Post by: Perd Hapley on November 19, 2007, 12:51:58 PM
Post by: Manedwolf on November 19, 2007, 12:54:12 PM
By law, all cellphones, even those without a contract, must be able to dial 911. Depending on the phone, some might connect to an operator, too, and let you call collect or with a significant per-minute charge. But all must be able to dial 911.
I take an old, powerful-signal analog StarTAC from the 1990's along with me hiking for that reason. It has much more range in non-digital areas than anything new.
Post by: yesitsloaded on November 19, 2007, 12:56:52 PM
Post by: Brad Johnson on November 19, 2007, 12:57:56 PM
Brad
Post by: jefnvk on November 19, 2007, 02:29:14 PM
Post by: Perd Hapley on November 19, 2007, 02:48:05 PM
Post by: Jamisjockey on November 19, 2007, 02:53:22 PM
Post by: The Swamp Fox on November 19, 2007, 04:16:53 PM
Post by: Boomhauer on November 19, 2007, 06:19:11 PM
But, I reserve that for the phones that the battery has gone completely flat on. The ones that still have a usuable battery, we either keep them as spares or donate them. We don't have many that are servicable by the time we finish with them, anyway.
Post by: Regolith on November 19, 2007, 09:33:44 PM
You can donate it at almost any cell phone store. They will either recycle, reuse, donate to a shelter or dispose of safely. Better than filling up the landfill with toxins if you are never going to use it.
So you think....
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/11/18/electronics.trash.ap/index.html
Quote from: CNN
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Most Americans think they're helping the earth when they recycle their old computers, televisions and cell phones. But chances are they're contributing to a global trade in electronic trash that endangers workers and pollutes the environment overseas.
While there are no precise figures, activists estimate that 50 to 80 percent of the 300,000 to 400,000 tons of electronics collected for recycling in the U.S. each year ends up overseas. Workers in countries such as China, India and Nigeria then use hammers, gas burners and their bare hands to extract metals, glass and other recyclables, exposing themselves and the environment to a cocktail of toxic chemicals.
"It is being recycled, but it's being recycled in the most horrific way you can imagine," said Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, the Seattle-based environmental group that tipped off Hong Kong authorities. "We're preserving our own environment, but contaminating the rest of the world."
While there are no precise figures, activists estimate that 50 to 80 percent of the 300,000 to 400,000 tons of electronics collected for recycling in the U.S. each year ends up overseas. Workers in countries such as China, India and Nigeria then use hammers, gas burners and their bare hands to extract metals, glass and other recyclables, exposing themselves and the environment to a cocktail of toxic chemicals.
"It is being recycled, but it's being recycled in the most horrific way you can imagine," said Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, the Seattle-based environmental group that tipped off Hong Kong authorities. "We're preserving our own environment, but contaminating the rest of the world."
Post by: jeepmor on November 20, 2007, 04:47:56 AM
Dry the thing out. My has been dropped in the dog's water dish and retrieved quickly, and it went through the Fisher and Paykel too on the heavy duty cycle. I yanked the battery and set it on top of my computer monitor to get a low level of heat for 24 hours or so. Took about a day to dry out, still works great, didn't kill the memory. Yes, I was surprised.
Post by: TF_FH on November 20, 2007, 05:01:55 AM
Post by: Nick1911 on November 20, 2007, 05:25:58 AM
At least, that's what I would attempt.
Post by: Manedwolf on November 20, 2007, 06:43:08 AM
You can donate it at almost any cell phone store. They will either recycle, reuse, donate to a shelter or dispose of safely. Better than filling up the landfill with toxins if you are never going to use it.
So you think....
http://www.cnn.com/2007/TECH/11/18/electronics.trash.ap/index.html
Quote from: CNN
SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- Most Americans think they're helping the earth when they recycle their old computers, televisions and cell phones. But chances are they're contributing to a global trade in electronic trash that endangers workers and pollutes the environment overseas.
While there are no precise figures, activists estimate that 50 to 80 percent of the 300,000 to 400,000 tons of electronics collected for recycling in the U.S. each year ends up overseas. Workers in countries such as China, India and Nigeria then use hammers, gas burners and their bare hands to extract metals, glass and other recyclables, exposing themselves and the environment to a cocktail of toxic chemicals.
"It is being recycled, but it's being recycled in the most horrific way you can imagine," said Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, the Seattle-based environmental group that tipped off Hong Kong authorities. "We're preserving our own environment, but contaminating the rest of the world."
While there are no precise figures, activists estimate that 50 to 80 percent of the 300,000 to 400,000 tons of electronics collected for recycling in the U.S. each year ends up overseas. Workers in countries such as China, India and Nigeria then use hammers, gas burners and their bare hands to extract metals, glass and other recyclables, exposing themselves and the environment to a cocktail of toxic chemicals.
"It is being recycled, but it's being recycled in the most horrific way you can imagine," said Jim Puckett of the Basel Action Network, the Seattle-based environmental group that tipped off Hong Kong authorities. "We're preserving our own environment, but contaminating the rest of the world."
Want to see horrific recycling techniques, look at how they break ships at Alang, India. They basically just drive them up on the beach and let workers go at them with torches and prybars, getting hydraulic fluids and toxins all over themselves, causing fires, whatever. No safety standards at all.
The beach community looks like something out of Mad Max, too. All the places where the workers live and drink are made out of salvage from ships, so it's a mad assemblage of metal plating, interior wood paneling from ocean liners, portholes, hatches for doors, jury-rigged light fixtures from freighters and ocean liners both...
The magazine "The Atlantic" had an incredibly well-written story about what it's like there, the oily, smoky post-apocalyptic feel of the place, all overshadowed by the towering hulks of dead ships.
Post by: MillCreek on November 20, 2007, 06:48:28 AM
Post by: Antibubba on November 20, 2007, 06:58:42 AM
Quote
Pop it open, find the digital output from the ADC after the radio section, and use a MAX232 chip to convert TTL levels to RS232 serial. Then start logging data from the cell network.
Post by: Thor on November 20, 2007, 07:09:15 AM
Sorry, Nick, my Geek-to-English translator seems to be down. Can you explain this in English please?
Quote
Pop it open, find the digital output from the ADC after the radio section, and use a MAX232 chip to convert TTL levels to RS232 serial. Then start logging data from the cell network.
ADC= analog to digital converter
TTL= transistor to transistor logic
RS232 is a common serial input device to a computer
Hope that helps
Post by: Nick1911 on November 20, 2007, 07:57:43 AM
Sorry, Nick, my Geek-to-English translator seems to be down. Can you explain this in English please?
Quote
Pop it open, find the digital output from the ADC after the radio section, and use a MAX232 chip to convert TTL levels to RS232 serial. Then start logging data from the cell network.
ADC= analog to digital converter
TTL= transistor to transistor logic
RS232 is a common serial input device to a computer
Hope that helps
And a MAX232 is a microchip designed to convert TTL level signals to computer level signals. Basically I'm jesting that you should patch your cell phone into your computer and take a look at the cell traffic, cause I personally would find it interesting.
In reality, while plausible, it would be very difficult to do, epically without some good test equipment (Oscilloscope, Logic analyzer, spectrum analyzer). Ultimately, it may be easier to create the circuit from scratch.
Post by: Antibubba on November 20, 2007, 07:38:36 PM
Quote
By law, all cellphones, even those without a contract, must be able to dial 911. Depending on the phone, some might connect to an operator, too, and let you call collect or with a significant per-minute charge.But all must be able to dial 911.
After a certain date of manufacture. I think it might be 2003, but I can't confirm this.