idallen@watmath.UUCP (01/26/87)
I tested one USR rev 243 modem and one USR rev 242 modem through our
University's SL-1 switch onto an FX (Foreign Exchange) line to Toronto
(75 miles from Waterloo here). We called UTZOO's Racal-Vadic 2400 bps
modem and the noise rate was an average of about 1 junk character per
second, in bursts of, say, 3. No other modems had this abysmal
aversion to the line. A friend tried the rev 242 modem from his
country exchange (about 20 miles away) to the University here, and
every time it mistook the 2400 bps handshake for 1200 bps and wedged
itself. I was so sad. It had wonderful features, and a great price.
It just didn't work for our most important application. Sigh. We've
got QUBIE Basic Time 2400 bps modems now. At least they work.
I wrote a big review of the rev 242 Courier last year. At 2400 bps you
could wedge it by going off line, asking for help and interrupting the
help menu, and then going back on line. Some other things were wrong.
--
-IAN! (Ian! D. Allen) University of Waterloocsg@pyramid.UUCP (01/27/87)
In article <4624@watmath.UUCP> idallen@watmath.UUCP (Ian! D. Allen) writes: >I tested one USR rev 243 modem and one USR rev 242 modem through our >University's SL-1 switch onto an FX (Foreign Exchange) line to Toronto >(75 miles from Waterloo here). We called UTZOO's Racal-Vadic 2400 bps >modem and the noise rate was an average of about 1 junk character per >second, in bursts of, say, 3. No other modems had this abysmal >aversion to the line. I'd suggest that this says more about the Vadic than it does about the USR. The only modems I've ever tested here (Northern California) that were able to consistently get and hold a 2400bps connection with utzoo were another Racal- Vadic and a Telebit Trailblazer. That includes AT&T 2224, Concord Data Systems 224, Hayes 2400, Microcom AX2400 (not using MNP, obviously), NEC DSP2430, Team Technologies 24S, and USR Courier. They either connected at the wrong speed, or fell apart from the line noise. I also have links where the Vadic and Hayes fail miserably, but the Courier does fine. And other links where the Hayes is best. And so on. (I haven't tried the Qubie modems; perhaps I should.) The point is that the 2400bps market is rife with incompatability. You *must* try before you buy, and make sure the modem works when calling the sites *you* need to talk with. And if you're buying a rackful, try to buy at least two different brands. For those who don't have that luxury, my personal preference is the Courier. It's cheap, in the middle range of reliability, >>ON OUR PACTEL LINES<< better than most on line noise, and although the firmware is a bit buggy it rarely does anything you can't easily recover from. My favorite for 2400bps is the Trailblazer; a pity its so damned expensive.... <csg>