Testing for a Digital Carrier Line:

The phone company sometimes saves money by installing Digital Carrier equipment. These are signal converters that let them compress a number of phone lines onto one set of copper wires. It is not noticeable on a voice line, but it cuts modem speed in half. If you always connect at 26,400 or lower, there is a chance that you are on a Digital Carrier Line. The following instructions will let you test for this:

1. Disconnect from the Internet

2. Startup HyperTerminal: Goto Start Menu/Programs/ Accessories/ Communications/ HyperTerminal (if it is not there you may need to install it - goto Control Panel/Add & Remove Programs/Windows Setup Tab/ Communications and turn on HyperTerminal)

3. Double-Click on Hypertrm to start a new session

4. It will ask for a name, use something like USR Line Test

5. Next it will need a phone number. Use 1-847-262-6000

6. On the next screen it will ask you your location and give you a chance to change the phone number, check the number (it should have the 1 in front of it) and click Dail

7. Once it dials a text screen will appear asking if you want to use graphics. Press Y and Enter

8. It will ask for your first name. Type "line" and press Enter

9. It will ask for your last name. Type "test" and press Enter

10. A moment later it will either say that you are connected at 56k or it will give you a message saying that your line speed it impeded by Digital equipment installed by the phone number. If this is the case, you probably have a Digital Carrier Line.

11. When you close out, it will ask if you want to save the session. Say Yes and it will create an icon for this bulletin board in HyperTerminal so that you can dial it again later. If you re-run the test a number of time on more than one day and it always says you have an impeded connection, then you can be pretty sure that that you are on a digital carrier line.

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