) (05/11/88)
hi, can anyone comment on the Practical Peripherals 2400 baud modem being offered by MacConnection for, I think, $189? I'd like to buy a 2400 baud modem soon, and am concerned about the following things: - AT command set compatiblility. - noise immunity. - ability to do pulse or tone dialing. - and, most important, the ability to mix pulse and tone in the same dial command. for example, the command I use to log into the computer at work is: ATDP####### W DT######## because my home line is pulse but the second dial tone (after the "W"ait command) requires tone. I assume that capability comes with the AT command set. Any help is appreciated; I'd like to keep the amount under $200. Rich
dorourke@polyslo.UUCP (David M. O'Rourke) (05/11/88)
In article <8805102222.AA06290@decwrl.dec.com> long@mosaic.dec.com (Now HE will ask the questions!) writes: > can anyone comment on the Practical Peripherals 2400 baud modem being >offered by MacConnection for, I think, $189? Well this message was sent to you buy one that's almost a year old with no problems as of yet. And SmartCom II 3.0 just loves it to death. It thinks it's a REAL smartmodem. > I'd like to buy a 2400 baud modem soon, and am concerned about the >following things: > - AT command set compatiblility. No problems as of yet. > - noise immunity. No problems, but I'm not qualified to evaluate this aspect of a modems performance. > - ability to do pulse or tone dialing. Both! > - and, most important, the ability to mix pulse and tone in the >same dial command. for example, the command I use to log into the >computer at work is: ATDP####### W DT######## because my home line is >pulse but the second dial tone (after the "W"ait command) requires tone. Don't know, never tried it. But it is compatible with Hayes, so if you can do it on a Hayes, you should be able to do it on this modem. The company claims they will give you your full purchase price back if their modem won't do something the same *type* model hayes will. I have no affiliation with PP other than an extremely satisfied customer. David M. O'Rourke +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ | dorourke@polyslo | Disclaimer: All opinions in this message are mine, but | | | if you like them they can be yours too. | | | Besides I'm just a student so what do I | | | know! | |-----------------------------------------------------------------------------| | When you have to place a disclaimer in your mail you know it's a sign | | that there are TOO many Lawyer's. | +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
drc@dbase.UUCP (Dennis Cohen) (05/12/88)
In article <8805102222.AA06290@decwrl.dec.com>, long@mosaic.dec.com (Now HE will ask the questions!) writes: > > > hi, > > can anyone comment on the Practical Peripherals 2400 baud modem being > offered by MacConnection for, I think, $189? > > I'd like to buy a 2400 baud modem soon, and am concerned about the > following things: > Rich, I can't respond to mixing pulse and dial, since I've never tried it, but every- thing else you ask about is satisfied. I bought mine about two months ago and have been pleased as h*ll with it. It actually seems more reliable on noisy lines than my old Hayes 1200, but that could be a misperception from lack of sufficient data. I wouldn't go back to the Hayes on a bet. The only negative I can think of is that the modem is so light that it feels insubstantial and I worry about damaging it if it gets bumped or jostled. Dennis Cohen Ashton-Tate Macintosh Division dBASE Mac Development Team -------------------------- Disclaimer: Opinions expressed above are those of the author.
syap@ur-tut (James Fitzwilliam) (05/13/88)
In article <8805102222.AA06290@decwrl.dec.com> long@mosaic.dec.com (Now HE will ask the questions!) writes:
*
* can anyone comment on the Practical Peripherals 2400 baud modem being
*offered by MacConnection for, I think, $189?
I've had one for several months. Absolutely love it.
* I'd like to buy a 2400 baud modem soon, and am concerned about the
*following things:
*
* - AT command set compatiblility.
It's 100% (at least :) Hayes compatible, except that it doesn't have a
DTR light (strange but inconsequential), and this compatibility is
guaranteed.
* - noise immunity.
Excellent so far. I'd blame the remote, not the modem, in every case
where I've gotten garbage. Seems to work great with xmodem; so far I
haven't had Red Ryder trip into the time-out "loop of death" that I
dreaded with my old 1200 unit.
* - ability to do pulse or tone dialing.
This is standard Hayes. No problems here.
