blue tooth speakers on the balcony

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 minute ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I am well aware that mine is illegal.  I have only used it for research and in controlled environments, e.g. faraday cage. 

 

 Bluetooth operates at 2.4Ghz the same as WiFi however, Bluetooth uses something akin to spread spectrum and has built in protection methods against jamming.  There are ways to effectively play my signal instead of theirs thereby having their speakers play what I want them to play and with the right equipement I am pretty sure I could prevent the speakers from receiving any signal from any device. 

 

However, that being said, it's a nice thought.  Even with two free bags, up to 70-lbs each on United, I'll be damned if I want to spend my cruise dealing with someone else's loud music.  I'll just keep complaining to Guest Services and any officers I meet onboard. 

 

 

A well thought out plan of execution.

 

The general design of a proper Faraday cage (I capitalized it in order to respect the scientist who created it) would most probably ring alarm bells in the automated security scanners since it would be identified as an "unknown object". X-Ray equipment would flag the opaque nature of creating a shroud hiding anything inside it. This would subject you to secondary screening as you explained the principles behind its design and your intentions to bring it aboard.

 

Like yourself, I want to cruise to relax. When I have to create complex counter-electronics to enjoy my cruise, it is time to find another vacation venue.

 

As always, no-one forces us to cruise. When the negative out-weigh the positives, we have to make decision. Until then......🛳️>>>>>>>>>........... 😁

[DaKahuna]

11 minutes ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

 

A well thought out plan of execution.

 

The general design of a proper Faraday cage (I capitalized it in order to respect the scientist who created it) would most probably ring alarm bells in the automated security scanners since it would be identified as an "unknown object". X-Ray equipment would flag the opaque nature of creating a shroud hiding anything inside it. This would subject you to secondary screening as you explained the principles behind its design and your intentions to bring it aboard.

 

 

 My previous Faraday cage/enclosure was made with copper cladded pieces of wood that could be assembled and taken apart.   

[Engineroom Snipe]

4 minutes ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 My previous Faraday cage/enclosure was made with copper cladded pieces of wood that could be assembled and taken apart.   

 

That and the four foot ground-rod would be a difficult thing to pack!!!!! 😯😁🤣

 

"Sir, I hope that is some type of golf club in your suitcase. Would you mind opening it for us?"

[Pizzasteve]

5 hours ago, topnole said:

My wife and I are seemingly unicorns.   The only ones who bring coloring books and activities for our kids.  No tablets, no phones.   It’s so unhealthy for them.  Watching other parents shove a phone in a small kids face is really hard for me to watch.  Just sad.  

For kids?  Drawing class and coloring templates were a fun activity for us on a recent cruise.  Only sad thing was class was too short for us to show teacher our finished sketches.  They exceeded our expectations.

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 minute ago, Pizzasteve said:

For kids?  Drawing class and coloring templates were a fun activity for us on a recent cruise.  Only sad thing was class was too short for us to show teacher our finished sketches.  They exceeded our expectations.

 

Yes, leaving technology behind and "Going Back to the Future" to the land of Neanderthals drawing handmade pictures on the rock walls of the caves.

 

Something very rewarding about a hand attached to a carbon pencil and sketching pencils to create an image on a parchment paper.  😯😁 Sometimes the simplest things in life are the most enjoyable. I loved doing mechanical drawings. AutoCAD made them obsolete in a ten-year span of time. The price of progress. Did I master AutoCAD, yes. Did I lament the beauty of hand made designs being left in the dust? Yes. 😢

[BirdTravels]

5 hours ago, topnole said:

My wife and I are seemingly unicorns.   The only ones who bring coloring books and activities for our kids.  No tablets, no phones.   It’s so unhealthy for them.  Watching other parents shove a phone in a small kids face is really hard for me to watch.  Just sad.  

Unfortunately, the coloring books are placing your kids at a severe technological disadvantage. While you think that it is bad, your kids will be playing catch up with others for the rest of their lives. During the pandemic, those technically challenged kids and parent fell further behind when everything went online. 

Edited February 16, 2023 by BirdTravels

[Engineroom Snipe]

3 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Unfortunately, the coloring books are placing your kids at a severe technological disadvantage. While you think that it is bad, your kids will be playing catch up with others for the rest of their lives. During the pandemic, those technically challenged kids and parent fell further behind when everything went online. 

 

One must be careful going from an analog world into a digital world. For all of our digital progress, our eyes, ears, and vocal cords transmit and receive information through analog processes. Everything digital must be converted to analog before it enters or leaves our brains and vice a versa.

 

An old Long Playing Album (LP) was recorded and transcribed through an analog process. As such, it can play all of the harmonics of the recorded song in a far superior fashion than a 256 bit digital recording. This is why "vinyl" is making a comeback with audiophiles.

