Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!cs.utexas.edu!uunet!loft386!dpi
From: dpi@loft386.UUCP (Doug Ingraham)
Newsgroups: comp.dcom.modems
Subject: Re: PC Pursuit, is it worth it with a TB+?
Summary: I didn't find it to be economical.
Message-ID: <517@loft386.UUCP>
Date: 2 Oct 89 16:27:15 GMT
References: <200875@hrc.UUCP>
Organization: Lofty Pursuits, Rapid City, SD USA
Lines: 53

In article <200875@hrc.UUCP>, dan@hrc.UUCP (Dan Troxel) writes:
> 
> Is it worth using the PC Pursuit Telenet lines using a Telebit Plus?
> Our calls are getting steep, and am considering Telenet. 
> 
If you have a TB+ currently it is cheaper to use that and pay long
distance than using PC Pursuit.  Telenet doesn't have 2400 baud in
my local area so I had to use it at 1200.  I am using AT&T reach
out America.

Here is how the comparison goes:

Hours of operation:
PC Pursuit hours are 6:00pm - 8:00am.  14 hours/day max.
Reach out America program hours are 10:00pm - 8:00am.  10 hours/day max.

Data transfer rate.
TB+ performance averages 1000cps with transfers as high as 1400cps.
PC Pursuit is 2400 baud max or 240cps which you can't get using uucp g.
150cps is probably a good figure.  The best I ever got using 1200 baud
was 72cps.

Maximum daily throughput:
10 hours @ 1000cps = 36000000 bytes/day using a TB+ and Reach Out America.
14 hours @ 150cps  = 7560000 bytes/day on PC pursuit.
TB+ can move 4.7 times as much data/day.  According to the news statistics
we are over 7 megabytes/day making it just barely possible to use
PC Pursuit for a full feed.  But not for very long.  A full feed is less than
2 hours/day via TB+.  Your phone will be tied up at least 4 times longer/day
with PCP than with a TB+.

Cost of each service/hour:
Reach Out America costs $6.90/hour during the programs hours.
PC Pursuit costs $1.00/hour for 30 hour blocks or $0.83/hour for 60 hour
blocks.

Cost of each service/megabyte:
TB+ costs $2.01/megabyte moved.
PC Pursuit goes for $1.61/megabyte moved at 2400 baud.  Since many
places don't have 2400 baud the figure for 1200 baud is twice that
or $3.22/megabyte moved.  The PCP costs can be twice as much as these
figures show if you have to buy extra blocks which you don't end up
using or if you go very much over your block allocation.

On the surface PCP looks like a bargain.  But in fact it is not because
you have to do the time management on the blocks yourself and sometimes
(for me it was often) you must wait hours (yes hours) for an outdial to
become available in the connecting city.

-- 
Doug Ingraham (SysAdmin)
Lofty Pursuits (Public Access for Rapid City SD USA)
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