* - and, most important, the ability to mix pulse and tone in the
*same dial command. for example, the command I use to log into the
Again, standard Hayes, and it does it. It has the nice dial string
modifiers that let you wait for a tone or several seconds of silence
before proceeding; great for dialing 9 from your office, long-distance
services, etc. etc. There are also non-volatile memories for your
favorite telephone numbers.
*Any help is appreciated; I'd like to keep the amount under $200.
$192.00 delivered from MacConnection overnight. Can't beat it.
Made of plastic, but solid. 5-year warranty. Longish footprint
(same length as my hard disk) but, on the other hand, all the
connections are in the rear, all the lights in front, something
Popcom hasn't figured out yet! (: The "feet" are placed so you can
shove it back on your desk as far as your Mac.
When I got mine discount offers for The Source and CompuServe were
included. My biased recommendation is that you ignore these and sign
up on GEnie. (:
The only thing that bugs me about the unit is the nice non-volatile
configuration memory. The things it lets you permanently store are
the things you aren't likely to want to change (like the pulse-dial
make/break ratio, for the folks in Britain -- get real) or the ones
where you want the factory default 99 times out of 100, for example
Phone Jack Type, Auto Answer Off, Verbose Mode...
The things it _doesn't_ let you store are the ones you're most likely
to tweak, like the dialing pause length, carrier detect delay, escape
character, lost carrier hang-up delay...
Because of this, the configuration memory is completely useless to me.
I blame Hayes for this, not the folks at Practical Peripherals.
This is a trivial complaint, though. I recommend this unit highly.
James
domain: syap@tut.cc.rochester.edu
path: rochester!ur-tut!syap "Piano is my forte" (-:
GEnie: FITZWILLIAM
========================================================================syap@ur-tut (James Fitzwilliam) (05/13/88)
In article <8805102222.AA06290@decwrl.dec.com> long@mosaic.dec.com (Now HE will ask the questions!) writes:
*
* can anyone comment on the Practical Peripherals 2400 baud modem being
*offered by MacConnection for, I think, $189?
I've had one for several months. Absolutely love it.
* I'd like to buy a 2400 baud modem soon, and am concerned about the
*following things:
*
* - AT command set compatiblility.
It's 100% (at least :) Hayes compatible, except that it doesn't have a
DTR light (strange but inconsequential), and this compatibility is
guaranteed.
* - noise immunity.
Excellent so far. I'd blame the remote, not the modem, in every case
where I've gotten garbage. Seems to work great with xmodem; so far I
haven't had Red Ryder trip into the time-out "loop of death" that I
dreaded with my old 1200 unit.
* - ability to do pulse or tone dialing.
This is standard Hayes. No problems here.
* - and, most important, the ability to mix pulse and tone in the
*same dial command. for example, the command I use to log into the
Again, standard Hayes, and it does it. It has the nice dial string
modifiers that let you wait for a tone or several seconds of silence
before proceeding; great for dialing 9 from your office, long-distance
services, etc. etc. There are also non-volatile memories for your
favorite telephone numbers.
*Any help is appreciated; I'd like to keep the amount under $200.
$192.00 delivered from MacConnection overnight. Can't beat it.
Made of plastic, but solid. 5-year warranty. Longish footprint
(same length as my hard disk) but, on the other hand, all the
connections are in the rear, all the lights in front, something
shove it back on your desk as far as your Mac.
When I got mine discount offers for The Source and CompuServe were
included. My biased recommendation is that you ignore these and sign
up on GEnie. (:
The only thing that bugs me about the unit is the nice non-volatile
configuration memory. The things it lets you permanently store are
the things you aren't likely to want to change (like the pulse-dial
make/break ratio, for the folks in Britain -- get real) or the ones
where you want the factory default 99 times out of 100, for example
Phone Jack Type, Auto Answer Off, Verbose Mode...
to tweak, like the dialing pause length, carrier detect delay, escape
character, lost carrier hang-up delay...
Because of this, the configuration memory is completely useless to me.
I blame Hayes for this, not the folks at Practical Peripherals.
This is a trivial complaint, though. I recommend this unit highly.
