Product: MD-2 Modem
Machines: ZX/TS 2K or 16K
From: Byte-Back Co.
Rt 3 Box 147, Brodie Rd.
Leesville SC 29070
803/532-5812
Price: $149.95 Assem.
$119.95 Kit
Byte-Back continues their tradition of fine products for the ZX/TS with the MD-2, an originate only direct connect modem with software for ASCII translation, program and text upload/download, and printing (RS232 or TS2040).
Since the introduction of the MD-2B, Byte-Back no longer sells the MD-2. The MD-2B can originate or answer via a hardware switch, but in all other respects is an MD-2. None of the modems answer the phone or dial. Byte-Back has upgrade kits from MD-2 to MD-2B. They also sell a TS2068 Modem with identical features, same price, under the name MD-68. You can get a kit allowing you to switch your MD-2 or 2B to a MD-68 at will.
ZCOMM, the software provided with Byte-Back modems, comes on cassette with a 2K RAM version on one side, and a 16/64K version on the other. Both versions are recorded twice with different recorders to ensure the tape will load. It seems a sturdy program.
Several times during testing the modem I thought I had uncovered a bug in ZCOMM, but it turned out to be a feature: when storing text from the phone line into program memory, ZCOMM’s stores the bytes in memory. When memory fills, the system appears to crash. Actually, it munches the text for a while (over a minute) and turns it into REM statements. This way, you can store an entire conversation in memory, then SAVE or LLIST it.
For a sturdy product with better support than you’ll get from Timex, get the MD-2B.