Miracle WS3000 Modem

Your Computer

Overall 4/5

Anthony Thompson 4/5

MODEM ROUTE TO SUCCESS A good modem can cost as much as a computer. Anthony Thompson investigates. Every branch of computing has its own set of jargon. With word-processors you can cut, paste, insert or zap. With joysticks you can have auto-fire, pistol grips and microswitches and with monitors you can have RGBs, dual frequency and monochrome display. In most cases, common sense will give you a rough idea of what the jargon means but there is one area of computing where you might need a little help. Communications is an area filled with seemingly meaningless phrases but one which offers rich rewards to those who dare to enter; to link your computer to the world of unlimited telephone bills, all you need is a modem. The word modem is an abbreviation of modulator-demodulator. It is a device which translates the electronic language of a computer into a series of sound waves and vice versa. Those sounds are then sent down a telephone line to whatever service you choose. All modems require software to work. With some models such as the Miracle Technology 64 multimodem it is built-in, while others like the Datastar Magic modem require a separate package. Software varies in price depending on the machine and the number of features you want. AUTO-DIALLING More expensive systems may incorporate more facilities such as auto-dialling and answering, on-screen clocks and memory buffers to store incoming data. Such features are really worth buying only if you intend to make full use of them. An auto-answer machine, combined with the correct software package, will allow you to create your own bulletin board with whatever services you like, but unless you do not use your telephone a great deal, it is best to have a separate line installed. Modems in the same price range tend to have similar functions. The more expensive models have several additional features but the value is dependent on the purpose for which you intend to use it most. The baud rate, the speed at which the modem sends and receives data, is an important consideration. Some systems send and receive data at 300/300 baud, the equivalent of 30 characters per second, but more recently many viewdata and bulletin board systems have adopted the Prestel standard of 1,200/75. While more and more systems are using that speed, the number still using 300/300 is sufficient to justify buying a modem which can handle both. Faster speeds are available but they cost considerably more and can really be used only with the commercial electronic mail systems; they are geared more towards business than home users. Most modern modems connect directly into the telephone socket. For those whose homes use older-type connections, acoustically-coupled modems which incorporate rubber cups to fit on the handset are available but they are often more difficult to use. Modems capable of faster speeds such as 1,200/1,200 are available but they cost considerably more and can really be used only with commercial electronic mail systems which are geared more towards business rather than home users. The operating speed of a modem is sometimes defined by the V system. That relates to a set of recommendations for data transmission by telephone made by the United Nations technical committee. V21 refers to the 300/300 system while V23 includes 1,200/75. There is also V22, the 1,200/1,200 system, and others which define modems which can auto-dial, auto-answer and so on. Modems are sometimes also defined as being intelligent or Hayes-compatible; the latter refers to an American standard and the AT command set which some software packages use. Using this system, to dial a number from the keyboard, you type ATD followed by the number and return. The AT command attracts the attention of the modem while the D tells the modem to dial. Variations of the command set include help functions and dialling from memory. Most modern modems connect directly into a telephone socket. For those whose homes use older-type connections, acoustically-coupled modems which incorporate rubber cups to fit on the handset are available but they are often more difficult to use. A final point to mention is to ensure that the modem you buy is BABT-approved. If it is, it will display the green approval sticker - it is a criminal offence to use a non-approved modem on the BT network. MIRACLE WS2000 MODEM Price: £130 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D Auto Dial As Standard: No Star Rating: **** MIRACLE WS3000 MODEM Price: £399 Baud Rate: A, B Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: **** PRISM VTX5000 MODEM Price: £70 Baud Rate: B Auto Dial As Standard: No Star Rating: ** VOYAGER 7 MODEM Price: £79 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: **** CIRKIT Price: £35 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D Auto Dial As Standard: No Star Rating: **** MINI-MAX Price: £66 Baud Rate: A, B, C Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: **** MAGIC MODEM Price: £79 Baud Rate: A, B Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: *** TANDATA Price: £99 Baud Rate: B, D Auto Dial As Standard: No Star Rating: *** DATACHAT 1223 Price: £89 Baud Rate: B Auto Dial As Standard: No Star Rating: ** INTERMOVER M5021 Price: £98 Baud Rate: A Auto Dial As Standard: No Star Rating: *** 64 MULTIMODEM Price: £99 Baud Rate: A, B, C Auto Dial As Standard: No Star Rating: **** VOYAGER 11 Price: £99 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: **** PACE NIGHTINGALE Price: £137 Baud Rate: A, B Auto Dial As Standard: No Star Rating: *** DIGISOLVE CHIPCHAT Price: £150 Baud Rate: A, B, D Auto Dial As Standard: No Star Rating: *** AMSTRAD MODEM Price: £175 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: **** TANDATA TM200 Price: £199 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: *** DACOM DSL2123AD Price: £255 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: **** PACE 2123S Price: £239 Baud Rate: A, B, C Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: **** M4000 Price: £282 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: *** DACOM 2123GT Price: £395 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: ***** PACE 2400S Price: £595 Baud Rate: A, B, C, D, E Auto Dial As Standard: Yes Star Rating: *****

