Chargecard & ISPs

[Skinz]

I have just returned from a US trip and wonder if there are solutions/alternatives to a problem I have encountered:

I use an IDT chargecard for voice & voicemail which gives me fairly worldwide cover at good rates but at the expense of a long process to get through to the final number. Hence, when I use my Psion 5mx I cannot connect as the system 'times out' before I can finish loging in to my normal (UK Tiscali) ISP.

I see a few solutions: a tri-band IR phone - no thanks, a US ISP and web mail - if I must, scripting - help needed ... Any other thoughts gratefully appreciated.

[MikeMcC]

Hence, when I use my Psion 5mx I cannot connect as the system 'times out' before I can finish loging in to my normal (UK Tiscali) ISP. Are you using the Psion's "Chargecard" option in Control Panel / Dialling? I have used this with a BT Chargecard quite satisfactorily (apart from the totally outrageous cost of using a BT chargecard!).

[Skinz]

Mike,

Yes, I am using the chargecard option - with times set by trial and error to avoid sending information while the chargecard is processed as the system puts in long delays and voice prompts before it finally dials. The problem seems to be that this takes longer than either Mail or Opera will allow.

[MikeMcC]

Not sure that Email or Opera should have anything to do with it.

You might find it useful to install John McAleely's little program
"The Dialer". This lets you connect to the internet independently
from any particular application, a bit like Dial Up Networking on
a PC. It will also confirm that a connection has been established
before trying to use an internet application such as Web, Email,
Opera, RMRNews etc. One thing though if you do decide to use it,
make sure that in "Control Panel / Internet" you have a time
entered in the box "On exit, stay online for..." which is
sufficient to allow you to open an internet application (or in
the case of Email, open a mailbox), otherwise the connection will
drop immediately. The Dialer can be downloaded from the
"Series 5(mx)" page of my website or there is a link to John's
site for more information.

The use of commas, together with the time delay you have specified for a comma, should allow sufficient time between the different parts of the dialup. In practice, you are probably better to be over generous with the pauses, although with some systems you don't actually need to wait for the speech to stop before continuing with the next part of the dialup.