How well do cell phone signal jammers work?

[Rick Lee]

They are plenty of jammers with up to a 50 meter range, but they get expensive and bulky. All the ones I've seen online are measured, of course, in meters since they're all from outide the U.S. The small ones that are about the size of a cell phone have a 10-20 meter range, which is more than enough for me. I don't want to bother others. I just don't want to be bothered BY others. Anyone that far away from me is of no consequence to me. Yes, it would be fun to "zap" others just to see it happen. But that would not be my purpose for having a jammer. The girl right next to me at work is engaged to a Secret Service agent on WH detail. But I don't want to ask her or her fiance about this for obvious reasons.

[cstreit]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

I'm thinking of getting one of these to keep in the car, on the bike and bring into restaurants. What do you guys think?

Sure, go for it! Why should your sensitivities be bothered in the least by anyone else's desire to talk on their cell phone? Especially on your BIKE, why should you have to listen to people sitting on a park bench talking to their kids or office while you ride by?!

Seriously, why? I guess I can understand restaurants.. to a degree... ...but if everyone were like you, if I needed to get a phone call, i couldn't leave the house.

[frogger]

Imagine if Rick was in the middle of an serious/urgent cell phone call and someone "zapped" him. Of course, that wouldn never happen.

[kstar]

So you want to use an illegal cell phone jammer to jam legal cell phone calls because they (phone calls) annoy you?

Huh?

Best,

Kurt

[Rick Lee]

I can't remember the last time I rode my bike past someone not in a car outside of DC, so I don't know how a jammer would possibly bother someone on a park bench, of which there are none anywhere near a hwy. I've ridden on and not even in the congested burb streets around where I live. It's all concrete around here.

No Kurt, I want to use an illegal jammer to jam DANGEROUS, albeit legal, cell phone calls which ENDANGER me and all others on the road. They don't merely annoy me. They scare the living $hit out of me. That it's politically impossible to get cell phone drivers treated like the equally dangerous drunk drivers does not make it any less dangerous to be around them or make me feel any guilt for trying to stop their dangerous actions for the brief time they're within my strike zone while on the road when they should be paying attention.

[frogger]

It's comforting to know that vigilante justice is still in vogue.

[Steve Carlton]

So, you really think the drivers of the cars right next to you are going to go "okay, I'll just call back later" and concentrate on driving? Riiiiight. They're going to do the most dangerous part of cell phone use, which is look down at their phone, realize the call is ended, and look through their address book or re-dial the dropped call.

Why don't you just concentrate on driving defensively and lobby for improved cell phone laws for in-car use instead of imposing your arrogant and illegal jamming that could likely cause a lot more harm than good?

[Rick Lee]

Steve, no. And that's why I posted it here. I really wonder what the effect would be. Unlike Frogger's suggestion, I'm not considering this as a means of vigilante justice or getting even or whatever. I really just want to create a safe buffer zone around myself, since so few drivers anymore care about anything other than their cell phone conversations.

I find it kind of strange that there's such vehement opposition here. It wouldn't bother me in the least if cell phone chatting behind the wheel were a felony and rigidly enforced. Last time I dialed a number while driving was to report one of those "how's my driving" trucks that was a danger to everyone around him (and on the phone, I might add). I've never used a phone in a restaurant and don't ever chat while driving. Jammer or bans wouldn't affect me in the least.

[motion]

I hope Rick's not in town when I need to be talking about an important matter with my family or finally get that important customer on the line to finalize a deal. Or, when I'm on the line with my doc discussing an issue about my health or maybe talking to the escrow company a few minutes before closing a RE deal. Yeah, I hope Rick and his jammer are close by to impinge on my personal freedoms and dictate what is important/not important in my life (and his).

[Rick Lee]

Motion, if those things are truly more important to you than driving safely, then you should pull over when you do them anyway.

I'm just amazed at how much I read here about people pissed off by other drivers on cell phones, but they all find their own cell phone calls to be ok. Hang up and drive. It's that simple. Life was just fine before cell phones came along.

[motion]

Rick, you implied that you don't like people talking on cell phones in any public place where you might be nearby.

[cstreit]

I thought you meant bicycle not motorcycle.

I have a real issue with this, while you are certainly right, 50% of the stupid driving I see ends up with me spotting the driver on the phone. However I also think your wife is dead on, losing the signal might cause even MORE distraction.

