Inexpensive or free electronic safety beacon.

[JohnX]

Unknown fact: ALL cellphones will dial 911 even if they have no service. It makes sense to carry one when hiking or leave one in your car. The following link will explain things better.

 

Emergency cellphone

[GOF and Bacall]

This presumes that you are within range of cellular service.

[knowschad]

Unknown fact: ALL cellphones will dial 911 even if they have no service. It makes sense to carry one when hiking or leave one in your car. The following link will explain things better.

Emergency cellphone

I knew that unknown fact. Pretty amazing, huh?

[+bittsen]

Actually the fact isn't all that unknown.

 

There was an organization around here that collected old cell phones and gave them out to battered women and the elderly for use in emergencies.

[+linuxxpert]

Unknown fact: ALL cellphones will dial 911 even if they have no service. It makes sense to carry one when hiking or leave one in your car. The following link will explain things better.

 

Emergency cellphone

 

Unknown fact: ALL cellphones will dial 911 even if they have no service. It makes sense to carry one when hiking or leave one in your car. The following link will explain things better.

 

At least I thought it was pretty common knowledge... ?

[+Touchstone]

Fairly well known fact I'm afraid. My problem is usually being out of cell phone range though.

 

There was a recent rescue (in CO I believe) where the lost hiker typed in a text message for help from a fairly remote location, and it miraculously connected, and at least gave the SAR's folks some idea of their condition.

[AZcachemeister]

Just rent an Iridium Satellite Phone for $20 PER WEEK, and you will be covered.

Seriously, there are much more cost-effective ways to get help no matter where you are.

 

McMurdo

[JohnX]

Yeah, all of you,

 

Kick sand in my face. At least I thought I knew something others didn't. I guess I'm not as smart as I think I am. I even got fooled by that fake article on the cache thief. At least I can juggle.

[+brslk]

Yeah, all of you,

 

Kick sand in my face. At least I thought I knew something others didn't. I guess I'm not as smart as I think I am. I even got fooled by that fake article on the cache thief. At least I can juggle.

 

I've never been able to juggle. Even though I am somewhat ambidextrous I just cant do it.

 

I can play guitar... piano... and have excellent hand / eye co-ordination... juggling eludes me.

[GOF and Bacall]

Yeah, all of you,

 

Kick sand in my face. At least I thought I knew something others didn't. I guess I'm not as smart as I think I am. I even got fooled by that fake article on the cache thief. At least I can juggle.

 

Don't take it so hard. It isn't a bad idea, as long as you are aware of the limitations.

[+smstext]

so if there is no cell tower for rival networks as well as your home network how does it communicate to make the emergency call?? ive heard to many times of people stuck in the hills with no reception and they have tried and tried to make emergency call but no service to any of the networks including rival and home networks.

[+power69]

Just rent an Iridium Satellite Phone for $20 PER WEEK, and you will be covered.

Seriously, there are much more cost-effective ways to get help no matter where you are.

 

McMurdo

what about a deactivated satellite phone?

[+ekhoc]

Just remember to dial 112 instead of 911, if you happen to be in Europe

[daveindeal]

Just remember to dial 112 instead of 911, if you happen to be in Europe

 

or 999

[knowschad]

At least I can juggle.

Oooohhhh!! Can I see?

[knowschad]

Yeah, all of you,

 

Kick sand in my face. At least I thought I knew something others didn't. I guess I'm not as smart as I think I am. I even got fooled by that fake article on the cache thief. At least I can juggle.

I appreciate you taking all this with such a great sense of humor! By the way, on the page that you linked to, check the date on Ann's comment (the first comment in the list)

[+ekhoc]

Just remember to dial 112 instead of 911, if you happen to be in Europe

 

or 999

 

999 only works in UK, Ireland and Poland. 112 is the pan-European emergency number.

[+cw1710]

Unknown fact: ALL cellphones will dial 911 even if they have no service. It makes sense to carry one when hiking or leave one in your car. The following link will explain things better.

Emergency cellphone

I knew that unknown fact. Pretty amazing, huh?

I read the even if they have no service part as meaning even if they have no paid service from a cell company rather than physically having a usable signal..

[knowschad]

Unknown fact: ALL cellphones will dial 911 even if they have no service. It makes sense to carry one when hiking or leave one in your car. The following link will explain things better.

Emergency cellphone

I knew that unknown fact. Pretty amazing, huh?

I read the even if they have no service part as meaning even if they have no paid service from a cell company rather than physically having a usable signal..

Yes, that's what they mean. You can simply purchase any old cell phone and, without paying any fee, still have emergency access.

[+ekhoc]

I read the even if they have no service part as meaning even if they have no paid service from a cell company rather than physically having a usable signal..

