dave@PRC.Unisys.COM (David Lee Matuszek) (05/04/90)
A few months ago I had some telephone problems, and the telephone company did some work on the lines (outside the house) to fix it. Since then I haven't been able to run my Apple 1200 modem at any speed greater than 300 baud; there's just too much garbage on the line. The funny thing is that the line sounds clear: no static, no ringing or echos, etc. I also have a Concept 108 terminal with a Black Box modem on it. Same story: unusable. In fact, I've tried four modems. So it's not just the Mac modem. The last time the telephone company did some work in the house (adding outlets), they put in a direct plug to the outside, so I can unplug my house telephone wiring and go directly to the outside. Same thing, the line is bad, and the trouble isn't in the house. If I could hear anything at all wrong with the line, I'd scream bloody murder until the telephone company fixed it. But I can't. And unless things have changed drastically in the last five years, the phone company has no interest in fixing the line if it's good enough for voice (they'd rather sell me an expensive data line). What should I do? Has anyone else had similar problems? One thing I have noticed is that newer modems work better, probably because of gradually improving technology. I'm considering buying a new 2400 baud modem, just for this reason, but that's a lot of money to spend on something that might not solve the problem. Any suggestions would be welcomed! -- Dave Matuszek (dave@prc.unisys.com) -- Unisys Corp. / Paoli Research Center / PO Box 517 / Paoli PA 19301 -- Any resemblance between my opinions and those of my employer is improbable. << "Next time, Jack, write a goddamned memo!" >>