[pct-l] Interesting back country cell phone tip

[Dcsmith36 at aol.com]

I know that not everyone carries a cell phone back country  (please forgive 
me for even bring this up) but here is a useful tip if you  do.
 
Try it out at home first to familiarize yourself,  then:
 
Dial *228 (star 228, then send)
 
You will get a message from your carrier or the carrier that  the phone 
contacts (if yours isn't available in the area)
 
The message will be something like - "Start activation" -  press yes, or 
listen for the prompts.
 
If the carrier is not your own, you will get a message saying  "activation 
failed" or something like this. If it IS your own, you will get a  message 
"Roaming list update complete" or something like that.
 
Going through this simple process will update the internal  information on 
your phone as to what cell towers are available in your present  location. My 
son in law used to work for a cell company & let me in on this  tip.
 
Even IF the provider your phone contacts isn't your own, your  phone will 
know that the cell tower it "talked to" is available & can then  use it to make a 
call.
 
Just an FYI thing - try it out some time ( I promise, it won't  melt your 
phone)
 
Daniel Smith



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