Cell phone ALERT

[oosik]

Yesterday I was out driving the Taco Wagon on a dusty back road. I was about half way between my home and Coeur 'd Alene Lake. The new iPhone came alive with a loud ringing and a strange message. It said - " ALERT - Amber Alert message being transferred to my phone & my name". I pulled over and checked to see what was going on.

The police dept in Coeur 'd Alene had issued an Amber Alert for somebody who had stollen a vehicle and possibly taken a child from their home.

I have no idea how the police dept knew my phone number and how the message came thru so loud and clear. I was in a VERY remote location where I could not get normal cell reception. I had just previously tried to call my son and had no success.

There is obviously ways to boost transmission for particular situations. Amber alert being one of those situations.

 

[widefat]

"While the previous Wireless Amber Alert program was SMS text-based, the current Emergency Alert program uses a technology called Cell Broadcast, which delivers messages to all phones within range of designated cell towers. It doesn't send the message to individual recipients, so it doesn't need to know your phone number and it doesn't need to know who you are. This way, the alert also won't be affected by voice and SMS text channels, which are typically more congested. Wireless Emergency Alert notifications are always free."

from - Everything you need to know about mobile Amber Alerts

And, it is a one way broadcast - so it requires less power, no handshaking, and no QoS. Ie, it works where a normal cell call will not.

 

[oosik]

You sound just like my son, WideFat. He has dual degrees - electrical engineering & computer technology. He, also, has trouble talking down to the peons( me ).

Our college degrees are about as far apart as possible. Mine are in aquatic biology( BS ) & Environmental Science( MS ).

However, I DO understand your last sentence.

 

[Industrial Toys]

Happened to me too. In the middle of the night (Of course). Is that worst possible alert a user selectable option? All for a DOMESTIC custody matter a hundred miles away. Un-freaking believable.

Anyway, it happened a second time, and I told BELL to remove that feature which to my surprise they could and did.

If I had to live with that, I would dispose of my cell phone!

 

[turnkey4099]

Yesterday I was out driving the Taco Wagon on a dusty back road. I was about half way between my home and Coeur 'd Alene Lake. The new iPhone came alive with a loud ringing and a strange message. It said - " ALERT - Amber Alert message being transferred to my phone & my name". I pulled over and checked to see what was going on.

The police dept in Coeur 'd Alene had issued an Amber Alert for somebody who had stollen a vehicle and possibly taken a child from their home.

I have no idea how the police dept knew my phone number and how the message came thru so loud and clear. I was in a VERY remote location where I could not get normal cell reception. I had just previously tried to call my son and had no success.

There is obviously ways to boost transmission for particular situations. Amber alert being one of those situations.

Local (about 30 miles away when he was picked up). Known domestic abuser, broke a restraining order against her, broke in, sstabbed wife, grabbed kid and hit the road to his dad's house out side of St. John Wash. Wife 'serious but will be okay'. Stand-off at house and finally shot himsefl. Local opinion "no loss to anyone"

 

[oosik]

Thank you turnkey. I wondered what the outcome was. St John - that's only about thirty miles south of me.

 

[CADplans]

We live in an area where cell calls are difficult or impossible.. depending on the weather,

BUT,,,

text messages always go through, with no issue,,

so,,,

I had to learn to text message my daughters,,
and,, it seems anyone under 35 would prefer to receive a text message as compared to a call,,, anyways.

I guess a message has more "range" than a cell call?? almtree:

 

[widefat]

We live in an area where cell calls are difficult or impossible.. depending on the weather,

BUT,,,

text messages always go through, with no issue,,

so,,,

I had to learn to text message my daughters,,
and,, it seems anyone under 35 would prefer to receive a text message as compared to a call,,, anyways.

I guess a message has more "range" than a cell call?? almtree:

A simple text message (no pics or video) uses a different part of the cell link. Your phone is in constant communication with cell towers over a "control channel", a separate and always up connection between your phone and the tower.
Even when your not on a call, your phone and whatever tower is in range are talking over this control channel. Often, the control channel will be working when you have zero bars and cant make a call.
simple text messages are sent and received over this control channel.
It's good to know - in emergencies, when all of the voice channels are taken, you can most likely send a text.


PS - The control channel sounds like a good way for a hacker to access your phone doesnt it?

 

[two_bit_score]

Yesterday I was out driving the Taco Wagon on a dusty back road. I was about half way between my home and Coeur 'd Alene Lake. The new iPhone came alive with a loud ringing and a strange message. It said - " ALERT - Amber Alert message being transferred to my phone & my name". I pulled over and checked to see what was going on.

The police dept in Coeur 'd Alene had issued an Amber Alert for somebody who had stollen a vehicle and possibly taken a child from their home.