 

I can teach anyone about engineering in five subject matter areas but I cannot teach them how to imagine. I find that people who draw, play music, and write can learn "systems" far faster than those who only focus on digital mastery.

 

Just my opinion after many years teaching the next generation on complex engineering design and implementation. I can manufacture, install, and maintain any electrical, electronic, mechanical, or information system that I design. At the end, it is an artistic thing of beauty in a physical world.

[Charles4515]

26 minutes ago, BirdTravels said:

Unfortunately, the coloring books are placing your kids at a severe technological disadvantage. While you think that it is bad, your kids will be playing catch up with others for the rest of their lives. During the pandemic, those technically challenged kids and parent fell further behind when everything went online. 

Coloring books and activities are good for small kids. I don’t think they will be disadvantaged. I don’t think they will be disadvantaged for the rest of their lives. Small kids to me means pre schoolers. It is school age kids that lost out when things went online. 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Charles4515

[Engineroom Snipe]

2 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

Not knowing the age of the kids I would not jump to conclusions. Coloring books are good for toddlers. 

 

Leonardo Da Vinci might be an example where "coloring books" were good for adults too! 😁

[fsjosh]

On 2/14/2023 at 9:30 PM, DaKahuna said:

Hmmm.  All this discussion makes me wonder if the radio frequency jammer I bought years ago for some research will work against BluTooth.  Time to rebuild my faraday cage and test it out.  It would be interesting to see folks reactions when their bluetooth speakers stop playing their music and they can't figure out why. 

 

 

A probably better idea is that a lot of these bluetooth speakers will just let any device connect to them if they are close enough. 

 

Then, you can play all kinds of interesting things over their speaker at full volume. 

[Charles4515]

13 minutes ago, fsjosh said:

 

A probably better idea is that a lot of these bluetooth speakers will just let any device connect to them if they are close enough. 

 

Then, you can play all kinds of interesting things over their speaker at full volume. 

You have to pair them. They have to be within 3 feet to connect to pair. 

[DaKahuna]

17 minutes ago, Charles4515 said:

You have to pair them. They have to be within 3 feet to connect to pair. 

 

 I believe the distance is closer to 30 feet than 3 feet.   My car's BT picks up my iPhone even though it's 20 feet or more if I leave my phone in the house and go to drive somewhere closeby. 

 

The distances really depends on the signal strength -- high powered transmitter and high gain antenna, the 'standard' distances can be easily extended.  

 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, DaKahuna said:

 

 I believe the distance is closer to 30 feet than 3 feet.   My car's BT picks up my iPhone even though it's 20 feet or more if I leave my phone in the house and go to drive somewhere closeby. 

 

The distances really depends on the signal strength -- high powered transmitter and high gain antenna, the 'standard' distances can be easily extended.  

 

That is the Bluetooth range after you pair. You have to pair once. To pair you have to be within 3 feet. My iPhone does not pair with a new device until it is right next to it. 

[HappyTexan44]

12 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Unfortunately, the coloring books are placing your kids at a severe technological disadvantage. While you think that it is bad, your kids will be playing catch up with others for the rest of their lives. During the pandemic, those technically challenged kids and parent fell further behind when everything went online. 

It is the opposite.  Being able to *use* technology and being able to *create* technology are two entirely different things.   Particularly for preschoolers, early technology can cause focus problems because the flashy colors and quick movements encourage the reactive focus of babies to be retained at the expense of deliberate focus.  Don't we all know kids who can't focus to do their schoolwork but have amazing focus at video games?   That is the result.  Life isn't video games.   

The reason the pandemic generation fell behind during the lockdown wasn't because they were technically-challenged.   It was a combination of that many people, including smart adults, just can't learn effectively online, and time spent on the computer doing anything *but* schoolwork.   

It was so bad that for the Final Exam Spring of 2021 the teachers in more than one school district near me were told to give anyone that just put their name on the paper, they got a 50.   Anyone that got at least one problem correct started at 70.  None of those kids were technically challenged.  

 

[time4u2go]

9 hours ago, Charles4515 said:

That is the Bluetooth range after you pair. You have to pair once. To pair you have to be within 3 feet. My iPhone does not pair with a new device until it is right next to it. 

How does the phone and the device know how far apart they are?  Different devices utilize different bluetooth strengths, so it can't be based on signal strength.

[Engineroom Snipe]

1 hour ago, time4u2go said:

How does the phone and the device know how far apart they are?  Different devices utilize different bluetooth strengths, so it can't be based on signal strength.

 

Very good quick read might answer some of your questions:

 

The Bluetooth Standard - A simple guide to the protocol for beginners (technobyte.org)

 

I do not use Apple Products, so I find it interesting that they "only pair when close" according to a post on this thread.

