911 and cell phones

Z

ZmOz

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About 5 years ago, when I first got a cell phone, there was alot of confusion about whether 911 might be able to find you or not. Well, now that it's 2007 I hava a cell phone with a built in GPS. It can find me anywhere...but the question is, can 911 find me yet? Do 911 dispatch centers have the capability to track down cell phones nation wide yet...or are they still stuck in 1999? I get lost very easily and have alot of health problems...often I might need to call 911, but I have no idea where I am....
 
roscoe

roscoe

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Re: 911 and cell phones

Depends what service, and I think where you are. Some 911 centers can, some can't.
 
Bob_VT

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Re: 911 and cell phones

Well..... IF you are lucky enough to be in an area with cell signal the authorities mostly have the capability.

When old phones did not generate gps signatures it was just good old radio technology that located individuals..... providing the battery did not fail.
 
R

rwise

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Re: 911 and cell phones

Here in tulsa, the tracking system is being installed, wont be ready for another year,,,,,,,,,,,, or so :/
 
Vlad D Impeller

Vlad D Impeller

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Re: 911 and cell phones

I think that the tracking system works by triangulating the signals from various towers, you can be able to recieve a signal from one tower but may be out of the range of other towers, therefore the trackers can be limited to pinpointing with great accuracy.
When calling 911 you can also give them your position from the GPS.
 
Z

ZmOz

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Re: 911 and cell phones

Vlad said:
When calling 911 you can also give them your position from the GPS.
Click to expand...

Yeah, well, that's not always so easy when you're laying on the ground haivng a heart attack. ;)

How can I find out if the local 911 service is capable of this yet or not?
 
aspeck

aspeck

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Re: 911 and cell phones

In our area, Dispatch is hoping to have the capability to do that by the end of 2008! To find out if your local 911 service has GPS tracking capabilities, ask your local fire or police department. They SHOULD be able to tell you ...

BTW, I just received a letter from On-star. Because of the digital v. analog service, my On-star service will become inoperative on December 31, 2007. Seems everyone will be digital, and no one analog, after that time. They did offer me a free year of service, all I have to do is buy a new vehicle equipped with On-Star! :%:mad:
 
Bob_VT

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Re: 911 and cell phones

"How can I find out if the local 911 service is capable of this yet or not?"

Contact your local State Police and ask for a test call. Here in the unpopulated part of the country they will allow a 911 test call.

Art..... dump the onstar and just be sure the next rig is bluetooth compatable. Then you only have to pay for your single cell phone (unless you want the other on-star features)
 
T

Terry Olson

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Re: 911 and cell phones

Call the agency who runs the dispatch center in your area - which in most cases isn't the local police department. You should be able to find a 10-digit number for them if you don't want to call them on 911. In most of the country dispatching is done at the county level and the local police will have little if any idea whether this is possible in your area. You'd be surprised at how wide the technological gap is from one place to the next so it's anyone's guess until you call and ask the people providing the service. Some can do it now, some are working on it, and others haven't even thought of it yet.
 
Z

ZmOz

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Re: 911 and cell phones

Well, I never did find out. Last night I had to call 911 and then blacked out. I woke up in the ER...so I guess they found me. :D


And just so that we're clear, my doctor is an idiot. :rolleyes:
 
bruceb58

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Re: 911 and cell phones

ZmOz said:
Well, I never did find out. Last night I had to call 911 and then blacked out. I woke up in the ER...so I guess they found me. :D


And just so that we're clear, my doctor is an idiot. :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Hope you are ok!!

See what happens when you get all worked up over "Dockside Chat"!
 
Kenneth Brown

Kenneth Brown

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Re: 911 and cell phones

Too much green stuff will do that to ya!

Seriously glad to hear your alright.
 
Z

ZmOz

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Re: 911 and cell phones

Kenneth Brown said:
Too much green stuff will do that to ya!

Seriously glad to hear your alright.
Click to expand...


I haven't had any of that in quite a while actually. I'm not alright though...but I appreciate everyones concern.
 
7

75boater

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Re: 911 and cell phones

the actual answer is yes you can be tracked, most cell service companies are able to locate you by cell phone i am a firefighter and we run into it alot out where i am. we get alot of four wheeling accdnts. and this like that... the only time it cant be traced is when you are roaming... it can be traced to a close outskirt as to what area you are but not exact location! the best to have is nextel , they are a bit expensive but have a gps system that we have never had issues with roaming or not!
 
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