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What is the best cell phone for the backcountry?
Use your digital cell phone for backcountry and mountaineering!

WHAT IS A "GSM CELL PHONE"?
In December 2006, news reports told us that climber Kelly James phoned his home in Texas with his "GSM cell phone" from near the summit of Mount Hood. He called and spoke with his family when it must have become clear to him that rescue was impossible and that he would die soon from hypothermia. Note that Kelly James did not call 911 in Oregon for rescue.

The world followed this tragic mountaineering epic for ten days as the storm raged on Mount Hood and in the media. Wireless phone engineers volunteered his likely location on Mount Hood by using their cell tower records. Following a break in the storm, Kelly James was located quickly and his body was recovered by military helicopter. His two climbing companions still have not been found. It is assumed they had fallen while attempting to set a rappel, before Kelly phoned his family.

Earlier in 2006, Edge Wireless engineers voluntarily offered Rescuers the probable location of the James Kim family calculated from "pings" at cell towers caused by a "text message" searching until it was delivered to the Kims wireless phone. While we all watched, two local Oregon County Sherriff's Search and Rescue Units failed to act quickly based on the information from this "new" technology. James Kim died of hypothermia on a quest down a cold river drainage just as his family was found by a local private pilot searching on a thoughtful hunch. James Kim's wife and children were found at their disabled car in a large snow-free clearing near the probable location offered by the wireless phone engineers days before.

I WANTED TO KNOW IF I HAD A "GSM DIGITAL CELL PHONE"
I have carried an "emergency cell phone" since 1995 while traveling in the backcountry and mountaineering. I have documented the fact that most Central Oregon rescues were facilitated by a cell phone call to 911 from the lost or injured or from passers-by. I have advocated carrying a cell phone in the backcountry in classes, seminars and on this website.

The emergency cell phone I carried was an "analog" phone with service provided by Unicel (formerly the Rural Cellular Corporation). The strong Nokia phone was free with service costing $12 per month.

I now know that the "analog" service I was depending on in the backcountry was outmoded and was being phased out! I learned that my Unicel analog service would end in 2008!

MY UNICEL "ANALOG" CELL PHONE HAD LIMITED COVERAGE
I learned that my analog phone service provided by Unicel would end in 2008.  I learned that all of the new Unicel cell towers added in 2006 and 2007 are GSM digital only.

I asked Unicel the following question. "If your analog system is being phased out to digital approaching the cut off date in 2008, does my analog phone still have the same coverage that I depended upon when I signed up for the service?" I was referred to the corporate Public Relations office in the mid-west. I posed that question to the Corporate person, asking if my analog coverage was slowly disappearing? Corporate Public Relations asked to get back to me on that question.

I was told that, while my original analog phone had not lost its original connectivity coverage, it had not benefited by new expanding tower coverage since 2006. I received a carefully worded emailed response from Unicel Corporate, which noted that I could not quote from their response email.

Does a "GSM" digital cell phone offered by Unicel have the best service coverage for the backcountry of Central Oregon? I have learned that there are big coverage differences between wireless phone Providers. I have been told that Unicel has the best non-urban or rural coverage among Providers here in Central Oregon. In fact, Unicel has just been purchased by Verizon Wireless, with the statement that they want to "expand their rural coverage in Oregon".

If you don't live in Bend Oregon, just check with your competing wireless Providers and compare their maps of their backcountry cell tower coverage. Don't settle for the anecdotal opinions of the sales kids. Never settle for anecdotal testimonials!

WHAT IS DIGITAL TECHNOLOGY
What is "GSM" cell phone service? How can a "GSM"  or "CDMA" cell phone provide Rescuers with your general location?

Verizon offers "CDMA" digital cell phone service. CDMA stands for Code Division Multiple Access and reportedly this technology is used by about 14% of Providers world wide. GSM stands for Global System Mode and reportedly it is used by about 75% of Providers worldwide. Verizon reportedly is studying how to merge the Unicel GSM towers with Verizon's CDMA system.

If you want a well written clear discussion of digital mobile phone technology go to this page.

A DIGITAL CELL PHONE CAN GIVE RESCUERS YOUR GENERAL LOCATION!
Shortly after my inquiry began, I received the following advertising message from Unicel on a large colorful post card: "Your phone is a call for help. Upgrade today!"