AMSTRAD At around £35, the Cirkit acoUstic is probably the cheapest modem available for the Amstrad CPC range. It operates on 1,200/75 baud, allowing access to Prestel, Micronet, BT Gold and several others. The price includes the interface and companion software. The interface can be used with other modems offering a wider variety of baud rates and it can also be used to interface other RS232 devices. The software provides full Prestel support and is available on either tape or disc. SPECTRUM The Mini-Max modem from KDS Electronics represents superb value. It connects directly to the BT lines and features 300/300 and full duplex 1,200/75 operation. It also has an auto-dial mode and for an additional £15 an add-on board will give you an auto-answer facility as well. The modern will operate with any computer with an RS232 interface. COMMODORE The direct-Connect Compunet modem offers the Commodore 64 user access to Compunet; three months' subscription is included in the price. A baud rate of 1,200/75 means that users could access Prestel if they so desired but Compunet, being a specialist database, can offer much more of interest to the Commodore user than Prestel or any of the other Commercial databases could ever hope to do. No interface is required. BBC The recently BABT-approved Datastar magic modem is good value for the BBC micro, long hailed as the king of the communications computer world. The modem has a six-way rotary switch and LED indicators to show Which mode you are in. The Companion software costs around £20 and is controlled by the function keys; 1200/75- and 300/300 baud rates are available, giving access, to Prestel and many private bulletin boards.

NEW RELEASES The new series four from Pace Micro Technology are intelligent modems offering high-speed operation. There are three models, ranging from the 2123S which operates at V21 and V23 to the 2400S which can operate at V21, V22, V22bis and V23. All the models have a 32-character LCD display which is used to provide useful information during operation. That includes the real and elapsed time and diagnostic messages if a transmission should fail. The modem will also store up to 64 numbers which can then be dialled automatically. Further development of the internal software to include additional features such as error-correction and password security is under way. Modem House has produced a range of multi-standard, multi-computer modems. The Voyager 7 model features built-in auto-dial and answer functions, full CCITT V21 and V23 specification and full function LED display. The basic cost is low, at around £79.95 plus VAT, but the software and interface for, say, an Amstrad CPC6128 raises the price to £159.95. That modem can also be operated anywhere in the world with an optional 11.0V power supply. Full bell tones, essential for communicating with American bulletin boards, are also available but only as an optional extra, because full bell-tone specifications are illegal in the UK, and certain other countries.

SUPPLIERS GUIDE 1. Cirkit Acoustic Modem Cirkit [redacted] 2. Mini Max Modem KDS Electronics [redacted] 3. Micronet VTX 5000 Modem House [redacted] 4. Magic Modem Jansz Computer Communications, [redacted] 5. Tandata TM110 V23 Tandata [redacted] 6. Voyager 7 Modem House [redacted] 7. Datachat 1223 GEC Communications [redacted] 8. Intermover M5023 Modular Technology [redacted] 9. 64 Multi Modem Miracle Technology [redacted] 10. Voyager 11 Modem House [redacted] 11. Pace Nightingale Pace Micro Technology [redacted] 12. Digisolve ChipChat Digisolve [redacted] 13. Miracle Technology WS2000 Miracle Technology [redacted] 14. Amstrad Modem KDS Electronics [redacted] 15. Tandata TM200 Tandata [redacted] 16. Dacom DSL2123AD Da Com Systems [redacted] 17. Pace 2123S Pace Micro Technology [redacted] 18. Modular Technology M4000 Modular Technology [redacted] 19. Dacom 2123GT D Com Systems [redacted] 20. Miracle Technology WS3000 Miracle Technology [redacted] 21. Pace 2400S Pace Micro Technology [redacted]