survivalperson,

Logical answers to your logical questions...

"As I understand it you can call 911 from any phone without any cards or change. If you are truly in a life threatening situation who are you planning to call besides the biggest emergency response team's phone number?"

>There are times in my life that I've needed to make calls to folks other than the nice staff at 911...called other family members to let them know that I had a vehicle breakdown. Called family from connecting flight to inform them of revised flight schedules changed due to weather. Called someone at a convention center with phone card when several of the phones I found were full of coins and not accepting any more coins.


"Second Question, if you are in the .1 percent of the country where they have working phones but no emergency services then can't you just dial 0 and get the operator?"

>There are times that this is exactly what I've done. There are also times that this has been an exercise in frustration, especially when using some of the non-standard or private label phone company pay phones, where you may or may not get the AT&T or Bell South service that one normally expects.


"Ever hear of 1 800 COLLECT?"

> Sure have, and in general it works. Of course, the person on the other end gets charged, but in an emergency you do what you have to and deal with the consequences later. I'd rather not call some people collect though.

"In most cases, if I can't find a phone then I am truly alone and have to resort to rudimentry signaling and HAM Radio."

>Absolutely, while not a HAM [yet], (.. - .-- --- .-. -.- ... ..-. --- .-. -- .) <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> I've pretty much memorized the alphanumerics and can muddle my way through about 5wpm. & yes, I know about the N.C. licenses now in use. Sorry about the character spacing on the code, tried to get the 1X3X5 spacing, but it is hard in this format, what I typed in the post box keeps changing in the displayed view.

Besides learning code myself, there are also morse code sheets in each of the family's PSK's, mirrors, small flashlights, whistles and reflective film (rather similar to Stop sign high reflectivity type). My wife works in a clinic providing therapy to disabled patients and uses sign language. I've found this to be more of a challenge than Morse, but am slowly gaining ground on it anyway.

Sure, we can all attempt to depend on cell phones, but Mr. Murphy and his gremlin buddies <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> seem to discharge our batteries, allow our phones to get wet, carefully wait until we are in the only dead signal zone for 100 miles before creating havoc that requires us to use the cell phones.

That is why redundancy is such a good thing.

Hmmm...speaking of which, I sat back with a cup of coffee and reread this post and my prior post, then <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> realized that using just one phone card # for 4 family members can be improved upon by using 4 separate cards/numbers.

While I trust the my kids not to abuse the cards, it may come to pass that someone else might get/find/steal one of our kits and use all the minutes on all of our cards leaving us "speechless". Oh well <shrug> back to Costco for another couple cards this weekend. <img src="images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for making me think.

Regards,
Comanche7

WOFT,

I concur wholeheartedly regarding contact with family.

Regards,
Comanche7

Hi,

I think that a phone card is a good and useful thing. Here in Germany you can use some coins also; every phone box accept both: card and coins.
So card and coins together is a redundant and safe thing.

Sir Vivor

I've enjoyed the discussion so far. I have had an AT&T card for so long that I don't physically have the card anymore - just the number and PIN in my head. It works fine in the USA and at least in some other parts of the world (all the places I've been so far), although there was a time when certain rural western US local telecos completely blocked access to everyone but their own long distance - but not so any longer. As far as I know, 1-800-CALL-ATT works everywhere in the USA now. I used to have the international access number memorized, but I haven't used it for a long time - reminds me that I should put that # in my PDA.

But for our children, pre-paid calling cards are better, so that's what they have. And speaking of kids...

The reason I carry a cell phone with me at all times is so that OTHERS may contact me. Shortly after cell phones got smaller than the old "brick" Motorola type, my wife and I have each carried a cell phone. Who do our kids call when they are in a bind? Me. Who does my wife call? Me. I also have to be available 24/7 for the 911 folks to get in touch with me, and while that could be handled by a pager, it is not nearly as efficient as a cell phone - a dialog with the dispatcher is more productive than a page. With two personal phones and my work one, we "float" one with the kids (usually the deaf one) all the time and situationally float my wife's phone with whichever kid might need it.

As of earlier this year all 4 kids drive, so I'm thinking about a pre-paid emergency phone stowed in all the cars. Meanwhile, some of the vehicles have older model cell phones and chargers in the glove box as "911 only" phones - that is supposed to work, but we have not had any reason to verify that so far.

I think MommaBear is correct about text messages. Since switching to tri-mode phones, we have found text messages to be extremely reliable even when there's not enough bandwidth or continuous coverage for voice. With a deaf kid in the family, we use a lot of text messaging so we waited for a super deal on a huge monthly block of TMs and added it to our contract. Some phones are more difficult to compose a text message on than others, though, and the predictive text built into some phones will NOT stay turned off (very annoying), so check out the exact model in the store before signing up. And text messaging will not work in the few remaining anlaog only areas, so it's not a panacea.

