The Falcons Nest
By Peregrine

I decided to feed my habit! I needed more speed! But where can I get it? 
The average street price is ridiculously high, especially if you want 
quality. So I had to look elsewhere...

A quick glance through the advertisements in the Atari press confirmed 
my suspicions, prices were dropping. But the total package would still 
cost me more than œ170. My target was to find a supplier of a quality 
product for less than œ150. I visited the Atari Show in Bristol. "I want 
more speed, man" I said to one of the UKs most famous suppliers. "Hey 
sorry guy, the market is, like, too volatile. I'm waiting for prices to 
settle" came the reply. A friend suggested I try the PC press! So I got 
home, drew my curtains, found a quiet corner and using my latest copy of 
ST Applications as a screen, I studied a copy of PC-Something!

There it was... speed... quality... legal... and less than œ150! This 
supplier would even take credit cards and deliver! Nervously I placed my 
order. The very next day the box arrived! Wow, I had got my speed! 
Shaking hands opened the box, it was well packed. My habit would be 
satisfied at last. I had got my US Robotics Sportster 14,400 fax modem. 
Well, what did you think I was talking about? It is the biz, actually 
it's V32bis and V42bis/MNP5 data compression and BABT approved. Legal 
speed! "My name is Peregrine, I'm a commsaholic", there I've said it, 
(shouldn't there be clapping, cheers of Woo, Yea and My-man, in the 
background?)

Unplugging and disconnecting the old 2,400 was a little sad. It had 
served me well, but my friend wanted it back, it was on loan after all. 
The Sportster looks like an intercom, ("come here Miss Jones, I've 
something I want you to take down"... Ooops, I've given away one of my 
fantasies!) It has seven status LEDs and an on/off switch at the front, 
a volume control on the side for the internal speaker, a row of DIP 
switches at the back and sockets for power, phone and serial 
connections. Measuring just 16.5cm wide, 9.5cm deep and 3.5cm high, this 
cream coloured little box is not a candidate for the title of most 
beautiful baby. But it's small enough to sit unobtrusively on the desk. 

Plugged in and raring to go I called the Chameleon BBS. Oh no, problems 
already! It went like this: Ring Ring... bur/fiz/buz... NO CARRIER! I 
must admit it took me a little while to get STalker set up correctly. 
The problem turned out to be the 'auto time out' when dialing. With the 
2400 a 30 second time out was fine. But I guess it takes just a second 
or two longer for the receiving BBS to set itself up at V32bis with 
V42bis/MNP5 data compression. Setting the time out to 35 seconds cured 
my problem. My heart leaped when I saw the "CONNECT 14,400" message on 
screen.

I'm going to join some new conferences, I thought... OK, I'll have that 
one, ummm... and that one, oooh tropical fish... humm, all right, I'll 
have that too. QWK set, I select online pack... OH NO! What have I 
done... over 600 messages??? Whiz-flash-gott'em! less than 4 minutes 
later all the messages were on my hard drive and I had logged off! Like 
WoW... I'm a speed freak man. Now all I need is to save up for a copy of 
STraight Fax œœœ. BFN ;-)