Cell phone oddity; any physicists out there?

[marko]

Here's an odd one:

Just about every day that I drive through a certain area, my cell phone reboots. It just shuts itself off and restarts. It doesn't happen any other time except when I'm on that street and happens within 100 yards of the same place each time.

DW (who is sitting right next to me in the car) has an identical phone (Samsung S3), bought at the same time and we're on the same carrier and plan. Her phone doesn't do this.

This does occur within 3 miles of a major airport which is the only thing I can think might set it off. I'm thinking some sort of EMF blast or something.

Anyone?

 

[REWahoo]

I'm thinking some sort of EMF blast or something.

Those EMF blasts are worrisome, but I'll take one any day over the AMF variety...

 

[marko]

Those EMF blasts are worrisome, but I'll take one any day over the AMF variety...

Should have been more clear: Electro Magnetic Field or Pulse

 

[GrayHare]

Put your phone in a Faraday cage (metal box) and carry the cage through the area you describe. If this time the phone does not reboot that suggests some sort of electric field is triggering the reboot, perhaps the airport's radar sweep.

 

[Beldar]

Time to straighten out your tinfoil hat!

_B


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

 

[braumeister]

I would guess it's one of the airport approach radars. If the center of the beam happened to hit your phone, it could have that effect, and would indicate to me that one of the chips in your phone might have a defective ground which negates its shielding. Nothing to be concerned about apart from the nuisance factor.

 

[W2R]

I agree. It sounds like a defective phone.

 

[Totoro]

Had some random reboots for a while, could also be triggered by changing cell towers in combination with faulty firmware.

Did you try updating it?

 

[kramer]

I would say highest probability, if it really is tied to a particular location, is if the road is bumpy there and that a bumpy ride triggers a reset due to a bad or less-than-optimally-connected battery.

 

[MRG]

A very smart guy told me "when you go back to work, go back a different way".

 

[aja8888]

Your phone is either haunted or telling you that you need to buy an upgraded model.

 

[MichaelB]

DW (who is sitting right next to me in the car) has an identical phone (Samsung S3), bought at the same time and we're on the same carrier and plan. Her phone doesn't do this.

This would make a great plot for an episode of "The Twilight Zone".

 

[marko]

This would make a great plot for an episode of "The Twilight Zone".

....as would my entire life....

 

[RunningBum]

I would say highest probability, if it really is tied to a particular location, is if the road is bumpy there and that a bumpy ride triggers a reset due to a bad or less-than-optimally-connected battery.

My Samsung Android phone powers off more than I like, and I figure it's a bump or a light toss onto the passenger seat, or jostling it in my pocket. The battery looks to be locked in ok and I've taken it out and reseated it and blew the connectors clean, but who knows? I also notice that sometimes it takes a toss as some kind of input, like going back, so I lose my navigation. I have all the motions and gestures turned off. I just try to be more careful with it, and check periodically that it's not off so I don't miss calls or messages.

 

[Walt34]

Have all you guys forgotten about gremlins? They cause stuff like that all the time. There is no cure.

 

[Clone]

Perhaps Rachel from Samsung will call you with the recommended updates. All they need to access and update your phone is your SSN, mothers maiden name, a credit card number (just for verification), and your birthdate.

 

[braumeister]

I spent some years in the radar business in the Air Force, and visited a great many military radar installations. Many were extremely high power, and it was always amusing to hear the buzz on the car radio as you drove near. A search radar turns at 5 RPM, so every 12 seconds the radio would develop a loud hum as the beam swept past.

 

[marko]

I would say highest probability, if it really is tied to a particular location, is if the road is bumpy there and that a bumpy ride triggers a reset due to a bad or less-than-optimally-connected battery.

Strangely, the road here is fairly smooth; in fact right when it reboots it's very heavy traffic and I'm usually stopped or just rolling.

The rest of the roads here in Mass are horrible; I've seen better roads in India so the bouncing doesn't seem to be the issue as 80% of the time I'm almost losing an axle.

 

[NW-Bound]

Put your phone in a Faraday cage (metal box) and carry the cage through the area you describe. If this time the phone does not reboot that suggests some sort of electric field is triggering the reboot, perhaps the airport's radar sweep.

+1

 

[tfudtuckerpucker]

It' probably easier to wrap it in aluminum foil for a cheap "faraday cage" test.

There appears to be a lot of complaints about random rebooting for s3's out there.

 

[ERD50]

... and would indicate to me that one of the chips in your phone might have a defective ground which negates its shielding. Nothing to be concerned about apart from the nuisance factor.

Had some random reboots for a while, could also be triggered by changing cell towers in combination with faulty firmware.

Did you try updating it?

I'd say one of the above. Though any shielding issue, bad cap or any number of things, could make the phone sensitive to external noise.

-ERD50

 

[HFWR]

Cosmic rays from Alpha Centauri?

 

[Nodak]

I had a S4 that would occasionally reboot or in a few instances just power down for no apparent reason. I have an S7 edge now and no problems of any kind yet.