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From: Honest Joe
Subject: NEWCOMERS.
Want DIRECPC info??
Date: Wednesday, January 12, 2000 9:18 PM
Greetings.. So you are considering Direcpc for Internet access, or you may have just purchased the system and have questions??
May I paint a picture for you, then answer a few questions that you may have wanted to
ask??
Chances are that you have *no* access to highspeed Internet, and won't
for the foreseeable future.. No DSL, no cable modem, no ISDN.. You, perhaps, live in the
"boondocks" or are contemplating a move to such an area in the short future..
The modem hookup speeds you are currently getting are bad, and the files you are trying to
get, keep getting larger all the time.. In short, you are: ->desperate<-
for higher speed access and see this as the only alterative you have.. Will it work for
me?? Are all the negative posts I read here true?? Let us concentrate on the first
question, shall we??
1. The system is a "oneway street".. Highspeed downloads, modem uploads..
2. The system can be difficult to install.. Not only is there the physical hardware, dish, cabling, etc, but the software installation can be just as bad, or worse.. However, if you have the wherewithal, it is certainly doable.. The two major problems people have are dish alignment and difficult (buggy) Hughes software installation.. If you are not experienced, paying a professional is money well spent..
3. Technical support is *terrible*.. I would advise you to *carefully* read the manuals, and have some computer savvy, to avoid having to contact these people.. By the way, they do not speak NT at Tech support, so NT users, you are pretty much on your own.. Further, at this time, there is _NO_ support for win2000, please don't post questions about it.. Watch Hughes website instead..
4: Pricing, plans, etc, are all on Hughes website, and I will not spend time with them here.. The URL is http://www.direcpc.com Please refer to this site for cost issues.. NOT HERE..
Now let us concentrate on the second question.. Are all the negative posts I read here true?? The honest answer?? Yes, they are, for the most part, accurate..
This brings up this *most* important question:->What do you want to do with this system<-??
Let me state for you what kind of customer Hughes (Direcpc) is looking for.. They seek people who want to use the system for web browsing, e-mail and ->very<- light software downloads.. This is so stated by them.. Does this description fit you?? If it does, you will, probably, be satisfied with Direcpc.. Contrary to what may appear here, Hughes *does* have satisfied customers, and almost *all* of them fit into this category.. I define "light" in that you have less than about 2 gigabytes per month of traffic.. This number would translate into about 66.66 megabytes per 24 hour period.. That's a lot, you may think to yourself, but is it?? Not really..
Now if, instead, you want this system to move data, I.E, download a lot of binaries from usenet, and/or a lot of FTP downloads:-> Watch out <-.. Hughes (Direcpc) considers people who engage in this type of behavior as "abusers".. "Abusers" do not go unpunished at Direcpc.. Hughes has what they call the "FAP" or "Fair Access Policy".. What is that, you ask?? Well, the way "abusers" are "punished", is that Hughes cuts your download speeds.. They can, and will, cut your download speed from the supposed 400kbits/s to well below that of a 56k modem.. And keep it there.. At least for a while.. Usually the range of time that the speed restrictions are in place are from one to three hours, per "punishment".. Now, you might be wondering to yourself just what these limits are?? How can you make a decision without knowing them, right??
Consider: If one was to look for an account on a premium newserver, Altnet, Giganews, Newscene, et al, they tell you up front.. Almost all the news services pricing are based upon either bandwidth or download volume.. You know *all* of your restrictions *beforehand*.. Unfortunately, my friend, Hughes does not inform anybody about anything.. This has been a big problem for *all* of Hughes direcpc customers..
This "abuse" policy is not implemented the same way for all users either.. In fact, Hughes has *NEVER*, *PERIOD*, *EVER* published this limit (the amount of traffic at which your speed is cut).. I suppose that is because it is not uniform for all users.. It can range from as low as 20 megabytes in a session to 200 megabytes, or more.. Limits here have been reported at 20, 30, 80, 100, 150, 200 and, in one case, no limits.. These numbers are in megabytes.. It is different for different people.. In short, the word "Fair" is a true misnomer..
Further, and this is the kicker, usually (but not always) there is a "honeymoon" period, (usually the length of the warranty).. About 90 days.. In these first 90 days there may, or may not, be a limit on your ability to download large amounts.. We have had many reports here both ways..
