G'day Russell,



 RB> Yesterday I was talking to Telstra Customer service.

 RB> I told him that I was maybe 3 km from the exchange and that my

 RB> connects were suffering because of the distance.

 RB> 

 RB> This knowledgeable kid (to Telstra standards) proceeded to tell me

 RB> that the area I live in is undulating  and that slows down the

 RB> the signals (causing a weaker signal and therefore a weaker connect)



I live in a hilly district too.  Maybe that's why no modem on my end can

connect faster than 14.4?  



 RB> We are talking about a landline here.!!!!!

 RB> 

 RB> He seriously believes that electricity has trouble going up & down

 RB> hills.



Is this why big transmitter masts have red lights on top? - they're

supposed to be white, but the electricity is too knackered to bring the

lightbulbs to full operating temperature?



 RB> I MUST GO and buy a house that is downhill from the exchange now.

 RB> 

 RB> No wait, wouldn't that cause "Data overrun error" in my modem



And it would take ages to upload anything :)



 RB> ....I had best buy a house that is level with the exchange...

 RB> Yea...thats what I'll do.



Don't forget to allow for timing errors due to General Relativity effects

in the Earth's gravitational field... :)  From memory, 1 microsecond per 

1000 metres height difference per week.  Better get a Licenced Surveyor

to check your modem's altitude.  And a geophysical survey to check for

gravity anomalies .



Seriously, with dimwits like that working for Telstra Customer Service

I'm glad I chose Optus!!



cheers,  Fraser



... TELSTRA WINDOWS : Alpha version of Microsoft Windows 3.0.

--- Blue Wave/Max v2.21