For what it's worth, I'm using a 3c509 card on vanilla 2.4.7 right now, 
using standard twisted pair patch cable, and it works fine. I've used it 
both as a module and compiled in (using compiled in at the moment) on 
2.4.5 and 2.4.7, I've also previously used it on 2.4.3, both compiled in 
and as a module.
The motherboard is a Soyo K7VIA w/single ISA slot, VIA Apollo Pro KX133 
chipset, using an Athlon processor.
The card is connected to a hub and communicates fine with both my other 
system and my cable modem, using DHCP.
You mention the problem is being unable to change the media, I was 
unaware this was even possible with the current 3c509 driver, and most 
people do it on 3c509's and other PNP cards of this sort (such as NE2000 
clones)  by using a DOS boot diskette and the DOS utilities provided by 
the manufacturer.
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