It is in these first 90 days that many new users come here and get involved in flame wars.. They don't yet understand, nor have experienced, the systems limitations.. If you are counting on large downloads, etc, you're sunk.. If this is the reason you want the system, then *no* it is _not_ for you.. If you do buy, thinking this is either not true, or won't happen to you, then we'll be seeing you in the direcpc "barrel" soon enough..
Hughes includes a service called "newscast" with the subscription that is suppose to enable you to collect usenet binaries without it counting against your online time or traffic usage.. I'm not going to go into this here, so suffice to say is that it:> doesn't work-.. PERIOD.. As far as the popular binary groups are concerned.. These being warez/cd.image/.mp3 and others.. If you are into porn, (alt.biniaries.pictures.*) Hughes feels that this is OK, and newscast does still work for that purpose.. In short, you will *still* have to download binaries from a newserver if you want them, and will risk being FAP'ed by doing so.. The million dollar question that you must ask yourself is: "Is this system above, or below, my pain threshold".. Like it or not, my friends, the above sentence is the bottom line to your buying decision..
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Now, may I also take a moment to tell you about this group: alt.satellite.direcpc?? This group was founded by, and for, DISGRUNTLED direcpc owners.. Slamming Hughes, whining, complaining, etc, are ALL on topic, on target, and welcome here..
This group is NOT the support group, be it technical or otherwise, for direcpc.. You are certainly free to pose questions, but *please* remember that a lot of people here are hostile to Hughes.. After all, that is the groups reason for being.. That being said, most of the netizens here are *very* experienced in general, and with direcpc in particular.. They, usually, are more than willing to accommodate/help/answer a sincere, non abrasive question.. Above all, spend some time here before posting.. Read some of the articles _before_ you jump in.. It could save you a lot of ill will..
We have *many* flame wars here, and almost all are provoked by newcomers asking abrasive questions, people asking off topic questions, usually about directv, which has nothing at all to do with direcpc, and from new direcpc owners defending a system that they have virtually no experience with.. Their egos are bruised by the statements here, and feel the need to jump in and "defend" their system.. (More specifically, their decision to buy it).. As you do, so is it done to you.. I also recommend, most hardily, Deja news.. http://www.deja.com By searching the archives for this group, almost any question you may have has, probably, already been discussed many times over.. We would appreciate you trying to solve your own problems first/answer your own questions first, before asking for help.. Being self sufficient should be a goal for everybody.. This also allows for the groups important work (whining about Hughes) to continue without interruption <BG> <big grin>
My most hardy welcome, and enjoy your stay.. ;-)
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Last, but certainly not least, are the "testimonials".. These are posts that I have gleaned from this group and felt they are relevant to our discussion of this product and your purchase thereof.. Please feel free to judge, believe, or disbelieve at your discretion.. After all, it's your money...........
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>From: Wade Hamel
>Newsgroups: alt.satellite.direcpc
>Subject: 2 weeks with the dish - update from my 3 day post earlier
>Date: Tue,04 Jan 2000 00:36:26 -0500
>Message-ID: > > Okay, a couple of weeks ago I posted a message about what
my
>experience was with the DirecPC dish over the course of 3 days. Since
>I've had quite a few e-mails asking about what's going on with me now,
>I figured it might be worth updating everyone.
> My Fair Access Plan setting is currently at 30 Meg per DAY! I
>was subscribing to the 200 hour a month plan, but with all the testing
>and such I had only used 43 hours in the slightly over 2 weeks since I
>have installed the system. My FAP gets down to 2.2k on transfers when
>it sets in and is there for theduration of the day. (I've been known
>to be quite the rebel, but this makes me seem like a total outlaw I
>guess.) > I have since called and cancelled by 200 hour amonth plan and
>changed to the least expensive plan and have no intention of actually
>wasting my time with the Turbo Internet option anymore. I am quite
>impressed with the Newscast setup (the newsgroup broadcast) and I
>guess the system is worth it just for that for me. That's most of
>what I do on the Internet anyway. (I think this answers someone elses
>question about FAP and the 200 hour plan - remember my system gets 30
>meg per day at 40-41.2k transfer ratest then I get 2.2-2.8k.)
> I have tried a variety of games on the system and there is NO
>benefit at all by having the direcpc system for gaming. In fact, the
>latency I have seen with it makes it totally worthless for gaming in
>my opinion.
> The software seems to have a few glitches, but nothing that is
>terribly out of the ordinary. I think Hughes needs to spend a little
>more time on the next version and clean up a few area that don't
>appear to sit well with other programs.
