jsweet@ICS.UCI.EDU (Jerry Sweet) (08/28/90)
If you have a 9600 Courier HST, you're out of luck if you want to upgrade to USR's "dual standard" modem for cheap. From the old modem, you have to get a "trade in" arrangement. It costs US $595.00, not $50.00. (It's different if you have their slightly newer 14.2 kbps modem, I'm sure.) Also, it appears that USR *very* recently has stopped allowing field ROM replacement arrangements for 9600 HSTs. I have two 9600 HSTs modems that had trouble talking to some MNP modems. I asked for, and received---much later---a ROM field upgrade kit (dated 3/88) and the problem sort of went away for MNP 3 modems, but the USR still has trouble talking to MNP 5 modems. When I found out about the even newer ROM replacements (which I think I should've gotten in the first place), I called USR only to find out that they now will do the ROM replacement only if I send in the modem, power supply and all, with an RMA number. Most unfortunate and inconsistent with previous arrangement. By the way, USR's tech support line is ALWAYS busy. The trick for getting through to them is to dial their main 800 number and then to ask for someone to whom you've spoken before. Either that, or hope they forget that they're not supposed to be able to transfer you to Tech Support, and they enqueue you.