🚀 go-pugleaf

Paula Stockholm (paula@nlbbs.UUCP) wrote:
:         Back when I had time to do a load of laundry while downloading a
:         file; I, too, was intrigued by this "legend".
: 
:         When I finally got a 9600, one look at it's complexity told me
:         that the 2400 to 9600 tale was a lot of hooey.

There is some basis in fact for the upgrade.  Some chip manufacturers
came out with upgraded chip sets for their 2400 baud modems to
also be 9600 baud FAX modems.   

But the problems are.  

1. What the heck do you do with a FAX modem. ;-)
 
2. You have to have an upgradeable chipset in your current modem.
 (out of a dozen or two that are used)
 
3. You have to find a distributor who sells the chipset.  Remember that
 the modem market consists of a small number of manufacturers with
 high volume buying, and no distributor is going to stock something
 that's not going to turn over, or is going to sell it with a HIGH 
 markup.  And the chipset manufacturers are niche companies like
 Silicon Systems that aren't as available as some of the big outfits.
 
4. You have to be adept enought in electronics to swap the chips.  
 (I can thing of better things to use to learn how to surface
 mount solder with than (an estimated) $30 worth of semicondutors.)
 
5. In the US, It's against FCC regulations to work on your modem.  
 The manufacturer has to do that.

Mark Zenier  markz@ssc.wa.com