=====================››         MODEMS AND BAUD RATES›         by John Kasupski, WNYAUG› Reprinted   by   OL'  HACKERS  with› thanks!›››       Anytime a discussion of  modem › usage  takes place, one of the first › terms that immediately crops  up  is › the   term  BAUD.  The term describes› the rate  of speed that a modem works› with.  Well, not really.››       Actually,  BAUD  is  a  unit of› measurement  for  data  transmission,› equal to one bit  per  second  (BPS).› The   earliest  modems used a rate of› 110   BPS.   As  modems  became  more› complex,   higher****    speeds  came› into use. At one time 300 BPS was the› standard.  However,  last   week,   I› noticed for the first time, a message› from  a  SysOp  indicating  that  his› board would no longer issue permanent› passwords  to new users logging on at› 300 BPS. The typical new modem  owner› chooses  a  1200  BPS modem, which is› four times faster than 300 BPS.  It's› also eleven times faster than the old› 110 BPS standard.›       One point:  I  keep  using  BPS› instead  of  BAUD  here  because it's› technically   correct,  whereas  BAUD› technically isn't. You needn't  worry› about  this  since  it   has   become› acceptable  to use BAUD and BPS (bits› per second) interchangably. Only very› technical-minded   people   like   me› insist   on  making  the  distinction› between the   two. Most  people  know› what  your  talking  about  no matter› which term you use. ››      Okay,  the  standard  rates  for› modem        operation       progress› algebraically: 110, 300, 1200,  2400,› 4800,  9600,  and  19,200  BPS.   The› faster your modem transmits data, the› faster you  can  make  all  your  BBS› calls.  This  can  save  you  lots of› money   if   you're   calling   long › distance.  The money you save on your› phone bill   will eventually pay  for› the higher-speed modem, so it pays to› buy the best you can  afford.   Let's› assume  a  cost  of  fifty  cents per› minute for a long distance phone call› to  a  BBS.  Let's  also assume we're› going to download a file that is 128K› in  length. At 300 BPS, it would take› you   almost  an  hour  (actually  56› minutes, at  a  cost  of  $28.45)  to› download  the  file. But at 1200 BPS,› you can download  the  same  file  in› just  14 minutes. This would cost you› $7.11, saving you $21.34 already.  If› you  bought  the  Atari  SX-212 modem› from Damark for $19.95, the modem has › already paid for itself!››       At  2400  BPS,  the  file would› take a little over seven  minutes  to› download.  The call would cost $3.56,› saving you $24.89 over  the  300  BPS› charges.  At  9600 BOS, it would take› just 1:47 to download the file  -  89› cents on the phone bill, you've saved› $27.56 over the cost  of  a  300  BPS› transfer.   And,  just  for  fun,  at› 19,200  BPS  you  could  download the› file in a snappy  53  seconds,  which› would cost you the paltry sum of only› 49 cents -  whopping  $28.00  savings› compared  to the 300 BPS transfer, in› just ONE telephone call!  So  if  you› have  a  300 Baud modem,  throw it in› the  trash  and  get  a  new,  faster› modem. The 1200 and 2400  BPS  modems› are  really  not THAT expensive these› days - 1200 especially - and,  as   I› said earlier, they pay for themselves› very quickly if you call  out-of-town› boards at long distance rates. ››      Now,  to  explain the term "bits› per second"  we  need  to  understand› what  Bibary  is.  It's  a  numbering› system,   similar   to   any   other.› Calculations are  done much the  same› way  as  they are done in the decimal› numbering system, except that decimal› uses  TEN  digits (0, 1, 2,  3, 4, 5,› 6, 7, 8, 9) whereas binary uses  only› two (0 and 1).››      This  makes  Binary  the perfect› numbering   system  for  use  in  the› computer  industry,  since  computers› are  basically a fancy arrangement of› electronic  circuits,  and  a circuit› can  be in one of two states - on (1)› or  off  0).  This  is why Binary has› become   the    universal   numbering› system for the computer industry. ››      Okay,  earlier I stated that BPS› stands for Bits Per Second. The term  › BITS  comes  from  BInary digiTS. One› bit  is either 0 or 1.  We  call  our› Atari     ES computers 8-bit machines› because each memory address (byte) in› our  machines  is eight bits long. At› any rate, 300 BPS means that we  send› one  string  of  300  zeroes and ones› each second. At 1200 BPS we send 1200› zeroes/ones a second, and so on. 2400› BPS will send  2400  bits  -  or  300› bytes - per second.››      I  find  it  interesting to note› that, since the screen on  the  Atari› holds a maximum of 960 characters (24› lines  times 40 columns), we can send› TEN  screens  full of text PER SECOND› at  9600 BPS - much faster  than  any› of  us    can  possibly read. This is› why   programs   like   BobTerm  that› support transfer  rates  as  high  as› 19,200  BPS don't   bother to include› a text window  where    you  can  see› what's going into the buffer - as was› the case with 850 Express!  When  the› data  is being transferred that fast,› you can't read it anyway!›› (EDITORS note: A word to the  wise is› money in your pocket. Wise  modeming › great fun-and can still be very cheap› if you heed JOHN's advice.)›**  ****   *=*=*  End  *=*=***** **  ››