On 17/03/2012 02:21, MatSav wrote:
"Roland wrote in message
...
In , at 15:01:49 on Fri, 16
Mar 2012, remarked:
That has been alleged to have happened on English south coast
shores/beaches which are screened from the local transmitter
by
high
cliffs but within range of French base stations.

Sometimes, exceptional atmospheric conditions can cause this
from
elevated inland points as well.

I was at the Great Dorset Steam Fair http://www.gdsf.co.uk at
Tarrant Hinton, and made some calls to friends who were
elsewhere
on the very large fair site. When I got the bill, I discovered
I
had apparently made calls in France *and* the UK within a few
seconds of each other.

The mobile phone systems utilise a transmission protocol known
as
TDMA (Time Division Multiple Access). In theory, this should
block connections where the propogation delay is more than 28
milliseconds (equating to a distance of about 90km). In my
case,
the nearest point of the French coast was at least 130km away -
so it shouldn't have been possible, but it definitely happened.

Coastal base stations (such as the one which you contacted in
northern France) can be adjusted to allow twice the normal
propagation delay, so that large areas of sea are covered.

Thanks Roland - I didn't know that. It makes sense, I suppose,
given that there are numerous reports of ill-prepared "sailors"
calling for assistance at sea by using their mobile 'phones,
rather than using a marine-frequency VHF radio.


I thought the relevant distances were 35KM and therefore 70KM for when
double-slots were in use (for long distance usage).

It sounds like something else is going on, but for the life of me I
can't work out what.

In message , at 10:44:44 on Sat, 17 Mar
2012, Someone Somewhere remarked:
I thought the relevant distances were 35KM and therefore 70KM for when
double-slots were in use (for long distance usage).

It sounds like something else is going on, but for the life of me I
can't work out what.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Timing_advance

gives 35km and 120km (admittedly slightly less than the OP's estimate of
130km).
--
Roland Perry

In message , Roland Perry
writes
Coastal base stations (such as the one which you contacted in northern
France) can be adjusted to allow twice the normal propagation delay, so
that large areas of sea are covered.
The last few times I've been on a Sealink Ferry I've got their very own
base station.
--
Clive

On Mar 18, 12:58*pm, Clive wrote:

In message , Roland Perry
writes:
Coastal base stations (such as the one which you contacted in northern
France) can be adjusted to allow twice the normal propagation delay, so
that large areas of sea are covered.

The last few times I've been on a Sealink Ferry I've got their very own
base station.

Sealink?

I'm not aware of any of the cross-channel ferries offering their own
on-ship base stations, at least on the eastern crossings, e.g. Dover-
Calais/Dunkirk. My experience has been that you retain mobile
reception from one side or another for the whole cross-channel ferry
crossing.

In message
,
Mizter T writes
I'm not aware of any of the cross-channel ferries offering their own
on-ship base stations, at least on the eastern crossings, e.g. Dover-
Calais/Dunkirk. My experience has been that you retain mobile
reception from one side or another for the whole cross-channel ferry
crossing.
In which case I have made a mistake and it must have been
Portsmouth/Caen.
--
Clive

On Mar 18, 1:43*pm, Clive wrote:

In message
,
Mizter T writes:
I'm not aware of any of the cross-channel ferries offering their own
on-ship base stations, at least on the eastern crossings, e.g. Dover-
Calais/Dunkirk. My experience has been that you retain mobile
reception from one side or another for the whole cross-channel ferry
crossing.

In which case I have made a mistake and it must have been
Portsmouth/Caen.

A v quick google appears to confirm that Brittany Ferries have such an
arrangement. Haven't been on one of their ferries for some time!

On 18/03/2012 12:58, Clive wrote:
In message , Roland Perry
writes
Coastal base stations (such as the one which you contacted in northern
France) can be adjusted to allow twice the normal propagation delay,
so that large areas of sea are covered.
The last few times I've been on a Sealink Ferry I've got their very own
base station.

I think that certain ferries crossing the channel provide their own
cellular service once out of reach of any land-based ones. I have heard
that ships between Portsmouth and Saint-Malo have that service, though I
don't know if that is the case between Portsmouth and Bilbao.

I wonder if any if any passenger ships that cross the Atlantic Ocean
offer such a service, such as Cunard's Queens.

I know that Emirates offers such services, at least between Dubai and
London, though it is only for text services, IIRC.

What ever happened with Ryanair's plans to do something like that, BTW?

On 18/03/2012 13:43, Clive wrote:
In message
,
Mizter T writes
I'm not aware of any of the cross-channel ferries offering their own
on-ship base stations, at least on the eastern crossings, e.g. Dover-
Calais/Dunkirk. My experience has been that you retain mobile
reception from one side or another for the whole cross-channel ferry
crossing.

I also noticed that mobile reception switched over pretty seamlessly
between France and the UK when I did Dover-Calais, a few years back.

But I also noticed that I lost signal completely on Liverpool-Douglas.

Does anybody what the situation is for service between Holyhead and
Dublin or Hartlepool and Douglas?

In message , "
writes

What ever happened with Ryanair's plans to do something like that, BTW?

http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/gen-en-300806

30.08.06
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, and OnAir, the leading
onboard passenger communications provider, today (30th Aug) announced a
deal that will see Ryanair’s entire fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft
fitted with OnAir’s onboard mobile communications solution.

http://www.ryanair.com/en/news/launch-of-europe-s-1st-fleet-wide-inflight-mobile-phone-service

19.02.09
Ryanair, Europe’s largest low fares airline, today (19th Feb) launched
its in-flight mobile phone service initially onboard 20 of its (mainly)
Dublin based aircraft. This is the first step in fitting Ryanair’s
entire fleet of over 170 aircraft to allow all passengers to make and
receive mobile calls and texts on all Ryanair flights.

http://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/onair-hangs-up-on-ryanair-mobile-phone-deal-340096/

1 Apr 2010
Disagreement on timing for a fleet roll-out, among other issues, led
OnAir to terminate its agreement to provide on-board to-fit mobile phone
service across budget carrier Ryanair's fleet.

http://www.ryanair.com/en/questions/can-i-use-my-mobile-phone-or-ped-onboard

The use of Mobile Phones is not permitted onboard any Ryanair aircraft.
--
Goalie of the Century

In message , at 14:58:50 on Sun, 18
Mar 2012, " remarked:

What ever happened with Ryanair's plans to do something like that, BTW?

There are some issues to do with what "country" you appear to be
"roaming in" when aboard the aircraft (and hence how much the calls
cost), and whether OFCOM is happy that you switch from (eg) UK to that
"country" when you get 10 miles offshore, or when the wheels leave the
runway.

I haven't heard anything recently about how/if/when this will be
resolved.
--
Roland Perry