diff --git a/contrib/scripts/ast_grab_core b/contrib/scripts/ast_grab_core
index dde246959d9f41175981006d9355054529d05223..b2bd7b2eda5931f2c10d3ee8fa17d2a39494fa13 100644
--- a/contrib/scripts/ast_grab_core
+++ b/contrib/scripts/ast_grab_core
@@ -3,8 +3,19 @@
 # lame quickie script to snarf a core of a hung asterisk process.
 # bugs to ast_grab_core, blinky-lights.org  (derrick daugherty)
 
+# we have found that gcore doesn't yield as useful a core file
+# as that yielded by a signal-caused core dump. So we are going to change
+# the strategy to sending a SEGV signal to the asterisk process,
+# and have it 'burn to the ground', leaving behind a core file.
+# the main difference is that you cannot control where the
+# core file will end up. We will assume that safe_asterisk was
+# used to start asterisk, and the core file should therefore end
+# up in /tmp (because safe_asterisk cd's there before starting asterisk).
+# if this is not the case, set DUMPDIR to the place where the core
+# file can be found.
+
 DATE=`date +%Y%m%d%H%M`
-DUMPDIR=/var/tmp
+DUMPDIR=/tmp
 HOSTNAME=`hostname`
 ADMINEMAIL="root@localhost"
 
@@ -27,20 +38,16 @@ echo \*\*\* WARNING \*\*\*  If the system is not already locked this will cause
 echo \*\*\* WARNING \*\*\*  process to STOP while memory is dumped to disk.
 echo
 
-/usr/bin/gdb > /dev/null << EOF
-	attach ${PID}
-	gcore ${DUMPDIR}/asterisk_${DATE}.core.${PID}
-	detach
-	quit
-EOF
+/bin/kill -11 ${PID}
 
-echo Snarfed!  ${DUMPDIR}/asterisk_${DATE}.core.${PID}
+echo Snarfed!  ${DUMPDIR}/core.${PID}
 echo
 
 
 echo Trying for a backtrace of the captured core.
-/usr/bin/gdb /usr/sbin/asterisk ${DUMPDIR}/asterisk_${DATE}.core.${PID} > ${DUMPDIR}/gdb_dump.${PID}.txt 2> /dev/null << EOF
+/usr/bin/gdb /usr/sbin/asterisk ${DUMPDIR}/core.${PID} > ${DUMPDIR}/gdb_dump.${PID}.txt 2> /dev/null << EOF
 set prompt \n
+set print pretty\n
 echo --------------------------------------------------------------------------------\n
 echo INFO THREAD
 info thread
@@ -56,7 +63,7 @@ echo Done trying for a bt.
 
 
 echo Notifying admins of the core.
-/usr/bin/mail -s "${HOSTNAME} core dumped at ${DUMPDIR}/asterisk_${DATE}.core.${PID}" ${ADMINEMAIL} < /tmp/gdb_dump.${PID}
+/usr/bin/mail -s "${HOSTNAME} core dumped at ${DUMPDIR}/core.${PID}" ${ADMINEMAIL} < ${DUMPDIR}/gdb_dump.${PID}.txt
 echo Done.
 echo
 echo Reproducible deadlocks should be posted with a full backtrace and instructions