James
domain: syap@tut.cc.rochester.edu
path: rochester!ur-tut!syap "Piano is my forte" (-:
GEnie: FITZWILLIAMdtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) (06/20/88)
The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems being sold for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. It works fine at 1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at 1200. At 2400 baud this modem is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID THIS MODEM. -- uucp: ...!seismo!cmucspt!me.ri.cmu.edu!dtw arpa: dtw@cs.cmu.edu
ephraim@think.COM (ephraim vishniac) (06/20/88)
In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: >The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems >being sold for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. >It works fine at 1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at >1200. At 2400 baud this modem is intolerant of line noise. I would >recommend that people AVOID THIS MODEM. And I would recommend exactly the opposite. I use my PP2400 SA every day at 2400 baud. The signal quality is excellent. The overwhelming majority of transmission errors that I've seen were due to my wife picking up another phone. The PP2400 SA (the one I've got, anyhow) is a far better modem at 1200 or 2400 than the Applemodem 1200 which I gave away after buying the PP. Have you considered the possibility that you got a bad sample? Did you try to return or exchange it during the warranty period? Ephraim Vishniac ephraim@think.com Thinking Machines Corporation / 245 First Street / Cambridge, MA 02142-1214 On two occasions I have been asked, "Pray, Mr. Babbage, if you put into the machine wrong figures, will the right answers come out?"
mp1u+@andrew.cmu.edu (Michael Portuesi) (06/20/88)
> From: ephraim@Think.COM > In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: > >The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems > >being sold for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. > >It works fine at 1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at > >1200. At 2400 baud this modem is intolerant of line noise. I would > >recommend that people AVOID THIS MODEM. > And I would recommend exactly the opposite. I use my PP2400 SA every > day at 2400 baud. The signal quality is excellent. The overwhelming > majority of transmission errors that I've seen were due to my wife > picking up another phone. The PP2400 SA (the one I've got, anyhow) is > a far better modem at 1200 or 2400 than the Applemodem 1200 which I > gave away after buying the PP. > Have you considered the possibility that you got a bad sample? Did > you try to return or exchange it during the warranty period? A friend of mine also purchased the Practical Peripherals modem and wound up returning it the next did since the amount of line noise problems she experienced made it simply unusable I would also recommend avoiding this modem. --M Michael Portuesi / Information Technology Center / Carnegie Mellon University ARPA/UUCP: mp1u+@andrew.cmu.edu BITNET: rainwalker@drycas "if you ain't ill it'll fix your car"
drc@dbase.UUCP (Dennis Cohen) (06/21/88)
In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu>, dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: > > The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems being sold > for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. It works fine at > 1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at 1200. At 2400 baud this > modem is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID THIS > MODEM. I beg to differ with this assumption. I own a PM2400SA modem and use it to talk to Compu$erve, GEnie, our Pyramid, and a number of local BBSs and have found it to work extremely well for the three months that I've had it. I had a Hayes 1200 before (still do, on the shelf) and it was no more tolerant of line noise at 1200 than the PM is at 2400. If you have noise, it will correct where it can, but usually it can't -- the Hayes couldn't either. Noisy lines send garbage on occasion, the modem isn't going to solve that. Dennis Cohen Ashton-Tate Macintosh Division dBASE Mac Development Team -------------------------- Disclaimer: Any opinions expressed above are _MINE_!
dorourke@polyslo.UUCP (David O'Rourke) (06/21/88)
In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: >1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at 1200. At 2400 baud this >modem is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID THIS >MODEM. Funny!! You mean I haven't been running at 2400 baud with no problems for the past 6 months. Hmmmmm, maybe I shouldn't use the PP since it is soo intolerant of line noise. I guess mine hasn't been working. -- David M. O'Rourke Disclaimer: I don't represent the school. All opinions are mine!
