You'd think all this electronic stuff would be screened against static, EMF etc.
Why single out phones as the culprits?
I think the essence of this thread misses the point. It's not the known electronic stuff that the rule targets...its the unknown un-approved stuff.
We have all heard the interference caused by phones next to speakers. We have read stories where phones have triggered the AFT BAG FIRE lights in helicopters. There is no doubt that mobile phones (and other electronic devices) interferere with other electrical equipment.
The rules are written not for the hundreds of types of phones (and electrical equipment) that are well made and have been tested and are within acceptable limits (say FCC), but for the thousands of makes and models which may be 'counterfeit' or simply have not been tested and approved.
If a person is using a Garmin XXX GPS or a Nokia XXX, how the hell is the captain to know whether they are FCC approved or not.
Communication technology is developing at such an alarming rate - dualband, 2G, 3G, Infrared, BlueTooth etc - that it would be impossible for them to come up with an 'Approved' list...instead they simply ban all electrical equipment in flight.
That's not to say that ALL phones would interfere. As has been stated, many do not. So whether a pilot decides to continue to use his phone or not becomes a matter of personal risk asssessment. Indeed, in the helicopter I fly, I have left my phone on (usually becuase I've forgotten to turn it off), and have had no problems thus far. But I don't want every passenger to be jabbering away on their phones, as I don't know about their phones.
So let's not slate a rule, without considering the unknown possible consequences of not having that rule.
cl12pv2s