Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!uflorida!gatech!kong!iccdev!bill
From: bill@iccdev.UUCP (Bill Gaines)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: Trailblazers (*not* Trailblazer Pluses)
Summary: I didn't have much luck using old Trailblazer with new 
			Trailblazer Pluses
Message-ID: <398@iccdev.UUCP>
Date: 20 Oct 88 00:32:56 GMT
References: <30@motto.UUCP>
Reply-To: bill@iccdev.UUCP (Bill Gaines)
Organization: Industrial Computer Corp., Atlanta
Lines: 44

In article <30@motto.UUCP> russ@motto.UUCP (Russell Crook) writes:
>.
>It is said that, mouldering in another department here, there
>exists an unused *original* Trailbalzer. Before I start trying to
>lay my paws on it (and putting in the effort to get it net-ready), I ask:
>
>Is it worth it? Is it fully/partially/not_at_all compatible
>with Trailblazer Pluses? Is it too painful to consider using? What
>character flaws does it have (especially the ones that caused the
>creation of the Trailblazer Plus :-)) ? Rumour has it that this
>particular unit does not establish connections (via autodial) very well,
>but is solid once the connection is made. Is this typical? Is anyone
>else using *original* Trailblazers?
>

The old  Trailblazers  are compatible with the new modems.  We have four
of them.  Upgrading them is just too expensive for us.

I tried to get one of these  modems  to work  with UUCP as our  system's
primary  modem.  I had all  kinds  of  problems.  I could  not get it to
adjust  baud  rates  properly  when I tried to dial  out.  I had so many
problems  with this that I finally  decided  to use it as a dial in only
modem.

Our news feed has  Trailblazers.  They call us to transfer  our news via
UUCP.  When  their  Trailblazer  Plus  calls  our  old  Trailblazer  and
connects in FAST mode at 19200 baud, the UUCP  transfers seem to have an
effective  transfer  rate of only 1200  baud.  This is  because  the old
Trailblazer   does  not  have  the  UUCP  protocol  built  in  like  the
Trailblazer  Plus  does.  We ended up  calling  them with our Hayes 2400
baud modem and got a 2400 baud  effective  news transfer  rate.  The old
and the new modems just do not seem to work to well together  when doing
UUCP transfers.

The old  modems  are  still  reliable.  We use  them  all  the  time  to
guarantee error free  transmissions  between a Telebit  Trailblazer Plus
modem in  Scotland  and our site.  We still get the 1200 baud rate  even
then.



-- 
Bill Gaines
Industrial Computer Corporation