[jweinraub]

I have a weird issue with my phone with I never seemed to notice before until recently. I am not sure if this occurred since I owned a BlackBerry, but sometimes at the gym, my phone goes from 1 bar to SOS immediately once I'm in the locker room. If I move around it can change from SOS back to 1 bar again.

But when I leave the gym to make my calls home it will stay at SOS until I either turn off the radio/back on again, or wait a long time.

Any idea why the phone just goes into SOS. I thought it was a battery saving feature after leaving the phone in a low to no signal area for a long time but when I looked at my phone before placing it in my locker, it already said SOS!

[JSanders]

It goes to SOS because of the lack of signal. No connection.

[jweinraub]

Yeah, but I've seen it have an X or other symbol for no service, iirc in the past. I never seen it use SOS for no signal. Is it implying there is enough signal to make a call to 911 if it was needed?

Only time I saw it do SOS was when I forgot to put the SIM card into the phone.

[bostonnerd]

[QUOTE=jweinraub;1613806]Yeah, but I've seen it have an X or other symbol for no service, iirc in the past. I never seen it use SOS for no signal. Is it implying there is enough signal to make a call to 911 if it was needed?

Only time I saw it do SOS was when I forgot to put the SIM card into the phone.[/QUOT


SOS means you are out of AT&T coverage but there is another carrier with a compatible GSM frequency (but does not allow roaming). In other words your SOS was probably there because of a Tmobile signal. SOS is part of the GSM standard and allows you to make an emergency 911 call even of the carrier does not have a roaming agreement.

From AT&T site:
"SOS" indicates that the device is outside of the AT&T wireless coverage area and is in an area where AT&T does not have a roaming agreement..."

[jweinraub]

Oh - so being inside a building, it is possible they have their own network -like those nextel repeaters or something?

I actually thought it was some kind of dampening device since they don't want people using a cell phone in a gym.

Thanks for answering my curiosity!

[aiharkness]

Wirelessly posted

I suspect it is just a matter of the other carrier's signal penetrating the building better than your carrier's signal. And sometimes in a situation like that you can go in and out of signal reception just moving around in the space of a few feet.