Not sure about the hoax thing but I can certainly imagine a potential buyer of your phone dialling 999/112 to check the phone works before handing over the cash.

bland – Member
Christ, what happened to directing the Mtn rescue guys by grid reference, or can no one do that any more?

Well, in order to give a grid ref, you need a) a map, and b) to be able to read it and give an accurate GR from it.
I think most of us on here are well aware of the fact that a great many people go swanning off into sparsely populated areas totally ill-prepared for whatever emergency is likely to occur, or blithely assume that Google Maps works no matter where you are.
FWIW, I’ve got both Viewranger, and Theodolite Pro, so I can give highly accurate location details no matter where I am in the UK, but very few people go that far when out for a walk.

Not sure about the hoax thing but I can certainly imagine a potential buyer of your phone dialling 999/112 to check the phone works before handing over the cash.

Try as I might I can’t. No really I can’t.

One because I hope people aren’t that silly and 2 as most people will probably think even a blocked phone can do this.

Could be wrong of course.

One because I hope people aren’t that silly

Coming from someone who works with the general public AND is a mod here: I really admire your optimism. 😀

Fair point and crossed my mind after I posted it. 😀

The other issue for SIM-less 999 calls is that the operator can’t get a number (as it doesn’t have one) and so they have no way to call back if needed. As said, the phone may well think it can make an emergency call, but it doesn’t mean it gets connected.

In the US, network operators are legally obliged to connect SIM-less phones to 911 – not so here.

As for the call itself, ALL UK emergency calls go operators in one of five centres – they’re the ones who ask “which service?”. For landlines, they get the full street address and for mobiles a rough location based on cells it’s near (with an indication of accuracy – at worst within half a mile) – so they can route the call to the appropriate police / fire / ambulance / coastguard / etc centre nearest the caller.

This is all the same whether you use 999 or 112. I’ve come across misinformed people running first aid courses too – there must be someone training the trainers who’s perpetuating this myth.

If you dial 999 backwards it does the same thing.

Christ, what happened to directing the Mtn rescue guys by grid reference, or can no one do that any more?

I’d heard (and possibly Drac will be able to confirm/deny?) that callers phoning with grid references had caused all sorts of confusion at the new super duper computerised emergency services headquarters, which were all focused around the 99% of calls that involved postcodes that could then be zapped straight to the MDT of the response vehicles – apparently when given a grid ref, there was no way to track down a nearby postcode to send to the satnav…

[video]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ab8GtuPdrUQ[/video]

Not heard that, yes they use Postcodes as one of the ways to track but they also use Grid Ref or seem to. If we get an RTC they’ll ask what Juntcion they are near and will use that for example as an alternative to a postcode.

Just out of curiosity, who knows the correct procedure for calling Mountain Rescue out?

Just out of curiosity, who knows the correct procedure for calling Mountain Rescue out?

999 and ask for Police.

apparently when given a grid ref, there was no way to track down a nearby postcode to send to the satnav

http://streetmap.co.uk/

Why would they get a GPS fix from 112 but not 999?

I didn’t think locating mobile phones was anything to do with GPS (most of the time I’ve the GPS off on my phone as it eats the battery, and all my phones before this one didn’t have GPS) – isn’t it more like triangulating from the masts?

Now, as to ascertaining who knows what’s what, and who is talking utter bobbins, do I go with:

Hello. 20 years working in the technology team of a mobile operator here.

which also seems to be borne out by the links from actual police forces’ websites, or should I trust to the technical knowledge of:

was informed on a Red Cross First Aid Course

and

Also told this on an AA Drivetech course

Hmmmm…

I assume we are all aware that today is officially 112 Day

isn’t it more like triangulating from the masts?

Yes.

Try as I might I can’t. No really I can’t.

One because I hope people aren’t that silly and 2 as most people will probably think even a blocked phone can do this.

Could be wrong of course.

There was a news story a couple of years ago which said that at Christmas time, the emergency services got loads more calls than normal from people trying out new phones. Open the packet Christmas morning and there’s a shiny new smartphone but no numbers programmed in so the idiots dialled the only number available to them (999) to check the phone worked.

I hope people aren’t that silly

Oh they are. In fact they’re worse.

The one time I’ve called out Mtn Rescue, I dialled 999 and asked for Mtn Rescue, they put me through to the Police who established what Mtn Rescue area I was in and got the MRT to call me back. I gave them a grid ref and also the name of the trail I was on, they knew instantly even just from the name exactly where I was. Benefits of a volunteer workforce who are out there in their own leisure time and know the area.

Now Crazy-legs what the papers report and reality are sometimes a little bit exaggerated.

Thanks, Nobeer. I’ve just seen this useful little film on FB – but did a search, rather than start a new STW thread [insert smug smiley]

Even if it’s not 100% accurate 🙄 it’s a useful reminder – and I bet loads of people still don’t know about registering for texting

…isn’t it more like triangulating from the masts?

Triangulation needs a bearing from two points.

As I understand it, mobile masts do not know the direction of a mobile phone, so they can not triangulate it’s position.
I would imagine that, by measuring the strength of the signal to two or more masts, they could work out the relative distance from each one.

It might seem pedantic, but a direction from one point gives a line to search along.
A direction from two points gives a location.

A radius from one point gives a circle.
a radius from two points gives two locations.