[Coco] Modem ISP Problem (sort of OT)

[Roger Merchberger]

Rumor has it that Stephen Castello may have mentioned these words:
>On Fri, 26 Aug 2005 21:13:46 -0400 (EDT), you wrote:

[snippage]

> >The weird thing is that a neighbor's PC still works just fine on the  local
> >sites!  Maybe her modem is more modern in some way?  Mine is a  US Robotics
> >0701, external.

USR modems are generally pretty good...

> >I've reported this to the ISP (AOL), got a form reply that 
> "they're  working
> >on it", but I doubt it.
> >I suspect the local sites have been reconfigured to no longer support my
> >modem's protocol, but the Portland site still does.
> >
> >Anyway, maybe there are some modem gurus out there with theories.
> >Change some modem internal settings?
> >Re-flash the modem's internal ROM (if possible)?
> >Buy a new (internal) modem card, and save this one for my Linux box if I
> >ever put it on line?
> >
> >Thanks, Mike K.
> >
>
>Pick up a regular phone and dial those two numbers, do you hear any
>crackling or any kind of noise?  If you do, call the phone company and
>complain about it.

The noise does *not* have to be audible to the human ear to affect the 
functionality of the modem. 56K is so near the theoretical maximum that 
POTS lines can handle, that *any* problem with the line can cause a metric 
buttload of grief for the modem.

Before buying a new modem, try this:

If you have a cordless phone system, unplug the phone line connection (not 
the power connection) to it, then try dialing your ISP(s) again.

Every phone device like satellite receivers that need a phone connection, 
answering machines, caller ID boxen, modems, etc. all have a certain amount 
of phone line current draw, or load. Cordless phone base units are by far 
the worst offenders of phone line current draw, and if too much is used by 
the associated devices on the line, it can affect the functionality of the 
modem to connect.

Another thing that can affect phone line quality is a long run to a garage 
or somesuch - if you have lots of lines running around (especially if 
they're not being used) you might want to pare down those runs a bit. Even 
unused lines can affect line quality - it adds capacitance and inductance 
to the circuit and that ain't good. Running good quality Cat5 ethernet (on 
a twisted pair, of course) can also help decrease noise on the line.

Hope this helps,
Roger "Merch" Merchberger

--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger  --  SysAdmin, Iceberg Computers
  _±±_                          zmerch at 30below.com
(©||®)  If at first you don't succeed, nuclear warhead
  _)(_   disarmament should *not* be your first career choice.