6029334@pucc.Princeton.EDU (Robert G. Trevor) (06/21/88)
In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu>, dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: > >The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems being sold >for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. It works fine at >1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at 1200. At 2400 baud this >modem is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID THIS Duane, I suggest you got a dud. Mine's been working fine at 2400 baud for the nine months I've had it. Never found a glitch in text transmission. Only once noticed a possible glitch in binary transmission, but it was caught by the software and retransmitted (that portion, anyway). Either I'm lucky or you're not! Rob Trevor MaBell: (609) 452-4051 Bitnet: 6029334@PUCC UseNet: 6029334@PUCC.Princeton.Edu
dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) (06/21/88)
In message <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu>, I wrote "At 2400 baud this modem [the PM2400SA] is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID THIS MODEM." A number of people have testified to having experienced satisfactory performance from this modem, so my experience may not be characteristic. Perhaps I was a bit too strong and should only have said that I cannot recommend this modem based on my experience with the one I have. Duane -- uucp: ...!seismo!cmucspt!me.ri.cmu.edu!dtw arpa: dtw@cs.cmu.edu
thecloud@pnet06.cts.com (Ken Mcleod) (06/21/88)
various people at Carnegie Mellon write bad things about the PM2400SA...
Maybe you have exceptional line noise there! I have never had a problem
of any sort with my PM2400SA. I recommend it highly.
OK, whoever keeps score, chalk me up in the "fer it" camp.
Disclaimer: I am not now, and have never been, affiliated with Practical
Peripherals. However, a former professor of mine came from
Carnegie-Mellon.
Ken McLeod ========================= ....... ======================
UUCP: {crash uunet}!pnet06!thecloud :. .: Chief Weapons of UNIX:
ARPA: crash!pnet06!thecloud@nosc.mil :::.. ..::: "Fear, surprise, and
INET: thecloud@pnet06.cts.com //// ruthless efficiency."syap@ur-tut (James Fitzwilliam) (06/21/88)
In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes:
*
*The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems being sold
*for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. It works fine at
*1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at 1200. At 2400 baud this
*modem is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID THIS
*MODEM.
Really. I've had no trouble at all with mine, at 2400 or any other speed. I
think in the months I've had it I've seen line noise once, and that was during
a thunderstorm. Maybe you have really bad lines, but I continue to recommend
this unit to any who ask.
James
domain: syap@tut.cc.rochester.edu
path: rochester!ur-tut!syap "Piano is my forte" (-:
GEnie: FITZWILLIAM
==============================================================================sidlives@bucsb.UUCP (David Rho) (06/22/88)
>In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: > >>The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems >>being sold for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. >>It works fine at 1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at >>1200. At 2400 baud this modem is intolerant of line noise. I would >>recommend that people AVOID THIS MODEM. In article <22253@think.UUCP> ephraim@vidar.think.com.UUCP (ephraim vishniac) writes: >And I would recommend exactly the opposite. I agree. I have had my PM2400SA for about three months now and it has worked fine. > The signal quality is excellent. The overwhelming >majority of transmission errors that I've seen were due to my wife >picking up another phone. Now, I wouldn't say that the quality is excellent. Good, but not excellent. I get a great deal of line noise from my refrigirator, but I guess I can't do much about it. (I did have the same problems with all my other modems, so I am not complaining) Overall, I am pleased with my purchase. I also wanted to ask a question. Is it possible (or advisable) to run two terminal programs at the same time with two modems under multifinder? David Rho Disclaimer: You have your opinion, and I have mine.