> I have been using my dialup line exclusively lately and on
>average have had much better transfer rates than on the dish. It may
>be 14 times faster than my 24k dialup connection for someone, but it
>sure isn't for me.
>So, to sum things up - I am keeping it for the newsgroups, I
>do NOT understand why I have to shell out over $100 a month for 200
>hours of access that is restricted, but that's their choice - I can
>take it or leave it. (I left it. :) ) I did fix my problem with
>mail though, but it's a pain. So now I just restrict myself to
>sending mail when I'm dialed in regularly.
> As far as my thoughts on FAP - if I was getting unlimited
>access for my $100 then by all means, cut me back - but until I can
>get 200 solid hours for my .50 an hour (or whatever the overage charge
>is) then I don't plan on using it that much. Since I seriously doubt
>that they will switch to an unlimited plan anytime soon I seriously
>doubt that I'll be considering this as a viable option.
> Also, my experiences with the tech support team at Hughes were
>actually a lot better than I expected them to be. (Although I do have
>say that it's not a good idea to mess up their phone number, you'd be
>surprised who owns 1-800-directpc). Once I finally got them on the
>phone, the hold time was very short and they fixed the couple of
>problems I had in very short order. They didn't seem to like the idea
>that I run this on an NT server, but they still helped me.
> I really do hope this helps some other people understand that
>the system has it's uses, but you have to seriously consider what you
>are going to be using it for before you buy it. Other than the
>limited newsgroups on the Newscast system I can't think of any other
>practical use for the system.
>Thanks,
>Wade
>P.S. Note - I'm not really complaining about the dish here or the
>service so much as expressing my thoughts and my experiences. I read
>the newsgroups before I bought the thing and to be honest - I couldn't
>believe the FAP levels or anything were real.
>>
Notice the last two sentences.. The FAP levels are real..
Unfortunately, Wade found out with 20/20 hindsight.. You have an advantage.. ->You know
before hand<-..
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>From:[email protected] (ROBERT)
>Newsgroups: alt.satellite.direcpc
>Subject: Question About Receving Newsgroups ( is it a piece of crap? )
>Message-ID:
>X-Newsreader: MicroPlanet Gravity v2.11
>Date: Tue, 4 Jan 2000 21:53:53 -0600
>NNTP-Posting-Date: Tue, 04 Jan 2000 22:50:44 EST
>
>I had just got direcpc this year for xmas thinking it would be great for
>downloading the games and apps that I was downloading from my regular
>server using MicroPlanet Gravity ver 2.11 which I was downloading from
>alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc alt.binaries.warez.ibm-pc.games and a few other
>good sites for downloading. Since I've been using the satellite I haven't
>received anything from the satellite pertaining to the newsgroups I'm
>interested in also I have gravity set up to receive newscast headers
>every 30 mins and still have not receive anything from my favorite
>newsgroups yet. But I do receive from other newsgroups in newscast. So
>what I was wanting to know if anyone else has this trouble receiving
>newsgroups.Or know of the newscast newsgroups that has games and apps I
>can download. I know this probably sounds stupid but it sure is
>disappointing knowing I can't download any games or apps from newscast.
>Right now I think this satellite was a waste of money and a piece of crap
>
Seems a lot of people tend to agree with Robert.. Especially people who wanted usenet
binaries.. To bad Hughes didn't inform people in the ad's that all of the relevant usenet
binary groups had been *CUT* from the newscast service..
It must have been just an honest oversight...... Right??
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And this pearl.. By the way, as time passes, *many* more testimonials will be added for your comparison shopping information..
>From: [email protected]
>Newsgroups: alt.satellite.direcpc
>Subject: Cancelling Direcpc service
>Date: Wed, 05 Jan 2000 21:57:43 GMT
>Message-ID: <[email protected]>
>X-Article-Creation-Date: Wed Jan 05 21:57:43 2000 GMT
>
>Greetings,
>
>I bought a direcduo and encountered 90% of the problems
>I've seen mentioned here. I just got off the phone with
>customer support (1-888-382-3886, from someone elses post).
>
>The woman there took down my account info and a long list
>of why I was cancelling. She actually read it all back to me to make
>sure it was accurate. I asked for confirmation that the account
>was closed and she said the request has to be transfered to
>billing and (oh no!) customer retention dept (good luck pal!)
>but should be closed within 48 hours and confirmed by email.
>
>Now from what I've read here, this all seems to be too good to
>be true. What am I missing? Does someone show up at the door
>with a lead pipe and "persuade" me to keep the service?
