Blocknews 100GB/$20 or Astraweb 120GB/$25?

piratebot said:
maybe he's the type of person that only downloads a small amount each month, like 5 gb, whihc would obviously be cheaper for him
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True, but he did say the magic word, 'downloading'...

I have (still good) block accounts from over 10 years ago when I used to chase 'fills' (the servers/usenet system were nowhere as good as today).

But you're right, it all depends on the amount of traffic. But as the line/ISP costs are a pretty set number for the lowest speed (even if they are getting that as a bundle), the server costs (added on) above that are a very small amount.

Unless we're talking dial-up. But the cheapest dial-up is right around $10/month v. the $15/month for the cheapest DSL (or bundle from a cableco).

The cheapest total for both line/server costs is about $25/month, any lower than that is pretty much a 'forget all of it' proposition.
 
UsenetGuy said:
Why not? I did. The account signup process is automated.
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Although I had no problem myself, I've seen several complaints from people who paid for an Astraweb account on a Saturday or Sunday and were left hanging until Monday or Tuesday, such as this unfortunate customer:

http://filesharingtalk.com/vb3/f-newsgroups-79/t-astraweb-account-setup-344059


UsenetGuy said:
Also you cannot judge BlockNews's level of service if you have not used them specifically, highwinds media have many different server farms. If you tried another highwinds reseller then chances are you were on a different server farm.
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Please elaborate. In September 2008, Highwinds relocated its U.S. "reseller" server farm from Atlanta GA to Ashburn VA. The Atlanta server originally belonged to UsenetServer, prior to the company being bought by Highwinds. Highwinds previously ran 'reseller' serverfarms in Arizona and New York, and these were migrated to UNS's Atlanta farm about early 2007. As far as I know, Highwinds uses two locations currently, in Ashburn and Amsterdam, and all Highwinds resellers use the same back-end servers.

Since BlockNews, as with other Highwinds resellers, sells access to the same Highwinds usenet servers, the main 'quality component' that might differentiate them from other resellers is their level of customer service/ tech support - as that is provided by the reseller, not by Highwinds. (I don't know of any other usenet companies, other than Astraweb, that don't do customer support on weekends.)
 
zot said:
Twenty bucks a year for unlimited usenet is certainly dirt cheap - but I've got to wonder, how can they deliver a quality service for such a cheap price?

Even if it's unreliable, you could combine usenetworld with a no-expiration block account (from Astraweb, Usenet-News, Blocknews, etc) for fills/backup-provider and still come out ahead money-wise.

I'd like to know what provider usenetworld.net is reselling, and how well their service stands up.
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I was wondering the exact same thing, the deal seems too good to be true. I started a new thread to see if anyone has actually used them.

http://filesharingtalk.com/vb3/f-newsgroups-79/t-usenetworldnet-346563
 
I have always used block accounts with Astraweb for fills. They last me a long time. I still can't give up Easynews even with the problems they are have had and are having because of the web interface. There is no other Usenet Server that has such an awesome web interface with so many features like Easynews does.
 
zot said:
a bit off the subject, but I just thought I'd say that there are MANY dialup ISPs that cost well under $10/month - although some limit hours per month. Here are three examples:
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Every one of those you pointed out are LIMITED access (either hours of use or bits transferred); they all, from what I can see, offer 'unlimited' service at, guess what, ~$9.99/month. Hmmm..

All these dial-up folks are like, as you pointed out with Blocknews, are 'resellers' of service, they actually don't 'own' either their POP (point-of-presence) or networks, but 'rent' others.

But since the OP pointed out he was using the 5GB/month 3G cell phone data service (that's included in his basic cell phone plan), then whatever decent price and service he can get, within that transfer limitation, is good to go. Personally, I'd go with Astraweb, having used them for years and years (on a block account) for fills and such, before taking the big plunge for the $11/month unlimited deal.

But that's a personal preference.

And as far as dial-up, I'm sure lots of us don't really have access to it any more, having switched to one form or another of digital line service (either Telco/DSL or cablemodems), as any phone service through either is a drop in the bucket in cost next to 'real' loop telephone service, and in my case, is LESS than 'basic' telco loop service INCLUDING unlimited phone time plus all the 'goodies' like voicemail Plus a ton of other features that are cost-extra from the telcos. A true no-brainer.
 
Hi! Thanks for the discussion. Basically, I have canceled my home ISP altogether because of cost constraints right now. For internet access, I am connecting my computer/laptop to my cell phone through tethering. I get 3G speeds most of the time. While it isnt mega-highspeed it serves its purpose for everything I do now (or have limited myself to doing). Essentially, I have cut out the internet expense altogether as my cell phone bill will not increase at all.

Since I am using my phone as my internet source...I really can only do extended downloads (mainly Usenet) when I am sleeping and do not need use of the telephone. I am not suppose to be tethering to begin with so I am trying to keep excessive usage down.

Like I said, I will only really be doing MAYBE a gig a week from usenet...essentially just getting a certain TV show I like. I realized everything else I was getting before was simply being burned and put away to "watch later"....later and later and later. :) Now it looks like I will be catching up on that stuff.

With spring and summer fast approaching I do not think this will be to difficult...I will prolly resubscribe once late fall and the dead of winter is back upon us.

As for who i went with...number of connections is of little importance to me since my data speed on my cell phone is less than 1 MBit...even when I had high speed net..I never needed more than 10 connections ever so.

I really had no way to choose between Astra and Blocknews except based on price and support. Blocknews had them beat on price. For support, I tested them out and had a response in about 10 minutes on Easter Sunday no less...I dont know if it is still the case, but it used to be Astra didnt have any support on the weekends which left me hanging one weekend last year. With those two in Blocknews favor..i went with them for 2 100 gig accounts...everything is great..so it looks like I am set until the end of summer or so! :D
 
TeQTeQ said:
www.gebruikhet.net 210 GB for 25 Euros. Payin via Paypal/Paysafecard and Creditcard transaction. Retention is growing up to 400 Days.
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GebruikHet.Net (a reseller of XS News) is a new company that has only been in business for about 16 months.

Does anyone remember UsenetVault.com? (They advertised a lot, and may have had a few FST signups.) UsenetVault offered some great prices on block accounts also, which they called "bucket accounts". The sad part is that they recently went out of business -- after less than a year. And no, they did not refund unused block accounts.

Just something to think about before you lay down a hunk of money on a big block account (or pay several months up-front) at some new rookie usenet provider with enticing prices -- and expect your account will last you many months/years.

Having said all that ... yes, I agree that the block account prices at GebruikHet.Net are excellent - in fact, the lowest prices I've seen anywhere.
 
What is wrong with reselling from XS News, we don't have the costs for a huge server park :)

Btw GebruikHet.Net is a part of www.bullcat.nl ( since 1-4-05 ), we do more then usenet accounts, our core business is hosting/colocated and dedicated, Usenet is a small part of it :) the same as bullstreaming.nl

Grtzz
Hans
 
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