Blocknews 100GB/$20 or Astraweb 120GB/$25? [Archive]

hdjunky

04-12-2009, 09:15 PM

Recent changes in my budget have forced me to cut expenses considerably...and one thing that had to go was my unlimited Usenet account...I know I know, I should have given up eating 2 days a week, but I am a big guy. :D...

Anywho, instead of giving up on usenet completely for awhile I realized I could simply cut my downloading habits down considerably and just get a block account and make that last for awhile.

I think I have it narrowed down between who to buy from...but I have not purchased a block account in forever so I may be missing something.

BlockNews 100 gigs for 20 bucks OR Astraweb 120 gigs for 25 bucks. Any other options out there? Blocknews will have higher retention than Astra in the end..although 35 days really isnt all that big of a deal...Neither one of them expire.

Has anyone used BOTH services before and can comment between the two? I know there is a lot of Astraweb fans here, but please remember this is not for an unlimited account...I may be downloading a gig or a gig and a half a week at most so. Thanks a lot!

UsenetGuy

04-12-2009, 09:55 PM

I've used both before and the level of service seems pretty much the same, I guess I would go with who has the higher retention but neither of them have actually reached their retention targets and one of them might announce another increase just before they reach it, so y'never know. I have taken a look at both their websites and Astraweb looks like a better deal, you get 8 more connections and free headers. Keep that in mind if you're into downloading headers.

Honestly though, it is upto you. Both are offer great service :)

Beck38

04-13-2009, 07:30 AM

Unless you need something very small (like for text or pics, surely not video even divx much less full dvd's), and figuring that your ISP/transmission costs (whatever method or speed/capacity) remains the same, then block accounts (btw, giganews doesn't offer block accounts at all anymore), are pretty much history at this point.

The benchmark is surely Astraweb at $11/month unlimited. Even although they (Astraweb) still offer bocks, at $10/25gigs, it's again, targeted at really small uses. 25G = some 50 uncompressed CD's (who knows how many MP3s), but only about 3 full uncompressed DVD's.

Also look at what you're paying for transmission; Most folks line rate is really bloated, in that the % cycle is really low; how much time is the line simply sitting there, neither transmitting or receiving, for x hours per day? And utilized at or near 100%, what is the 'ultimate' total transmission...? When I d/l (which is almost 100% of the time) my d/l machine runs 24/7. All those night-time hours are used to the hilt. But my line speed is fairly low, but I utilize it again, to the hilt.

So, you might take a look at your operational efficiency while you're belt tightening. My usenet costs, with the Astraweb deal, are the cheapest part of the puzzle when up against ISP and other 'consumables' like electrical and blank dvd's...

UsenetGuy

04-13-2009, 08:03 AM

Beck38

04-13-2009, 02:28 PM

Perhaps he can't afford $11/month, hence why he would want a block account. :)

We don't know what the application is, but....

In the US, unlike Europe, internet line (ISP)costs are not subsidized by the government, plus the size of the country is such that the line (isp) costs are pretty much around the same (high to very high again, compared to the subsidized costs in Europe/Britain).

Although he didn't say, the lowest cost (and lowest speed) is around $15/month for 768k/128k DSL or a bit faster (but with other problems like delays and other 'neat features' with cableco internet), when 'bundled' with video service(s).

But like I said, block accounts would only be usable (say, the >$10+ would last multiple months) if the d/l'ing was very minimal. There are a lot of 'unknowns' with the problem as stated, but again, the usenet server account is the lowest/cheapest part of the 'mix' of monies spent.

Perhaps the OP can get back with a bit more of a breakdown in costings.

piratebot

04-13-2009, 07:04 PM

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

Beck38

04-13-2009, 09:12 PM

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

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.

saulin

04-13-2009, 09:15 PM

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.

hdjunky

04-13-2009, 10:06 PM

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

SonsOfLiberty

04-13-2009, 10:12 PM

It's still cheaper for $11 a month..

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

hdjunky

04-13-2009, 10:21 PM

It's still cheaper for $11 a month..

How do you figure? My cap on cell phone data is I believe 5 gigs per month...So the mot i would download safely from usenet to leave room is about 4 gigs a month. 11 bucks a month works out to $2.75 per gig and it is a fixed cost per month which I can not deal with right now. I have 200 gigs at 20 cents a gig that i can use between now and the end of my lifetime (they dont have usenet in the next life:D) since they do not expire.

SonsOfLiberty

04-13-2009, 10:34 PM

Are you sure they don't expire, I though they were a month thing.

hdjunky

04-13-2009, 10:38 PM

Are you sure they don't expire, I though they were a month thing.

True block accounts dont expire.

