Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!utstat!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!tut.cis.ohio-state.edu!bloom-beacon!apple!sun-barr!texsun!pollux!killer!vector!telecom-gateway From: dyer@spdcc.com (Steve Dyer) Newsgroups: comp.dcom.telecom Subject: regular noise/interference over long distance credit card calls Message-ID: Date: 12 May 89 14:45:40 GMT Sender: news@vector.Dallas.TX.US Reply-To: Steve Dyer Organization: S.P. Dyer Computer Consulting, Cambridge MA Lines: 22 Approved: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-Submissions-To: telecom@eecs.nwu.edu X-Administrivia-To: telecom-request@vector.dallas.tx.us X-TELECOM-Digest: volume 9, issue 162, message 11 of 12 I was travelling on business last month and attepted to use my trusty Toshiba laptop which comes with a 1200 baud modem. I thought I'd use my AT&T credit card, since I wanted to avoid the hotel's long distance charges. However, I found that whenever I dialed direct with the credit card, I would end up getting an incredibly regular noise pattern: what seemed like { once a second--you could set your watch with it. This was visible on the screen when there was no other output, but served to garble any output coming simultaneously from the host I was connected to. When I called from the hotel without using a credit card, everything was fine! Calling the AT&T operator and (hopelessly) explaining my problem, I would manage to get a clean line about 30% of the time. What's going on here? I've had this happen now twice, once from Alabama and once from Tucson. Anyone know of a miniature MNP modem I can attach to the back of a laptop? -- Steve Dyer dyer@ursa-major.spdcc.com aka {ima,harvard,rayssd,linus,m2c}!spdcc!dyer dyer@arktouros.mit.edu