cs325ec@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (03/25/90)
I can't believe it. I kind of killed my 1040 trying to upgrade it to 2.5 meg, so I checked around to see what the going prices for Atari computers were. No one seems to have anything. Micro Tyme has 1040's for $ 675 but that is all I found. Don't Canadian firms do Intl. Mail Order? Anybody have any numbers? Could someone purchase a 1040STe up there and send it to Illinois? Someone sent a price of $777 Canadian for a 1040STe... Side Q: Can my 1 meg DRAMS be placed in empty SIMM sockets i.e. can empty SIMM sockets be purchased? Thanks... any info or help appreciated... P.S. Anyone know if I can send my 1040 to a place that repairs them? -- Greg
Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com (03/26/90)
Question about bringing in STEs from Canada was asked: > ... Don't >Canadian firms do Intl. Mail Order? Anybody have any numbers? >Could someone purchase a 1040STe up there and send it to Illinois? >Someone sent a price of $777 Canadian for a 1040STe... (Darek Mihocka mentioned a Canadian price of $699 when he was here last..) The simple answer to importing STEs is NO The complex answer is that with the Toronto Atari Federation show coming up next month, and with Toronto only a fairly short drive from the Detroit area, I was interested in what it would take to *legally* bring an STE back with me. Calling information got me the administrative office phone number for U.S. Customs. Calling that number and explaining what I wanted got me another number. The person there gave me a different number after listening to the story again. Finally I got to someone who understood what I was asking, and gave me some answers. The "Import Specialist" in the field of computers explained that customs duty on computer equipment depends on the country of origin. For the sake of just getting an example, I said the equipment would likely be from Taiwan, for which he said the duty would be 3.9% of the purchase price. (Japanese hardware apparently carries the highest duty) But... this rate applies only to commercial imports. On equipment brought back for personal use, there is a flat 10% duty based on the purchase price, less the personal deduction. (If you just go over to Canada and back, the deduction is only $25.. if you stay 24 hours, the deduction is something like $400..) So the money part isn't a big deal... but then he said the magic word: FCC To bring electronic equipment into the US, you must have an FCC form 740 filled out for the Customs inspector. Just by way of an example, the FCC classification number for a desktop computer without a video display unit is: 8471.910090 (every configuration apparently has a different number). However... he didn't know ANYTHING about hardware that hasn't passed US FCC type acceptance trials, so... he gave me another phone number. I finally got to the Detroit area FCC office, where the entire inquiry process came to an abrupt halt. You CANNOT bring anything into the US which hasn't passed their testing. The only circumstances under which it would be possible would be if the unit has gone far enough through the testing to see that it is likely that it will eventually pass (which does seem to be the case with the Atari STE), AND that you post a HEFTY bond at the time you bring the unit into the US, certifying that you will have the non-complying equipment modified to bring it into compliance with the final version. I don't want an STE that badly... So, Canadian dealers can't legally ship STEs to the US. Of course, you can always just drive through Customs and try to look innocent... 9 times out of 10 they'll just wave you through... but.. if they check and find a non-complying unit they can impound your new computer and your car, you can be subject to criminal charges, and at the very least, have to pay a fine equal to the value of the computer. Until Atari US gets the shielding for the STE right, there won't be very many STEs in the US... (sorry that doesn't help you with your dead 1040.. if you can find a dealer with an ST to sell, you probably should buy it, or face waiting until Atari starts making computers again...) BobR
cs325ec@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Gregory Lemperle-Kerr) (03/27/90)
I found a dealer in Canada that will ship an STe to the US. His add is in STart magazine. -- Greg
rjd@cs.brown.edu (Rob Demillo) (04/04/90)
In article <1990Apr2.074942.11538@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu| cs325ec@ux1.cso.uiuc.edu (Gregory Lemperle-Kerr) writes: |Bob_BobR_Retelle@cup.portal.com writes: | ||Gregory Lemperle-Kerr says.. |||I found a dealer in Canada that will ship an STe to the US. His add |||is in STart magazine. || ||Have you actually been able to buy an STE from this dealer..? Has he actuall ||been able to ship an STE across the border.? || | | He was a very nice guy on the phone, said he'd just shipped a few to | the US... This shouldn't really surprise anyone. There has been a free trade agreement with canada for about a year or so now. (Although, I confess I am a little amazed that a device which didn't pass the US FCC testing can be sold here. Don't incoming goods have to comply with this restriction?) - Rob DeMillo | Internet: rjd@brown.cs.edu Brown University | Also Internet: demillo@juliet.ll.mit.edu Planetary Science Group | Reality: 401-273-0804 (home) "I say you *are* the Messiah, Lord! And I ought to know, I've followed a few!"