gjphw@mhuxo.UUCP (WYANT) (06/24/86)
It is now time for me to take the plunge and replace my 300 baud modem with
a 1200 baud one. Does anyone have any experience with, or hearsay evidence
about, the Avatex 1200 baud modem? It operates at either 300 or 1200 baud and
retails through a mail-order house for $89, making the Avatex the least
expensive 1200 baud modem I have seen so far. We own an Atari 520ST with
upgrades of TOS in ROM and 1 Mb of memory.
Send email, and thanks for the comments.
Patrick Wyant
AT&T Bell Laboratories
Naperville, IL
*!ihnp4!{mhuxo,ihwld}!gjphwjhs@disunix.UUCP (06/26/86)
I have been using an Avatex 1200 baud modem for about 3 months now, and it has worked flawlessly. I have not used the autoanswer feature. I have used the autodial capability and it works as advertised. The switches on the back came in handy to force the modem on-line with one terminal emulator program which apparently did not assert Data Terminal Ready. These switches allow you to choose whether to force these lines ON or let the program do it. The unit not only works well, it looks very professional too. It is a heck of a lot of modem for the price. Incidentally, the guy I bought mine from charges $80 if you pick it up and I believe he has quoted several people $85 if he has to bother to ship it. For further information, call Rick Pommet, Nelson Data Communications, (617) 667-4357 or 738-6000. The first number is his home phone, and you will have better luck reaching him if you call there after about 7 or 7:30 PM. The 738-6000 number is at work and he is hard to reach there so you will be likely to waste a call if you try it. Rick is an Atari freak of long standing, having had several of the 8-bit machines for years, so he is not out to make a lot of profit on fellow Atari fans. Another source is Paul Swanson, who uses the name Nite Lite Systems. (He is well known in the Atari 8-bit world for his BBS software under this name so he continues to use the name.) Paul makes his living as an Atari dealer, so tends to charge higher prices than the mail order places. However, I believe his price is still under $100, so if he has them and the others are out of stock, it may still beat waiting for a modem. Besides (see below), he is in a position to provide technical help that you won't get from other dealers. It just might pay to have him as a friend. Paul can be reached at (617) 663-4463 or via his BBS (running on an 8-bit Atari) at 663-4221. NOTE: Paul also does 520 upgrades to 1Mbyte and is a 520 dealer for both sales and repair. Also, he is about the highest-grade source of technical information (hardware and software) on Atari products I have found. Keep his name and phone numbers on file -- you will see why if you ever need to call on him for help. If anyone prefers to order by mail, I could attempt to get mailing addresses from Rick and/or Paul. -John Sangster jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa
dobbs@marlin.UUCP (Lynn B. Dobbs) (06/26/86)
In article <8606261515.AA19606@mitre-bedford.ARPA> jhs@disunix.UUCP writes: >I have been using an Avatex 1200 baud modem for about 3 months now, and it has >worked flawlessly. I have not used the autoanswer feature. I have used the I, too, have the Avatex 1200. It is a remarkable value that does exactly what it is advertised to do. BUT, I do have one minor complaint. It does not have a built in audio monitor. The Hayes modem I use at work has this function and once used to it... It does allow a phone to be connected to it, so through carefull handling, I can monitor the beginning of the call without *hanging up on myself :-)* A couple of times I have called a worng number by accident. If I hadn't been monitoring, I would have had an irrate housewife complaining about crank calls. Disclaimer: I speak only for myself
walt@rclex.UUCP (Walter L. Weber) (06/28/86)
In article <1204@mhuxo.UUCP>, gjphw@mhuxo.UUCP (WYANT) writes: > > Does anyone have any experience with, or hearsay evidence > about, the Avatex 1200 baud modem? I purchased one out of a group of 10 people. None of them has reported any difficulty; I used mine to replace our hayes for DIAL-IN on our Unix system for 2 weeks while the Hayes was out for warranty repair, and am using the Avatex 1200 now for dial-out from my 520ST. I recommend it highly for dial-in operation in an unattended mode, or for dial-out when it is right along side of your 520. Do not expect to find the full Hayes set -- it does not support any register settings, escape to command level using "+++", etc, which is why it will work fine for dial out if the modem is within finger's reach for disconnecting from a line, etc. Walt Weber UUCP: {harvard,ll-xn}!rclex!walt Ridge Computers PHONE: (617) 861-6000 Lexington, Mass. COMPUSERVE: 76515,2423 -- Walt Weber UUCP: {harvard,ll-xn}!rclex!walt Ridge Computers PHONE: (617) 861-6000 Lexington, Mass. COMPUSERVE: 76515,2423
