dial-up experiences (was Re: question aaout ISP's)

[Ethan Dicks]

On Thu, Aug 07, 2008 at 02:41:45PM -0700, Eric Smith wrote:
> Keith M wrote:
> >I didn't miss the 300 baud era.  I remember my first modem was a "direct 
> >connect" 300bps model sold by radio shack.  It had an "answer or 
> 
> 300 baud?  Luxury!  We *dreamed* of having 300 baud.  We used Model 33 
> Teletypes at 110 baud, and we were darned lucky to have those.  One guy 
> I knew only had a Model 28 Teletype at 45.5 baud.  On the other hand, 
> the Model 28 was *much* more reliable than a 33.

Fortunately, I suppose, I missed _that_ era.  I have fiddled with real
TTYs, but mostly as PDP-8 peripherals, not as a primary dialup experience.

I did pick up an ASR-33 w/110 baud "data set" in the pedestal for $35
at Dayton after everyone had moved to 300/1200 baud.  I had hoped to
use it with my first PDP-8/L, but never figured out how to divorce the
TTY part from the modem (I could probably do it now).  Unfortunately,
in my youthful exhuberance, I removed the touch-tone pad, so now it
sits, unable to call anyone (though I think I later tested that I could
call _it_ and print messages on it, then send EOT to turn it back off).

Yet another of those long-term projects is to put the touch-tone pad
back in and get it working.  The follow-on would be to build and install
a reader-run relay circuit and get it working as a DEC console TTY,
but since I _have_ one of those (that _is_ working), that aspect of
the restoration isn't as pressing.

> And we had to walk to school.  Uphill.  Both ways.

Amen.  (oh... and in Ohio, we added "in the snow"...)

-ethan

-- 
Ethan Dicks, A-333-S     Current South Pole Weather at  7-Aug-2008 at 22:00 Z
South Pole Station
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Ethan.Dicks at usap.gov            http://penguincentral.com/penguincentral.html