Do you guys have this?

An app that automatically tells the 911 operator where the call is coming from?

95% of a network operator's in-service phones must be E911 compliant ("location capable") by December 31, 2005. (Several carriers missed this deadline, and were fined by the FCC.)
Wireless network operators must provide the latitude and longitude of callers within 300 meters, within six minutes of a request by a PSAP.[5] Accuracy rates must meet FCC standards on average within any given participating PSAP service area by September 11, 2012 (deferred from September 11, 2008).

(Source) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/E911

I tested E911 deployments for about 3 years and most carriers were hitting locations within 10 meters by mid 2006.

So this means they can locate land line calls and any calls from any cell phone? Or do you need a smart phone with a GPS thingy turned on?

I Use a Disposable non smartphone for my cell phone and it has 911 location on it. So does my Vonage Phone. I don't think you have to do anything for 911 location, it just works.

i pretty sure it's independent of GPS.
and yes, it covers landlines.

.... meanwhile Down in the Third World 

Quote from: Raux on October 18, 2012, 01:34:15 AM
i pretty sure it's independent of GPS.
and yes, it covers landlines.

On the cellular side it most assuredly is not independent of GPS. This all came about after 2 drug addicts in Nebraska became lost in a blizzard and traditional cellular triangulation methods were found to be inadequate as the 2 died because the emergency dispatcher couldn't put rescue services within 300 meters of them.

I spent 4.5 years doing nothing but E911 cellular deployment and testing. 3 of that in the field comparing phone gps coordinates with actual location coordinates. All phones since this initiative came into play have gps location capabilities. Just because you may not see them on "cheaper" phones doesn't mean they aren't there.
There is an advanced option in these phones called "Location Services" and it can be turned off for everything BUT 911 and it isn't just triangulation. If it was, I wouldn't have been required to compare the coordinates reported by the handset to the coordinates reported by the dispatchers we called.

Landline calls are routed differently and require a physical address location to be associated to the line. Things like Vonage and Magic Jack ("web phones" if you will) get their location information from IP addresses and location services required by ISPs.

CRAP... means we are all trackable 

Quote from: Raux on October 18, 2012, 08:25:51 AM
CRAP... means we are all trackable 

Better read this then.

http://www.george-orwell.org/1984

Zilbert: are you saying a non-smart-phone also has GPS in it?

http://support.verizonwireless.com/faqs/Wireless%20Issues/faq_e911_compliance.html

Can I activate a phone that is not GPS-compatible?

No, because the FCC requires that carriers convert nearly all of their handsets to GPS capability, Verizon Wireless will no longer allow non-GPS-capable phones to be activated onto the network. Older phones that are not GPS-capable cannot assist in estimating their location. If a non-GPS-capable phone that is currently active is disconnected for any reason, it will not be reactivated. If you purchased your handset in 2001 or earlier, it will not be GPS-capable and you should upgrade it. Even if you bought your phone in 2002 or later, it may not be GPS-capable and if so you should upgrade it.

If you currently have a non-GPS-capable device, you can continue to use it. However, once the device has been de-activated it will not be allowed back onto the Verizon Wireless network.

so I guess that means I can't use my old Motorola Startac.....LOL

Quote from: zooom on October 18, 2012, 12:25:18 PM
so I guess that means I can't use my old Motorola Startac.....LOL

I know you were itching to use it. 

OK my question,

could you use an old mobile phone wired into the bikes electrics to act as a tracker system if your pride and joy was stolen.

Geoff...

Quote from: geoffduc on October 18, 2012, 09:03:05 PM
OK my question,

could you use an old mobile phone wired into the bikes electrics to act as a tracker system if your pride and joy was stolen.

Geoff...

I guess you could, but there are alternatives. The best one is don't lose sight of said pride and joy.