NewDeal Hot Tip 1106
TelecommunicationsWhen PCAO was written, America Online (AOL) was limited to 9600 baud and Sprint and Tymnet didn't offer anything faster.
Since then, Sprint has upgraded many of their sites to 14.4 and AOL has created its own network, AOLnet, offering 28.8 connection. Changes were made to the newer versions of WAOL to take advantage of the faster connections, but there were no similar changes made to PCAO.
PCAO doesn't have the necessary protocol in the software for connecting to AOLnet.
However, with many modems, if you turn off your modem's hardware error correcting and if you enable or force a 14.4 connection via the pre-modem string, you can get a 14.4 connection through Sprintnet with PCAO 1.5a or higher. The connecting dialog box will report 9600, because that's the only text string available in the software, but the file library descriptions will display 14400 or 19200. Of course, your serial port and modem must be capable of the speed, as well as your local connect number.
Try the premodem strings below or, even better, examine the documentation for your modem and determine what commands to use to force your modem to connect at 14.4.
When signing on to AOL, first the pre-modem string is run, then the modem dials, then the post-modem string is run. It's pre and post dialing, not before and after AOL.
Open Preferences, Modem and check the speed setting, make sure it's set to 19200.
Due to SprintNet's upgrade of 9600 baud access nodes to 14,400 baud, some Zoom PC, Supra, Supra FAX and other types of modems no longer reliably connect at the higher speeds. If you have one of these types of modems or if you are experiencing frequent "Host has failed to respond ..." messages, then one of the things you need to check is the setup string for your modem.
Compaq Presario UDS AT&F&C1&D2X6S35=0 Zoom, Supra, Supra FAX AT&F&C1&D2&K3&Q6S0=0S36=7S37=11N0W2%C0 Zoom PC AT&F&K0&Q6F8Some users have been able to force 14400 access under PCAO with the following modems and using these pre-modem strings. In some cases post-modem strings are not used.
AT&T DataPort Express Pre-modem ATL1&FX7%B14400 Post-modem ATX7Q0V1E1 Boca Modem Pre-Modem AT&FE1QV1&D2X4&C1&Q5&K3&D0F10 Practical Peripherals PM14400FXSA Pre-modem AT&F1&W&Q9S37=11 Practical Peripherals PM14400FX Pre-modem AT&F1S37=11 Practical Peripheral 14400 v.32bis MiniTower Data/Fax Modem Model PM144MT II Pre-modem AT&F1S37=11 Prometheuus Modem Pre-Modem AT&F&C1&D2S95=1S37=9N0 Supra 144i internal Fax/Modem Pre-modem AT&F&C1&D2&K3\N3S11=55 Post-Modem ATE1QOV1X4 Twincom 144 DFI Fax/Modem Pre-modem AT&F&D2&C1S11=55 Post-modem ATX4Q0V1E1 USR Sportster 14.4 Pre-modem AT&F&C1&D2&H1&K0&M0&N8S27=128 VIVA 14.4/FAX from Computer Peripherals Pre-modem AT&F Post-modem ATX1Q0V1E0 Zoom VFP28.8 Pre-modem AT&F&C1&D2&F10S11=70
Last Modified 2 Mar 1999