Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!wuarchive!psuvax1!rutgers!njin!uupsi!ccavax!bruce
From: bruce@ccavax.camb.com
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: Do US-made modems work in the UK?
Message-ID: <34272.2725ee63@ccavax.camb.com>
Date: 24 Oct 90 23:41:22 GMT
References: <1990Oct16.133001.271@computing-maths.cardiff.ac.uk> <2174@hayes.uucp> <2489@root44.co.uk> <2263@hayes.uucp>
Organization: Cambridge Computer Associates, Inc.
Lines: 40

In article <2263@hayes.uucp>, tnixon@hayes.uucp (Toby Nixon) writes:
> 
> Unfortunately, pulse dialing is NOT the same everywhere.  You find 
> variations in the make/break ratio, pulse rate, separation between 
> digits, etc.  A pulse-dial modem in the US might very well NOT work 
> on a pulse-dial exchange in the UK or elsewhere.  But you can be 

True, and worse yet is that WE assume that 1 pulse = 1, and 2 = 2,
and 10 = 0. But it just isn't so everywhere. Some pulsing patterns
even have less pulses for higher numbers. And I seem to recall that
not all patterns stop at 10 pulses, but go to 11 or maybe 12.

Here in the US we have 10 pps everywhere, and most anything except
the steppers can do 20 pps. That even includes some old panel COs.
Certainly x-bar and electronic offices can do 20 pps.

What I am most annoyed at Toby Nixon's company (and all the rest)
is that the modem manufacturers WON'T BOTHER TO SUPPORT 20 pps.

Touch-Tone charges are being eliminated in some places, while greedier LECs
are raising them. Here in MA, NET&T just about doubled the residential
rates for TT this month. The DPU certainly has heard testimony that TT is
now cheaper for the LEC to provide, but as someone from the LEC's
President's office accidently put it recently "We have a nice working
relationship with the DPU" then she said "whoops..." as she realised what
she had said. I think the poor folks in NYC pay something over $4 for
residential TT. You have to have a PBX trunk in most places to rate that
sort of reaming. 

Dialing at 20 pps is almost twice as fast as at 10 pps (the actual pulsing
IS twice as fast, but the interdigit time can't be halved - though generally
can be trimmed heavily). 

For those with 10 or 20 or 50 or even hundreds of modem lines, many used
inwards mostly but needing occasional outward services, the SEVERAL DOLLARS
for business TT per month really adds up as the years go by, and dialing 
at 20pps, though annoyingly slower than TT, is quite acceptable. 10 pps
is horrible.

So why won't the manufacturers give us the option of at least trying 20 pps?