James Bay Road Website

The emergency phones along the JBH, are they simply a pay phone or SOS only?











Canadian FJR

They are payphones. They are managed by Telebec which is a subsidiary of Bell Canada.

Perfect, that's the info I needed.









Canadian FJR

Are you talking about the orange ones alone the highway or the others at certain rest areas? If they are all pay phones...that sure makes me feel a bit more comfortable if the unforseen happens.

I assumed all the phones, someone please confirm.








Thanks,
Canadian FJR

Orange phones? Didn't see any like that.

All of the "emergency" phones we saw and used were just regular payphones that you would normally see in Ontario or Quebec that are made by Nortel Networks. Same payphones that are normally used by Bell Canada, Telebec, Northern Tel and probably many other Canadian phone companies.

Now I can't remember 100% if the phones take credit cards or not. For some reason I don't think they did but it would be wise to purchase one of those prepaid long distance cards in any case. I used a $10 AT&T Canada long distance card I purchased at Wal-Mart in Timmins and it worked fine and was not expensive as I made several calls and it barely used much of the dollar amount on my card. Bell Canada long distance cards should work in the payphones. I called to make reservations for the hydro tours from one of those phones and 1-800 (toll free) and emergency numbers don't cost anything of course.

The "emergency" pay phones are spaced out along Highway 109 and then the James Bay Road. Signs will tell you that one is coming up saying 10km ahead, then 5km, and then for the actual phone. Each one has its own name which is kind of cool.

If anyone has any more questions, feel free to ask me.

Don't forget to talk to the dude at the KM 6 checkpoint. When I went up 2 years ago he gave me the phone number that is the direct line to the checkpoint - just dial, don't bother with cards, and someone will pick up.

Also just remember these pay phones don't take coins. When we called home from Radisson we used our Bell phonecard so I don't remember either if they take credit cards.

James C, (not Bai or Baie or Bay).

Phone card eh...thanks for that information...hadn't thought about taking one...will now!

I don't remember calling the checkpoint at kilometre 6. We stopped on our way up and on the way back. Just registered our names and where we were going and for how long.

The emergency/payphones don't take coins for obvious reasons. I'm still trying to figure if they take credit cards but I still think they don't. Much safer to just buy a prepaid card.

Now for cellular service: don't rely on your cell phone. There is limited coverage but only in very specific places.

If you have Rogers or a GSM network cell phone, it will work in Amos but nowhere on the James Bay Road.

The limited coverage works on a CDMA cellular network.
If you have a Bell Mobility, Telus, Northern Tel, Telebec, Aliant Mobility and many others that are part of the CDMA then they'll work in the limited areas. (I believe other companies included are Koodo, Virgin, SaskTel, MTS) For American visitors I think Sprint PCS phones (not Nextel ones) will work on CDMA and I think Verizon too.

Click on this link: http://www.telebec.com/ and you can click on "English" which right now is small and found at the bottom of the page and then on "Mobility." Find "coverage" and click on it and it will show where there is coverage.

Matagami has coverage as well as Chisasibi but Radisson does not. There is some coverage in communities and hydro worksites away from the James Bay Road.

[quote="njam101"]I don't remember calling the checkpoint at kilometre 6. We stopped on our way up and on the way back. Just registered our names and where we were going and for how long.
[/quote]

That's what I meant. When I stopped in at the checkpoint at km 6 the dude inside gave me a toll-free phone number to reach the checkpoint in case of emergency. I never actually had to telephone them.

James