UK SMS messaging to emergancy services
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Hi
This subject came up in another thread, but i was interested in learning more. Although not MRA related.In the UK you can send a message to contact emergency services. I think this service is aimed primarly to help deaf people.
It was suggested this could be a useful service in areas of poor reception eg remote areas. I could find nothing about this type of use on the website below.
Is it correct sounds like it could be helpful, or at least reassuring, to have on my phone?https://www.relayuk.bt.com/how-to-use-relay-uk/contact-999-using-relay-uk.html
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@Tony-13 I do not understand how you can send a SMS in an area with poor reception
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Moved from [Web] Suggestions and Discussion by
Nick Carthew
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Quite. Having done some more research. If there is any sort of signal from any network provider then your emergency call will get through. There is no practical advantage to the SMS system. The SMS system is there to help disabled people.
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As I wrote in the original thread, voice calls need a synchronous two-way connection, i.e. both parties can hear each other and talk to each other. A voice call cannot have any (significant) loss of signal as you well know from experience - the call drops.
An SMS can be sent or received in a small window of connectivity and with only a tiny amount of bandwidth (160 characters!), and once it gets to the receiver the signal can drop come back, drop again - but the SMS has already been received.
Yes - you need some connectivity for the SMS to get through, but patchy connectivity will do.
Consider keeping the message below 160 characters so it's a single SMS being sent.
References:
https://www.mountaineering.scot/safety-and-skills/essential-skills/mountain-rescue/calling-for-helphttps://www.scottishmountainrescue.org/how-to-call-for-help-emergency-in-the-hills/
https://www.thebmc.co.uk/en/what-to-do-in-a-hill-walking-emergency
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hi @richtea999
out of interest, are you an outdoors person or a mountaineer etc, I myself am a winter mountaineer, lots of winter training in Cairngorms, and ex mountain rescue, and those references above are the type I would recommend to people. As i am well aware of the use of SMS as an emergency back up.
