Germany, and modems

[jeremyc]

Apologies for the off topic thread, but I'm hoping some of you technical or German (or technical German ) PHers can help.

It takes me about a year to forget that I can never successfully get a dial up connection in Germany, so when I make my annual pilgramage to the hell-hole that is CeBIT I consistently fail to have email access.

Many years ago, a colleague showed me the magic trick necessary to get it to work. Needless to say, this has been forgotton , but it is some kind of modem control command that needs to be used.

So, the problem is that my modem doesn't detect any carrier on the (analogue) phone line; it can be made to dial but nothing is heard back. I have disabled the wait for tone before dialling (so I hear my modem make the call), but nothing is heard in response.

Is there an additional control message I need to send to the modem (or make a modification to the modem initialisation) so that the signalling works correctly? I suspect there is something specific to the analogue signalling used on the telephone systems over there.

Thanks in advance for any assistance, and apologies for the rambling post.

[manek]

I've had this problem at CeBIT but -- oh dear -- have always solved it by telling the modem not to wait for a dial tone. Same happens in France occasionally too.

Prolly doesn't help much

[bigtone]

Try extending the time before dialing using commas before the number. This works for me in France, Germany and Spain.

eg: instead of 08701234567 in the phone number box, enter ,,,,08701234567 - each comma will cause a pause of one second.

HTH, Tony

[jeremyc]

Thanks for the replies. I tried the delay thing Tony without any success.

Needless to say the telephone I plugged into the same socket using the same cable dialled my ISP immediately with no problem....

[JMGS4]

Although I'm a 'puter numpty I believe that the fair companies do something to the lines on the stands, you have to have a data line for a modem (and of course pay extra for it) plus a telephone line! WAs like that in Düsseldorf at DRUPA, they'd switched something, but my 'puter knowledge doesn't go that far..... I just had to pay some extortionate rate to get it in..........

[jeremyc]

JMGS4 said:...I believe that the fair companies do something to the lines on the stands...

I had the problem both with my hotel line and also the lines provided in the press centre, so I think it is potentially a generic problem.

Looking through the '.inf' file for my modem there appear to be a number of different sets of initialisation data depending upon country: I just don't know how to tell the modem driver where I am (or whether it makes any difference).

[Bodo]

Jeremy,
I have no idea about analog modems, but
I've found a docu on the net:

General
use country- and area code: yes

Settings
Databits: 8
Parity: none
Stopbits: 1
wait for free line before dialing: yes, only if you are connected to a key telephone system

[mrsd]

Some hotels like to hobble the phone lines and then charge you extra to connect a modem. As far as I understand it they use software on the switchboard that detects the modem handshake signal and cuts the line, the exhibition centre could be doing this ?