OK, I missed that.  I use Gmail and have for some time, but not the chat feature.  I did what it says to do and sent myself an SMS message.  So far after 5 minutes it has not been received on my phone.

I suspect this may be a problem with my cell carrier.  In the past we have experimented with services that use cell phones to page emergency services. It's a great concept for VFD's and the like because even if you forget your radio or the battery runs out, you usually have a working cell phone.  The tests have never worked in our area.