SonsOfLiberty

04-13-2009, 10:54 PM

Ok, never deal with the block account, granted I don't download that much either, the unlimited just seemed easier to me.

mikeHD

04-14-2009, 01:18 PM

I've been foolish enough to pay for Astraweb & Giganews for the last 6 months or so and have been switching back and forth between plans with my ISP as I try and figure out wtf is wrong with my cable connection because my ISP is full of noobs who know less about computers than me, as in "Would you like to try and do a speedtest sir?". Next step is to call their competition. Edit: Switching ISPs as of next Saturday. Looking forward to 50/20.

djerholler69

04-14-2009, 01:47 PM

zot

04-15-2009, 08:21 AM

Has anyone used BOTH services before and can comment between the two?
Blocknews is a Highwinds reseller. I've used Highwinds (not through Blocknews) and Astraweb. One thing about Astraweb that makes them fairly unique in the usenet provider business is that their tech support team does not work on weekends, so it can take several days for you to get an email reply to a problem. (Don't sign up with Astraweb on a weekend and expect to start downloading right away.)

Other than the issue of support-call turnaround, there's probably not much difference between the two service-wise. Astraweb has about a 2 week retention lead (the last time I checked) and as far as "final" retention, there's really no telling how that will end up.

As Blocknews is a small reseller that's only been around a year or two, I'd say that compared to Astraweb (an established full-service operation which own's its own server farm) it's much more likely for Astraweb to still be around a year from now. I'm not trying to scare anyone, but the fact remains that I've seen quite a few resellers (like Blocknews) come and go over the years.

Blocknews' owner/support guy hangs out in the filesharing section of DSLReports.com, while the Newsbin.com forum is where you will find Astraweb's.

Unless we're talking dial-up. But the cheapest dial-up is right around $10/month

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:

VTISP:
$3.95 per month for 150 hours of access per month, if paying monthly
$39.95 (a $3.33/month rate) for 1 year
http://vtisp.com

All2ez.net:
$4.95 per month - (Includes free newsgroups) 200 hours/month limit
http://all2ez.net/

ABClink.net
$5.95/month - unlimited hours per month
http://abclink.net

UsenetGuy

04-15-2009, 01:27 PM

(Don't sign up with Astraweb on a weekend and expect to start downloading right away.)

Why not? I did. The account signup process is automated. 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.

zot

04-15-2009, 08:18 PM

(Don't sign up with Astraweb on a weekend and expect to start downloading right away.)

Why not? I did. The account signup process is automated.

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

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.

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.)

Beck38

04-15-2009, 09:49 PM

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:

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.

BlockNews

04-16-2009, 02:23 AM

Hi all, great forum you have here! Looks to be a lot more active than some other Usenet related ones. :w00t:

I'm not trying to scare anyone, but the fact remains that I've seen quite a few resellers (like Blocknews) come and go over the years.

That is true, I think a lot of it has to do though with new comers trying to offer service at overly competitive prices which causes a rapid charge of customers all at once....which eventually catches up with them financially, all that traffic and all those Gigs have to be payed for at some point. I am sure we can all think of at least one provider that had killer prices at the onset, but then they disappeared into thin air. :whistling

Ever since we started we have taken the slow and steady road, for growth. Keeps everything in check, and in turn, this will keep us in place for a long time. :D

hdjunky

04-16-2009, 05:00 PM

If you were to recalculate the costs to a 120gb block, Astraweb's service cost only a dollar more.

But since you mentioned that you only downloaded a 1-2gigs/week, I guess you could get the 100gb Blocknews connection and 'save' the 5 dollars.That would be like 50-100weeks usage!

Yea, i know the price difference wasnt much, that is why i had such a hard time deciding between the two. All i could go on was the obvious 5 dollar price difference, the end retention between the two (not really a big deal to me but for comparisons sake, why not, also support led me to believe that retention could be increased at the drop of a hat should others decide to try and one-up the other again), and the test/question i sent to support...had an answer within 10-15 minutes on Easter sunday!....I had a hard time last year with Astraweb not getting to my question from late Friday night, until Mid-Monday morning.

The times when I will have the best chance of using my block account access will be most likely on the weekends because of work and stuff during the week and what not, and if something happens and i need help, I don't wanna blow a weekend without access waiting for an answer.

MrBackup

04-16-2009, 10:59 PM

Blocknews offers an interesting offer for people who prefer blocks, but I firmly believe that any service that is unlimited in excess of $11 US are obsolete by offering Astraweb, its gradual growth, and Become a Provider without resellers or primary reseller of services.

I think Astraweb has marked a turning point by which those
providers who want to be competitive will have to take a risk and step beyond.

jbloggs

04-17-2009, 09:14 PM

You could look into the following

usenetworld.net 19.95/year (110 day retention, 95% completion)

I read about them else where so I have no experience with that site or their service.

MrBackup

04-17-2009, 11:57 PM

Usenetworld works perfectly. I have got a subscription since 2 weeks ago.

zot

04-18-2009, 07:28 AM

usenetworld.net 19.95/year (110 day retention, 95% completion)

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.

EyeBaller

04-18-2009, 03:00 PM

TeQTeQ

04-25-2009, 09:30 AM

www.gebruikhet.net 210 GB for 25 Euros. Payin via Paypal/Paysafecard and Creditcard transaction. Retention is growing up to 400 Days.

zot

04-25-2009, 12:23 PM

www.gebruikhet.net 210 GB for 25 Euros. Payin via Paypal/Paysafecard and Creditcard transaction. Retention is growing up to 400 Days.
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.