>
>At any rate, I'll let you all know in 48 hours.
>
>Ken
>
Ken refers to the fact that sometimes it takes an act of congress to make Hughes stop billing your credit card after you have canceled the service.. I'll say this about Hughes.. Regardless of what one may think about the service, there is one area in which these people truly accel.. ->Collecting the money<-..
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>From: "Snake"
>Newsgroups: alt.satellite.direcpc
>Subject: What to do
>Date: Sat, 8 Jan 2000 12:43:12 -0600
>Organization: Neosoft (using Airnews.net!) >Message-ID: <41855482C2B4969F.B4D9855AB21E748C.06CCC0130ACEA850@lp.airnews.net>
>
>I haven't been to this group in months. I was in the garage last night and
>saw my Direct Duo Dish laying there and thought I would check back in here
>to see what was going on with Direcpc. Sadly, I see not much has changed.
>Bummer.
>
>Some of you will think I am crazy when I tell you that I bought a USB/Duo
>Dish setup about 6 months ago and used it for about 3 weeks. I never
>permanently installed the dish. I "C-clamped" it to a steel post just
>outside the window where I keep a PC. I had it workin in less than 30
>minutes. (I remember the skepticism of this claim in this group. But I
>really did find the setup very easy) I was really pumped about the fast
>downloads, but was very dissapointed with the horrible latency for browsing.
>But my biggest dissapointment was my own fault. I didn't do adequate
>research first. (I didn't come here). I had assumed that I would be able to
>get the USB modem to work in Win2000. Surely someone had figured out some
>hack or beta driver to get it to work. Worst case scenario, Direcpc would be
>supporting it in short time. I was able to get EVERYTHING else to work in
>W2k.
>
>Stupid assumptions!Direcpc doesn't "support" anything. There isn't even a
>peep out them on this issue. I can't believe how little has changed in six
>months. Their website still matches the files cached months ago, and this
>newsgroup is like a tape recording of the past. How can Hughes be so
>stagnant in the face of negative publicity?
>
>Anyway, I refuse to be forced back to Win98. I can see I will be waiting
>indefinately for W2k support. I have hardware that hasn't been used for 30
>hours, much less 30 days! Although I loved downloading at 400k+, it is well
>documented here how you get punished for such criminal behaviour. (I have
>trained myself to do my heavy downloading at the office.) So I have two
>choices. Wait another 6 months and check again? Or just cut my losses and
>dump the hardware for cheap.
>
>I have to admit the cost of direcpc is not my complaint. I haven't even
>cancelled my direcpc service and I haven't used it since the first month I
>had it. I have been so busy, I guess I just didn't have time to worry about
>the 35.00 monthly charge. Besides, from the horror stories I have heard in
>here, I sure didn't want to fight to get the service turned off and then
>turn it back on when I could use it in W2k.
>
>I live in the woods and it is worth it to me to pay the monthly fee just for
>an occasional MP3 session or some late-night downloads. But is it time to
>remount the dish (permanently this time) soon? Has anyone heard about W2k
>drivers?
>
>Or does some other low-bandwidth-with-no-high-speed-future-in-sight dude
>want a USB setup?
>
>Thanks guys for any information you have.
>
>snake
>
Here's a customer extolling the software/driver support.. ->Or lack thereof<-.. Holding ones breath, waiting for this outfit to get something done can be quite dangerous..
*****************************************************
Here's another 2 year "satisfied" customer..
>From: "A. Laviolette"
>Newsgroups: alt.satellite.direcpc
>Subject: DirecPC Truth
>Message-ID:
>Date: Tue, 11 Jan 2000 22:21:08 GMT
>
>In June, my cable system will finally have Internet access available. I am
>dumping my DirecPC after two years of use. There is no hesitation on my
>part. Every negative post here is true. The only reason I have kept this
>abortion for two years is the lack of any decent phone lines in my area. DPC
>was the lesser of two evils. Many times it slows down to dial-up speeds,
>even without the stupid FAP. Big Usenet downloads? Forget it. Even a game
>patch or browser upgrade can trigger FAP. Once I was FAPped while
>downloading the new DirecPC software! The cable cannot get here soon enough
>for me. Thanks to David Graham and Frank St. Claire for two years of
>hilarious posts and their efforts to take on Hughes.
>
>Alan
>
Like most older users, as soon as *ANY* alternative becomes available: - >poof<- Hughes loses a customer..
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