john@c3pe.UUCP (07/08/86)
I have been using an Avatex 1200 modem for about 6 months now, and have only a few complaints. First thing, when I use it as a dial in for my Altos system, it will go into some sort of sick mode after waiting for a call for too long (too long being around 30 minutes). At this point, the HS and RD lights will stay on until I turn it off and back on. I have also noticed that if you use it for too long (greater than 6 to 8 hours), it tends to mix garbage with the data. Also, it should have a detachable phone cord and a much sturdier power cord receptacle. I couldn't tell you if the first 2 problems are for just my modem, or if they apply to all Avatex modems. Another thing, I can't figure out how to tell the modem to stop saying CONNECT or CONNECT 1200 when someone dials in. This makes my Altos think that someone is try to login on user CONNECT... Anyone out there know how to shut off its messages (all of them)? -- John P. Landahl III ..!seismo!dolqci!hqhomes!john ..!seismo!decuac!c3pe!john
LAWRENCE.Auger%BIONET@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA (Ivan Auger) (07/30/86)
I had very bad experiences with AVATEX 1200 modems. Don't buy them. The first set of modems that we received would not communicate with some Bell 212 type of modems. We sent them back twice due to the fact that after a couple of days of use the modems would just die. Finally, to make a long story short, our dealer exchanged them for Racal Vadic Maxwell 1200V modems. -------
Denber.wbst@XEROX.COM.UUCP (08/01/86)
I've talked to three different hosts with my Avatex and have had no problems at all. In addition, it performs great on my phone line which is plagued by RFI from a nearby AM broadcast transmitter. I can plainly hear the radio over the phone, yet I've had no noise hits at all with the Avatex, which I can't say for at least two other modems I tried (Anchor Express, Multitech 1200). For $85, you can hardly go wrong. I say buy it. - Michel
brent@orsvax1.UUCP (Brent Chivers) (08/08/86)
In article <12226870831.27.LAWRENCE.AUGER@IC2060> LAWRENCE.Auger%BIONET@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA (Ivan Auger) writes: >I had very bad experiences with AVATEX 1200 modems. Don't buy them... >We sent them back twice... Finally, to make a long story short, >our dealer exchanged them for Racal Vadic Maxwell 1200V modems. Perhaps this is a hasty conclusion. Another newsgroup has had numerous postings saying US Robotics Courier (2400/1200/300) modems (this posting will come through one, although at only 1200 baud, by the way) are (a) great|far better than average|noise-free|etc. or (b) terrible|unreliable|pure junk|noise-prone|etc. The units that reach the field seem to fall at the extremes of usefulness. I have had experince with 3 Avatex 1200's, one of which I own. Two were fine. The third did not work, but it also did not pass its built- in self-diagnostics. It was returned, and the replacement is fine. Perhaps yours came from a bad lot. If so, then USR is not the only company that can often (but not consistently) make a good modem. ------------- Brent Chivers {allegra|ihnp4}!princeton!orsvax1!brent or perhaps ORS Automation, Inc seismo!caip!topaz!pyrnj!orsvax1!brent 440 Wall St Phone 609-924-1667 Princeton, NJ 08540 FAX 609-924-2413 USA TELEX 4944924 ORSIN -------------------- Disclaimer: I have no connection with E&E Datacom (Avatex), USR, or Racal-Vadic. (Or Agent #86 :-) I am just a satisfied (especially for the price) customer/user. "If there is any place on earth that needs light, it is certainly New York." Felix August Bartholdy -- Brent Chivers {allegra|ihnp4}!princeton!orsvax1!brent or perhaps ORS Automation, Inc seismo!caip!topaz!pyrnj!orsvax1!brent 440 Wall St Phone 609-924-1667 Princeton, NJ 08540 FAX 609-924-2413 USA TELEX 4944924 ORSIN ------------- Disclaimer: Our business may be vision, but my views are my own. "If there is any place on earth that needs light, it is certainly New York." Felix August Bartholdy
