[Portis]

Well, like many people, i carry my cellphone for emergencies. It was -2 F on my ride this morning and i needed to make a quick call home. It wasn't an emergency. I grabbed the cellphone and dialed, i heard my son answer and then it made a wierd tone.

The line went dead. The display told me to recharge my battery. The meter said 3\4 charge when i left. Maybe one shouldn't count on a cellphone in the cold? Apparently mine doesn't work below 0F.

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[dobber]

Remove the battery and keep it in a warmer spot such as an inner pocket.

[2manybikes]

I agree, your body heat will make the phone work again. Put the phone under your jacket for a while, then it will work until the battery gets cold again. I keep mine in a sandwich bag to keep the sweat off. I discovered I don't have to take the bag off to talk on the phone. Try and keep the battery sheltered with your hand while you are using the phone.

[Ritehsedad]

That's a good point! I have an extra battery for my cell phone (now where did I put it?). I'll have to dig it out and carry it with me on the bike.

[Albany-12303]

I put my phone in my jacket for a 1.5 hour ride last night. When I took it out, I could hardly see the display (very faded).

Next time I will keep my cell phone in my rear Jersey pocket, where its warmer.

[va_cyclist]

Who ya gonna call?

[GGDub]

Never had that problem and I've used one on Baffin Island (in the Arctic Ocean) in February. Just keep it charged and in a pocket, as opposed to a bag and it should be fine.

[Portis]

The phone was in the trunk bag. I will keep it on me from now on. Thanks.

[2manybikes]

That's a good point! I have an extra battery for my cell phone (now where did I put it?). I'll have to dig it out and carry it with me on the bike.

If the battery that is in the phone loses power because it's too cold it will come back when it gets warm enough. Same for battery operated lights. 98.6 is nice and warm.

[clevernamehere]

I've had similar problems operating my cell phone in cold weather... I used to keep it in my pack. This winter I've tried hanging it around my neck, between clothing layers. It stays warm, but gets wet from sweat/condensation.

I think the battery on my previous phone died prematurely (would no longer hold a charge) from damage caused by being in sub -30 weather for >45min.

As far as "who ya gonna call?" I carry the cell phone so if I run into bike trouble (flat tire, mechanical failure, whatever) I'll just lock up the bike & call a cab. Call me a wimp, but I refuse to change a tire in -30c weather... so far I've been fortunate enough to not have any break-downs in cold weather.

[MichiganTroll]

While biking, I carry a cell phone provided to me by my employer. Funny thing is, 15 miles north of my hometown, the phone has no service (i.e. out of range of Verizon cell towers). I used to have an Alltel phone that had good coverage throughout lower Michigan, so it's not a matter of just being out in the wilderness.

My question is: If I have an emergency out of range of a Verizon tower, and I need to call 911, will my emergency call be "accepted" by a different service?

[oknups]

While biking, I carry a cell phone provided to me by my employer. Funny thing is, 15 miles north of my hometown, the phone has no service (i.e. out of range of Verizon cell towers). I used to have an Alltel phone that had good coverage throughout lower Michigan, so it's not a matter of just being out in the wilderness.

My question is: If I have an emergency out of range of a Verizon tower, and I need to call 911, will my emergency call be "accepted" by a different service?

There was a program in MD a while back that collected used cell phones that no longer had an account associated with them, the purpose of the program was to distribute them to community watch groups, so they could call the police while on patrol.
It was true that you could call 911 on a "disconnected" cell phone at that time. I imagine it has not changed.
The people to ask would be your verizon rep. They should know.