reeck@lclark.UUCP (David Reeck) (06/22/88)
In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: > >The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems being sold ... >modem is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID THIS >MODEM. >-- >uucp: ...!seismo!cmucspt!me.ri.cmu.edu!dtw >arpa: dtw@cs.cmu.edu I have owned a PS2400SA for about 10 months now, and have made more thanjust a few large file transfers over city phone lines. I have had problems, but no more than I experience with a Hayse. The modem has worked out fine for me. I depend on it to send my source code between my mac and the 11/750 here almost every day (or at least everyday when I am in pascal class...). Could it be that you have incredibly noise phone lines, or possibly a defective modem? Of course, I could always have incredibly clean ph o nelines, or a modem of exceptional quality... Just repeating experiences.. David Reeck !tektronix!reeed!lclark!reeck
dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) (06/22/88)
In <1787@bucsb.UUCP>, David Rho writes: > I get a great deal of line noise from my refrigirator, but I guess I can't > do much about it. (I did have the same problems with all my other modems, > so I am not complaining) You may be able to do something about it. You can try an AC line filter, such as can be purchased from your local Radio Shack for about $7.50. -- uucp: ...!seismo!cmucspt!me.ri.cmu.edu!dtw arpa: dtw@cs.cmu.edu
svpillay@phoenix.UUCP (06/23/88)
In article <5517@pucc.Princeton.EDU> 6029334@pucc.Princeton.EDU writes: >In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu>, dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: > >> >>The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems being sold >>for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. It works fine at >>1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at 1200. At 2400 baud this >>modem is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID THIS > > > > >Duane, >I suggest you got a dud. Mine's been working fine at 2400 baud for the >nine months I've had it. Never found a glitch in text transmission. >Only once noticed a possible glitch in binary transmission, but it was >caught by the software and retransmitted (that portion, anyway). >Either I'm lucky or you're not! > Likewise. I've had mine for about 9 months and have found it to be clearer at 2400 baud than a Hayes Smartmodem at 1200. Maybe I got lucky too. In fact, the only complaint I have about the PM2400SA is that the manual was obviously written for a (gag) DOS user. (Standard disclaimers about no link to Prac. Perip. or Hayes.) -- Do I really need a signature?
dml@esl.UUCP (Denis Lynch) (06/23/88)
In article <2011@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: > >In message <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu>, I wrote "At 2400 baud this modem [the >PM2400SA] is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID >THIS MODEM." > >A number of people have testified to having experienced satisfactory >performance from this modem, so my experience may not be characteristic. >Perhaps I was a bit too strong and should only have said that I cannot >recommend this modem based on my experience with the one I have. > But the worst thing about your accusation is that you don't support it! Have you tried any other modems that work better? Maybe the problem is your phone line, or your blender, or the neighbors on your party line! On the other hand, look at all the *good* press you generated for Practical Peripherals! -- Denis Lynch decwrl!borealis!\ ESL Incorporated ucbcad!ucbvax!- ames!esl!dml ARPA: dml%esl.ESL.COM@ames.arc.nasa.gov ihnp4!/ / SMAIL: dml@esl.ESL.COM lll-lcc!
tim@ism780c.isc.com (T.W."Tim" Smith, Knowledgian) (06/24/88)
In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes:
< The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems being sold
< for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. It works fine at
< 1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at 1200. At 2400 baud this
< modem is intolerant of line noise. I would recommend that people AVOID THIS
< MODEM.
Mine has no trouble with line noise at 1200 or 2400 bps. On the very
same phone lines, the modem it replaced ( an Anchor Automation
Volksmodem 12 ) gets annoying noise at 1200 bps.
The only problem I have with the PM2400SA is that it sometimes
takes two or three tries for it and the modems here at ISC to
agree to talk at 2400 instead of 1200. I have no idea whose
fault this is. The PM2400SA has no trouble connecting to other
modems at 2400, and no one else at ISC has trouble connecting
with connecting at 2400. My guess is the two modems are both
near the limits on some parameter, and are in opposite directions,
so they don't like to talk.
--
Tim Smith tim@ism780c.isc.com
"I don't practice what I preach because I'm not the
kind of person I'm preaching to" -- J.R. "Bob" Dobbslandman%hanami@Sun.COM (Howard A. Landman) (06/25/88)
In article <1994@pt.cs.cmu.edu> dtw@f.gp.cs.cmu.edu (Duane Williams) writes: >The PM2400SA modem is one of the least expensive 2400 baud modems being sold >for the Mac. It should be. It doesn't work very well. It works fine at >1200 baud, but who buys a 2400 baud modem to run at 1200. There was an analysis last year that showed that even the cheapest, shoddiest 2400 baud modem was more reliable at 1200 baud than any 1200 baud modem, even the most expensive. Thus, if you want a good 1200 baud modem, you're better off buying a cheap 2400 baud modem than a fancy 1200 baud modem which costs more. I am currently considering doing exactly that. DISCLAIMER: I've never touched a PM2400SA, and am not trying to defend it. Howard A. Landman landman@hanami.sun.com UUCP: sun!hanami!landman