Beginners guide to Comms on the Amiga

                           By Perphirel

Hello  again,  this issue I'll be looking into the strange world of comms
and the Amiga, and how to get on the internet and bbs's etc.  read on

                           MODEM BASICS

Well  first  of  all  you a need a thing called a 'modem'.  This actaully
stands   for   modulator/demodulator   and   actually   coverts  computer
information/data  into  beeps  and  weird  sounds and send them down your
phone line to another computer.

The speed of a modem is the most crucial thing in purchasing a modem, the
faster you buy the less you pay in your phone bills.

Modems  range  from 300 bps upto 33600bps or baud rate.  Bps/Baud rate is
how  much  data  is sent through the modem down the phone, the higher the
better.   Dont  buy anything under 14400 bps, unless you want a big phone
bill.  Currently 14400 modems are selling at about 60-120 pounds.  A good
make  is USROBOTICS, and the Sportser modem is especially reliable, other
good modems include, Zoom, Supra and Zxyel.

BABT  approved  modems and none BABT approved whats the difference?  Well
BABT  approved  modem  will  work  99%  of  the time on British telephone
systems.   There  has  been  trouble  with some non-BABT modems, like not
being  able  to  hang up right.  This happens when the modem has not been
adjusted  to  the British tones.  So if you buy a non BABT modem its your
own fault if it don't work

                    I'VE GOT THE MODEM NOW WHAT?

Well  you  have  to connect one end to your computer and the other end to
your  phone  line.   The Modem should be supplied with a cable that plugs
into  your Serial port of the Amiga, the other end is usually a telephone
plug  that plugs into your wall telephone socket.  Firstly you need comms
software,  this  should be supplied with your modem, If not you can order
from your local PD library.  A good PD comms software is called TERM.

                       BASIC REQUIREMENTS

Well  you  should  idealy  have  a  HardDrive  and  1 meg of ram free for
effcient  modeming,  but  here  is  a  list for the bare minimum for your
machine.

        A500 1.3 : External Disk Drive HIGHLY recommended, 
                   1 Meg Ram needed, more is recommended,
                   HardDrive Recommended.

        Software: Ncomm3.0
        Internet: YES, no WWW
          
Ok  you  can  get  Ncomm  and  a  couple  of other things on your disk by
'crunching'  down  the programs to fit on 1 disk, by using a utility like
powerpacker.

        A500+ 2.0 : Same as above
        Software: Ncomm3.0 or any other 
        Internet: Yes, no WWW

Same  as  above  but  version  2.0  of  the  operating  system gives more
flexability and generally more stable.

        A1200 : External Disk Drive recommended
                HardDrive Recommended
                Extra 2meg ram + HardDrive required for WWW
      Software: Term, Ncomm + others
      Internet: Yes,Yes

Version  3  OS  now  you can use WWW (world wide web) on internet and set
your serial rate at 38400 to for more effciency.

        A4000/T : You got everything you need!

        Software: Term, Ncomm + Others
        Internet: Yes, Yes

No  problems here, you can use your machine with no problems, as you have
everything you need already.

                   SETTING YOUR SOFTWARE

Basically all you have to do is set a couple of things:
        Only applies to 14400 modems and above

        1. Baud rate set to 19200 for A500/+ owners or you'll 
           get transfer problems
           38400 + for AGA machines 1200/4000

        2. Zmodem/Zmodem Upload/Zmodem Download/Zmodem Resume on
           This applies for all machines, note these functions 
           can be found on your comms software options menu or
           something similar

        3. RTS/CTS set this to on (all machines)

        4. Parity, 8, Bits none, Stop Bits 1
           or 8n1 (all machines)

        5. Duplex Full (all machines)

        6. Emulation, set this to IBM usually
        
        7. Intialization string, optional set to ATZ

                       GETTING STARTED

After  you  have  done that try to dial a friends house by using the dial
feature,  the  modem  should  dial  out and your friend should pickup the
fone, this is a good indication that your modem is working.

Ok  the  next step calling a bbs, find a number (available in BBS section
of  miggybyte)  and  eventually your modem should make funny noises after
being connected and you should get a string on the screen like this:

CONNECT  14400/LAPM/V42/ARQ  or  somehting  similar  this  means you have
succesfully  connected.   Eventually  you  will  get  a prompt by the bbs
Software and just follow the instructions and you should be ok.

Sometimes your modem may not connect, if this happens consult your manual
on  commands,  usually typing ATB1 or ATB0 does the trick, or try ATZ, to
reset the modem back to normal.

If  you have any other problems you can try to contact the 'sysop' of the
bbs  you  have  called, by going to page option or call sysop on the bbs.
They will usually help you out and be generally friendly.

Anyway  thats all for this time, I havent covered all the issues but just
the basics, when you get online you should ideally call the sysop and ask
for they will be glad to help you.

END
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