation of 84 trips to the movies. I can hardly believe that they’re going off frequently and _only_ in the auditoriums that I’m not in. Don’t reply if you heard one last week or if you heard two last year. Reply if you hear them _frequently_ and they really bother you. If there’s no one that can reply then I hope we can dump the tired bitching about cell phones in theatres. It’s way more annoying than if these phantom phones actually were going off. ---
**Author:** ![Duderdude2](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/cdc98d/32.png) [@Duderdude2](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Duderdude2)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 6:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/32 "2004-08-08T06:02:16Z")
> [@ParentalAdvisory](#): > > I disagree with this statement. Just because something is illegal doesn’t mean that it cannot be contested and debated about. Huge mistakes are made all the time in the legal system. A classic one is Marijuana. > > Don’t get me wrong on this though, this particular device should be illegal for the emergency interference alone (may cause harm to others). I’m only arguing your statement in general. Just because something is illegal, means that we should trust our government and obey their laws just because… It’s illegal? Without question? I concur. I’d have no problem with businesses employing such devices, so long as usage of said device were clearly marked. Theaters would be a prime example. ---
**Author:** ![Kaitlyn](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/73ab20/32.png) [@Kaitlyn](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Kaitlyn)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 6:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/33 "2004-08-08T06:54:53Z")
> [@Cisco](#): > > I have a question: > > Do you people _really_ hear cell phones go off in theatres enough to annoy you or do you just talk about it because it has become such a popular cliche? > > I only ask because I go to the theatre _at least_ once a month (mind you, it’s usually 2-3 times a month, sometimes more), and I haven’t heard a cell phone go off in a theatre since the very early days of the cell phone boom, around 1996-1997. > > That’s at least 7 years and a gross under-estimation of 84 trips to the movies. > > I can hardly believe that they’re going off frequently and _only_ in the auditoriums that I’m not in. > > Don’t reply if you heard one last week or if you heard two last year. Reply if you hear them _frequently_ and they really bother you. If there’s no one that can reply then I hope we can dump the tired bitching about cell phones in theatres. It’s way more annoying than if these phantom phones actually were going off. I see a movie a week, and I’ve heard at least half a dozen this year alone. In addition, every single time there is at least a half-dozen people in the theater, someone will get out their cell phone during the movie and light up the area with the video screen. In a large crowd, this routinely happens four to six times during a single movie. It’s pretty simple. Polite folks do not use cell phones in a theater after the lights go down, either to speak or do whatever they’re doing with those screens. The visual distraction provided by the video screen is just as annoying to those behind and beside you as a ring would be to the whole theater. If you must use your phone, leave the theater before doing so. If you’re on call (such as with a medical professional), set your call device to silent, sit on the aisle near the exit, and leave the theater to answer it when it goes off. Note, this does not mean step into the tunnel leading to the seats so you can talk while watching the screen. We can still hear you. Leave means go out the doors into the lobby, and have your conversation there. It should be legal for owner of businesses to block cell phone signals on their property, so long as sufficient notice is given to their patrons that this is going on. Those for whom the cell phone is a genuine necessity could then avoid such places, and those of us who want a silent, dark theater would be much more likely to have it. ---
**Author:** ![matt\_mcl](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/7ab992/32.png) [@matt\_mcl](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/matt_mcl)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 8:20am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/34 "2004-08-08T08:20:27Z")
> [@bouv](#): > > I think it’s a horrible idea, regardless of the legality. Bear in mind that there are people out there who need access to their phone/pager almost 24/7, like transplant sugeons, detectives, and other things of that nature. You can never know if someone who really needs their phone is in range of your jammer, so it’s a really bad idea to assume that no one in that theater could possibly need their phone on and receiving a signal for a legitimate reason. My mother is a physician who is frequently on call. When she is on call, she refrains from attending public entertainments. If you are so busy that you must be constantly reachable by cellphone, you are too busy to attend a public entertainment. And I say this as someone who had to spend June constantly reachable by cellphone. ---
