ACFT EQUIP PROB. VOR COURSE DEV INDICATORS (CDI'S) BECAME UNUSABLE DURING CLB. CAUSE DETERMINED TO BE PAX LAPTOP WHICH WAS CONNECTED TO ACFT CELLULAR PHONE. WHEN THE CELL PHONE WAS DISCONNECTED FROM THE LAPTOP ALL VOR SIGNALS WERE NORMAL.

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STANDARD SOP PREFLT WITH SOP RADIO CHKS. BOTH NAVS OK AND CLR. SID -- CVG 117.3 VOR 290 DEG RADIAL V128 DECEE THEN V128 TO 116.3 INOY VHP VOR. DURING CLBOUT FROM CVG; CLRED TO INTERCEPT CVG V128 (290 DEG RADIAL) PER SID. AS ALWAYS; I IDENTED THE STATION MORSE CODE; IT WAS CLR; NO BACKGND NOISE. AT APPROX 10500 FT; CAPT AND FO CDI BEGAN TO SCALLOP IN TANDEM L AND R OF COURSE. I CHKED THE VOR SIGNAL; VERY HIGH BACKGND NOISE AND MORSE CODE VERY DIM BUT IT WAS CVG IDENT. I ADVISED ZID CVG VOR UNUSABLE; HOW ABOUT DIRECT INDY? VHP OK'ED TO VHP. I IDENTED VHP; BUT SAME BACKGND NOISE AND 116.3 VHP VOR AND SCALLOPING CONTINUED ON BOTH NEEDLES. I HAD OUR FIRST FLT ATTENDANT GO THROUGH THE CABIN TO FIND IF ANYONE WAS USING A CELLULAR PHONE. WE FOUND A PAX USING ACFT CELLULAR PHONE HOOKED TO HIS TOSHIBA TECHRA LAPTOP WITH 28800 BPS MODEM. I HAD HIM DISCONNECT AND SIGNAL INTERFERENCE STOPPED. VHP WAS CLR AND SCALLOPING STOPPED. I NOTIFIED OUR DISPATCH WHILE ENRTE OF PROB. I SAID I WAS UNSURE AS TO HOW TO WRITE THIS UP. I HAD THEM ARRANGE CUSTOMER SVC REPRESENTATIVE TO MEET ACFT TO GET INFO FROM PAX AND TO HAVE MAINT MEET THE ACFT FOR FURTHER RESEARCH. AT THE GATE; PAX VERY COOPERATIVE. HE AND MECH MOVED THROUGH ACFT WITH LAPTOP ON WHILE I CHKED VARIOUS FREQS FOR SIGNAL PROBS. NONE NOTED. HE TRIED TO LINK UP WITH PHONE MODEM TO NO AVAIL. HE TOLD ME THAT THIS WAS HIS 'FIRST TIME TRYING TO LINK COMPUTER WITH ACFT PHONE SYS AND IT JUST DIDN'T SEEM TO BE WORKING!' HE WAS CALLING (OR TRYING TO) AN 800 NUMBER IN WISCONSIN. #1 MECH SAID DON'T WRITE UP THIS PROB IN LOGBOOK AS ACFT OK -- PROB WAS LAPTOP. #2 SYS MAINT; I CALLED THEM AND HAD PHONE CONFERENCE. THEY SAID DON'T WRITE IT UP; THEY WILL RESEARCH PROB. #3 STATION OPS -- YEP -- THEY SAID THEY GOT ALL THE INFO ON LAPTOP AND ACFT OK; DON'T WRITE IT UP. DISCUSSED THIS WITH OUTBOUND CAPT FOR NEXT TRIP. FILED CAPT'S RPT TO ALERT COMPANY. FILED SAFETY RPT TO ALERT COMPANY; NOTIFIED DISPATCH AS TO FINAL OUTCOME OF SIT. NOV/XX/96 COMPANY CALLS ME 'WHY NO WRITE-UP?' HOW MANY TIMES MUST YOU BEAT THE HORSE BEFORE IT IS PRONOUNCED LEGALLY DEAD? WHILE AIRPHONE SHOULD HAVE BEEN WRITTEN UP; ALL FOLKS I SPOKE WITH WERE GOING TO CHK IT OUT. ALL HAD INFO ON LAPTOP. MECH RAN NAV EQUIP TESTS ON ACFT AS I WAS LEAVING. THIS BRIDGE HADN'T BEEN CROSSED. I ADVISED ALL THAT I WAS UNSURE HOW TO PROCEED WITH THIS AND DID WHAT I FELT WAS CORRECT. I NOTIFIED EVERYONE FROM DISPATCH; OPS; MAINT; CUSTOMER SVC; COMPANY SAFETY RPTS. WE ARE NOT TRAINED FOR AIRPHONE PROBS. PERHAPS 'WHEN IN DOUBT; WRITE IT UP.' LAPTOP: NEW MODEL; FIRST TIME PAX TRIED TO DO A PHONE MODEM LINK-UP. WAS AIRPHONE SYS UNTESTED FOR A MODEM LOCK-UP? WAS NEW LAPTOP AT FAULT BY ITSELF? AIRPHONE VOICE WAS USED; NO PROBS RPTED. ENRTE TO CVG FROM ORD 3 PAX WERE ON PHONE. PAX #4 COULDN'T GET HIS CALL THROUGH -- THIS IS NORMAL. BACKGND NOISE WAS AS IF YOU DROVE UNDER HIGH PWR LINES AND WERE LISTENING TO AM RADIO.