Paul, at 13:34 on Jan 28 1996, you wrote to Bill Grimsley...

BG> Something is VERY wrong at your end, Paul.

PE> Yeah, I'm running a courier.

Piss it off then.  You've already made up your mind anyway.

PE> # 26 Jan 22:19:29.40   CONNECT 28800/ARQ/V34/LAPM/V42BIS

BG> OK so far.

PE> Except I wanted 33600 anyway.

Tough.  Either yours or Dave's lines wouldn't allow it.  You've had a 33600
connect with Dave, so you know it ain't the modem at fault.

PE> # 26 Jan 22:27:56.69   Modulation    V.34+

BG> Seems you did get Dave's Courier after all.

PE> Hmmm, didn't know that you could tell from that.

Que?  What other brand of modem supports V.34+ Paul?  Enlighten me.

PE> # 26 Jan 22:27:56.72   Carrier Freq (Hz)        44672/44672
PE> # 26 Jan 22:27:56.72   Symbol Rate              48905/48905

BG> Those figures are complete bullshit.  ISDN lines perhaps?  :)

PE> Don't ask me.

That was sarcasm Paul.  The figures above have been exaggerated by a factor
of 10 or more.  IOW, they're bullshit.

PE> # 26 Jan 22:27:56.87   Roundtrip Delay (msec)   0

BG> That's bullshit too.  0mS delay is impossible.

PE> I've been told by a reliable source that nothing is impossible
PE> if you put enough money into it.  In this case, $600 to beat
PE> the speed of light would seem reasonable.

The point is that those stats were completely fucked.

PE> # 26 Jan 22:27:57.28   Speed  21600/2400

BG> The first figure is your receive rate, the other is sending speed.  Given 
BG> the rest of your stats, I wouldn't believe any of it, especially with the 
BG> cps rates you achieved, which were quite normal for a 28k8 connect.

PE> The modem is a heap of shit.

Fine, if that's your scientifically concluded opinion, so be it.  The other
couple of million Courier owners won't mind at all what you think.  I know
I don't.  Get a Rockwell V.34 then, and put up with the manner in which
they cripple V.34 by not following the recommendation to the letter (i.e
lower symbol rates, different trellis coding etc.).

PE> The modem is a heap of shit.

Then why not buy an Interlink instead?  Or another S2?  ROFL!

PE> To solve which problem do you want me to change my mode command?

I wanted to make sure that you had its parameters set correctly.

BG> Something else I'd be checking is your serial I/O card, just in case the 
BG> storm damaged it somehow when it took out your Spirit.

PE> Again, the connects I have, even with you, prove that my serial
PE> card is working.  My serial card doesn't care what is happening
PE> between your modem and my modem, or Dave's modem and my modem,
PE> or Frank's modem and my modem.  Only the modem cares.

You appear to know very little about intermittent electronic faults then. 
It's not inconceivable that the card HAS been damaged, although I doubt it.
 I'm more concerned that people like Frank can connect fine 3 times out of
5.  If the problem was constant, I'd expect him not to connect at all (or
at least, not at V.32ter).

BG> that you are experiencing strange problems which nobody else has ever 
BG> reported, and whilst it's not inconceivable that the modem is faulty, the 
BG> fact that the 100s I tested (and used) at CHH lead me to believe that this 
BG> is probably not the case at all.

PE> People should give me modems to test, I'm the only one who tests
PE> them properly.  Actually, I suppose the guy at work did too, and
PE> told me the USRs kept dropping out. 

Oh really?  First I've ever heard of it.  Sure you don't mean the earlier
V.FC Rockwells?  They dropped out all the time.

PE> Not as thorough as my tests, but I had longer to do mine.  He strongly 
PE> recommended Netcomm.  

Shows you what a complete fuckwit he must be then, doesn't it?  :)

PE> I am getting the feeling that whatever modem I buy, I will get 0
PE> support for it, and I have to stick with it until the next
PE> lightning strike.  Therefore, I have the choice between a Yum Cha
PE> for ~$300, a Netcomm for ~$400 sysop, a USR for ~$600 sysop.  I
PE> am leaning towards the Netcomm at this stage, I know someone who
PE> is using them on their internet service (they are a provider).

Doesn't matter what you get, you'll find fault with it.  I guarantee it.

BG> A serious suggestion:  Do you want to swap modems for a few days? 

PE> It's Paul Markham's modem, not mine.

Oh yeah, I forgot that when I typed the above.  Never mind then.

BG> my modem is rock-solid here (as have been the Couriers I've used here as 
BG> well).

PE> Bill, you don't have anything like the variety of schmucks 
PE> dialling you as I do.

No, but DD sure does (and, I imagine, so does Poe).  Can't speak for Poe
with his recent line problems, but David couldn't be happier with his
Courier.  He also runs OS/2, in case you weren't aware of that.

BG> Sorry, but I simply don't know what else to suggest.

PE> Netcomm or Yum Cha, I have to make a gamble either way, which one?

The cheapest one possible, Paul.  It'll match your personality...

Regards, Bill

--- Msgedsq/2 3.20