[ale] On 911 call testing.

[Derek Carter]

I have found a bunch of articles by googling 'test 911 call' and '911 
test asterisk' and the like.

I also asked my resident VOIP expert Jared Smith (The author of 
_Asterisk: The Future of Telephony_). And it appears that the 'accepted' 
proper method to test your 911 calling is thus:

1) look up your local PSAP using this link

 
http://transition.fcc.gov/pshs/services/911-services/enhanced911/psapregistry.html

2) call the *non-emergency* number of your PSAP and tell them you are 
testing 911 connectivity from a new system and ask when would be the 
best time to call.

They will respond with one of two answers:

"Sure, we're not busy at the moment, go ahead and call now."

or

"We're pretty swamped at the moment, best time to call is around X:XX."

Bottom line, the PSAP really likes to know ahead of time if you are 
doing a test call.

--
Derek