--------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAJ00002Date: 06/14/97 From: PAUL WANKADIA Time: 02:25pm \/To: RICK COLLINS (Read 5 times) Subj: Moderation On 10 Jun 97, Rick Collins wrote to Steve Howe -- SH> so why are you all using Lose95? i think many of you RC> The topic here is high-speed modems. That would be modems above WHAT speed? --- PPoint 2.00 * Origin: Junyer's Workshop (3:640/772.3) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAK00000Date: 06/15/97 From: LAWRENCE MINTZ Time: 10:31am \/To: ROBERT OSBORNE (Read 5 times) Subj: Modem Selection? > Hi Rick, June 13, 1997 > RC>In spite of what you read here, most modems for sale today are easier > RC>to configure and "set up" than were modems of the past. Most have > RC>standard factory defaults so the init string need be no more than > RC>AT&F or AT&F1. Most internals continue to have jumpers to select the > RC>comm port and IRQ, even if they also support "plug and play". > What about externals? How are they configured for > comm port and IRQ. I They *don't* have a comm port and IRQ. Those are features of the comm port on the serial card (or motherboard, for systems with serial and parallel ports integrated onto the motherboard) that the external is plugged into, not the external modem. Likewise, the UART chip, which can be an 8250, 16450, 16550 or 16650, are part of the serial card (or motherboard) and not of the external modem itself. Larry --- RA/Pro 2.50 * Origin: Mintz BBS, Silver Spring, MD (1:109/493) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAK00001Date: 06/15/97 From: DAVID BOWERMAN Time: 09:05am \/To: ROBERT OSBORNE (Read 5 times) Subj: Modem Selection? Robert Osborne wrote in a message to Rick Collins/All: RC>In spite of what you read here, most modems for sale today are easier RC>to configure and "set up" than were modems of the past. Most have RC>standard factory defaults so the init string need be no more than RC>AT&F or AT&F1. Most internals continue to have jumpers to select the RC>comm port and IRQ, even if they also support "plug and play". RO> What about externals? How are they configured for comm port and RO> IRQ. I see several used modems for sale, both internal and RO> external. Most do not have documentation with them as to how to RO> configure. An external modem does not have to configure for comm port and IRQ. All they have is an RS-232 port. The comm port internal to your computer must be configured but that has nothing to do with an external modem's configuration. RO> I also thought that there is some limiting speed over the RO> communication media being used. Ie 28.8 was the upper limit for RO> telephone lines? Maybe higher for cable lines or fiber optic. Is RO> it also not true that the newer modems don't really transmit at RO> higher rates, but instead compress and decompress the data on the RO> fly to obtain faster rates of data thru put? When did they start RO> all this and at what modem speed did compression take place? Not quite right. A modem can transmit uncompressed data at speeds up to 33,600 bidirectionally and up to 56K in one direction using either x2 or K56Flex. The data compression and error correction add on to those speeds -- you could purchase a 2400bps modem with error correction and data compression though I haven't seen one for sale in a few years. Regards, David --- timEd/2 1.10+ * Origin: Frog Hollow -- a scenic backroad off the Infobahn (1:153/290) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAL00000Date: 06/11/97 From: DAVID WEI Time: 11:57am \/To: LLOYD BUCHFINCK (Read 5 times) Subj: Re: Diamond Supra 56K Fl -=> Quoting Lloyd Buchfinck to All <=- LB> My provider is preparing to offer 56K using the rockwell chipset in LB> Diamond's Supra! They suggest that I buy a Diamond Supra for best LB> compatibility. LB> I guess what I am looking for is any testimonial good or bad from LB> folks who have used the Diamond Supra 33.6 and the 56K version. I had LB> good luck with Supra in the past but that was before Diamond acquired LB> them. I do know that if LB> the Diamond Modems are as good as the Diamond video cards LB> and devices they will LB> be great... I'd recommand ZOOM over Supra... after the ordeal trying to configure a Diamond Supra internal modem (what daya think, it's a PnP)... it is virtually impossible to configure the IRQ and com port without using W95, and even with that, it is still a pain... an EXTERNAL ROCKWELL chipset based modem if you want 56K Flex, if you wanna X2, get USR Courier... (easy+cheap upgrade)... ... "What?!? This isn't the Files section?!?" ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: The CAGE, Vancouver, B.C. Canada +604-261-2347 (1:153/733) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAL00001Date: 06/11/97 From: DAVID WEI Time: 11:42am \/To: DAVID BOWERMAN (Read 5 times) Subj: Re: Multifunctional Mach -=> Quoting David Bowerman to David Wei <=- DB> And let us not forget, that if the scanner has problems, you can still DB> fax, modem and print while the scanner is in the shop. One DB> friend of mine purchased a modem/fax/voice DB> mail/printer/scanner combo for his home office. When the DB> printer decided to have problems, he was running around DB> frantically borrowing bits and pieces to keep himself in DB> business until it was repaired. He's since decided that the DB> convenience of a single telephone plug and a single AC line DB> plug is not worth the trouble and now has a voice/fax/modem DB> plus a printer and a scanner. That's the idea of MODULAR... one item is bad... unplug it and kept working... instead of jumping up and down while waiting for the entire unit to be fixed... unless of course, they are giving you 24 hour exchange service like those Ascend 1 Billion function in one, router/dial up system, just add network and server... ... My cat committed suicide. He shot himself in the head nine times. ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: The CAGE, Vancouver, B.C. Canada +604-261-2347 (1:153/733) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAL00002Date: 06/11/97 From: DAVID WEI Time: 12:02pm \/To: STEVE HOWE (Read 5 times) Subj: Re: unix -=> Quoting Steve Howe to All <=- SH> from time to time, i get off the net and do some bbs-ing. SH> when i read this echo, i see some people that really like SH> to hack things out. SH> so why are you all using Lose95? i think many of you SH> would REALLY enjoy Linux, or FreeBSD, or any of the SH> other REAL OS's. Well, myself, and I believe the HS_Modem Moderator uses OS/2, but ya know, posting a flaming message like this might just be the ticket to a few weeks off-line... SH> check them out at SH> http://www.geocities.com/siliconvalley/way/7747 SH> i'm using FreeBSD, and you won't hear me crying SH> that Procomm costs to much, etc. Well... don't have the time for setting up UNIX, and UNIX don't have the function I needed... SH> i've never paid a cent for software (legally). SH> and that also means i have never settled for MS SH> based junk. most everyone with half a brain SH> never regrets it and never goes back. Well, other than the OS, I rarely paid anything for software... there are just too many free softwares out there... like MAGCOM.EXE, Yarn, Souper, and a whole lot more... don't forget, I also gets XFree for OS/2 as well... SH> try UN*X, you'll like it! Try OS_Debate... that might be a "non-destructive" place.... Now, let's stop it before Dave gets mad... or Rick for that matter... ... Sure, when ... I'll be damned. ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: The CAGE, Vancouver, B.C. Canada +604-261-2347 (1:153/733) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAL00003Date: 06/11/97 From: DAVID WEI Time: 11:39am \/To: EARL MCLAWS (Read 5 times) Subj: Re: Voltage change -=> Quoting Earl Mclaws to David Wei <=- EM> well if I were you I would get the right voltage FAST, EM> because im sure the little transistor/diodes are going to EM> go tits up very fast after thay melt down. Well... diodes don't have much to do other than making sure the polarity isn't the wrong way... and most of the semi-conductor voltage regulators are pretty darn robust and have a large tolerance for voltage difference. ... Friends don't let friends buy RPI or WinModems! ___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.12 --- Maximus/2 3.01 * Origin: The CAGE, Vancouver, B.C. Canada +604-261-2347 (1:153/733) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAL00004Date: 06/15/97 From: RICK COLLINS Time: 10:48pm \/To: ROBERT OSBORNE (Read 5 times) Subj: Modem Selection? -=> Quoting Robert Osborne to Rick Collins/All <=- -=> FidoMail to 1:163/215, please.