Yes...you can retrieve files by telnetting to the ftp port. Some of the ftp servers will not provide local echo...so you'll have to know what your typing. When you connect...you need to type "USER <username>", and then "PASS <password>". Then type help to view the list of available commands. For example, to change to binary mode, you will type "TYPE I" rather than the usual "BIN". To get a file, you would type "RETR <filename>" rather than "GET."