RT> Hi,

 RT> Does any one here have any experience using the "echo"
command to send 
 RT> instructions to a modem, and having the modem interpret them, as if they 
 RT> where typed inside of a terminal program like minicom?

It's been years since I've had to do something like this.....

 RT> Or is there a better way of sending a modem 
 RT> instructions from inside a script 
 RT> which can be run from the command line or via cron?

Under most Unix like systems, if the modem isn't in use (checked via a lock
file), in a script, you can grab the lock file, and dump a line (ending in
CRLF) to the modem for initialization, via copying to the appropriate
/dev/ttyX device, assuming your script is running in a UID/GID that has
permission to access the port.  The problem comes in that you need to eat
the modem's response or timing if you want to send more than one line to
the modem.

You may want to look at the old Kermit (CKermit?) documentation and
software, because something in the back of my mind says that Kermit had an
option to do something like you want to....  Kermit is a program that
implemented it's own file transfer protocol that allowed binary information
to pass through the 7-bit non-clear channels, and still get the proper
binary image.....  Kermit is more than just a protocol, produced by MIT, if
I remember the school correctly....  And compiles on and runs on most Unix
type systems.....  I haven't looked for it since starting to use Linux.....
 But as I get going on using Maximus with Linux, I'll need to eventually
investigate Kermit (mentioned above), rz/sz (software for handling zmodem
like file transfers between Unix type systems) , and another package (mterm
or midicom? -- a terminal / modem control program).....

Take care......

Bob Jones

--- Maximus/2 3.01