MODEM  REVIEW  -   THE  BIT  BLITZER  12E 


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	Up to about 2 months ago I was prowling around the phone lines
   using a 300 baud Acoustic Coupler of venerable age, about 4 years 
   old, which cost about $600 when bought. Things have changed in 
   Modemland, in terms of both quality and cost, and the Bit Blitzer 12E
   is a very good example of the changes.

	The modem itself is a well-packaged, neat unit with a footprint
   a little smaller than an external disk drive, and less than half the
   the height, and it packs a lot in. Features included:
	* V22 (1200 bps) and V21 (300 bps) : CCITT standard, ie, Oz
        * Bell 212A (1200) and 103 (300): US standard
        * Full duplex, ie, simultaneous data transmission and reception
	  over a single telephone network connection
	* Auto-dial and Auto-answer and Auto-disconnect
	* Tone and Pulse dialling (which is automatically detected)
	* Hayes AT Command Protocol
	* Call progress monitoring (ie, tells you if anything goes wrong)
	* Loopback for remote diagnostics
	* Internal speaker with manual and software volume control
	* 8 status and activity indicators (LEDs)
	This list of features is pretty impressive at a price of $349
   RRP, and everything does work. No cable is provided with the modem,
   so you may have to go to a dealer and specify an RS-232 cable with
   two DB25 male plugs. 

	The documentation consists of a well-written spiral-bound book
   which, while it's not a Communications text book, is sufficiently
   detailed to let a beginner test and install the modem. It is well
   set out with an Overview section followed by a step-by-step procedure
   for installation. Following these sections are further explanations
   and reference sections dealing with the Hayes Command Protocol (which
   needn't be understood, since your software will handle it all), the
   various Functional states (Command State or On-Line State), and the 
   Command Sets. All of these are for the serious Comms enthusiast and
   can be ignored once the modem is installed. Knowledge of these 
   sections allows you to set up special configurations, and access
   the capabilities of the modem directly, but can all be bypassed by
   use of a good software package, of which there are now many for the
   Amiga both commercial and in the public domain. At the back of the
   manual are some other useful sections: Troubleshooting, to let you
   solve any problem that may occur; Country Specific Information,
   including a section on Australian conditions; an Appendix with details
   about the Serial Cable; Appendices on Hayes Command Summaries; and
   a listing of the ASCII Character codes. 

	Having followed the Installation procedure, it is possible to
   change any of the 10 Configuration Switches on the bottom of the
   modem. These are set at the factory in a way which works with the
   Amiga with no changes. Settings are:
	* High/low speaker volume
	* CCITT or Bell standards
	* Command mode on/off
	* DSR (Data Set Ready): always left on
	* CD on/off: Carrier detect, best left on
	* AutoAnswer on/off
	* Command Echo on/off
	* Result codes enabled/disabled
	* Result codes as digits or words
	* Data Terminal ready enabled/disabled
	Some of these options are "hard" and some "soft", ie, the soft
   ones can be changed by commands. There is also a Reset command to
   change all configurations back to the actual switch settings. In
   other words, you can fine tune the modem as much as you like, using
   both hardware and software. Once you've set things up for normal 
   use, you'll probably never change them.

	I've tried the modem with a number of Communications Programs,
   including Diga!, an excellent and powerful program by Aegis; Vt100,
   another powerful Public Domain program, and a number of others, and
   have had no problems in getting onto Bulletin Boards, uploading
   and downloading files, or even using the "Remote" and "Doubletalk"
   options available in Diga! (Doubletalk lets you transfer files to
   another Diga! user while chatting, and Remote allows you to use
   your Amiga as a kind of BBS, which others can connect up with to
   use your Amiga at a distance - both very useful. See the review in
   Megadisc 3). The presence of 8 LEDs on the front of the modem lets
   you monitor what's happening at any time: whether information is
   being received or sent, whether the modem is "on-hook" or "off-hook",
   whether AutoAnswer is enabled and so on. 

	I'm told by the Supplier of the Bit Blitzer that it is possible
   to get the same modem with Viatel compatibility for about $495, a 
   desirable option for some. This will be available towards the end
   of August. There will also be a 2400 baud modem available in the 
   future, but there are no firm dates of release yet. 

	In conclusion, I liked the modem so much I bought it. Had to
   have it. Considering the fact that it has all the features of Smart
   modems of much higher cost, is well documented, has a very small
   footprint, and only costs $349 (+ 20%), I can recommend it as a high 
   quality product of very good value for money. Combine this modem
   with a powerful software package like Diga! and your communications
   will be a real pleasure, and not as costly as you might expect.



	NAME: Bit Blitzer 12E

	PRICE: $349 + 20% Sales tax

	MANUFACTURER: Banksia Information Technology Ltd
		      201 Hollywood Commercial House
		      3 Old Bailey St, Hong Kong.

	SUPPLIER: Mike Boorne Electronics, Tel: (02) 463014 
						(09) 3062056
	          Dick Smith Electronics
		  Some dealers.


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