[net.dcom] 2400 baud modems

dave@utcsrgv.UUCP (Dave Sherman) (03/11/84)

Well, with all these 2400 bps modems on the market now, why don't
some busy Usenet sites start getting them? I would think a reduction
in connect time by a factor of two would quickly make up the extra
cost.

I assume there are four reasons why this hasn't happened yet:
	1. administrators move slowly and within annual budgets;
	2. the sites already have enough modems for their phone lines;
	3. if a site has N dial-in lines, it could only ensure 2400
	   baud communication with other systems by putting a 2400 baud
	   modem on *every* dial-in line;
	4. the first site to get a 2400 baud modem won't have anyone
	   to talk with at 2400 baud for a while (although the fallback
	   to 1200 would work, of course).

May I suggest a strategy for any news or system admin looking at this?
Take one of your phone lines out of the regular hunt group (or make it
the last in the group) and put a 2400-baud modem on it. Once it's
working, encourage your news feeds to get 2400 baud modems, and give
them the new phone number. I suspect the change would soon pay for
itself.

Dave Sherman
Toronto
-- 
 {allegra,cornell,decvax,ihnp4,linus,utzoo}!utcsrgv!dave

phil@amd70.UUCP (Phil Ngai) (03/18/84)

Well, at this site, phone costs are paid for by the corporation as
a whole (a "general and administrative" expense, much like the copier)
while modems would come out of this profit&loss center's profit.

Ain't economics wonderful?

(anyone using compact on their news?)
-- 
Phil Ngai (408) 988-7777 {ucbvax,decwrl,ihnp4,allegra,intelca}!amd70!phil

derek@sask.UUCP (Derek Andrew) (03/19/84)

There are lots of other ways to try to save money on Usenet besides
installing 2400 baud modems.  One should investigate leased lines (we
have one between alberta and us some 400 miles long.)  Also, common
carriers provide services like Datapac, Telenet and Tymnet which can
result in gross savings.
-- 
Derek Andrew, ACS, U of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon Saskatchewan, Canada, S7N 0W0
{ihnp4 | utah-cs | utcsrgv | alberta}!sask!derek  306-343-2638  0900-1630 CST

julian@deepthot.UUCP (Julian Davies) (03/20/84)

Our phone bill for uucp looks like being $10 to $15 a NIGHT.  Just
150km to watmath.  We are going to have to cut back a lot of traffic
or find a cheaper line.  It isn't obvious that the x25 networks save a
lot of money; depends on mean packet size obtained and the carrier
charge schedules.	Julian Davies

rf@wu1.UUCP (03/22/84)

Julian Davies (watmath!deepthot!julian) writes:

  It isn't obvious that the x25 networks save a lot of money;
  depends on mean packet size obtained and the carrier charge
  schedules.

For large volumes of traffic, public data networks can be much
cheaper than voice grade lines.  They are usually far more
reliable than long-distance voice circuits, as well.

Public data transport services can offer much better prices than
most private networks, since 9600 bit per second trunk lines
make roughly four times better utilization of voice grade
telecommunications lines (known in the industry as "vee-effs"
for Voice Facilities) than a private user using 1200 b/s lines.

The public networks are just now starting to offer protocols for
computer (as opposed to terminal) use.  Tymnet will probably be
the first; their X.PC protocol is slated for release in August.
It should be possible to implement X.PC on any computer that can
run uucp.  If you'd like to learn more about X.PC, write:

  X.PC Development Group
  Network Technology Division
  Tymshare, Inc.
  10261 Bubb Road.
  Cupertino, CA 95014

If only I could persuade Western Union to offer X.PC.  *sigh*

				Randolph Fritz
				Western Union Telegraph
				{philabs, allegra!sunrise}!wu1!rf

richard@islenet.UUCP (08/28/84)

Aloha,

Does anyone have any experiences with using the new 2400 baud
modems over satellite links?  And/or perhaps with MCI or Sprint?

thanks

-- 
Richard Foulk		...{dual,vortex,ihnp4}!islenet!richard
Honolulu, Hawaii

mlb@cbosgd.UUCP (Mike Brooks) (04/10/85)

A friend is interested in any experiences people have had with
2400 baud modems.  Of particular interest is how well the modem
tolerates very poor phone lines.  Cost of the modem, where it
was purchased, and how long it has been in service would also be
of interest.  Please reply directly to me.

		Thank you,
		mike brooks
		AT&T Network Systems
		cbosgd!cbnscs!mlb
		8-353-7894
		614-860-7894

roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) (01/18/86)

[administrative note: I've added net.dcom, and directed followups there - RHS]

> I've talked with our Arrow distributer, and she said she'ld give me
> USRobitics 2400 baud modems for $380 if I could put together an order
> of 50 people.

	Big deal.  We buy the USR 2400 for $399, quantity 1 from Advanced
Data Products in Gaithersburg, MD.  I think they can now be found for about
$350 by searching the back pages of BYTE, etc.  For Q50, you should be able
to get them for a lot less.  I've seen similar units for as high as $650;
if you're paying more than $400 Q1 for a V.22bis/212A auto-answer/dial
modem, you're being seriously ripped off.

	BTW, I understand that distributors pay $199 for the USR 2400.
Even at the "discount" $380 price, they make a nice profit.  At the $650 I
see in the catalogs, it's disgusting.
-- 
Roy Smith <allegra!phri!roy>
System Administrator, Public Health Research Institute
455 First Avenue, New York, NY 10016

mikeb@pyramid.UUCP (mike brennan) (01/22/86)

In article <2139@phri.UUCP> roy@phri.UUCP (Roy Smith) writes:
>[administrative note: I've added net.dcom, and directed followups there - RHS]
>
>> I've talked with our Arrow distributer, and she said she'ld give me
>> USRobitics 2400 baud modems for $380 if I could put together an order
>> of 50 people.
>
Data Express, 1262 E. Hamilton Ave., Campbell, CA 95008 (408-371-2788) will
sell you USR 2400 modem for $350.00 Q1, if you have any problems with the
pricing ask for the salesman Joe Paulus.
-- 
      -m-------   Pyramid Technology       Mike Brennan, Software R&D
    ---mmm-----   1295 Charleston Rd         {cmcl2,topaz}!pyrnj!
  -----mmmmm---   Mt. View, CA 94039        {ihnp4,uwvax}!pyrchi!pyramid!mikeb
-------mmmmmmm-   +1 415 965 7200      {allegra,decwrl,dual,sun}!