Subject: REVIEW: TKR TriStar 28.8K modem
From: [email-masked] (Christian Kemp)
Date: 27 Dec 1995 15:05:36 GMT
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.reviews

PRODUCT NAME

	TKR TriStar (Firmware version 1.09)

	(This seems to be the same as the ELSA Microlink 28.8 TQV, but the
 manual and software are, as far as I know, different)

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

	V.34 (28.800 Bit/Sek) Fax-Data-Voice Modem

AUTHOR/COMPANY INFORMATION

	Name:		TKR GmbH Ges. f|r Telekommunikation & Co. KG
	Address:	Stadtparkweg 2
			D-24106 Kiel
			Germany

	Telephone:	++49 (0431) 33 78 81
	FAX:		++49 (0431) 3 59 84

	Mailbox:	++49 (0431) 33 61 99
	Btx:		*TKR#
	CompuServe:	74431,562
	E-mail:		[email-masked]
	World Wide Web:	www.tkr.de

LIST PRICE

	498 DM (German Marks) (which equals to 1 $350 USD or #220 GBP)
Available for 470 DM at other dealers.

SPECIAL HARDWARE AND SOFTWARE REQUIREMENTS

	HARDWARE

		A free serial port is required, an I/O card with
		faster ports is optional, but transfer speed may
		benefit a little.

		To use a high-speed modem like the TriStar at full
		speed I suggest you use a fast Amiga (with a 68020 CPU
		or better), as an Amiga with 68000 cannot cope with
		such high transfer speeds.

		A lot of the communication software available may
		require additional hardware, such as additional Fast
		RAM.

	SOFTWARE

		No special Kickstart version is required for the
		modem, though of the communication software available may
                require Kickstart 2.04 or higher.

		You don't need any additional software to send faxes,
		use your Amiga as answering machine, or connect to a
		BBS.

		There is a program for connecting to Compu$erve, but
		there is no Internet software.

COPY PROTECTION

	None.

MACHINE USED FOR TESTING

	A1200 with
		AmigaDos 3.0 (Kickstart 39.106, Workbench 39.29)
		2 MB Chip RAM and 4 MB Fast RAM,
		DKB 1240 accelerator, 680EC030/40MHz and 68882/50MHz,
		250 MB internal 2.5" hard drive,
		BSC CD1200 PCMCIA controller with Mitsumi Double speed CD-ROM.
		Microvitec 1438 monitor.

INSTALLATION

	Installation is very easy.  All cables are included with the
modem, they only need to be connected to the correct places.  This is
straightforward, as the process is described in the manual.  There are
some references to usage on the PC, which should be ignored.

	If you purchase the modem in Germany, but live in another
country, you may have to buy an adapter to be able to connect the
modem to the telephone line.

	The modem comes with a CD with 250 MB of programs and
archives.  Sadly only one tenth is dedicated to the Amiga.  All
programs are included as normal LhA and as self-extracting archives.
LhA 1.52 is included to unpack the LhA archives.  There is a readme in
the Amiga drawer on the CD, but you will need to have some basic Amiga
knowledge to find it, as the CD hasn't got icons.  This shouldn't be a
problem though...

	I rate the installation 4 stars out of 5.

REVIEW

	The good thing about modems is that you connect them and don't
need to worry about them afterwards anymore.  They are simply there,
transmitting files, E-Mails, faxes and acting as intelligent fax and
answering machine.

	However, in my opinion, the TriStar is one of the better
available models.  This begins with the good look of the casing and
ends with the high reliability during transmissions.  I have been
using the modem for over one month now and there has never been a
dropped carrier while I was online.  No file that I sent or received
was corrupt.

	One slight annoyance is the speed of the transmission.  If a
modem claims to be a 28k8 modem, it should also connect with the
maximum speed of 28800 bit per second.  However, this is not the case.
Only 50% of the calls are at 28k8 baud, the others were at 26k4.  This
may not seem like a lot, but that's nearly ten percent!

DOCUMENTATION

	The TriStar comes with a 84 page manual, but it's missing an
introduction to Comms.  Most of the pages are "wasted" for AT
commands, which are pretty useless for me as I expect my software to
cope with these.  A dedicated Amiga manual would also be nice, but I
guess the amount of Amiga users is not that high to justify the cost.

	The quality of the documentation is fairly high, it is in
German and the layout is nice.  As far as I could see there are no
grammatical mistakes.

	The documentation was not written for beginners and, in my
opinion, this isn't necessary.  Using a terminal program to access a
BBS is easy and doesn't require you to know every command of your
modem by heart.

	I rate the documentation 4 stars out of 5.

LIKES

	I like the CD that comes with the modem.  TKR were the only
ones I know who bundle Amiga software with their modem.  (Although
most of the software can be found on Aminet (CD's) too.

	The casing is of a good quality and the built-in speaker and
micro- phone are of a relatively high quality too, unless some other
modems I have seen.

	In addition to "normal" use the modem can be used as fax and
it acts as answering machine (along with AVMSuite or similar
programs).

DISLIKES AND SUGGESTIONS

	The manual could include some "beginner-only" pages,
explaining what a BBS is, what the Internet is and where to get more
information on these subjects (maybe as text file on CD, one example
that comes to my mind is the "Big Dummies Guide to the Internet").

	Readily installed Internet software, or at least in archived
form would make life much easier for people who haven't already got
access to the Aminet (CD's).

	I dislike the idea of having to register the voice program
(AVMSuite).  I am sure its author and TKR could agree on a license,
where for each modem sold a small amount of money is sent to him.  I'm
sure it would be better to receive a small amount from every purchaser
than the regulate registration fee from (for example) ten people.

COMPARISON TO OTHER SIMILAR PRODUCTS

	This is the first time I used a modem on the Amiga.  The only
thing I can say is that the speaker is of a much better quality than
the one of a modem I used on a PC some time ago.

BUGS

        I already mentioned the 26k4/28k8 bug, which is really
annoying.  The Luxembourgish phone line system is 100% digital,
therefore the quality of the telephone line cannot be blamed, I
suppose.

VENDOR SUPPORT

	I have only contacted them once, to order the modem.  They
were as helpful and friendly as they could be.  I have not yet visited
the support mailbox, as telephone calls to Germany are rather
expensive.

	One note, if you want to visit their home page on the WWW.
Amosaic v2.0 seems to have problems and won't display anything, but
IBrowse works.

WARRANTY

	I'm sorry, but I can't find the warranty sheet!  Probably six
months, possibly more (but don't quote me).

CONCLUSIONS

	RATING: "3.5 stars out of 5"        ***+

	The TriStar would have earned a "5 out of 5", but the missing
Internet software, the annoying 26k4 "bug" and the relatively high
price cost 0.5 points each.

COPYRIGHT NOTICE

	Copyright 1995 Christian Kemp ([email-masked]).
	You can distribute and/or include this review in online mags, as long
 ________________________________________________________________
(***** Christian Kemp ** [email-masked] ** USELESS software *****)
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