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Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!bloom-beacon!gatech!udel!burdvax!sdcrdcf!trwrb!scgvaxd!gb74219
From: gb74219@scgvaxd.UUCP (Gordon Barbay)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Night of the Living Dead Modems
Message-ID: <857@scgvaxd.UUCP>
Date: 10 Mar 88 04:37:15 GMT
Reply-To: gb74219@scgvaxd.SCG.HAC.COM (Gordon Barbay)
Organization: Hughes Aircraft Co., El Segundo, CA
Lines: 57
Summary: Three dead Avatex's in a row
References:

Keywords:


I have a very frustrating problem with  Avatex 2400 modem's.  I first
purchased one last fall.  It worked for about a month then died.  The TR
light would come on when I ran my comm program but not the MR light.  The
OH, SD and RD lights would illuminate when sending a signal to make a call
(well, sometimes anyway) but nothing would echo on the screen as was the
case when it was working properly.


I sent it back to Avatex and three (yes, 3) months later after getting a
1200 baud model back from them I finally got another one.  This one worked
for a week before exhibiting the following symptoms:  All applicable lights
(MR,TR,OH RD,SD,HS) come on at the correct times but the modem doesn't seem
to recognize a dial tone, i.e. no tone comes over the modem speaker even
though the OH light is on.  By "correct", I mean the lights act as they did
when the modem was working.  The modem no longers echos characters as
they're typed but the first time a signal to call is sent to the modem it
sends a "0" or sometimes a "3" to the screen.  That's it.


Also, when the DATA/VOICE switch is out then pushed in to the DATA position
the modem normally goes off hook and a tone is heard through the speaker.
Pushing Return will hang up the phone.  Now, I hear the relay click in, the
modem lights come on like before, but no dial tone.  Return, as before
turns off the OH light but nothing is echoed to the screen.  At one point
the modem was acting like the first one -- no MR light -- but that was
brief.

OK, back this second modem went to Avatex and a week and half later I get
my third modem.  This one is acting like the second one -- everythiog
"correct" but no dial tone -- but this one has never worked correctly.
Grrrrrr....

I have an A1000, an A2000 and use VT1002.6 and Online!.  Same modem
behavior with both computers.  Same modem behavior with both comm programs.
Also, I have been using a borrowed Hayes 2400 with absolutely no problems.
So, I believe this should rule out the computer or the software as the
source of the problem.  Nothing was done differently from when the modems
were working correctly from when they weren't.  Literally, the modems
worked one day then didn't the next.

So before I call these guys once again and once again traipse off to the
Post Office and UPS, can anybody shed any light on this (the guys in Avatex
product support don't seem to be able to handle problems except simple
errors in modem operation)?  If anybody has experienced a similar problem,
I'd really appreciate learning how it was resolved.  This is really
perplexing since I've never heard any other complaints about this modem.
Mucho thanks in advance.

		-Gordon

{ihnp4,trwrb,cadovax,cit-vax}!scgvaxd!gb74219
gb74219@scgvaxd.scg.hac.com

or

{cadovax,ihnp4}!gryphon!gbarbay
gbarbay@gryphon.cts.com