-=< RO> @MSGID: 1:346/49.0 33a18416 RO> Hi Rick, June 13, 1997 rc> RC>In spite of what you read here, most modems for sale today are rc> easier RC>to configure and "set up" than were modems of the rc> past. Most have RC>standard factory defaults so the init string rc> need be no more than RC>AT&F or AT&F1. Most internals continue rc> to have jumpers to select the RC>comm port and IRQ, even if they rc> also support "plug and play". ro> What about externals? How are they configured for comm port and ro> IRQ. I see several used modems for sale, both internal and ro> external. Most do not have documentation with them as to how to ro> configure. I You don't have to configure the external modem at all - you just have to make sure the computer has a comm port properly configured, and you plug into that. Most PCs support two comm ports, Com1 and Com2. If you presently have an internal modem on Com2, when you remove it you will have to enable the Com2 port in the PC (it would have to be disabled to allow the internal modem to work on Com2). So, with an external modem you have to configure the port, not the modem. ro> have seen some BBS software that is suppose to be able to tell ro> you what comm port and Irq you are currently set to? Have you ro> ever used any of this to try to set up a strange modem? My ro> current 2400 baud modem If you're running a recent version of DOS, try typing MSD at the DOS prompt. That will run the MS Diagnostics. Select Comm Ports from the menu and the available ports will be displayed. Note MSD will treat your internal modem as a comm port. ro> came with three jumper banks, two for comm port selection and the ro> other for irq. It had a sheet of paper with it that told what ro> each of the jumper combinations in pairs did - ie. COM1 ro> J17-J13, J15-J16 - IRQ4 J4-J9 That's still common. Most plug-and-play internal modems can be manually configured using jumpers, and usually that will work better than relying on Windows to properly configure the modem. If you buy a plug-and-play internal, make _sure_ you can manually configure it if necessary. ro> on my Zenith 286AT. Then I tried one of the same internal ro> modems on my 386 with windows! What a frustating learning ro> experience that was! Even though I had a MS Windows book, I ro> worked for about a week on and off trying to get the software in ro> windows to accept the modem. I finally had to take it to a shop ro> in town to get them to use their version of Windows disks to get ro> the proper file so that it would accept the modem. This ro> experience makes me almost totally want to purchase an external! ro> Even if I do configure the internal by jumpers I still run the ro> risk that the Windows SW won't reconfigure its files to the new ro> modem right? The problem was most likely the need to _disable_ the PC com port to permit Windows to "see" the modem. You can't have two devices (the internal modem _and_ the com port) sharing the same address and IRQ - not and expect Windows to work properly, that is. :-) Win 3.1 and WFWG had no "special" files to handle modems. Win95 does - it has a "modem.inf" file, but all that really does is ensure the modem has the proper init string and is operated at the proper port speed. A new modem should come with a Win95 .INF file if the "standard" .INF files distributed with Win95 are not suitable. If you have an internal 2400 bps modem running on your system now, you should be able to replace it with a new internal modem simply by changing the jumpers on the new modem to match the configuration of the old. If you are using Win 3.1 or WFWG, that's all you have to do. If you're running Win95, after plugging the modem in you simply have to run the Install program, and, if your modem is properly configured (the jumpers) it will install and work without a problem. ro> Are all UART chips clearly marked with the 16550 or 8250 ro> designation? Or do you have to go look for a manufacture's ro> specific code for his chip? If it is an external modem, do you ro> have to buy a special serial board to handle the extra speed of ro> the 16550? Chances are you won't see an 8250 (they're old), but the 16550 is a standard part, and they are a direct replacement for an 8250 or a 16450. No special card required. ro> While we are talking about speed, I see that there is a lot of ro> traffic on the board about setting the speed of their modem. I ro> though that the newer modems, 14.4 and above could all auto ro> adjust to what ever speed the answering