🚀 go-pugleaf

Jim Segrave <jes@demon.net> wrote:

> In article <E0MJqv.18E@giskard.demon.co.uk>,
> Dale Shuttleworth <dale@giskard.demon.co.uk> wrote:
> > Hi,
> > 
> > Andrew Gebbie (Andrew@gebbie.demon.co.uk) wrote:
> > : Mike@firedome.demon.co.uk (Mike Myers) wrote:
> > : 
> > : > I get 1 decent connect in
> > : > about 10 which just fail at the V34/+ negotiate and sits there
> > : > scwealing at me. :( I wish I had not have bothered getting onto my
> > : > telephone company to get the 0845 number on :)
> > : >
> > : > Comments? Suggestions?
> > : 
> > : Try S54=96 somewhere in your modem initialisation.  This will give you
> > : a maximum 31.2K connection, but it may be more reliable.  S54=64 is
> > : the default value and the one you need for 33.6 connections, but (as
> > : you found out) relies on having good line quality.
> > 
> > I would have said "relies on the Ascends behaving correctly" rather than
> > "good line quality".  The Ascends have a fault which it appears may be
> > triggered by a slightly noisy line, this is a fault with the Ascend,
> > not the line.
> 
> Actually, it's looking more and more like a fault in the USR choosing
> a symbol rate which the negotiations didn't suggest was a good
> idea. Hence reports of improved connectivity after upgrading the USRs
> with later revisions of firmware.

I have to poke my nose in here.  I don't think what you're saying here
is quite right, although clearly somebody's firmware is not as firm as
it should be.

So far as I know, the only recently available upgrade to a USR Courier
V.Everything modem has been the so called '76AE' upgrade, which made
V34+ possible on these modems.  Along with this upgrade came the
original problem when connecting to Ascend modems, the symptom of
which is a failed negotiation followed by a tone emitted from the
Ascend.

Lots of Courier users never had this problem, then or now; perhaps
they had good phone lines, or they hadn't done the firmware upgrade,
or they know more than me.

Anyway, the problem was fixed in those days by disabling the 3429 baud
symbol rate (using ATS54=96), or by using V.FC instead of V34 (with
S54 >= 128).  This was fine so far as it went, and Courier users were
all happy again, busy connecting at 28.8K.

Then came the new beta lines, capable of 33.6K connections.  To get
the 33.6K connection, you need a good phone line, the new firmware and
the 3429 baud symbol rate (meaning ATS54=64).

So, people who hadn't done the firmware upgrade do it, everyone puts
their software back to ATS54=64 (many don't even know they've done
this since 64 is the default value), and suddenly, the negotiation
problems reappear.  Actually, I think that most Courier users with
these connection problems have done the firmware upgrade ages ago.

The problem with the USR and Ascend modems is not that they can't
connect at 33.6K, because they can, given good line conditions.  Their
problem is in not being able to negotiate down from these high rates
to a lower one if the line is less than perfect.  It's alright to say
that the phone line doesn't guarantee a 33.6K connection, but there's
no excuse for the modems not getting together at a lower, mutually
compatible speed.

Although I'm in no position to point the finger at either modem, it is
fair to say that two USR modems can reliably connect, as several
people have pointed out after dialing USRs BBS number in the UK.  It's
easy to suggest that the Ascend could be at fault since it's the modem
which gives up and generates the tone, but I bet that two Ascends
could also connect together fine.

So, here we poor USR users are, caught in the middle with two modem
manufacturers who will each no doubt say that the other has a problem
in understanding the modem negotiation process.  So, someone needs to
get the Courier and the Ascend chaps together around a table to solve
the problem, and I think that Demon must be a customer of both parties
with sufficient clout to do this.

In the meantime, the solution, for Win95, Courier modems and the new
beta lines, is:

1.  Get the latest firmware and .INF file from USR
2.  Make sure that the modem has factory settings.
3.  Restart Win95 and reinstall your modem.
4.  Set ATS54=64.  Try to connect.

Now, unless you are lucky and have good line quality:

4.  Get bored with having to redial 3 times out of 4.
5.  Set ATS54=96 and put up with max 31.2K connections
6.  Live grudgingly ever after

Incidentally, Jim, if you're responsible for the Ascend help file, I'd
like to suggest some improvements in the explanation of the S54 story,
following a long discussion with {R} and others in a different thread.
Could we talk about this in the email world?

Andrew
----
Andrew Gebbie    andrew@gebbie.demon.co.uk    Tel: +44 151 632 1605