You might want to try the Experimential Modem Tester program, it does a number o these checks for you automaitcally. See the ModemTests page

To check if your phone can be used for data you need to do a simple check.

To do this check you will use the Hyper Terminal Program that is included with Windows; you will also need the DB-9 to phone cable.

The first thing to do is make sure that the Comm port is not being used by another application, Hotsync or ActiveSync, if either of these programs is running you will need to turn them off.

Start the Hyperterminal program, Start Menu/Programs/Accessories/Communications/HyperTerminal. If you don't see HyperTerminal here then it wasn't installed with Windows.

To install, HyperTerminal,

• run the add/remove programs item in the control panel,
• select the windows setup tab
• select the communications tab
• click the details button
• check the HyperTerminal box

The HyperTerminal splash screen will be displayed, it will then ask about creating a new connection, enter the name Direct to COM1

Click OK, the connection properties dialog will be displayed.

Change the Connect Using field to Direct to COM1

Click on OK, you will next see the connection details dialog (COM1 Properties)

Set the baud rate to 19200, this is fast enough for cell modems. Note that some modem wills NOT autodetect the speed, so if the test doesn't work at 19200 you should try it at 9600.

Set the flow control to hardware. Click on OK

Once you have clicked on OK you will see the standard Terminal window.

Type ATZ then press enter

The modem will reply with an OK message. If it doesn't then try 9600 baud rate. To do this

Select Call/Disconnect

Select File/Properties

Click on the Configure Button

Set the Baud rate to be 9600

Exit HyperTerminal, save the settings when asked

Start hyper terminal again, this time by using the Direct to COM1 session we created before.

If you can not get the cell phone to reply to the ATZ command then your cell phone doesn't have a built in modem, this means that it can not be used.

If it has a built in modem then you need to make sure that it can be used for data.

To do this, you need to dial a phone number that provides data service, in this example we will use 1-415-659-0610, (you should use a different number, you local ISP is a good choice)

The important thing to note is that we entered a dial command after the ATZ we had done before. The Dial command is ATDT followed by the phone number you want to dial.

Once you press the enter key on the keyboard the phone should dial out, after some time you will get the message CONNECT or NO CARRIER. CONNECT means that everything has worked. NO CARRIER means that something went wrong. Try dialing again, as often the phone will not dial on the first attempt.

If after four attempts you have not connected try a different phone number. Note that for most phones you must have digital service for the modem to work

The amount of time it takes for the NO CARRIER message to be returned after pressing the enter key to dial is important. If it takes about 5 seconds or less then you have a problem relating to the phone network. Either you don't have digital service or you do not have the data option enabled with your plan. If it takes 60 seconds then try a different phone number.

Note that depending on the phone you may get more information when you connect, for example CONNECT 14400. The important part is that the message starts with CONNECT.

If you get the connect message then your phone can be used at the rover for data.

Checking if the phone can be used at the base.

Reset the phone using ATZ, then tell the phone to automatically answer an incoming call using ATS0=1

Depending on the phone you may have to place the phone in DATA only mode as well; this will be done from the menu on the phone.

From a normal phone dial the phone number of the cell phone, the phone should answer and make "Modem Noises". If it does this then it can be used at the base, although note that depending on the modem a Data Stop cable may need to be created. See the document on Cell phones for the details

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