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Digital Antic ANTIC VOL. 5, NO. 4 / AUGUST 1986 / PAGE 6

I/O BOARD


In keeping with our online theme, Antic is only answering telecommunications questions in this issue's I/O Board. General responses return next month.

BAUD VS. BPS


I seem to remember a discussion on the difference between baud and BPS when referring to modems. Which issue was it in? Are these terms interchangeable, or are they different measures completely?
Les Green
Lilburn, GA

They're essentially the same. BAUD is a unit of signal speed used in communications, usually bits per second (BPS). Transmission at 300 BAUD is roughly equivalent to 300 characters per minute. The term is derived from the last name of J.M.E. Baudot, a nineteenth century Frenchman who developed the Baudot code for telegraph transmision. This was covered in the August, 1985 Antic, page 12. - ANTlC ED

STINKY SOFTWARE


I own a pre-Supra MPP 1000-C modem. But to be frank, I think the terminal software that came with it stinks! Can you suggest new software I could download from online or buy?
Marc Whipple
CompuServe ID 73147,3070

You're not condemned to use the software packaged with any modem. It's usually included by manufacturers as a courtesy to get you started online. For the MPP, go to the Atari 8-bit SIG on CompuServe, type BRO/KEY MPP and download the file listed as MSCOPE.XMO-the version of TSCOPE for MPP modems. It's also available from the Antic Catalog ($10, PD040). A version of AMODEM for MPP modems can be found online under AMOMPP.XMO. Backtalk also works with the MPP ($19.95, Antic Catalog, AP154). - ANTIC ED

BBS QUEST


I have just purchased an Atari 1030 modem and was wondering where I can find a list of BBSs and modem users that I can get in touch with. I also would like to know where I can get a program to make my own BBS. I have many games, utilities and demos I want to share with people.
Robert Harris
Austin, TX

The best place to look for BBS numbers is on a BBS, which will usually have a section listing other BBS numbers of interest. And some BBSs, such as the one run by BUG-Boise Users Group, (208) 383-9547-spcialize in keeping updated lists of Atari BBS numbers. Just find one BBS, call and ask about others, and you'll soon find more numbers than you know what to do with.

As for a do it yourself BBS program, we know of only one commercially available for the Atari, Bulletin Board Construction Set ($24.95, Antic Catalog). Many BBS sysops write their own BBS programs Pro*Term author Matt Arrington (Antic, 1985) runs the 300 baud Madrona Marsh BBS (213)-212-6414 in Torrance, CA with a program he wrote himself-ANTIC ED

TOUGH CHOICES


I am in the market to buy a modem and have narrowed my choices to the Atari 1030 or XM301, and the Supra 1000-E. Which best suits an intermediate programmer who would use it with online services and maybe eventually start a BBS? Can any of these be used with an Apple IIc or IIe?
Kevin Westerdorf
Cincinnati, OH

To run a BBS on the 1030 you'll need a ring detector. Some people build their own ring detectors, schematics should be available from most use's groups The Supra and XM301 both have this feature built-in. You can't use any of these modems with an Apple computer as they are' direct connect modems specifically tailored to the Atari.

A non-direct-connect modem such as the Hayes or a Hayes compatible like the Anchor Volksmodem 12 will work with both Apples and Ataris. You'll need an Atari 850 interface to make the Hayes modem work with an Atari computer. You can plug right into the Apple IIc serial port but you'll need a DB25 serial port connector and a serial card such as the Apple Super Serial Card for the IIe. -ANTIC ED

MODEM MODIFICATION


The buzzer on my MPP l000-C modem was waking up my sleeping parents late at night, so I disconnected it and added one red and one green LED. The green one stays on all the time when the DATA/VOICE switch is in the voice position, and is an easy way to tell if the phone is connected. When the switch is in the data position, both are lit. When dialing, the green light flashes with the pulses. While waiting for a carrier, the red one is lit. Finally, when a carrier is found, both LEDs are out.
Kyle Ewing
CompuServe ID 74156,2311

KERMIT AIN'T NO FROG


What is Kermit Terminal Emulator (I've seen this in Antic's catalog) and how is it used? Will it enable me to receive software designed for other computer systems?
Gary Cerasoli
Medford Lakes, NJ

Kermit, which really is named after Sesame Street's Kermit the Frog Muppet, is a file transfer protocol that monitors the flow of information between different types of computers The first Kermit implementation, developed at Columbia University in 1981, linked a DEC-20 mainframe to a CP/M microcomputer. With Kermit you can donload software designed for other computers, but you won't be able to run it on your Atari. For more about Kermit see Charles Jackson's article in the August 1985 Antic, page 25. -ANTIC ED