CHRIS@brownvm.bitnet (Christopher Chung) (08/05/89)
I just bought a cellular phone about 3 weeks ago and was wondering if there was any cost in making a 911 call. For obvious reasons I don't want to try and test it out. Thanks, Chris CHRIS%BROWNVM.BITNET@MITVMA.MIT.EDU [Moderator's Note: Whether or not there is a charge depends on the policy of the carrier. The landline portion, by law, is sent collect to the police or emergency service. But please note yesterday's Digest and previous items on this: 911 as designed is virtually worthless in cellular applications. It is biased in favor of phones at *fixed* locations, since the caller's name and address are an important part of the message delivered. PT]
doug@letni.uucp (Doug Davis) (08/06/89)
>[Moderator's Note: Whether or not there is a charge depends on the policy >of the carrier. The landline portion, by law, is sent collect to the police >or emergency service. But please note yesterday's Digest and previous items >on this: 911 as designed is virtually worthless in cellular applications. >It is biased in favor of phones at *fixed* locations, since the caller's >name and address are an important part of the message delivered. PT] This is not entirly true everywhere, down here on the range "South Western bell mobile systems." The local wireline carrier. Has some kind of cel identification that routes 911 calls to the local, to that cell, emergency center. The first time I used it, after reading about all the horror stories in telecom about getting your home area's 911 center. I was quite shocked when my 911 call was routed to the local sheriffs office in "rock mound" Texas, pop 213. Since then I have made several 911 calls over the past 4 months that I have owned my phone. Each time they got it right as far as where to route the call, even in local suburbs of big citys like Dallas and or Fort Worth. The call was always routed to the correct response center. We might have been the last place on earth to get cellular service, but at least so far, it looks like they did it right. As a side note, anyone want to post their experences about fun things to do with your portable cell phone? So far I have this list: + Calling someone while sitting out front of their dwelling. (yeah I know that's old but it still worth a few laughs... sometimes) + While sitting in a resturant with lousy service, call the manager up and complain.. + Calling up the grocery store and asking where they hid something. + Ordering pizza, (yes please deliver it to the red z-car outside) + lastly, calling up your buddy who has another portable phone, about 20-30 seconds after he goes into the "facilities." >From some of the reactions I have seen, I am convenced that some people will never be able to cope with "modern" technology. Usually when they peer sheapishly out from the office, or whatever, a little wave and a smile is all it takes to get the eye popping, open mouth act. If there is any interest, i'll be glad to compile a list and post it. doug -- Doug Davis/1030 Pleasant Valley Lane/Arlington/Texas/76015/817-467-3740 {sys1.tandy.com, motown!sys1, uiucuxc!sys1 lawnet, attctc, texbell} letni!doug "BUMP! Squeak Squeak Squeak... Hey! this must be an invisible wall!" "Oh, it is." "Great! I've always wondered what one of those looked like."
john@gatech.edu (John DeArmond) (08/07/89)
>>[Moderator's Note: Whether or not there is a charge depends on the policy >>of the carrier. The landline portion, by law, is sent collect to the police >>or emergency service. But please note yesterday's Digest and previous items >>on this: 911 as designed is virtually worthless in cellular applications. >>It is biased in favor of phones at *fixed* locations, since the caller's >>name and address are an important part of the message delivered. PT] > >This is not entirly true everywhere, down here on the range "South Western >bell mobile systems." The local wireline carrier. Has some kind of cel >identification that routes 911 calls to the local, to that cell, emergency >center. Same here in Atlanta. I use my phone fairly frequently on 911. Between the daily traffic accidents, drunks, and out-of-control cops, I'm on about twice a week. The call always goes to the juristdiction of the cell handling the call. (sometimes it's off by one when I'm near a boundary but that does not count.) BellSouth Mobility does not charge for 911 service. BTW, One of the nicer things about celphones in the car is being able to call in real time and report cops who are out of line. I love nothing more than to ping one going about 20 over the limit or third laning traffic while not on emergency traffic. I always ask the dispatcher to confirm that the car number is not on 10-33 traffic and then I describe in detail what I saw. I've been transfered to the duty captain more than once to provide first hand details. Try it sometime. John -- John De Armond, WD4OQC | Manual? ... What manual ?!? Sales Technologies, Inc. Atlanta, GA | This is Unix, My son, You ...!gatech!stiatl!john **I am the NRA** | just GOTTA Know!!!
