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From: Carra_its-me_Bussa@cup.portal.com
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: PEP vs MNP vs v.32
Message-ID: <32904@cup.portal.com>
Date: 17 Aug 90 05:31:39 GMT
Distribution: usa
Organization: The Portal System (TM)
Lines: 84

OK gang, I'm dumb.  I'm trying to decide which high-speed modem to buy.
I'm looking at 3 modems in particular:  

brand      "street prices"      who
Hayes Ultra     $900    (PC Connection (the raccoon people))
USR HST Dual    $1000   (PC Brand)
Telebit T2500   $870    (AnDATAco)

A Hayes Ultra 9600 baud (Hayes blurb) has:
        v.32 (real AND ping-pong), v.42/42bis, MNP 5, and x.25 (!)

A USR HST Dual has HST with MNP5, and v.32.  (New and upgraded models also
        have v.42/42bis)  (There are models for JUST v.32 or HST, around $500,
        but I don't care.)
                        
A Telebit T2500 has PEP (DAMQAM), v.32, v.42 (but not v.42bis??) and MNP 5.

In a nutshell:

    USR HST modems are run (mostly) by msdos BBSs.  People are buying
        dual (v.32/HST) modems so they won't become obsolete as HST is 
        slowly replaced with v.32. [like the speed of the "logical" XT 
        dying -  the limitations linger on long after the physical box 
        has been junked.]  Duals also seem to have a problem connecting 
        to other v.32 modems (somtimes - I've seen a lot of messages 
        griping about that lately.)

  Hayes Ultras are v.32/v.42/v.42bis modems with x.25.  They'll 
        talk to the earlier Hayes 9600 baud modems (v.32HDX) and can 
        handle MNP 5 as well.  "Corporate" users like these because
        A) they're fast, and B) the name.  These act like normal v.32 
        modems but they have x.25 built in.

Telebits A (new) T2500 has PEP, v.32/v.42 and MNP5.  (no v.42bis?)  Unix 
        systems like Telebits (due to UUNET's discount?) and transmit data
        at 19200 effective.  I assume slow (not abrupt) degredation will 
        occur when line quality degrades.  

?s:     A Hayes Ultra should be able to call a T2500 or Dual using v.32.
        How about using HST/Dual or PEP/Telebit with a Ultra?

        Same question:  I thought MNP 5 _WAS_ HST.  It's NOT, is it??
      
        v.32bis will be finished Feb 91 or later.  Any guesses for modem  
        firmware upgrades?  Completion, elapsed time, throughput, $, etc.

        The lower Telebits (T1000 - T2499) don't do as much as the T2500.
        What, why, and how much?

        Telebits are supposed to have 9 different modulation schemes.
        Pop quiz:  what ARE they?  (Hint: 1 is PEP)

        Bonus question:  Which one do I get??? 
                         (I'm leaning towards the T2500)


Any info would be appreciated, I can't be the ONLY one confused by all this.

                                                                            
By the way, there is a very interesting article in the July, 1990 issue 
of Vulcan's Computer Monthly.  (like Computer Shopper on a diet :-) )
There are general articles about modems, and on page 129 there is an        
article by D.F. Scott.  He manages to talk to USR, Telebit, GE Info, 
Microcom (of MNP fame) and Hayes.  He talks about how all the companies 
got to where they are today with their own standards.  Nice article!

Sometimes articles in CS, PC Mag, etc. are just plain WRONG.  Nobody 
actually bothered to check out the facts.  This guy at least goes to the 
source.  If next month's issue is similar to this one, CS has lost a 
reader.
   

FYI, USR and Hayes both have a "sysop" modem special -- 

USR/  Dual/ $700/800-DIAL-USR (voice)
Hayes/Ultra/$600/800-874-2937 (data)

UUNET has Telebit modems available to normal people, see info@uunet.uu.net.
(But AnDATAco is supposed to be a little cheaper.)

Carra Bussa @ cup.portal.com                               (Hi JFT!)
                                      

A black hole is just /dev/null come to life - me.