<>**<>› HOW TO SET UP 850 EXPRESS TO› AUTOANSWER AND AUTOSAVE INCOMING TEXT› OR DATA.› ----› (Ed. As you all know, BBS'ing and› Surfing the INTERNET are all the rage,› but here is a great way to use your› modem. You do have a modem, don't you?› If not, get one, don't miss another› world of fun and education! A.P.)› ----› More and more people are buying› personal computers and a fair› percentage of them are purchasing› modems. Electronic mail is not just a› thing of the future or just for the› wealthy. You can set up your own› "electronic mailbox" and receive mail› while away from home or sleeping! Let› me explain...›› I live in Florida and the rest of my› family is scattered across the Eastern› United States. Many of my family› members own personal computers and› modems so we send text files to each› other instead of letters...and the› best news is that it is often less› expensive than the mail service. I› have been communicating with my family› for about two years in this fashion› and find it highly reliable and› rewarding, plus it is immediate! When› I get up in the morning, the first› thing I do is turn on the monitor to› see if any E-mail has come in. If so,› I immediately save it to floppy, even› before I read it so nothing can happen› to it.›› At first, we were using MPP 1000's› because their software supported› unattended downloading. But soon I› grew tired of 300 baud and purchased› the Supra 1200AT which also supports› unattended downloading. That software› however did not support the 512K› Ramdisk on my XE, so I began to look› for other software for this purpose.›› In my opinion, Keith Ledbetter's› EXPRESS! is by far the best› telecommunications program available. › I began to wonder if this fabulous› program could possibly be set up to› autosave to buffer or to disk› unattended. Nowhere in the 850 Express› docs was there any mention of this so› you can imagine my excitement and› happiness to discover that 850 Express› could indeed download and save while› no one was around! And...wow, is it› easy to do! Here is how:›› Boot up your 850 Express! modem› program (I use version 3.0, I don't› know if earlier versions will support› this) and turn on your modem. From the› main menu hit ESCAPE (which forces the› program to think you're on line) and› then press OPTION (which saves› anything that comes in to buffer. Set› up this way, as soon as a call comes› in, the modem will autoanswer and save› to buffer any incoming text. To check› to see if any file has come in, simply› turn on your monitor (I also hit the› SPACE bar at this point to prompt the› computer out of the attract› mode...ie...changing colors, etc.). If› text is on the screen, hit START to go› the the main menu and save the buffer› to floppy. This will clear the buffer› so now just view that file from the› floppy or read your mail from a word› processor.›› This has been tested on the Supra› 1200AT, Avetex 1200 and Avetex 1200hc› and should work the same on most Hayes› Compatible modems. To test your modem› to see if it will indeed work in this› fashion, turn your computer and modem› off, turn your disk drive off and your› computer back on so only the READY› prompt of BASIC is showing. Turn your› modem back on as if you were going to› use it. Now have someone call your› number. (If you live in Pinellas› County and have GTE telephone service› you can dial your own number, wait for› the recording saying that you've› dialed your own party line and hang› up). If your modem answers the phone› without having a program to tell it to› do so, then it will work perfectly as› described. If, however, your phone› rings and your modem does not respond,› you may have to command it to auto› answer in this way:›› From the main 850 Express menu,› choose ASCII (not ATASCII)› translation. Now hit ESCAPE and with› your modem turned on and ready to› receive data, type ATAA. Then hit› RETURN. (This in all Hayes Compat.› modems commands the modem to› autoanswer). Now, hit OPTION to save› any incoming info to buffer and you're› all set. Remember, in this› configuration you are saving to buffer› so the size of your buffer depends on› the DOS you are using. Here are my› experiences:›› ATARI DOS 2.0, 2.5 gives you 3328› bytes.›› Spartados 3.2 gives a buffer of 4608› bytes.›› Spartados 2.3 gives the largest› buffer of 8064 bytes, big enough for› most all your letter capturing needs.›› For those of you who expect great› volumes of incoming text, you'll want› to save direct to ramdisk or floppy› disk. In order to do this, you must› fool the program into thinking it is› on line while you set this up. Here is› how you do this:›› Most Hayes Compatible modems have dip› switches. On the Avetex and Supra› modems you would push switch #7 down.› This is the CD (forced carrier› detected) switch. On the above› mentioned modems, the down position is› the "on" position. With the CD switch› activated, the express programs thinks› it is on line. It seems to do no harm› to leave this switch on while waiting› for a file to come in. Just be sure› you return the switch to the off› position before making your next call› or you'll get a false "connected"› indication. Keep in mind that this› switch need not be turned on when auto› saving to buffer.›› So, to auto save to disk, turn on› your CD dip switch, hit ESCAPE from› the main menu to force terminal mode,› hit START to re-enter main menu, type› "T" to capture to disk. You'll be› asked to give it a file name and as› soon as you do and hit RETURN, you'll› be all set to save to disk. Do not hit› OPTION to auto save to disk, autosave› is already turned on by choosing the› "T" function. › Plus, you can always tell if autosave› is on just by looking at the border› color of your screen. ›› Things to keep in mind:›› 1) Whenever you are sending directly› to another computer, you MUST use HALF› DUPLEX. Use full duplex only when› communicating with a BBS. If you are› setting up to auto receive, it is› preferable to be in half duplex but it› is ABSOLUTELY necessary for the› sending modem to be in HALF DUPLEX.›› 2) It is probably best to use the› standard ASCII translation unless you› know for sure that only ATARI› computers will be sending you files. › In that case use ATASCII. No harm will› come however if someone sends a text› file to you in ASCII and you are› receiving in ATASCII, as long as it is› just text. You could not send inverse› characters and CONTROL characters› unless both sending and receiving› terminals were in ATASCII.›› 3) If you don't have a copy of 850› EXPRESS! version 3.0, ask your Sysop› to post it for you. If he doesn't have› it, contact me and I'll get it to› you.›› 4) I only know for sure that this› method of auto saving works with 850› Express version 3.0. I know it does› NOT work with MPP Express version 1.0.› I haven't tried it with 1030 EXPRESS› although I feel it probably would not› work since the 1030 does not come with› a ring detector.›› 5) I truly recommend Spartados 2.3› because of the large buffer it gives› and it will read and write to most any› other dos.›› I sincerely hope I didn't make this› sound difficult to set up...it's not.› In MOST cases you simply turn on your› modem, boot the program, Hit ESCAPE› and then hit OPTION. And that's all!› If you have any questions, comments,› or just want to try it out, you can› call my autosaving 850 Express at 813-› 393-0173, between the hours of 1:00 am› and 8:30 am, 300 baud HALF DUPLEX,› ATASCII (ASCII will work fine if you› don't have ATASCII). I auto receive› at 300 baud because not all my family› members have 1200 baud yet...but I› have a feeling that it won't be› long!!! Remember also that when you› call another modem set up to autosave,› you receive no prompts when the modem› answers the phone. As soon as the› connection is made, you are "live"› with the other computer. You may then› type your message or send a pre-typed› file from disk. DO NOT SEND XMODEM to› me since I do not set up my program to› receive that way.›› Bob Fasoldt › MODEM #: 813-393-0173 1:00am-8:30am ›› --------------end---------------------›