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From: hubin@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu (Donald C. Hubin)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom
Subject: Using a US Modem in Scotland
Message-ID: <11903@accuvax.nwu.edu>
Date: 8 Sep 90 11:44:39 GMT
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X-Telecom-Digest: Volume 10, Issue 630, Message 7 of 10


A friend of mine is going to Scotland for the Autumn and will have
access to the network there if he can get his external modem to work
there.  I know that the voltage is 240VAC 50Hz in the UK but it is
easy to find a cheap converter to solve that problem.  There are two
remaining problems (I think ;-) ):

  1.  The phone jacks are different.  I would love to be able to make
up the appropriate phone cables for him here, but I need to know what
type of jack is used in Scotland.  Does anyone know an ID number for
the jacks (like the RJ-11 number) that would allow me to get the jacks
over here and spare him running around there to do this?  I would
greatly appreciate any help on this.

  2.  I have gotten conflicting information about the electrical
compatibility of the phone lines.  I have another friend who bought a
laptop with an internal modem in the US and used it in England with no
difficulties (so far as I know) except for the need to have a special
telephone cable made up.  But others have told me that there are
significant electrical differences in the phone line voltage or
something.  If anyone *know* what the story is on electrical
compatibility of the phone lines, I would be very grateful for a
reply.

My friend is leaving on September 13th, so this issue is moot after
that; he'll be on his own over there.  But I would appreciate any help
I could get before that.

E-mail is probably better, since this isn't an issue that is likely to
interest a lot of people, but I will be following the discussion here
if anyone wants to post a follow-up.

Thanks,

Donald C. Hubin  |  Depart. of Philosophy, The Ohio State University 
                 |  Columbus, OH  43210  USA   (614)292-7914 
hubin+@osu.edu   |  or hubin@hpuxa.ircc.ohio-state.edu or hubin@ohstmvsa