droch@ihlpa.UUCP (Kraft) (08/14/86)
> In article <12226870831.27.LAWRENCE.AUGER@IC2060> > LAWRENCE.Auger%BIONET@SUMEX-AIM.ARPA (Ivan Auger) writes: > >I had very bad experiences with AVATEX 1200 modems. Don't buy them... > >We sent them back twice... Finally, to make a long story short, > >our dealer exchanged them for Racal Vadic Maxwell 1200V modems. I've had an Avatex 1200 hooked up to my Amiga (egads!) for nearly four months now without any problems. My only complaint is that there is no speaker and you can't tell if the line was busy or never picked up (if you're a wimp you can always pick up the phone :-). David Roch AT&T Bell Labs --- You can't get there from here - REM ---
lefko@leadsv.UUCP (08/19/86)
In article <1664@ihlpa.UUCP>, droch@ihlpa.UUCP (Kraft) writes: > I've had an Avatex 1200 hooked up to my Amiga (egads!) for > nearly four months now without any problems. My only complaint is > that there is no speaker and you can't tell if the line was busy or > never picked up (if you're a wimp you can always pick up the phone :-). > I just bought a 520st mono system and Avatex modem. I have no problems with it except the one mentioned above. If your not dialing long distance you can use pulse mode insted of tone mode and hear the number dialing. -- {(ucbvax!dual!sun) (ihnp4!qubix)}!sunncal!leadsv!lefko {{allegra ihnp4 dual}!fortune decvax!decwrl}!amdcad!cae780!leadsv!lefko
jimomura@lsuc.UUCP (Jim Omura) (08/22/86)
I have tried a few cheap modems lately and have found the following: The GVC modem has problems with reliability. The first one I had would overheat after the 1st hour. An auto answer modem which can't be left on 24 hrs./day is not much good. You'd have to turn it on manually to answer the call just before the call was made. My 2nd GVC just died outright. I have no idea what happened to it. It is going back to the manufacturer shortly. That's 2 out of 2 modems failed. The Tandy 2212 is wonderfully reliable. Did I mention that the signal quality of the GVC mentioned above was maginal and it had data-errors consistently at 11200 baud for uploads thus limiting me to 300 baud uploads? Don't expect all cheap modems to have adequate signals. The Tandy modems seem to have excellent signal quality (I borrowed one before and bought one later, so they have had 2 out of 2 winners -- the opposite of GVC). The command system in the Tandy is BETTER than Hayes. It is simpler than Hayes (i.e. not Hayes com- patible if you are a true invalid) and maintains the last number for redial. IF you buy it on a sale you have an excellent modem fairly cheap. The USR Password is a Hayes compatible with an excellent reputation. I tried one and almost bought it. Signal quality is good. The only slight drawback I *think* it had (memory a bit poor on this point because I tried a few modems) was that it had to have its commands entered in upper case only. This is common and I think even the real Hayes 1200 baud had this problem. Strange in the Hayes when you think about the cost. The Avatex 1200 seems to have good signal quality (I haven't tried 1200 baud uploads yet). It requires commands to be entered in Upper Case only. You cannot use the Hayes +++ command. Forced disconnect, baudrate selection on originate and voice/data control are all manual. Baudrate selection is automatic on Auto-Answer, which suits me fine.. -- James Omura, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto ihnp4!utzoo!lsuc!jimomura Byte Information eXchange: jimomura (416) 652-3880
jhs@MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA (08/23/86)
I think the Avatex will disconnect if you drop Data Terminal Ready. This can be done in software so need not be manual. However it cannot be done by typing on the keyboard while on-line, as I presume can be done with a real $350.00 Hayes. The Avatex will also drop back to command mode if you lose the carrier, which is the most usual occurrence when you log out of your host system. On the other hand, if anybody should be sending binary files or encrypted text, they might find their Hayes not the best choice for the very reason that there are data strings that will dump it back into command mode. All in all, I remain VERY pleased with the performance of my Avatex, especially considering the price of $80.00 that I paid for it. -John Sangster jhs@mitre-bedford.arpa