"Contacting someone in an emergency is why many of us carry a wireless phone. Currently, the phone you're using operates on Unicel 's old network. By upgrading to a new phone on our network, police and other emergency teams will be able to locate you more accurately, sometimes even when you can't describe where you are."

"Unicel 's new network offers many benefits, but safety is a priority to all of us. The switch is easy, affordable, and will help make sure your phone works when it's most important."  --Unicel

Wireless engineers can triangulate the general location of a cell phone from cell tower "ping" records. They are able to map the coverage of the cell towers where a call out is made or a phone call or text message is received by the users' cell phone because the process "pings" the tower. Leave your cell phone on because the phone will ping nearby towers to stay in touch whether messages are sent or not. The probable locations of Kelly James and of the Kim Family were calculated from cell tower ping records using triangulation..

Most ordinary cell phones do not have an internal "GPS" receiver. However, a growing number of cell phone manufacturers are placing a GPS receiver chip in even the smaller phones. Read Never get Lost Again with GPS Phones.

But, the service Provider may not use the location information from the chip! Ask your Provider if this requires an extra cost plan and a special phone. Verizon offers VZ Navigator at about $10 per month using "GPS Technology" but it is not clear to me whether a GPS chip is used or if triangulation tracks our phone's location.

Use your new $100.00 Garmin eTrex (H) GPS (with it's new High-Sensitivity Receiver) to read over the phone to 911 and Search and Rescue your actual location in UTM coordinates, NAD27 Datum.  Read more about the new Garmin eTrex (H) GPS receiver. Or, read over the phone your accurate UTM coordinates directly from your USGS Quad map or your own personally printed TOPO map.

NEARLY EVERYBODY TODAY HAS A CELL PHONE
The use of wireless phones has exploded world wide. In many developing countries, infrastructure to support telephone land lines does not exist. Many people in Bend Oregon have cancelled their land lines and now depend exclusively on their cellular wireless phones.

THE IMPORTANCE OF HAVING A DIGITAL CELL PHONE IN THE BACKCOUNTRY
First, a rescue does not begin until a Responsible Person calls 911 if the adventurer does not return by an agreed time.

Second, when a person becomes stranded due to illness or injury to themselves or others, or if they become lost, and are forced to overnight or shelter from a storm, it may be better to phone for help then, rather than waiting for the Responsible Person to call 911 hours or days later. Experience tells me to have this option. Read more about Oregon State Rescue Requirements.

THE COST OF A NEW EMERGENCY CELL PHONE MAY BE "FREE"
If you up-grade from a low usage analog with Unicel, you may get a FREE cell phone with service for $10 per month for two years including 50 free monthly minutes.

REMEMBER THAT A PREVIOUSLY ACTIVATED CELL PHONE WILL CONNECT WITH 911
If any previously activated (but no longer on a monthly contract) cell phone is used to call 911. It will connect for free!

And here is what the FCC web site says: "The FCC also requires wireless telephone carriers to provide 911 and E911 capability, where a Public Safety Answering Point (PSAP) requests it. Once it is implemented fully, wireless E911 will provide an accurate location for 911 calls from wireless phones. (Hmmmm.)

THIS IS MY NEW DIGITAL CELL PHONE: - THE NOKIA 2610
A few days after receiving the large advertising post card, I received in the mail, a free digital cell phone and an offer from Unicel I could not refuse! As a an "analog conversion customer", I was offered a new digital phone and a two year contract for service at $10.00 per month (plus federal taxes). There are 50 monthly free minutes for lots of emergencies!

I chose a Nokia Model 2610 cell phone that weighs about 4 ounces and is half the size of a pack of cigarettes, as I recall!  (The sales person said that this Nokia model is great for use in the backcountry! I could not find any factual comparison, so I just went on brand, appearance and size ;-)) My new phone was FREE.

My wife decided she should have an "emergency phone" too. Her digital service through Unicel costs $20.00 per month for 200 monthly minutes on a two year contract. She got the same Nokia 2610 digital  wireless phone. (We are figuring out all the options, together.)

Finally, here is our recommendation!

FINAL REMINDER: WARNING - DISCLAIMER
You need to talk to digital cell phone Providers in your geographic area. You need to ask for printed answers, not personal anecdotes by the sales person at the counter.
Compare rural cell tower coverage among your local Providers. Ask about how their service locates lost or stranded customers. Does the phone you are offered have a GPS chip installed? Do they use the GPS chip or do they use triangulation? Do you need a more expensive plan? Ask about Roaming (sharing tower contacts) in this context. I do not have a GPS chip in my new phone. And both Unicel and Verizon use only triangulation. The same is true of Edge Wireless.

