Path: utzoo!utgpu!water!watmath!clyde!att!osu-cis!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!mailrus!ames!telebit!rls
From: rls@telebit.UUCP (Richard Siegel)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: Trailblazers (*not* Trailblazer Pluses)
Summary: TrailBlazers are different from TrailBlazer Pluses (and are OK, too!)
Message-ID: <297@telebit.UUCP>
Date: 20 Oct 88 16:56:56 GMT
References: <30@motto.UUCP>
Organization: Telebit Corporation, Cupertine, CA
Lines: 41

In article <30@motto.UUCP>, russ@motto.UUCP (Russell Crook) writes:
> .
[a bunch of stuff about TrailBlazer and TrailBlazer Plus differences
 deleted]

> 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

With regard to TrailBlazers (not-Pluses), yes they will work fine with all
existing TrailBlazer Plus modems, with a couple of exceptions. 

1. The TrailBlazer does not provide the Micro-Packets which gives faster 
   interactive response in the TrailBlazer Plus. For UUCP this is a non-issue.
   For ordinary use, it is somewhat annoying, but tolerable.

2. The TrailBlazer plus does not have data compression. Again, with compressed
   news in a standard feed, this too is a non-issue.

If the original TrailBlazer has firmware less than revision AA3.01, please call
our 800-TELEBIT number, and order an upgrade kit, part number RA12X-UK3, to
add the protocol support, and fix a number of bugs. It costs $124. I would
not recommend using the TrailBlazer without it, especially if your firmware
is less than rev AA3.00.

Hope this helps you out. You definitely don't have a piece of obsolete equipment
so give it a try. Our technical support number is (415) 969-2500.

Regards,


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Richard Siegel                 Phone:                       (415) 969-3800
Product Manager                UUCP:  {sun,uunet,ames,hoptoad}!telebit!rls
Telebit Corporation            ARPA:  telebit!rls@ames.ARPA
                             
                "We are, after all, professionals"...HST
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