jimomura@lsuc.UUCP (Jim Omura) (08/25/86)
In article <8608230248.AA07211@mitre-bedford.ARPA> jhs@MITRE-BEDFORD.ARPA writes: >I think the Avatex will disconnect if you drop Data Terminal Ready. This can >be done in software so need not be manual. However it cannot be done by >typing on the keyboard while on-line, as I presume can be done with a real >$350.00 Hayes. The Avatex will also drop back to command mode if you lose the Thanks for pointing that out John. What baffled me for a while was the fact that leaving the VT-52 emulator or leaving Flash doesn't drop DTR. David Betz on BIX has a new version of BMODEM which drops DTR on exit, but it would seem that this isn't the ideal situation yet because you cannot call a SHELL from within BMODEM at this time. This limits what you can actually do from within BMODEM. David is going to write the next version of BMODEM with a Disconnect command which will force DTR low from within BMODEM. This seems to be the best idea for now. Those of you writing Comm packages should keep in mind that there are essentially two standard methods of forcing disconnection. The first is the DTR low, which fakes shutting off the "terminal". The second is 1/2 BREAK which is from Bell 103 and 212A modems. One or both of these should always be available to the user. ... > >All in all, I remain VERY pleased with the performance of my Avatex, >especially considering the price of $80.00 that I paid for it. I agree. Although I've only had it for a couple of days now, I have successfully uploaded and downloaded at 1200 baud across Tymnet which failed with the GVC. Also, I have reports that real Hayes modems are not particularly reliable either (though likely not as bad as the GVC's), so there you have it. It seems you can do better than a real Hayes modem for much less. -- James Omura, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto ihnp4!utzoo!lsuc!jimomura Byte Information eXchange: jimomura (416) 652-3880
cms@vlsvax1.UUCP (Chuck M. Sweeney) (08/25/86)
In article <1317@lsuc.UUCP> jimomura@lsuc.UUCP (Jim Omura) writes: > > I have tried a few cheap modems lately and have found the following: > >The GVC modem has problems with reliability. <more stuff about GVC> > >The Tandy 2212 is wonderfully reliable. <more stuff about Tandy> > >The USR Password is a Hayes compatible <more stuff about USR Password> > >The Avatex 1200 seems to have good signal quality <more about Avatek> >-- >James Omura, Barrister & Solicitor, Toronto >ihnp4!utzoo!lsuc!jimomura >Byte Information eXchange: jimomura >(416) 652-3880 In all the talk about various modems lately, especially low cost ones, I have been interested to see no mention of the Team Industries SMARTeam modem. This could be because of distribution peculiarities or other things. Anyway, I bought one at a swap meet in the SF Bay Area a few months ago. The going price seems to be about $165 which is cheap compared to Hayes and expensive compared to Avatek. But comparing to Avatek based on what I have heard and read, it has a lot more in the way of features. It is *completely* Hayes compatible meaning soft access to all registers and features. It has an external speaker (soft controllable - you can shut it off all together, leave it on constantly, or leave it in default mode where it shuts itself off when it receives carrier. It is 300/1200 baud (with 1200 being default) and I have had *no* problems with signal quality in transferring many megabytes both ways (both binary and ascii). I even had a good experience with customer service. A few weeks ago I started having problems getting connected to a couple of BBS' and the VAX at work when it had been working flawlessly before. I tried different RS232 settings from the desktop and nothing changed. I tried a different cable and concluded that the modem was bad. I called the US distributor, they told me to send it in. I got an *exchange* modem back in 7 working days, no questions asked. When it didn't work, I discovered that the problem was with me and my software, not the modem. The modem never was broken, but the company was responsive anyway. I like it. I haven't seen this modem advertised, but it seems to be around and I'm convinced it's a good buy. The only thing it's missing that I would like to see is a clock, but overall, I'm very happy with it. Check it out. Sweeney qantel!vlsvax1!cms