 The magazine of the Melbourne PC User Group BBS Tips George Skarbek gskarbek@melbpc.org.au |
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What do I do if nothing happens after dialling our BBS?
If nothing happens when you dial, it is difficult to determine exactly what is wrong but there are a few tests you can do. From your communication program type ATI and press Return. Something must appear on the screen if you are communicating with the modem. The ATI command tells the modem to identify itself and, depending on the manufacturer, you can get anything from a few digits to a full description.
If nothing happens when you type ATI, then;
- You are using a baud rate that the modem does not have
- Your communication program is trying to access an incorrect port (say COMl where the mouse may be plugged in)
- You have a faulty cable
- The modem is faulty
- The telephone cable is not connected properly
- You have dialled a busy or incorrect number
To check the port and cable you must disconnect the cable from the modem, then short-circuit pins two and three on the end of the cable (using a paper clip this is safe to do) and type anything from your communication program. Whatever you type must appear on the screen pin two is the transmit pin and three is the receive. Therefore you are testing your serial port and cable by transmitting out and then receiving your signal. Then when you remove the short, no characters should appear on the screen when you type. (If characters appear without a short, then double characters must appear with the short, as the local echo is turned on.) If this test passes then it is the modem that is probably faulty, rather than your port or cable.
If the above test fails, the problem is on the computer side as you have not been able to even talk to yourself. To eliminate the cable possibility, short-circuit pins two and three on the back of the computer, directly on the 25-pin COM port and try again. If nothing happens, change the software to try COM2. If still nothing happens then the problem is probably the COM port in your computer. You should get your supplier to fix it.
If your modem responds, check the telephone cable and if that is OK, dial the phone on the next desk or a friend's phone number to determine if the dialling is successful. If it is not, try changing the dial prefix in your communication software to ATDP (pulse dial) and try again.
If you can successfully dial out via the modem, it's possible that the number you tried is engaged or there is some incompatibility between the two modems. Try some other BBS. Check to make sure that you have not dialled a wrong number.
If the other computer answers and you get garbage on the screen, you are 98 percent there. Most likely your communication parameters are wrong or you are using an incompatible emulation. Your comms software should be set up for 8 bits, 1 stop bit and no parity. The emulation should be ANSI-BBS. These settings should enable successful communication with most bulletin boards.
Reprinted from the March 1994 issue of PC Update, the magazine of Melbourne PC User Group, Australia