If I was only concerned about calling out for help, I don't think I'd carry a cell phone. The incoming calls are why I carry one. There may be "disposable" pre-paid cell phones avaialable in the near future and that may be worth another look for emergency kits.

Regards,

Tom

re (It works for me)
I think this is what you sent as morse code, though the spacing was difficult. If I recieved it at 5wpm I could have understood more.

Besides sending morse code by using one key for your dits and dahs, how else would you communicate using alphanumeric keys? This would be applicable if you had a phone but no voice Ie your face got smashed on the driving wheel.

As to your logical answers. Very Good answers.

survivalperson,

That is correct. <img src="images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

The spacing <img src="images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> still irks me, but the bottom line is that the message was transmitted, received and understood correctly, <img src="images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> which was the original hopeful intent and why the info. is in our family kits.

Your scenario:

Ooooooo.... <img src="images/graemlins/blush.gif" alt="" /> a face smack on the steering wheel, yes, that is an item for consideration.

Using your example and implication that this probably happened away from other people or it being possible that the vehicle is totally out of sight even though immediately adjacent to the roadway...remember Tilly Tutor? (spelling?). The 60 year+ woman whose car was hit at night, and <img src="images/graemlins/mad.gif" alt="" /> knocked OFF of the raised <img src="images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> I-595 highway in Fort Lauderdale one night a while back. (I think that there may have been a thread here as well, it was about 2 years ago. She was pretty well hosted and toasted for her GREAT fortune by the local (and some national) media afterwards.)

She was not found for several days EVEN THOUGH FHP and Fire Rescue "looked for her". This was not all their fault, the brush below the raised road did a good job of hiding her car. She drank dew and rainwater and was inadvertently found by a road crew cleaning the the swale down below the elevated (20'?) roadway several days later.

In this case, she was pinned in and due to constant highway noise, calling or otherwise trying to signal for help was not really viable.

Now, back to your situation, it is extremely likely that if you are unable to speak due to a "newly implanted steering wheel denture", it is almost a certainty that your vision has gone down the tubes as well due to facial swelling causing high internal pressure in your eyeballs and head in general. Thus, it would be hard to read a code sheet, and unless one was able to even locate the (hopefully still intact and operational) phone after the accident, were VERY familiar with their cell phone and still had a good sense of touch, it is going to be problematic at best to attempt any text messaging.

Hmmm.... <img src="images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" /> what to do....what to do???

At this point, it is doubtful that the headlights would still work even if the battery was operational and wiring not shorted out, so using other car lights (or horn) for code signaling is a possible, but unlikely option.

At the moment, you've got me stumped. Definitely need to mull this one over several days and cups of coffee.

Perhaps some of our other readers might be able to bring some thoughts to the table for this situation?

Regards,
Comanche7

Hey, Comanche --

Quite a while back, one of the board regulars (Tom Ayers??)mentioned that his rescue unit was frequently frustrated by not being able to find a car that had gone off the road into a ditch, and the victim's cell phone would run out of juice before they could get there. So he suggested carrying a small party horn (don't knowthe real name for them) in the glove box. It's the horn that you hear at football games, about 130 decibels, courtesy of the drunken idiots who are invariably seated right behind you <img src="images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

I thought that was a great idea & picked up a couple for our cars from Wal-Mart (in the marine section) for about $5 a pop.

You need very little strength to deploy it.

JMHO --

Hi Mamabear2,

Those things can be loud! Especially right behind you.

Ease of use, hey kids love them.

I concur with your thoughts on putting them in the vehicles. Potential concerns (maybe not so much up "nawth" in your neck of the woods, but it hits home here in MIA) is the heat in a car. They are pressurized, reckon that they would be safe enough kept in the glove box or similar place. Just like the phone, finding it after the accident could be problematic. Not so problematic as not having it at all though.

We looked at these in Wally World" several weeks ago (think that most larger boating stores will have them as well).

You are right, perhaps it's time to add one per vehicle. Possibly even a spare canister as well. Good thinking.

Have a great weekend!.

Regards,
Comanche7

I'm pretty sure it was OldBaldGuy - not me, in any event.

Hi, Tom -

You jogged my brain to do a search on 'air horn' -- I discovered that it was our very own moderator Chris K. who first floated the idea of a separately powered horn in case of a car accident. The post was dated 10/04/02.

Thanks,
MB