You need to leave you cell phone turned on and attach it on your pack so that it can see the cell towers.  I place mine in the top mesh pocket of my summer day pack and summit pack and winter day pack and my back pack. Read more about The Bulletin's story on "Cell Phones can mean survival if they're on", by Erin Golden, staff Reporter on October 18, 2007. Or go to Bendbulletin.com and pay $8.00 to Read More on their pay-to-read plan.

Remember, a cell phone may not connect to any tower! My friends and I keep an eye on a cell phone and we note where we go out of bounds in the mountains or on the eastern Oregon deserts. We know we may have to return at least to this point to get a message out to 911.
Copyright© 2003-2007 by Robert Speik. All rights reserved.

Here is a current experience!

THE SIERRA TIMES
An Internet Publication for Real Americans
From The News Wire

Woman found after 8 days stuck in car - Yahoo! News

By DONNA GORDON BLANKINSHIP, Associated Press Writer
Fri Sep 28, (2007), 7:15 PM ET

SEATTLE - A woman who spent eight days trapped in a wrecked vehicle has severe injuries, but her brain function is normal and she can move her arms and legs, her physician said Friday.

Tanya Rider, 33, was found alive but dehydrated at the bottom of a steep ravine in suburban Maple Valley on Thursday, more than a week after she failed to return home from work. After being cut out of her SUV by rescuers, she was taken to Seattle's Harborview Medical Center, where she was in critical condition.

Dr. Lisa McIntyre said during a hospital news conference Friday that while Rider was doing better, she's "not out of the woods yet." McIntyre said Rider's kidneys failed because of toxins from a muscle injury in the crash and dehydration. She was sedated, on a ventilator and being treated with intravenous fluids.

Rider broke her collar bone and dislocated her shoulder in the accident and has pressure sores from the days of being held by the seat belt, probably upside down, the doctor said. Her caregivers were not yet sure the extent of a leg injury but McIntyre said they were hopeful it would not have to be amputated.

She said Rider was probably alive because she was young and healthy and was wearing a seat belt.

"She's a fighter, obviously," said Rider's husband, Tom. "She fought to stay alive in the car and she's fighting now."

Tom Rider said he was frustrated by the red tape he had to fight to get authorities to launch a search for his wife more than a week after she disappeared.

"Any policy that restricts officers from saving a life is a wrong policy," he said. "No one else should have to go through what she went through."

Authorities found the Maple Valley woman after detecting the general location of her cell phone Thursday morning, then searching along Highway 169 near Renton, southeast of Seattle, the route she took home from work. They noticed some matted brush, and below it found Rider's vehicle, smashed on its side, State Patrol spokesman Jeff Merrill said.

Tanya Rider left work at a Fred Meyer grocery store in Bellevue on Sept. 19 but never made it home. Tom Rider said that when he couldn't reach her, he called Bellevue police to report her missing.

Bellevue police took the report right away, but when they found video of Tanya Rider getting into her car after work, they told her husband the case was out of their jurisdiction and he should notify King County, he said. Tom Rider said he tried that, but "the first operator I talked to on the first day I tried to report it flat denied to start a missing persons report because she didn't meet the criteria," he said.

"I basically hounded them until they started a case and then, of course, I was the first focal point, so I tried to get myself out of the way as quickly as possible. I let them search the house. I told them they didn't have to have a warrant for anything, just ask," he said.

Thursday morning, detectives asked him to come in to sign for a search of phone records. They also asked him to take a polygraph test.

"By the time he was done explaining the polygraph test to me, the detective burst into the room with a cell phone map that had a circle on it," he said.

His wife's car tumbled about 20 feet down a ravine and lay buried below brush and blackberry bushes. The air bags deployed, but she was injured and trapped. Rescuers had to cut the roof off to get her out.

"I know there were delays (in finding her) because of red tape," Tom Rider said.

Tom Rider said he also drove the route where his wife was found but didn't see any sign of a crash. He also offered a $25,000 reward for any information leading to her safe return.

Authorities said they followed procedure in the case.

"It's not that we didn't take him seriously," Deputy Rodney C. Chinnick said. "We don't take every missing person report on adults. ... If we did, we'd be doing nothing but going after missing person reports."

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