SOS button

[Kyle]

Has anyone ever pushed the SOS button next to the onstar button? I was wondering this the other day and tried googling it but didn't find much!

 

[telemike]

Press it and tell us what happened

Sent from my XT907 using Tapatalk 4 Beta

 

[chad]

I believe that's for when you need emergency assistance onstar will send 911 to your location

 

[deserth3]

I hit mine by accident while troubleshooting my rear view mirror not dimming. An operator came on almost imediately and I told them I hit the button by accident.
I've been told if there's no reply by you they send the calvery out.

 

[Zach]

Years ago we had a car in the body shop. One of the painters accidentally hit the button. We had about five police cars up and down the street looking for the car. So yeah, the button does work

 

[Kyle]

Wow do u have to sign up for that or is it just like always activated

 

[f5moab]

You can use it for accident notification; I have a few times. If you see an accident on the road, push the button and tell Onstar what is happening, they will then notify the nearest emergency authorities and give them your vehicle's GPS location. Great for intestate emergencies since who knows what the last exit was in many cases and those darn mile markers are never around when you need one.

And, like DesertH3 stated earlier, if you push it and don't answer; Onstar will assume you have had a heart attack or if in Detroit, shot.:giggle:

In the Onstar manual:
If you do not renew your subscription, all OnStar services will be deactivated in your vehicle. This means that the automatic airbag notification, the emergency button, door unlock features, and the Hands-Free Calling features will no longer work in your vehicle.

Unlike your cell phone that will always connect to the provider via 911, even if the phone service has been turned off, Onstar is not a cell provider. Their provider is Verizon and with Onstar emergency you do not connect to a 911 operator but to an Onstar employee. However, there are people who say they have pressed the emergency button and had an Onstar advisor answer, when they did not have service. Personally, I would not rely on it.

 

[deserth3]

Wow do u have to sign up for that or is it just like always activated

I keep Onstars Safe and Sound plan activated. It's nice to know if you need help all you have to do is hit the button. Also you are allowed 2 (I think) free tows a year. The one time I needed that it was great. Hit the button, they send or schedule a tow truck, and it doesn't cost a thing.
Also when that supid engine light pops up or things just don't feel like they're running right, Hit the button and have them run a diagnostic.

 

[DJinCO]

An additional feature of OnStar is that the mounted antenna transmits at 3 watts power whereas the handheld cell phones transmit at 0.6 watts. While that may not matter in the populated Eastern US, but in the mountains I have been able to connect for phone service when the iPhone had "no service."

My wife likes to call her family and tell them that we are on top of a mountain and stuff like that.

 

[Kyle]

An additional feature of OnStar is that the mounted antenna transmits at 3 watts power whereas the handheld cell phones transmit at 0.6 watts. While that may not matter in the populated Eastern US, but in the mountains I have been able to connect for phone service when the iPhone had "no service."

My wife likes to call her family and tell them that we are on top of a mountain and stuff like that.

dang!! okay im getting the phone service!

 

[Kyle]

just haggled with the onstar people and they gave me 360 minutes of calling for 6 months for 10 bucks and 6 months of everything else for free.

 

[DJinCO]

They will offer deals. Great to hear that you are onboard! The added convenience of the OnStar hands free is nice. Not as inexpensive as the iPhone "minutes" but if there is a problem with the iPhone not getting out, the OnStar phone will.

For some reason, the phone service and internet connectivity is very spotty and poor where I work. (On Peterson AFB). My HAM radio performs fine, but the higher frequencies of the cell service get "mis-directed" at times.

 

[f5moab]

They will offer deals. Great to hear that you are onboard! The added convenience of the OnStar hands free is nice. Not as inexpensive as the iPhone "minutes" but if there is a problem with the iPhone not getting out, the OnStar phone will.

For some reason, the phone service and internet connectivity is very spotty and poor where I work. (On Peterson AFB). My HAM radio performs fine, but the higher frequencies of the cell service get "mis-directed" at times.

Is that interference from the AFB? Are you in a block building? I have the same problem with internet connectivity at my place of business. We have tons of antennas all over the roof and on towers. Verizon shows good coverage for that entire area.

I also like the newer system that has the bluetooth module attached. Whenever I jump into the Silverado, it automatically connects to my Razr within a few seconds.

 

[Kyle]

They will offer deals. Great to hear that you are onboard! The added convenience of the OnStar hands free is nice. Not as inexpensive as the iPhone "minutes" but if there is a problem with the iPhone not getting out, the OnStar phone will.

For some reason, the phone service and internet connectivity is very spotty and poor where I work. (On Peterson AFB). My HAM radio performs fine, but the higher frequencies of the cell service get "mis-directed" at times.

yea i cant wait to try it out, when off roading i rarely get service on either of my cell phones, so i cant wait to see what kind of service the onstar phone gets, its basically like one of the old car phones that had a couple watts of power and could call when you were anywhere lol

 

[f5moab]

Just remember, it still relies on Verizon towers, so it is not everywhere, just more places than a standard handheld cell (smart) phone.
The cell antenna is also about 4 times larger than the antenna in a common smart phone and is the little antenna that sticks out of the black wart on the top of the H3. Inside the black wart is the GPS (for onstar location services) and XM antennas. It also sits a hell of a lot higher than where most people hold their phones.

 

[Kyle]

Just remember, it still relies on Verizon towers, so it is not everywhere, just more places than a standard handheld cell (smart) phone.
The cell antenna is also about 4 times larger than the antenna in a common smart phone and is the little antenna that sticks out of the black wart on the top of the H3. Inside the black wart is the GPS (for onstar location services) and XM antennas. It also sits a hell of a lot higher than where most people hold their phones.

doesnt it have more power as well? cell phones now a days have like .00000001 watts of power

 

[f5moab]

Like "the other" Doug said, Onstar outputs at a max of 3 watts vs. the max of 0.6 watts required under law for the handheld smart/cell phones most of us use. That does not mean that Onstar is sending out a 3 watt signal or your cell phone is sending out a 0.6 watt signal all the time. The closer you are to your provider's tower, the less wattage needed to output the signal. And the less wattage the longer you battery will last.
Your old car phone outputted at 3 watts too. The last handheld cell phones to output at 3 watts was, I believe, the old bag phones.

One great example of Onstar vs. handheld is on I70 from the CO border to Thompson Springs UT. A couple years ago, a handheld was basically worthless on a trip through that area, but I could always connect and talk with Onstar on the H3. They have since installed a verizon tower at Danish Flats but in some areas, Onstar is still better.

 

[Kyle]

Like "the other" Doug said, Onstar outputs at a max of 3 watts vs. the max of 0.6 watts required under law for the handheld smart/cell phones most of us use. That does not mean that Onstar is sending out a 3 watt signal or your cell phone is sending out a 0.6 watt signal all the time. The closer you are to your provider's tower, the less wattage needed to output the signal. And the less wattage the longer you battery will last.
Your old car phone outputted at 3 watts too. The last handheld cell phones to output at 3 watts was, I believe, the old bag phones.

One great example of Onstar vs. handheld is on I70 from the CO border to Thompson Springs UT. A couple years ago, a handheld was basically worthless on a trip through that area, but I could always connect and talk with Onstar on the H3. They have since installed a verizon tower at Danish Flats but in some areas, Onstar is still better.

cool, im going to test it out and see how it works compared to my other phones.