Alan,
Packet radio BBSes are only for confirmed Ham radio operators. it is of and about ham radio for hams.
Usually you need to come in from RF, all I have are 1000 packet
messages from the internet links from 3 other BBSes.
First, packet is not what you do to a TNC to put it into your vehicle
to take it to a hamfest flea market (hi hi).
Second, there are some packet BBS's that offer telnet access in addition
to conventional RF. Either way, one must be a licensed amateur radio
operator to access them. The former N0KFQ BBS in Branson, Missouri (he
and his XYL, KB0WSA, are both Silent Keys), and the current NS2B BBS
in Penfield, New York, offer both RF and telnet access...RF for those
who come in via HF or VHF, and telnet for those who don't have RF gear
due to medical issues (I'm a heart patient), or they're too far away
to access it.
The best way to get that is using the Outpost Packet Program suite, by
Jim Obenhofer, KN6PE. It has a separate ipserial and iptelnet utility, depending on whether you're going through RF with a TNC, or via telnet
without any RF gear. I use the iptelnet utility to access the NS2B BBS,
for my packet stuff, as well as running The PCL Net (I'm Net Control and Scribe, with NS2B as alternate Net Control and Scribe, when I can't be
there). You can get the Outpost program (Windows) at outpostpm.org
There are 2 files at
http://www.wx4qz.net/elk.htm -- telling how to
set up Outpost for accessing the NS2B BBS, and info on "The PCL Net".
"PCL" was the original name of the net, as it was basically 3 greater
than signs >>> used to indicate that one was done typing their comments;
the equivalent to "over" on phone, or "K" on CW.
It stood for "Patience Chicken Lips"...because packet is slow (300 baud
for HF and 1200 baud for VHF), and the 3 greater than signs look like
"chicken lips". (hi hi).
The PCL Net meets every Monday at 8pm US Eastern Time, except on the
weeks that have the following holidays...Easter, Memorial Day,
Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and New Years.
We usually have 2 rounds for comments, and I usually post out the
scribe later that evening (after I run the HotSpot RPi SBC ZumSpot Net
on the QuadNet Array (openquad.net)), or sometime the next morning.
As a side note, another PDF file on that page was a "review" of what
I called "The E.D. Net"...it was one of the funniest experiences I ever
had in ham radio. It proves "with friends like us, you don't need any
enemies" (hi hi).
Years ago, Dave Perry, W4KGU (SK), released five 16-bit ham radio
doors, which had the following things in common:
1) They were freeware.
2) They required a DORINFO1.DEF dropfile.
3) They did NOT have a fossil driver.
4) They required ANSI graphics to access.
5) If using the QRZDOOR (item C below), they needed the data CD, noted
below.
Here's a quick description of each of them:
A) BULLET -- a bulletins related door. 26 categories are available, and
it can be covering any topic...ham radio, weather, health, BBS related, food/cooking, etc. As with the REGSCAN door (noted below), the text had
to be in 80x24 format per page.
B) REGSCAN -- a door that had an ASCII copy of Part 97 of the FCC Rules,
where you could search for a certain part of the rules. It needed to be formatted to basically an 80x24 page format. That was a tedious process
to go through to convert that...although I think most PDF viewers will
allow you to save the PDF to a textfile. But, it still took awhile to go through the entire file to get the 80x24 format.
Offhand, I don't recall the last time there was a major update, but I'll
take care of that again eventually. As a side note, with "suspect glaucoma" and dry corneas, which caused blurred vision without warning (that caused
me to give up driving, and sell my car a year ago), it makes it hard to
spend long amounts of time at the computer, with the BBS, or with running
ham radio traffic nets.
C) QRZDOOR -- a door that used the original CD-ROM that was produced by
the QRZ.COM website, and was available for purchase. That data is no
longer available, so unless you have an older data file (the last one I
have for that was from 2008), that door is worthless. You could search
by callsign, name, or location, and save the info to a file for download.
D) WASPORT -- a door to track ones progress in the ARRL WAS (Worked
All States) award. Categories were for various bands and modes, plus
a separate Sysop defined category.
I have "internet" for VoIP related modes...mainly for hams living in
HOA's, CC&R's, or with antenna restrictions/prohibitions, such as
medical or assisted living facilities. As an FCC official noted years
ago, "we are communicators first, and ham radio operators second".
With having congestive heart failure, I operate "internet only", but
my license isn't just a piece of paper. I've known many hams who
studied to the exam, got their ham radio license, but never got on
the air. I have to wonder why they spent all that time and money.
Just over a month ago, on March 31, 2023, when a nearly EF-4 tornado
blasted a 35 mile path of destruction across central Arkansas (54
injuries and 1 fatality), the hams were using "whatever communications
method worked" to get the info to the National Weather Service in
Little Rock. If you go on YouTube, and look for "Ryan Hall, Ya'll"
(it's a weather geeks paradise), search for "March 31, 2023 outbreak".
Just after 2pm Central Time, a Tornado Warning was issued for the
Little Rock Metro area...then it was upgraded to a Tornado Emergency,
just over 25 minutes later. You will see video of the monster tornado
(which was about 5 miles west of me in southwest Little Rock), from
both storm chaser Brett Adair, and from the camera from one of the
hospitals in west Little Rock. The WCM (Warnings Coordination
Meteorologist) at the National Weather Service in North Little Rock
(they're at the North Little Rock Airport) is Dennis Cavanaugh,
KF5VHZ...and he does the Skywarn Spotter Training courses done by
the National Weather Service in North Little Rock.
E) ARPD -- a door to work with a TNC (preferably the long gone MFJ
1270 series) and a rig, to allow users to access packet from the
Sysop's TNC. The callsign was changed from the Sysop to the user (a
separate validation file was created by the Sysop to be sure that
only licensed hams accessed the door), which then created a logfile,
to record all commands typed. It made the user accountable for their transmissions. It also allowed users to use the mailbox that the TNC
had, to leave a packet style message to the Sysop. When the user
exited the door, the data for the TNC was reset back to the default
values (i.e. the Sysop's callsign, etc.).
For Doors A and B above, having an amateur radio license, for the user
or Sysop, was not required. However, for Doors C through E, the Sysop and
the user had to have the appropriate class of amateur radio license...and
I felt that the ham radio info should be accessed only by hams...although
most callsign servers are accessible by anyone on the internet. There are
some countries, where the ham radio operator has requested that "their
info not be made public".
Except for the ARPD door (I still have the TNC, but no rig, cable, or antenna for it), the others are on my BBS, and available for download,
in ZIP file format.
For the doors, you can run them under Synchronet with its DOSXTRN
utility, and set it up as if it was a regular door (again, using the DORINFO1.DEF dropfile), to get the correct user name...just set it
for UART access.
For Doors A through C noted above, you could use the DOORWAY utility (originally created by Marshall Dudley, now supported by Mike Ehlert),
and then create a generic DORINFO1.DEF dropfile with the comport at 0
(zero), and John Doe as the user. However, doors D and E require the
dropfile with the user name to work properly.
Daryl, WX4QZ, Sysop
The Thunderbolt BBS, Little Rock, Arkansas
... Ham Radio QRP: When you care the most to send the very least.
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