morris@jade.jpl.nasa.gov (Mike Morris) (08/08/89)
doug@letni.LawNet.Com (Doug Davis) writes: > ..edited... > >As a side note, anyone want to post their experences about fun things >to do with your portable cell phone? So far I have this list: > + Calling someone while sitting out front of their dwelling. > (yeah I know that's old but it still worth a few laughs... sometimes) > + While sitting in a resturant with lousy service, call the > manager up and complain.. > + Calling up the grocery store and asking where they hid something. I've done all of those with an amateur radio autopatch system. Been doing it since 1968, with a Motorola "portable" that had tubes in it (rember those? The electronics teachers tell the students "think of them as high voltage, depletion mode JFETS that glow in the dark"). The radio sat in a canvas bag that was shoulder-carried, with a 18" whip sticking out. The microphone plugged into a box that had a touchtone pad, a transformer and a 9v battery in it, and the box plugged in to the microphone jack on the radio. The system technology has changed - the repeater now has a Z-80 based controller, with 512k of PROM, 16k of battery-backed RAM, and can run 5 different radios simultaneously, plus a speech synthesizer and a autopatch card. I can carry a radio smaller than a pack of cigarettes that has 4 times the power (1w vs 250mw), or a 8-watt walkie talkie can hang on my belt... > + Ordering pizza, (yes please deliver it to the red z-car outside) Amateurs can't legally do this. The plain English translation of the FCC's gobbldegook is: "If your autopatch use results in a profit for anybody, don't". Exceptions are made for 911, AAA, tow truck, etc calls. If anybody is _really_ interested, there is an ongoing argument of this on rec.ham-radio. >From some of the reactions I have seen, I am convinced that some people >will never be able to cope with "modern" technology. Even truer back in the '70s when I got my first solid-state "portable". Still in the canvas sack, but 2 whole watts! Later on I got a true handheld. It was fun calling my date on the phone and saying "Go open the door", and then surprising her with a rose when she did. >... Usually when >they peer sheapishly out from the office, or whatever, a little wave and >a smile is all it takes to get the eye popping, open mouth act. > Most of the crowd I ran around with needed a technical explanation, and several ended up getting their amateur licenses. One girlfriend did! Unfortunately, my wife won't. Mike Morris UUCP: Morris@Jade.JPL.NASA.gov #Include quote.cute.standard | The opinions above probably do not even come cat flames.all > /dev/null | close to those of my employer(s), if any.
kent@husc6.harvard.edu (Kent Borg) (08/15/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0277m11@vector.dallas.tx.us> doug@letni.LawNet.Com (Doug Davis) writes: >As a side note, anyone want to post their experences about fun things >to do with your portable cell phone? So far I have this list: I was once at a a friend's house when Dave, another friend, got a beep on his beeper. He looked down and thought the number seemed awfully familiar, but he dialed it anyway. It was a friend of his who couldn't find the place, but did find Dave's car. Being good friends, he had a key and knew the combination on Dave's cellular phone. He decided to phone Dave to ask for directions. Kent Borg kent@lloyd.uucp or ...!husc6!lloyd!kent
davef@lakesys.lakesys.com (Dave Fenske) (08/15/89)
In article <telecom-v09i0298m12@vector.dallas.tx.us> Kent Borg <lloyd!kent@ husc6.harvard.edu> writes: >In article <telecom-v09i0277m11@vector.dallas.tx.us> doug@letni.LawNet.Com >(Doug Davis) writes: >>As a side note, anyone want to post their experences about fun things >>to do with your portable cell phone? So far I have this list: Well, here are two things. One is fun, the other isn't. For a real treat, carry a transportable phone. Then, when you arrive at someone's house, do the following: before you knock or ring the doorbell, have his/her number all set to be dialed. Lastly, dial the number and after a slight pause, ring the bell. See if you can predict, in advance, whether your host(ess) will answer the door or the phone first. On a serious note, some months ago, I glanced out a window to see a neighbor's house on fire. It didn't take me long to reach for the phone and try to dial the fire department. Unfortunately, the fire had already melted the phone cables. Luckily, I have a transportable with a charged battery pack which I did use to call for help. DF