rfarris@rfengr.com (Rick Farris) (01/31/91)
If you're in the market for a quality modem, I wouldn't hesitate to recommend the Everex 24/96e, a 2400 bps MNP5 modem with a 9600 bps send/receive fax. This is really a sweet modem. When I first set it up I noticed that it has a slider volume control; a feature I always liked about the USR Courier modems. Next I noticed that it had another pushbutton that toggled the state of the speaker -- if the speaker is off, it turns it on and vice-versa. A little thing, but something you won't find in many more expensive modems. Perusing the manual showed that it even has a built in speakerphone. All this in addition to having MNP5 and being a 9600 bps send/receive fax. I was curious about the effect of MNP 5 on file transfers; particularly on the transfer of pre-compressed zip and gif files. I've heard that MNP5-compression makes the aforementioned files larger, rather than smaller. After a number of transfers, I can report that I'm averaging ~270 cps, with occasional transfers in the 280 cps range. Without MNP, I get about 231 cps, so the extra 50 cps is a small but noticeable increase. Where the MNP is particularly effective, though, is on normal BBS interaction. The Everex 24/96e allows me to lock my serial port at 9600 or 19200. This means that ansi graphics, menus and other screens which are compressed by MNP literally flash onto the monitor. I hadn't realized the difference until this evening when I logged onto my usual BBS without using MNP. The graphics were much slower, and when I read the "new files" list (n s u ns) in non-stop mode, it went slowly enough that I could read it without an occasional pause. I've seen these modems advertised for ~$300, with the same modem without the fax available for ~$189. I have no interest in these modems other than the fact that I've tried one and like it a lot. -- Rick Farris RF Engineering POB M Del Mar, CA 92014 voice (619) 259-6793 rfarris@rfengr.com ...!ucsd!serene!rfarris serenity bbs 259-7757