Very Computer

Date: Fri, 27 Jan 95 16:20:11 EST

Company)
Subject: USR Sportster V.34/V.FC (Mac/Fax) Modem

O.K.  I've been patient for nearly two months now.  But I'm beginning
to lose my composure....  Perhaps one of you has already been through
what I'm in the midst of, and found a cure?

In early December '94, I bought a "USR Sportster V.34/V.FC" modem, also
known (I believe) as a "USR 28.8 Mac/Fax" (or something like that).  It
replaced a "Zoom VFX V.32bis" that had been working solidly for well
over a year... I just wanted to go FASTER!  So I plunked down US$200
for my speedy new Sportster and I've been disappointed ever since.

For a couple of weeks I was pulling my hair out trying to figure out
what I had set wrong.  Every time I called my local Internet provider,
I'd be on for anywhere between 5 and 30 minutes, when.... "click"...
it'd hang up.  Again and again.  When I reinstalled my Zoom modem and
called the same phone number, I could be on for hours without a glitch.
Put back in the USR... "click".

I tried lots of things, but I dropped all of that when I read, early
this month in TidBits, about the USR Sportster V.34/V.FC modem having a
buggy chip (thanks Adam!).  It seems that V.FC connections die when the
two modems try to re-train.  Oh Ho!  So I called USR and asked for my
free "upgrade chip".... no problem... one to two weeks.  I waited two
weeks and called again....  one to two MORE weeks.  <grumble>

Thinking "Hey, maybe there's a reduced-speed mode I can use that will
get me around this bug until my new chip comes".  I phoned USR tech-
support... for hours... without ever getting through.  I tried off and
on for days and never got past the busy-signal. <grumble>

I'd ordered a new chip already but wanted to know a work-around.  I got
a response back two days later telling me how to order a new upgrade-
chip. <grumble>

Tried checking on the status of my new chip... now one week after my
last check... one to two MORE weeks!  <GRUMble>

Tech support phone number... still terminally busy.

Emailed again, CLARIFYING, what I wanted.  One day later I was told
to try "AT S56.7=1" to disable V.FC (the bug prone portion of the
chip).  I did that... got a true V.34 connection... for about 15
minutes... "click".  Using the same S56 register trick, I disabled
V.34 also to force a 14.4k V.32bis connection.  About 10 minutes
later... "click".  Hey!  This isn't just a V.FC re-train bug!  My
connections die on V.FC, V.34, and V.32bis. What gives?!  <GRUMBLE>
(Unplug the USR, plug in the Zoom again... solid for hours).

Then I got on Usenet... comp.sys.mac.comm.  Guess what, found a
message from another guy who ALREADY HAS his new chip.  And he's
_still_ having dropped connections.

HHHHEEEELLLLPPPP!!!!!!

Dan Hofferth

Bye
     Stefan

-----------------------------------------------------------------------


-----------------------------------------------------------------------

1.  Disable V.42 (i.e., S27=32).  If you then sometimes get
non-error-correcting connections, force error-corection mode (i.e., &M5).
You may find that you have to redial as many as 10 times to get connected;
if so, try 2.

-- and/or ---

2.  Disable the highest symbol rates (e.g., S54.5=1S54.4=1S54.3=1).  This
will limit your top speed (to 24000 in my example), depending on how many
symbol rates you disable (3429, 3200, and 3000 in my example).

-- also --

3.  With V.FC-only firmware (as opposed to the newer V.34 firmware) it may
help to also disable the 32S-2D map (i.e., S55.2=1).

-- finally --

4.  It may also help to set S10=255.

NOTE:  The complete high-speed Sportster manual is available in ASCII
format as ftp://ftp.usr.com/sys/pcb/dl07/sphsasci.txt; it is also
available in Microsoft Word and Windows Help formats.

--
Best regards,

I have a USR Sportster v.34 (not just V.fast) on a Centris 650 running
System 7.5, MacPPP, and TCP 2.0.6.  I had LOTS of problems for two months
and had nearly given up on it.  Then I picked up these DIP settings and
modem string from this newsgroup:

Init String:   ATE1Q0V1X4&B1&C1&D2&H1&K0&N0

CTS only

Dip Switches:   UUDUDUUD

Connection:  57600

If your using Mac PPP, try these settings. I've had almost no problems
having reliable connections using these settings.  E-Mail me if it works.

Quote:> I have a USR Sportster v.34 (not just V.fast) on a Centris 650 running
> System 7.5, MacPPP, and TCP 2.0.6.  I had LOTS of problems for two months
> and had nearly given up on it.  Then I picked up these DIP settings and
> modem string from this newsgroup:

> Init String:   ATE1Q0V1X4&B1&C1&D2&H1&K0&N0

--

The CTS and DTR lines are tied together on a Mac modem cable.  To
prevent your modem from disconnecting you need to override DTR with
the command &D0.

-Bob