I ordered the Timex 2050 modem back in January hoping I would get it in time to use in a class I was taking at the University of Florida. Of course I never saw it during that time. Finally I called Timex and was told that Westridge Communications in Marina Del Ray, CA had a compatible unit. I called Westridge and spoke to a man named Stuart. He told me that they, in fact, have the actual Timex unit and were selling it with their name on it instead of Timex’s because Timex broke their contract after calling it quits.
Skipper Electronics ordered several units to see how they went, and I got one of the first in. The unit includes the modem, power supply, 28 page manual, software, and information for subscribing to CompuServe and The Source.
The connector has a piggyback connector on it like the 2040 printer and is silver in color. The 2040 printer fits perfectly on top; the unit measures 7 3/4 by 6 1/4 by 11/2 inches and a 12″ shielded ribbon cable between the connector and the unit. The front is black with a data on light to the left. It uses the same power supply as the 1000/1500 and provides two modular connections; one for the wall and one for your phone. The cassette includes software for the 2068 on one side and for the 1000, ZX81, and 1500 on the other.
The manual gives step by step, easy to understand instructions for setting up and using the modem. Once the software is loaded, a menu appears on the screen directing you to press a key for auto dialing a number, set BORDER, INK, and PAPER color (TS2068), and system set up. The modem initially sets up with full duplex, even parity, 7 bit word, and 1 stop bit. This can easily be changed by pressing the appropriate key which toggles the parameters to that desired.
The modem has auto dial and auto connect and tells you when you are connected with a host computer. Once online, any ASCII character can be sent. A terminal mode menu is also available which allows you to clear the screen, COPY the current screen to the printer, return to the main menu, or return to terminal mode. Also, modem commands allow you to dial out, disconnect for human communication, start modem carrier tones, and hang up.
The modem also auto-answers so you can set the system up and leave, and anyone who calls up can leave a message on your screen. Stuart also told me that new software will be coming out soon which would allow uploading and downloading of prograns and possibly 64 characters per line!