PLT OF C340 SUFFERS LOSS OF COM FREQ WITH DEP CTLR LEAVING SAT; TX; WHEN R SEATER TEMPORARILY DISABLES 2 WAY COM. HE OVERSHOOTS RADIAL OFF VOR DUE TO THE BOSS USING A CELLPHONE IN THE REAR SEAT. CTLR IS MORE THAN ANGRY AFTER COM RE-ESTABLISHED. PAX HAD NOT BEEN BRIEFED.

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WHILE BEING VECTORED 060 DEGS TO V212 EBOUND AND CLBING; MY R SEAT PAX (A NON PLT) MANAGED TO BUMP THE AUDIO PANEL TO AN IN BTWN POS ON THE SELECTOR SWITCH. THIS CAUSED AN UNDETECTED LOSS OF COM WITH ATC FOR A FEW MINS. I NOTICED THAT I HAD NOT HEARD ATC FOR A PERIOD OF TIME AND WAS TRYING TO COMMUNICATE WITH NO ANSWER. AFTER A SECOND OR THIRD SCAN OF THE PANEL AND CIRCUIT BREAKERS I FOUND THE PROB; SWITCHED ON THE RADIO AND GAVE A CALL TO ATC. THEY WERE PISSED. I TOLD THEM OF THE PROB AND THEY REPEATED THE CLRNC. IN TRYING TO INTERCEPT THE V212 081 DEG RADIAL EBOUND; MY BOSS IN THE BACK SEAT WAS USING A CELLPHONE. THIS ALSO CAUSED ERRONEOUS READINGS ON MY VOR/CDI SO I COULD NOT TELL WHERE THE HELL I WAS. AFTER I NOTICED THAT HE WAS USING THE CELLPHONE I TOLD HIM RATHER STERNLY TO TURN THE DAMN THING OFF AND LEAVE IT OFF WHILE AIRBORNE IN ANY ACFT. IN HIS DEFENSE; HE DID NOT KNOW THAT IT WAS NOT APPROVED FOR USE WHILE AIRBORNE. UPON LNDG AT OUR DEST I SET IN EFFECT 2 NEW RULES: 1) R SEAT PAX MUST BE A QUALIFIED PLT UNLESS SPACE DOES NOT PERMIT TO RIDE IN THE REAR. IN THAT CASE THE PAX WILL NOT TOUCH ANYTHING FOR FEAR OF BODILY INJURY! 2) NO PORTABLE ELECTRONIC DEVICES SHALL BE TURNED ON WHILE ON BOARD THIS ACFT.