modem first transmitted ro> at, if they could attain that speed. Other wise they shifted to ro> a common lower speed? How does this work? Do you have to ro> software set your speed to some upper limit? The modem is generally configured to connect at its fastest speed, and it negotiates the speed with the remote modem. That's almost completely out of your control, and not your concern. You simply make sure your port speed is set _higher_ than the modem's maximum speed: either 57,600 or 115,200 bps for a 28,800 bps modem. ro> I also thought that there is some limiting speed over the ro> communication media being used. Ie 28.8 was the upper limit for ro> telephone lines? Maybe higher for cable lines or fiber optic. ro> Is it also not true that the newer modems don't really transmit ro> at higher rates, but instead compress and decompress the data on ro> the fly to obtain faster rates of data thru put? When did they ro> start all this and at what modem speed did compression take ro> place? My telephone lines allow me connections consistently at 33,600 bps, but your mileage may vary. :-) The newer modems have both error correction and data compression, and both of these _add_ to the connect speed. The modem _does_ communicate at 33,600 bps, but your throughput can be higher than that because of error correction and data compression. _That's_ why you use a port speed higher than the modem speed. ro> There is also some specifications that deal with error correction ro> and being able to recognize compressed data? All automatic, and handled by the modems themselves. ro> I would also like to know any thing you can provide me with on ro> the subject of faxing via computer. Does the modem have ro> anything to do with the faxing capability or is this all just ro> software that you buy and install on the computer? I see modems ro> listed as 2400 baud data and 9600 baud fax or something like ro> that? I also see them listed with voice mail and other things i ro> know nothing about but would possibly like to use. A modem that can handle faxes supports various "classes", the common ones being Class 1, Class 2, and Class 2.0. These last two are _not_ the same. You just have to make sure that your fax software supports the same class as the modem - and just about all software supports Class 1. ro> Would you please elaborate some on any of these subjects. Or ro> suggest where I might obtain referernce information that ro> discusses this in detail. I would like to better understand ro> the various modems that are out there and what is coming in the ro> future before i make a decision on purchasing one. Do you work ro> for one of the modem companies? Thank you for answering my ro> request for help! I have no experience with any of the "voice" modems. Personal opinion is they're not yet ready for "prime time", and I'd need a pretty convincing argument to consider any of them at this point. No, I don't work for a modem manufacturer. I'm just a user, like you. :-) TTFN. Rick. Ottawa, ON 15 Jun 23:57 --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.20 * Origin: BitByters BBS, Rockland ON, Can. (613)446-7773 v34, (1:163/215) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAL00005Date: 06/15/97 From: RICK COLLINS Time: 11:58pm \/To: PAUL WANKADIA (Read 5 times) Subj: Moderation -=> Quoting Paul Wankadia to Rick Collins <=- -=> FidoMail to 1:163/215, please.-=< RC> The topic here is high-speed modems. PW> That would be modems above WHAT speed? 9600 bps and up. That seems a little low for today, but it'll do. :-) TTFN. Rick. Ottawa, ON 15 Jun 23:58 --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.20 * Origin: BitByters BBS, Rockland ON, Can. (613)446-7773 v34, (1:163/215) --------------- FIDO MESSAGE AREA==> TOPIC: 105 HIGH SPEED MODEM Ref: EAL00006Date: 06/16/97 From: VICTOR NG Time: 12:16pm \/To: ALL (Read 5 times) Subj: X2 * Crossposted from: US Robotics high speed modem technical discussion Hello everybody, Other than the X2 technology, are there anything out there that is just as good or maybe even better? Is there another standard called If so how does it compare with X2? I heard that GVC modems are also implementing the X2 standard, is hat true? Thanks! for replying. ... Answers: $1, Short: $5, Correct: $25, dumb looks are still free. --- Blue Wave/DOS v2.30 * Origin: Juxtaposition BBS. Lasalle, Quebec, Canada (1:167/133)