Scored a Vicmodem (finally)

[Bungo Pony]

After hunting for one for over 15 years, I've finally got my hands on a Vicmodem! It came with a C-64 I bought (in it's original box) for five bucks.

I know I already have some terminal software kicking around in my archives. However, I would really like to write my own terminal software. Were there any books (much like "the Anatomy of the 1541 Disk Drive) that were written specifically for the Vicmodem?

I haven't checked the Programmer's Reference Guide (yet) to see if there's anything in there.

 

[Micom 2000]

I supplied you with a Commodore 128 a few years ago. I'm surprised you didn't check me out for a Vic modem. I have a cartridge version I acquired in a Sargent Ave. thrift as well as a hardware Vic/c64 modem from the Toronto years. We do after all live in relatiively close proximity and in this age of high shipping costs we, as canadians should be looking in our own back yard. I have many computer items which would appeal to canadians but with the present exhorbitant foreign shipping costs could be afforded by canadians but not by Americans, and visa versa. The number of canadians on the VC forum is disproportunate to our relative populations and we should be looking for the collectors who are near to us. There appears to be a strong western Canada component. All of this is of course familiar to our European members as well as the isolated Australia/New Zealand members.

There has been a massive change and awareness of the borders between our countries since 9/11 and we can no longer simply consider ourselves as a northern state of the US, and that also affects and strengthens our cultural awareness. Even tho it may be as simple as computer collecting and how we do it.

Lawrence

 

[MikeS]

I supplied you with a Commodore 128 a few years ago. I'm surprised you didn't check me out for a Vic modem. I have a cartridge version I acquired in a Sargent Ave. thrift as well as a hardware Vic/c64 modem from the Toronto years. We do after all live in relatiively close proximity and in this age of high shipping costs we, as canadians should be looking in our own back yard. I have many computer items which would appeal to canadians but with the present exhorbitant foreign shipping costs could be afforded by canadians but not by Americans, and visa versa. The number of canadians on the VC forum is disproportunate to our relative populations and we should be looking for the collectors who are near to us. There appears to be a strong western Canada component. All of this is of course familiar to our European members as well as the isolated Australia/New Zealand members.

There has been a massive change and awareness of the borders between our countries since 9/11 and we can no longer simply consider ourselves as a northern state of the US, and that also affects and strengthens our cultural awareness. Even tho it may be as simple as computer collecting and how we do it.

Lawrence

Hmm, I might be interested; we have to talk about those disk drives anyway..

 

[Yzzerdd]

15 years? Wow. I've got two floating around here, one in the original box, with instructions and everything. Got it with a comptuer lot awhile back. Cartridge version.

--Ryan

 

[brain]

Agreed. I hate to throw them away, but they aren't worth much. Still, I can't bring myself to bin anything, so they sit here. one is in a box for the collection.

To the OP: The 1600 VICModem uses the built in RS232 routines, so you can simply use open,2,2,... to get a channel. The 64 PRG will show the details. The 1600 does not offer dialing, so no need to write those routines.

Jim

 

[Micom 2000]

Hi Jim.

I have a 1600 and a boxed Automodem 1650. Did the 1600 come with any program ? You mention "the 64 PRG".
Was this on the cartridge or is this another program. The Automodem came with a cassette with FREE VICTERM 1 and TERM 64 on it. I believe Auto Answer/Auto Dial for C-64 and Auto Dial for the VIC are on the cartridge. I've never used them. There's no BBS still left up here in any case. Could you use either of them to transfer data to a 1541 floppy from/to a PC ? I'd imagine you'd still need Trans 64 or Star Commander or could you simply use a terminal program on the PC ?

Lawrence

To the OP: The 1600 VICModem uses the built in RS232 routines, so you can simply use open,2,2,... to get a channel. The 64 PRG will show the details. The 1600 does not offer dialing, so no need to write those routines.

Jim

 

[barythrin]

Now your new assignment is to find a magicjack and you can do long distance dialing or $20/year and maybe find a bbs without much cost

 

[carlsson]

PRG is an acronym for the Programmer's Reference Guide, i.e. a thick book that describes most of the machine, or at least as much as Commodore wanted its users to know about it. It is a handy reference, but sometimes might be a bit dated compared to both COMPUTE!'s later books and of course whatever documents that may float around on the Internet. Actually the PRG itself floats around too so anyone who need to look something up and has no use of a physical book could obtain an electronic copy.

 

[brain]

Hi Jim.

I have a 1600 and a boxed Automodem 1650. Did the 1600 come with any program ? You mention "the 64 PRG".
Was this on the cartridge or is this another program. The Automodem came with a cassette with FREE VICTERM 1 and TERM 64 on it. I believe Auto Answer/Auto Dial for C-64 and Auto Dial for the VIC are on the cartridge. I've never used them. There's no BBS still left up here in any case. Could you use either of them to transfer data to a 1541 floppy from/to a PC ? I'd imagine you'd still need Trans 64 or Star Commander or could you simply use a terminal program on the PC ?

Lawrence

My boxed 1600 claims on the front it comes with Victerm I on tape. So, the tape you have should work. You *can* use a 1600 to transfer files, but you either need to dial another modem number (like have two phone lines), or you need some way to "simulate" a phone line between the VICModem and a PC modem. Note that the 1600 just barely worked at 300 bps.

I would recommend, for the VIC, buying or building a cheap RS232 user port interface. You can then plug that into a PC for transfers up to 1200bps. Or, you can grab something like my uIEC, and transfer files that way. 300 bps is painful, though. I would not wish that on anyone.

Jim

 

[wiskow]

Borderline BBS continues to run at 951-242-3593, open 24/7, supporting speeds of 300/1200/2400 baud! So there ya go, a nice use for those old Vicmodems you all have lying around. (I have three or four of them myself)