On Mar 06 20:30 96, Damian Harden of 3:621/525 wrote:

DH> I was hoping someone out there could help me with the following problem:

DH> I am currently creating some software which will hopefully be capable of 
DH> easily setting up and running a BBS. I am a reasonably competent 
DH> programmer, but unfortunately do not know much about modems.

This is a significant problem.  Communications is a fairly complex
discipline, with more than somewhat of ins and outs to be learned.  Are you
using the standard FOSSIL interface, hopefully?

DH> I can send strings to my modem, and can initialise the modem, dial and 
DH> auto-connect to other modems doing this. Unfortunately, when my modem, in 
DH> auto-connect mode, dials another modem (a well-established BBS), I receive 
DH> the verbal response "CONNECT 14400", the Carrier Detect
light comes on BUT 
DH> that's about it!

That means that you've got a connect.  If your baud rate is locked, you're
ready to begin with whatever protocol the other end desires - which is most
likely a mailer handshake, with a BBS prompt somewhere on the other side of
it.

(I'd try dropping a  or two in on your end, a bit after connect. 
Say pause 5 seconds, and then effectively hit , and see what
happens.)

This is easily met by using a PD mailer (Binkley works well) and having it
spawn your BBS once the complexities are over.  Lot easier, has good
features ready to go without lifting a finger to write 'em.

(Alternatively, Bink source code is available as a leg up to see how it's
done. v2.50 is the latest release that I know of from the team - and Paul
Edwards has a well understood and tweaked version here in Australia as
well.)

DH> I know that I have established a connection with the other modem, but I 
DH> cannot figure out why I am not receiving anything from the other end (e.g., 
DH> Welcome to ...!). I have told the program to trap any incoming characters 
DH> and display them on the screen; that's how it displays the
"CONNECT 14400" 
DH> message. My guess is that the other modem is waiting to hear something else 
DH> from my end, but what?

My best guess is that your modem baud rate isn't locked, and it's done
something strange.  (There was a Netcomm model not so long ago that
actually tried to set the data rate to the computer to 14400.  There isn't
one, of course, so nothing ever got through if the baud rate wasn't locked
at a more sensible rate.)   Be aware that the concomitant of a locked
baudrate is having handshaking - the computer and modem will have to wait
for each other if the computer is doing say 38400, and the line is doing
say 28800.  Same applies with computer 19200 and line 14400.  RTS/CTS
hardware handshake is recommended.  In the FOSSIL.  

IMHO, the FOSSIL functions are a good deal harder to replace than the
mailer functions - writing code that handles all the known UART differences
and is stable and dependable at high speed isn't easy.  Been there, done
that, and the time and effort was NOT negligible.

DH> Should I be listening for anything (even though it isn't displayed on 
DH> screen)? Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated! Thanks a lot :)

If it's saying -nothing- this is odd.  I'd expect at least a BBS loading
banner.  This is why I diagnosed baud rate shift.  Alternately, you could
have some funny like turning off handshaking on detecting carrier -
effectively blocking the modem from ever sending you anything.

Obviously, get as much data on what's happening as possible.  So far, it's
not clear just what is happening, or what diagnostics to try.

Your modem setup NVRAM, and init string is not exactly a straightforward
item either, regrettably.  That it's dialing and reporting connect is a
plus - but there may well be more to it.  What's the modem type?

Regards,
Dave Hatch.

--- Msgedsq 3.20