I have no idea how the police dept knew my phone number and how the message came thru so loud and clear. I was in a VERY remote location where I could not get normal cell reception. I had just previously tried to call my son and had no success.

There is obviously ways to boost transmission for particular situations. Amber alert being one of those situations.

In your "Settings" you have opted in for Amber Alerts.

You can go in and change it if you don't want them.

 

[hawkeye08]

Local (about 30 miles away when he was picked up). Known domestic abuser, broke a restraining order against her, broke in, sstabbed wife, grabbed kid and hit the road to his dad's house out side of St. John Wash. Wife 'serious but will be okay'. Stand-off at house and finally shot himsefl. Local opinion "no loss to anyone"

agree, except I don't believe there was a restraining order, she didn't show for the hearing so it was not granted (according to local news last night and this morning)

 

[3Ts]

To disable the alerts in an iPhone, go to "settings", then to "notifications", then scroll all the way to the bottom. There you'll see 2 alerts, one is Amber Alert, the other is Emergency Alerts, you can turn them off or on with the buttons to the right.

 

[CMV]

I too had to disable all the severe weather, amber alerts, etc. Only type I can't disable are the presidential ones.

Every so often phone (galaxy s8+) updates & "forgets" they were disabled & have to fix. If they didn't come thru in middle of night, I'd leave them, but don't want that stuff waking me up.

But wasn't overly difficult to figure out how to turn them off. Should be even easier on iPhone since interface is generally more intuitive.

 

[oosik]

Right - O. EXACTLY as 3T's indicated. Down at the bottom I have - Amber, Emergency & Public Safety Alerts.

 

[TractorGuy]

My cell provider is Verizon. My internet is via cell by AT&T. Both services show me far away from my actual location. Practically ALL the amber alerts I have received were from the Miami Dade area while I live outside of Tallahassee.

VERY annoying to get notices that are not even in your area.

Also annoying to try and shop online when it always wants to show you in a different location. Most sites I can log in and set my location except for Home Depot. Their web site doesn't seem to want to allow me to shop in MY area. Most other sites will set a cookie so I can return and have my store location shown for stock.

 

[TheMan419]

All the alerts I have ever gotten have been for the other side of the state. Some 6 hrs away. Seems like they are doing a poor job of localizing it.

 

[Industrial Toys]

I feel dupped and was just livid. After spending and hour with BELL ,Mostly on HOLD and trying to prove who I was, they assured me they had removed me from that STUPID program. Well guess what? Yesterday it went off, AGAIN. At least not in the middle of the night.

My Lady friend, also says she was startled on her commute, as her Radio station was interupted, and any she tried to tune to.

I can't even come up with anything that STINKS more of BIG BROTHER and a POLICE STATE!

I would be most interested to know, how many people would willingly submit to this. At the end of the day, MOST, people are more interested in their own skin than someone elses.

 

[Ken45101]

I agree the Amber alerts are geographically useless. The Emergency Alerts that I have received have been appropriate and worth having.

I assume the "presidential alerts" are the modern equivalent of the Air Raid sirens we grew up with.

As for picking them up where you don't have cell coverage, the phones probably pick them up from any carrier, just like 911 calls (if you are not aware, all carriers are required to handle 911 calls, even when the caller is not a subscriber. If you are out of range from your carrier but within range of another carrier technically capable of handling your phone, they will connect you.)

 

[Ken45101]

I agree the Amber alerts are geographically useless. The Emergency Alerts that I have received have been appropriate and worth having.

I assume the "presidential alerts" are the modern equivalent of the Air Raid sirens we grew up with.

As for picking them up where you don't have cell coverage, the phones probably pick them up from any carrier, just like 911 calls (if you are not aware, all carriers are required to handle 911 calls, even when the caller is not a subscriber. If you are out of range from your carrier but within range of another carrier technically capable of handling your phone, they will connect you.)

 

[grsthegreat]

Ya, i got the same alert on my phone. North of coeur d alene. The alert tone sure got my attention. Loud and obnoxious.

 

[oosik]

I was cruising along on a gravel road in the northern reaches of the Saint Joe National Forrest. Heading for St Maries and the road around the eastern edge of Coeur 'd Alene Lake. First time I've ever got an alert of any kind. Man - I though something was amiss with the Taco Wagon. Then I saw the flashing message on my new iPhone. It interrupted one of my "liked" songs - ENYA ( Orinoco Flow ).

Rather odd. I was heading away from my house - going east. The fellow they finally caught was going west from Coeur 'd Alene and was finally caught outside St John - just 30 miles south of where I live.

My cell phone is SELDOM on when I'm home. I turn it on every evening to see if a message is there - needing a reply. Maybe that why I've not previously got an Amber alert.

I think if I were awaken during the night - the phone would be housed out in one of my outbuildings. That alert "ringing" is enough to raise the dead.