I was doing the first day of my 2-day First Aid At Work requalification course today at the local St John Ambulance place and the training officer guy started off by going through the usual stuff of what “First Aid” involves, basically calling out the cavalry and getting them to sort out the mess.

Anyway he insisted that even if you were in the middle of nowhere with no reception, dialling 112 on your mobile would still work. He said it in the tone of voice that implied there would be a fleet of the RAFs finest overhead in seconds ready to evacuate you under enemy fire. Now as far as I can see if you have no reception you may as well be dialling the Pope for all the good it would do.

So who is right – will 112 work or not in a no reception situation? And if he’s wrong about that (as I think he is), should I be listening to him when he’s describing CPR procedure… 😉

It’s something to do with GSM mobile phones. iirc I think most phones are pre programed with 999/112/911 already installed and can be dialled with the keypad locked and without a sim card in. I think the call goes direct to a emergency center and not through the phone provider.

no signal = no signal

most phones allow sos/emergency calls via other networks if out with your own network.

Kuco: yeah, you can dial 999/112 even if the keypad is locked (which kind of negates the value of keypad lock IMHO) and it goes through direct to the emergency services. I had to dial 999 on my mobile a couple of weeks ago but I’ve never tried it with no SIM card or in a no reception situation.

Maybe you should review the CPR he taught you 😉

999 or 112 will use anyone’s network if you’re out of range of your own but in range of other ones.

(Not always the middle of nowhere either; i found a street just off brighton seafront where i had no signal whatsoever until i peeped around a corner and then had a full one.)

I am not sure you get a chopper/mountain rescue/rnli lifeboat instantly (!) but iirc there is also some technology gubbins available that can triangulate a phone signal if you enough of a worry to GCHQ errr, the emergency services.

which kind of negates the value of keypad lock IMHO)

Although good if you have to use a phone that’s not yours and you don’t know how to unlock it or there’s a code?

Your phone may show no reception even if there are other networks available, in this case 112 will work.

Otherwise I think not. Unless they are using a secret mobile phone network that they’re not telling us about. Maybe they’re monitoring our thoughts all the time…

but iirc there is also some technology gubbins available that can triangulate a phone signal

Yup its here clicky type in your wife/Gf number and see where she is

As jonb said, I believe, for instance you may have no reception for your network eg vodaphone but someone with Orange would have.

Dialling 112 or 999 on a Vodaphone handset can access the Orange network.

Unless this is an urban myth thats common around the uk.

Yup its here clicky type in your wife/Gf number and see where she is

😀

I was on the same course, and was told as above; It tries to access any available network and allows them to triangulate your position. Pretty bloody useful!

I was on the same course last year and was told the same thing. I think all the instructors have been told to spread the word. Unfortunately, it’s rubbish. If your phone can’t get a signal, you can’t ring anyone, and I did feed that back to the chap who told me

http://www.snopes.com/science/mobile.asp

as said above, no signal, no call. Your own network maybe out of signal but so might the others. There are still blank spots around, not everywhere is covered.

Kev

If you read the snopes artical then it says that it is true just when the signal is completly blocked ie in a tunnel then it wont work but other wise it will. My phnoe often says emergency calls only when my network doesn’t have a signall but if the is nothing at all then it just goes blank.

Sony Ericsson phones have 2 signal bars – when you’re out of your own network coverage, it’ll say “Emergency Calls Only” where it normally has your provider name. When both bars are empty, it’ll say “No Network Coverage”. Calling 999 with no network coverage doesn’t work – your phone may as well be in a microwave.

As I said they’re talking about if you don’t have a signal from your network there may be one available from another network, only may be NOT definately, for emergency calls.

112 is the euro standard emergency number
999 is what everyone is used to in the uk
UK operators use both
All GSM/UMTS handsets will allow emergency call on any network, even without a SIM inserted, but you need to have coverage of some sort because it is not magic
I’m guesing that they tell you to use 112 just in case (a) you are abroad or (b) you are close enough to e.g. France or Ireland.

well a couple of years back i was coming down off kinder in the dark in the snow – like you do (it was a good run) and could hear someone blowing whistle pretty insistently – now I had a Sony Ericson phone that had the indicator – “emergency calls only” as well as network strength and even when i got to the A57 had no signal at all had to drop down the road 100m or so before could ring emergency services
so agree don’t rely on network coverage – but the general point even if no credits / yr network not available worth trying and worth learning 112 is the norm in Europe

Yeah, it checks any network as said above. Also when you just switch your phone on it boosts the signal strength to try and link up to a network and when you dial 999/112 it boosts the signal strength like this to maximum so it might pick up a network that’s not shown before you dial 112/999. Or so I’ve been told.

Like said above, not to be relied on.

I’ve sometimes thought that it’s worth charging up, and keeping a right boggy old sim-less mobile in my pack for 999/112 calls “should the worse happen”. But have never bothered actually.

Lack of credit on phone (emergency calls only) = very busy ambulance service!!