 

My Android OS on my phone will pair as long as it is in range (normally 20 to 30 feet).

 

Most devices will share a secret key after pairing and bonding.

 

Most slave devices need to be put into "pairing mode" and the master device needs to be set to "inquiry" to start the bonding process.

 

In many cases, you might be able to see all of the devices within range, but you will not be able to start the connection process without the other device being placed into pairing mode.

[vjmatty]

On 2/14/2023 at 9:30 PM, DaKahuna said:

 It would be interesting to see folks reactions when their bluetooth speakers stop playing their music and they can't figure out why. 

 

 

Not to mention your reaction, when you realize the plan totally backfired because now all of the bluetooth headphones have also been disabled and there is a cacophony of sound from multiple devices 😉

 

[ccotting]

An excellent discussion of the issues involved in living in close quarters with others.  Situation is the same as in any apartment.  Too much too close of something not to your taste.   Have personally never had the music issue but our worst experience involved folks in the cabin below us having jello shooters to celebrate transiting the panama canal (they announced this to all from the balcony, still wondering how they managed that) and then singing "Sweet Caroline" off key multiple times.  Painful.  Can never hear that song anymore without reliving the experience.  This went on for nearly an hour....   We take a small bluetooth speaker but have only used in the cabin precisely for the reasons expressed at length here.   

[HappyTexan44]

20 minutes ago, ccotting said:

An excellent discussion of the issues involved in living in close quarters with others.  

This is the reason we live on an acre, own and rent out one house next to us and have a standing offer to buy the other.   Both DH and I found apartment living stressful.  
 

[Charles4515]

1 hour ago, Engineroom Snipe said:

I do not use Apple Products, so I find it interesting that they "only pair when close" according to a post on this thread.

 

Apple products have better security and ease of use features than Android but in any case for security reasons no matter the distance you have to pair. Android, Apple or whatever. Encrypted links are sent. You can't just connect to random Bluetooth speakers. That was implemented early in the Bluetooth standard to prevent Bluejacking. 

Edited February 16, 2023 by Charles4515

[1girl3boys]

On 2/11/2023 at 12:13 PM, jbrinkm said:

 

 

I'm seeing this a lot more (hearing this a lot more?) on airplanes now these days as well.

I was on a flight recently and before take off while everyone was boarding a lady decided that would be a good time to have a facetime conversation with her friend.  So everyone could hear both sides of the entire conversation.

[Engineroom Snipe]

5 minutes ago, 1girl3boys said:

I was on a flight recently and before take off while everyone was boarding a lady decided that would be a good time to have a facetime conversation with her friend.  So everyone could hear both sides of the entire conversation.

 

Listening to those conversations can be brutal. I have enough drama in my life and I appreciate those who keep their private life, private. 😳

[kenny]

Interesting tech discussion but back to the OP, on upcoming cruise I plan on using a blue tooth speaker and will play occasionally at low volume for ambiance. No rap, metal, or hip pop, just cool ocean vibes, Sven Van Hees comes to mind ✌️

 

Oh here's a crazy story, last summer I was at Zion, hiking in the Canyons and a kid behind us cranks up dumb jams on a boom box. I told him God's music was a lot better... took him a few minutes to get it and he turned it off.. yay!

[topnole]

18 hours ago, BirdTravels said:

Unfortunately, the coloring books are placing your kids at a severe technological disadvantage. While you think that it is bad, your kids will be playing catch up with others for the rest of their lives. During the pandemic, those technically challenged kids and parent fell further behind when everything went online. 

Yeah.  I don’t think so.  I work with technology for a living.  It takes about a 5 minutes for a kid to learn how to use a pad or an iPhone.  They are menu driven.  Using most functions on a smart phone, tablet, or modern computer takes zero technical skills.  Zero.  They are designed to be user friendly for the masses.  We aren’t taking about programming or doing software here.  No kid is falling behind because their parents didn’t shove a smart device in their face at the the dinner table to keep the quite and occupied.  

Edited February 16, 2023 by topnole

[topnole]

2 hours ago, kenny said:

Interesting tech discussion but back to the OP, on upcoming cruise I plan on using a blue tooth speaker and will play occasionally at low volume for ambiance. No rap, metal, or hip pop, just cool ocean vibes, Sven Van Hees comes to mind ✌️

 

Oh here's a crazy story, last summer I was at Zion, hiking in the Canyons and a kid behind us cranks up dumb jams on a boom box. I told him God's music was a lot better... took him a few minutes to get it and he turned it off.. yay!

The proliferation of cheap high quality wireless speakers is certainly a problem everywhere.  The issue I see is everyone thinks their preferences are ok while other’s preferences are not.  But this stuff is nothing new.  People used to bring their “boom” boxes on vacation.  Now it is just easier so there are more folks annoying others everywhere.