bnn (12/30/82)
I want to purchase an inexpensive (<$160) modem for my TRaSh 80. I do not need the auto answer or auto dial capabilities, so I do not want to pay for the Hayes Smartmodem. On the other hand, I do not want to use an acoustic type modem. Does anyone have any experience with the Novation D-Cat or the Signalman Mark I? Please mail comments or suggestions to: aluxz!bnn Barry Nelson X6154 BTL AL
gh (12/31/82)
[Posted to net, since mail can't get through harpo]
I have had a Novation D-Cat modem for about two years. Electronically,
it has been fine (though 300 baud is a bit boring). My main complaint is
the poor physical design: it has to have the phone sitting on top of it
(the only way the 2-inch connector between your phone and the modem will
go), and yet is not shaped to hold the phone on it: it's too narrow, and it's
easy to knock the phone off. The on/off switch has been carefully hidden
at the back of the modem, so you have to reach around the phone and feel
for it, while infrequently-used switches are nicely displayed on the front
panel. These problems seem to stem from their trying to use the same
plastic mouldings as in the acoustic Cat.
Graeme Hirst, Brown Univeristy, Computer Science
...!{decvax, vax135}!brunix!gh 401-863-1648