That is exactly what it means. Even if your operator would have no coverage, the emergency call should work if there is any technically compatible cell network available.

With no coverage whatsoever, also no call will be possible.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Unknown fact: ALL cellphones will dial 911 even if they have no service. It makes sense to carry one when hiking or leave one in your car. The following link will explain things better.

 

Emergency cellphone

Make the distinction between "No service" and no account. You need reception, but you go not have to have an active phome account.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

Yeah, all of you,

 

Kick sand in my face. At least I thought I knew something others didn't. I guess I'm not as smart as I think I am. I even got fooled by that fake article on the cache thief. At least I can juggle.

Everyone can juggle. JK.

[+GeoGeeBee]

You also need to be aware that really old cell phones won't work anymore. The analog cell system in the United States was shut down starting in 2008. My old Motorola "brick" phone is now just a brick.

[+WRITE SHOP ROBERT]

You also need to be aware that really old cell phones won't work anymore. The analog cell system in the United States was shut down starting in 2008. My old Motorola "brick" phone is now just a brick.

not a Travel Bug??

[+cw1710]

I read the even if they have no service part as meaning even if they have no paid service from a cell company rather than physically having a usable signal..

Yes, that's what they mean. You can simply purchase any old cell phone and, without paying any fee, still have emergency access.

I knew that. It just seemed that everyone else was taking what the OP said the wrong way. I just thought I would help clarify some. I guess I wasn't clear in my clarification that I was just clarifying.

Edited March 4, 2010 by cw1710

[+coggins]

Unknown fact: ALL cellphones will dial 911 even if they have no service. It makes sense to carry one when hiking or leave one in your car. The following link will explain things better.

 

Emergency cellphone

Thanks for the link, sounds like a good idea to me.

[nitro71]

Most places the cell phone service will triangulate your call and give emgergency services your location.

[+Castle Mischief]

Most places the cell phone service will triangulate your call and give emgergency services your location.

 

Somewhat. It will narrow down the area, but will not exactly pinpoint your location as accurately as a GPS.

 

In other news:

 

Will dialing 112 connect you with an emergency call center when your cell phone has no signal?

 

Enabling your cell phone's 'location' feature can assist searchers in finding you?

[GOF and Bacall]

In a recent local house fire several people lost their lives because it took so long for the emergency services people to figure out what their location was. A terrified and panicking woman had called it in on her cell phone.

[+cw1710]

In a recent local house fire several people lost their lives because it took so long for the emergency services people to figure out what their location was. A terrified and panicking woman had called it in on her cell phone.

As a first responder, we do receive a lot of calls from disconnected cell phones and they are very hard to pinpoint. The triangulation can give a general area but that only helps a little bit when you are in a heavily populated area.

[+paleolith]

There was a recent rescue (in CO I believe) where the lost hiker typed in a text message for help from a fairly remote location, and it miraculously connected, and at least gave the SAR's folks some idea of their condition.

Not particularly miraculous either, though perhaps less known. Text messages are carried in the 255-byte control messages which are constantly exchanged between cell towers and phones. Only a single control message has to get through to deliver the text message, and it doesn't have to happen at a specific instant and can be retried. By contrast, a voice connection is far more complex and requires at least 255 bytes PER SECOND (roughly), in each direction, has to go NOW or not at all, and since it can't be delayed there's no retry.

 

This is why text messaging is often fully functional in emergencies even when the voice system is unusable due to overload or damaged equipment -- as in Haiti right now. And it readily explains why a text message may get through from a remote location even when there's no usable voice service. I've sent text messages from such remote locations, though never in an emergency.

 

Edward

[+LightHouseSeekers]

This looks like another possibility.

 

http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php

[+TheAlabamaRambler]

This looks like another possibility.

 

http://www.findmespot.com/en/index.php

Putting an end date on a recall of a defective product, especially one billed as a life-saving tool, is enough to make me avoid this company.

 

Updated Important Notice: If you have a SPOT 2 unit with an ESN number equal to or less than

0-8053925, please complete the simple Product Return Form below to return your SPOT 2 unit for replacement. All units need to be returned for replacement and to be eligible you need to fill out the form below before March 31st, 2010.

 

If they sold a bad product they should accept returns on every one they sold. By putting an end date they are hoping folks won't discover that their unit is junk before the cutoff date.

[+DENelson83]

Most places the cell phone service will triangulate your call and give emgergency services your location.

 

Somewhat. It will narrow down the area, but will not exactly pinpoint your location as accurately as a GPS.

Well, geocachers almost always take GPSr's with them, so if they have a cell phone as well, they're completely prepared.

 

You can also try putting out your emergency call on a shortwave ham radio transceiver. Shortwave signals can travel all the way around the globe, and you don't need a licence to use any portable radio to send distress calls.

Edited March 7, 2010 by DENelson83