1)Transact : The brief message and the EXIT/RESTART prompt, is "Automatic Error Handling" :). You can disable this if you use the STATUS option on the dataset verbs. We use STATUS and have a common piece of code which displays a highlighted message to the user, waits for the user to press enter and then does a printscreen to a circular file (it's handy for debugging when you can see the data entered as well). However, the STATUS option apart from disabling TRANSACTs automatic error handling, does have various other "sideffects" depending on the verb you use it with. You should check the manual for each verb you apply it to. Now once you get as far as creating a piece of error handling code, you could even include a TELLOP command with the details of the error. 2)Communication problem : This one's real easy. All you have to do is fssssss crackle !@!^#%%1 88712 crackle hissss woooeeee ... to guarantee perfect communication every time. ;] 3)Real hard problem : Is this a trick question ? ... It is isn't it ! ... I know !! It has something to do with the speed of the train doesn't it ? I trust you excuse the humor(?), but comms are not a strong point and I'm not too "hot" on metallurgy either. For the later though I do have a couple of -in all probability, silly suggestions : I suppose letting it cool to soldering temperature and using bar code technology used in the electronics industry is out of the question, so how about attaching something to the tip and not the side or leaving a bit of metal sticking out (anchor) and then snapping it off later. Costas Anastassiades, INTRACOM SA Athens - Greece