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- Path: sparky!uunet!uunet.ca!xenitec!zswamp!geoff
- From: geoff@zswamp.UUCP (Geoffrey Welsh)
- Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
- Subject: Re: USR modems..
- Message-ID: <uyi5wB5w165w@zswamp.UUCP>
- Date: Sat, 09 Jan 93 14:07:17 EST
- References: <19130@mindlink.bc.ca>
- Organization: Izot's Swamp
- Lines: 48
-
- Steven_Lam@mindlink.bc.ca (Steven Lam) writes:
-
- > I notice that there isn't too many messages on here concerning US Robotics
- > products. Especially the Sporster and Courier v.32bis fax and dual standard
- > fax products. Is there anybody out there who use them? Any comments or
- > critisim? I sell USR modems and would like to find out people's opinion on
- > them. BTW, I have a Dual Standard with fax and am VERY happy with it.
-
- USR builds good modems, generally speaking. I bought a 964 HST back in '88
- to help cut long distance costs in distributing FidoNet echomail (their
- version of Usenet news). Since we were using a variation of ZMODEM for our
- transfers, the HST was an excellent device for the job and its price was good.
-
- You will find that the HST doesn't get much press in UUCP circles because,
- frankly, its asymmetrical modulation stinks for UUCP-g protocol: you can only
- squeeze about 350 CPS out of an HST that has a 300 bps backchannel (barely an
- improvement over 2400 bps!), and perhaps 500 CPS out of a 450 bps backchannel
- HST.
-
- Although Telebit's Trailblazer is a half duplex modem, its protocol
- spoofing gives it an edge to this day, and it's the modem which took over the
- UUCP and UNIX market, much as the HST took over the BBS market. They're also
- great for noise immunity...
-
- I've been using a Telebit 1000 for my UUCP connections. About a month back
- I brought in a ZyXEL V.32bis for testing, and I wondered why it was constantly
- retraining and gettiung bad throughput (the T1000 always got full throughput
- and never complained). I now have a USR Courier HST Dual Standard with
- V.32bis and ASL (the one in the big case, not the 16.8 small case jobbies),
- and ASL allows it to retrain only the receive carrier in V.32bis mode... an
- advantage over the otherwise excellent ZyXEL, but still a pain.
-
- There *is* distortion on the line. USR's V.32bis with ASL works around it
- somewhat better than standard V.32bis, and HST asymmetrical protocol is a bit
- better still, but you can't beat a Telebit.
-
- So, to answer your question: I like the USR modem, but it is expensive (I
- bought this one used from a company that upgraded to leased lines); if I'm
- going to pay that kind of dough for an exceptional modem, I'd probably spring
- for the Telebit. Of course, BBS users won't get the same usage out of a
- Telebit that I do.
-
- Geoffrey Welsh, 7 Strath Humber Court, Islington, Ontario, M9A 4C8 Canada
- geoff@zswamp.uucp, [xenitec.on.ca|m2xenix.psg.com]!zswamp!geoff (416)258-8467
- Now I've lost everything, I give to you my soul
- And the meaning of all that I believed before escapes me
- In this world of none, no thing, and no one
- - Genesis, _Afterglow_
-