GS> 03-Feb-97 14:51:00, Russell Brooks wrote to Mark Lewis

 RB> Modem manufacturers got smart and included a Fax with a modem years ago
 RB> but to this day they have not come up with a foolproof way of having
 RB> the unit answer in either fax mode, Data mode or allow a voice call
 RB> answer gracefully.

 GS> Which modem comes closed to this triple functionality?

It's simply not possible, while most calling modems do not emit any tones
at all, until the called modem presents answer or protocol tones.  How can
you distinguish between a modem saying nothing and a human saying nothing?

Fax is alright, as the calling fax emits detectable tone.  While some
modems are, or can be, set to to emit calling tones also, whilever most
don't it's not reliable as a general means of discriminating between modems
and humans.

There have been a couple of fax switches that would ask you to say
something if you were a human caller, but these were rarely reliable enough
to guarantee that a modem (or human) caller wouldn't do his dough.  Even if
so, often the delay involved in the process exceeds a modem's S7 setting,
failing anyway.

Ian

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