Conexant Modem

R i c k has a great point. I have a surge protector that protects my phone
line too. It blew out once, just the phone line protector. Saved my modem.
Odd though, surge protectors cost more than many modems. My surge protector
is a "NewPoint", and came with a lifetime guarantee. Shipped it back to
them and they fixed it for free. Of course that took time, and now I have
two surge protectors, but, hey, it's great to have a backup for instantly
getting back to work after a surge.
--- Andy.


"R i c k" wrote in message
...
Most likely it to a surge of some type through the phone line. You'll
need to replace it.


Jim Gaughran wrote:
After 18 months of use, my modem won't connect to the ISP. I ran the
Dell
modem helper, and it tells me there is an Error 70 - no dial tone. I've
checked the jack with a couple of different phones, and there is
definitely
a dial tone. Does anyone know what's causing this problem and if there
is a
fix, or should I be looking for a new modem? Thanks in advance for any
help.

Funny how that plug-in protector did all the work when phone
company installs an effective 'whole house' protector at your
house on that phone line. Funny how that plug-in manufacturer
failed to mention that existing protector and many other
facts. But then when selling a protector at tens of times
more money (per protected appliance), can you blame them for
forgetting a long list of important details?

Lets look at the profit margin. A power strip with circuit
breaker sells retail in Home Depot and Walmart for about $3.
Remove the important circuit breaker. Install some $0.10
components. Sell the thing as a surge protector for $15 or
$20 or even $70. With a markup like that, are they going to
mention some critically important facts? Of course not.

They forget to mention that properly sized shunt mode surge
protectors must not be damaged by a single surge. Also that a
surge protector is not surge protection. A surge 'protector'
is only effective when it connects a surge TO surge
'protection'. That surge protection is earth ground - the
most critical component of any surge 'system'. That's right.
Protection is a 'system' where its most critical component is
earth.

Just another little fact that plug-in protector forgot to
mention. Where did that plug-in protector ever mention
earthing? Why bother? They do not even claim to protect from
that type of surge.

Sometimes surges are so small as to not overwhelm protection
that exists in computers and modems. But since your surge
protector is so grossly undersized, that same small surge
damages the surge protector. What a racket? Now the owner
feels that surge protector sacrificed itself to save the
computer. Onwer buys more. In reality, surge was too small
to damage computer but surge damaged ineffective and grossly
undersized protector. Ironically human recommends and buys
more of those ineffective and undersized surge protectors.

How surge protectors work and what are considered effective
surge protectors is discussed in the newsgroup
alt.certification.a-plus entitled "Opinions on Surge
Protectors?" on 7 Jul 2003 or also at:
http://tinyurl.com/l3m9

How to test a modem will be described in another post.

A & M wrote:

R i c k has a great point. I have a surge protector that protects my phone
line too. It blew out once, just the phone line protector. Saved my modem.
Odd though, surge protectors cost more than many modems. My surge protector
is a "NewPoint", and came with a lifetime guarantee. Shipped it back to
them and they fixed it for free. Of course that took time, and now I have
two surge protectors, but, hey, it's great to have a backup for instantly
getting back to work after a surge.
--- Andy.

"R i c k" wrote in message
...
Most likely it to a surge of some type through the phone line. You'll
need to replace it.


Jim Gaughran wrote:
After 18 months of use, my modem won't connect to the ISP. I ran the
Dell
modem helper, and it tells me there is an Error 70 - no dial tone. I've
checked the jack with a couple of different phones, and there is
definitely
a dial tone. Does anyone know what's causing this problem and if there
is a
fix, or should I be looking for a new modem? Thanks in advance for any
help.

First establish integrity of connection to modem. A phone is
connected in that other modem jack so that phone connects to
telephone line via modem. Verify that line for phone line is
on correct modem jack AND phone is connected to other jack -
as indicated by figures stamped next to each jack.

If phone can place a call, then problem is inside the
computer.

Second idea is to bypass so much complexity and talk
directly to modem's computer. Somewhat discussed in:
http://www.modemsite.com/56k/x2-hyperterm.asp

Better explained in :
http://www.modemsite.com/56k/usehyper.asp

By pressing AT enter on keyboard causes modem computer
to respond with OK . Entering AT&F resets the modem.
Entering ATL3 turns up modems speaker volume. If modem
really does not get get dial tone, this is where you will see
the modem's computer say just that.

Third, no Dialtone Detected is the classic error message
created by hardware damage to modem's phone line connection
.... due to a surge that enters on AC electric. How to avoid
future damage is discussed in another newsgroup: "Opinions on
Surge Protectors?" on 7 Jul 2003 in the newsgroup
alt.certification.a-plus or
http://tinyurl.com/l3m9

Modem damage is routinely avoided by 'whole house'
protectors. Telco already installed such protector where
their wire enters your building. But the source of most
surges are wires highest on telephone poles - AC electric.
Most computer owners have no AC electric 'whole house'
protector - the source of most modem destructive surges.


Jim Gaughran wrote:
After 18 months of use, my modem won't connect to the ISP. I ran
the Dell modem helper, and it tells me there is an Error 70 - no
dial tone. I've checked the jack with a couple of different phones,
and there is definitely a dial tone. Does anyone know what's
causing this problem and if there is a fix, or should I be looking
for a new modem? Thanks in advance for any help.

Jim Gaughran wrote:
After 18 months of use, my modem won't connect to the ISP. I ran the Dell
modem helper, and it tells me there is an Error 70 - no dial tone. I've
checked the jack with a couple of different phones, and there is definitely
a dial tone. Does anyone know what's causing this problem and if there is a
fix, or should I be looking for a new modem? Thanks in advance for any
help.


did you recently add a Telezapper to the line? Some modems don't hear
the dialtone over the telezapper beeps.

also, "no dial tone" can happen if the modem driver is for the wrong
country. did you update the driver? if you're in the US, you want the
"copper" driver, not the "silver".

and, as others have said, it might just be a hardware problem caused by
a phone line surge.