**Author:** ![Revtim](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/revtim/32/1042_2.png) [@Revtim](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Revtim)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 1:53pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/35 "2004-08-08T13:53:03Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > My mother is a physician who is frequently on call. When she is on call, she refrains from attending public entertainments. If you are so busy that you must be constantly reachable by cellphone, you are too busy to attend a public entertainment. And I say this as someone who had to spend June constantly reachable by cellphone. What about what **Number Six** suggested, putting the phone in vibrate and sitting near the aisle? Are there drawbacks to this that make it unworkable? ---
**Author:** ![VunderBob](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/839c29/32.png) [@VunderBob](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/VunderBob)\ **Post date:** [August 8, 2004, 3:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/36 "2004-08-08T15:02:15Z")
> [@DougC](#): > > - > - > - Well damn, it’s half of what I wanted for Christmas: the other thing was a hand-held jammer that makes super-loud car stereos blasting ghetto music to play only static. > ~ I’m going to make millions by inventing a shoulder fired bass-seeking missile. ---
**Author:** ![tygerbryght](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/a9a28c/32.png) [@tygerbryght](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/tygerbryght)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 1:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/37 "2004-08-09T01:07:24Z")
> [@matt\_mcl](#): > > My mother is a physician who is frequently on call. When she is on call, she refrains from attending public entertainments. If you are so busy that you must be constantly reachable by cellphone, you are too busy to attend a public entertainment. And I say this as someone who had to spend June constantly reachable by cellphone. What he said. Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr :mad: I don’t know about other “western” countries, but I suspect that the percentage of the US population who could survive in a culture where consideration of others is prized has dropped astoundingly low in the last two decades. And it was low enough 30 years ago, when the term “ugly American” became common. \ ---
**Author:** ![Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/46a35a/32.png) [@Tim\_T-Bonham.net](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tim_T-Bonham.net)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 3:36am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/38 "2004-08-09T03:36:37Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > What about what **Number Six** suggested, putting the phone in vibrate and sitting near the aisle? Are there drawbacks to this that make it unworkable? The drawback is that there are way too many idiots that forget to do this. Even with announcements on-screen and in theatre programs. There is a better solution that is technically possible. Instead of a jammer, have cellphones that could be remotely turned from “ring” to “vibrate” by a transmitter that could be installed in theatres, churches, etc. They could even be made smart enough to automatically switch back once you left the range of the transmitter. But this requires cellphone companies to agree on standard commands to do this, and then to install this in their phones. This would cost them money, and they don’t see any advantage to doing it. Perhaps if there was a demand from customers? But the demand is from others, their customers are the idiots who are letting their cellphones ring in theatres, because they are sure their conversations are so much more important. ---
**Author:** ![SlyFrog](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/a3d4f5/32.png) [@SlyFrog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/SlyFrog)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 3:45am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/39 "2004-08-09T03:45:07Z")
> [@Revtim](#): > > What about what **Number Six** suggested, putting the phone in vibrate and sitting near the aisle? Are there drawbacks to this that make it unworkable? Why should the fact that we have this new technology make it necessary for one to irritate other people at all? Why do I need to be distracted in a movie by a person who is shuffling in and out to answer their damn cellphone? This stuff drives me nuts. I (and my family) went without a cellphone for a long time. I had various friends who asked me, in reproachful tones, how I could possibly do such a thing to my wife and kids. What if they had a breakdown on the highway and didn’t have a cellphone? Etc. Now, I understand the fundamental convience of such devices. I do understand that it might be handy to have. But there is a huge fucking difference, which a whole slew of people in the world don’t seem to get, between something be slightly useful and being even close to necessary. How the hell did people go to movies in 1976? For god’s sake, how did mothers with children drive a half a mile to the grocery store, knowing that if their car broke down, they would be attacked by marauding bands of “Mad Max” like highway assassins if they could not immediately reach the national guard via cellphone? ---
**Author:** ![St.Urho](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/8e7dd6/32.png) [@St.Urho](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/St.Urho)\ **Post date:** [August 9, 2004, 4:28am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631/40 "2004-08-09T04:28:33Z")
The problem with cell phone jammers is that cell phone frequencies are right next to Police/Fire/EMS frequencies on the spectrum. What happens is, cell phone jammers could frequently jam emergency communications as well as cell phones. St. Urho EMT-P [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631.md?page=1) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/cell-phone-jammer-your-opinion/258631.md?page=3)