Your annoyance does not preclude my right to use my phone.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by motion

Rick, you implied that you don't like people talking on cell phones in any public place where you might be nearby.

Right, I don't like it. But I certainly respect it when it's not in a nice restaurant at dinner time or in a movie theatre or church. I understand the need to conduct business at lunch or whatever. Doesn't bother me. And most nice restaurants would ask someone to hang up during dinner anyway. But for those few occasions when some loudmouth is clearly bothering a lot of people and no one wants to do something about it, it would be nice to jam their call. If it was really that important, they could just step outside. Smokers do it.

[Racerbvd]

Let me get this straight, I'm driving talking to the doctor about my elderly Mother (who isn't in the best of health) and you jam my cell so I can't find out what is happening, or I'm eating out, & she calls me because she needs some help,(BTW, when eating out, I get up & go out side, I don't like others listening in) or my work calls (I'm always on call) and you jam all the cell phones, which could include doctors & policeman who are on call for emergencies. Well, you nare so much better than the rest of us, hope you crash your car while playing with your jammer

[Rick Lee]

I think the ratio of potentially blocking emergency calls to blocking frivilous calls is extremely low. And Byron, it really doesn't matter what the phone call is about. Sure, it's important to you. That doesn't mean you have a right to drive distracted because YOUR phone call is more important than everyone else's road safety. God forbid you really end up in a place with no signal. Does your world come to an end? It's never made a difference in my life at all.

[cstreit]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Right, I don't like it. But I certainly respect it when it's not in a nice restaurant at dinner time or in a movie theatre or church. I understand the need to conduct business at lunch or whatever. Doesn't bother me. And most nice restaurants would ask someone to hang up during dinner anyway. But for those few occasions when some loudmouth is clearly bothering a lot of people and no one wants to do something about it, it would be nice to jam their call. If it was really that important, they could just step outside. Smokers do it.

Realistically Rick...

One of those obnoxious jagoff's are simply going to make call after call with their now non-working phone inside that place going "Hello? Hello? Beep beep beep Hello? Dammit..." Redial beep beep beep, and on and on....

...and the soccer mom is going to be looking down through her phone-logs for the number and redialing while not watching the road putting you at more risk.

Which annoyance is worse?


...Frankly it would be better if those place like posted a Cell phone ban" at the front door. Turn it off or be asked to leave. I would.

[Rick Lee]

Originally Posted by cstreit

...Frankly it would be better if those place like posted a Cell phone ban" at the front door. Turn it off or be asked to leave. I would.

Yes, I agree! But those requests are routinely ignored, as evidenced in the memorial service I mentioned here earlier. And even where it's a law to drive with hands-free, it's not enforced and totally ignored. I believe NJ and NYC have such laws now too. I haven't driven in NYC in a while, but haven't noticed any difference in my regular trips to NJ. Just amazing that eveyone else's calls are a driving distraction, but if it's you personally, it's of the utmost importance.

[87coupe]

You should move to Alaska or somewhere very remote. The world has changed and you seem to be having trouble adjusting to it. Seen it many times, very common for old curmudgeonly farts

[stomachmonkey]

Originally Posted by Rick Lee

Yes, I agree! But those requests are routinely ignored, as evidenced in the memorial service I mentioned here earlier. And even where it's a law to drive with hands-free, it's not enforced and totally ignored. I believe NJ and NYC have such laws now too. I haven't driven in NYC in a while, but haven't noticed any difference in my regular trips to NJ. Just amazing that eveyone else's calls are a driving distraction, but if it's you personally, it's of the utmost importance.

Worked in NY.

Yes you still get violators but you can see them coming from a mile away.

They do look like drunk or impaired drivers.

Commuting between TX and NY for 6 months really made me notice the difference.

Here in TX every 3rd, 4th driver has a phone stuck to their heads.

I personally feel cell phone laws are necessary.

I'm all for it.

The jammer thing is just such a bad idea. I honestly believe you would create a more dangerous situation.

[Porsche_monkey]

Originally Posted by cstreit

...Frankly it would be better if those place like posted a Cell phone ban" at the front door. Turn it off or be asked to leave. I would.

How about a sign that says 'Jammer in use - cell phones will not work in this restaurant'?

Eat there, or move on, your choice.