Hello, my name is Niels and I'm from germany.

I run a Raspberry Pi based Linux BBS based on the MBSE BBS software to which I occasionally submit bug fixes. I've also recently renewed my interest in microelectronics and as a result have built several 8 bit machine kits, from several RC2014 kits up to a ZX Spectrum replica and a modular C64 replica.

One of those Z80 based RC2014 machines is also running a small, CP/M based BBS which is called "RC-BOX BBS". It runs a custom flavour (well, actually it's a fork now) of RBBS 4.1 for CP/M
for which I found the C sources on the internet. I will tell more about this in
the appropriate board. But as you can see, bulletin board systems are fascinating me and I love using them.

Back in the day, here in germany even local phone calls were rather expensive and modems (if they were certified and legal) cost a lot of money (the import ones from asia and the US cost only a fraction, but using them was a crime).

So I ended up calling only a few systems, one of them being the "NCC" - a bulletin board that ran on a Unix machine and was located in Neuss. I remember chatting with people there and downloading shareware tools and games like Jazz Jackrabbit and Cmdr. Keen. Oh glorious days ...



Greetings, Niels Haedecke

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-aarch64)
* Origin: Wintermute BBS - Duesseldorf, Germany (21:1/168)

I run a Raspberry Pi based Linux BBS based on the MBSE BBS software to which I occasionally submit bug fixes. I've also recently renewed my interest in microelectronics and as a result have built several 8 bit machine kits, from several RC2014 kits up to a ZX Spectrum replica and a modular C64 replica.

Is microelectronics similar to a micro controller project? I only ask this because I run a hobby related network that has an area for this.

If it is the same, perhaps you might want to carry HobbyNet feed?

https://hobbynet.hobbyline.com/

Mike Dippel

Mike Dippel
Mystic Hobbies BBS, mystic-hobbies.com
Sun City Center, FL
HobbyNet Hub

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Windows/64)
* Origin: Mystic Hobbies BBS, mystic-hobbies.com (21:2/125)

Oh, this sounds nice, especially since it's covering a whole range of hobbies. I'm currently ironing out the last problems with my latest networks (Amiga Net and fsxNet) but I can imagine joining that network at a later time.

Mike Dippel wrote to Niels Haedecke:

I run a Raspberry Pi based Linux BBS based on the MBSE BBS software

to

which I occasionally submit bug fixes. I've also recently renewed my interest in microelectronics and as a result have built several 8 bit machine kits, from several RC2014 kits up to a ZX Spectrum replica

and a

modular C64 replica.

Is microelectronics similar to a micro controller project? I only ask this because I run a hobby related network that has an area for this.

If it is the same, perhaps you might want to carry HobbyNet feed?

https://hobbynet.hobbyline.com/

Mike Dippel

Mike Dippel
Mystic Hobbies BBS, mystic-hobbies.com
Sun City Center, FL
HobbyNet Hub

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Windows/64)
* Origin: Mystic Hobbies BBS, mystic-hobbies.com (21:2/125)

Greetings, Niels Haedecke

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-aarch64)
* Origin: Wintermute BBS - Duesseldorf, Germany (21:1/168)

Hello, my name is Niels and I'm from germany.

Hi Niels, welcome to fsxNet! I just joined fsxNet a couple weeks ago myself, this seems to be the right place!

I run a Raspberry Pi based Linux BBS based on the MBSE
BBS software to which I
occasionally submit bug fixes. I've also recently renewed my interest in microelectronics and as a result have built several 8
bit machine kits, from
several RC2014 kits up to a ZX Spectrum replica and a modular C64 replica.

I am sure I'm not the only person interested to hear more! Sounds like great fun. I have a KIM-1 Clone (6502) but haven't taken the time to do much with it. Someday I'd like to run a BBS on it. :) I'd love to hear more about your CP/M setup too.


Chris/akacastor

--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

AKAcastor wrote to Niels Haedecke:

Hello, my name is Niels and I'm from germany.

Hi Niels, welcome to fsxNet! I just joined fsxNet a couple weeks ago myself, this seems to be the right place!

Thank you very much. Feels very pleasant to be here.

I am sure I'm not the only person interested to hear more! Sounds like great fun. I have a KIM-1 Clone (6502) but haven't taken the time to do much with it. Someday I'd like to run a BBS on it. :) I'd love to hear more about your CP/M setup too.

Well, when I was about 13 years old (in 1987, go figure) I learned about CP/M because a friend of mine had it shipped with his C128D and so we took a look. Not impressed. Back to colourful games. A year later I found a german book which led you through the whole process of building a Z80 based, text-only CP/M
capable computer. Very imperessed! To realize that you could actually build a computer yourself insted of buing it from some company reall struck me. But I was too young to understand the complex stuff in there. But the amazement stayed.

In the early 2000s I heared about those "breadboard" computers by Grant Searle and thet he build a Z80 machine running BASIC on a breadboard. Wow!! But it wasn't until 2020 and the COVID lockdowns when I bought a RC2014 kit and dug up
what little I remembered from my training in tech-college (for a lack of a better translation) where I learned how to solder and the basics of digital microelectronics. I also learned 8085 assembler back then, some 30+ years ago.

What can I say?! Once I had my first "Classic II" model showing me the BASIC prompt I felt very proud and a little like the big Woz or Jerry Ellsworth. Until now I have built four different variants of that kit, incl
different expansion modules (lockdowns tend to be very boring). So from that I built "RC-BOX BBS" (rc2014.ddns.net:2014). You can read all about how it came together technically on the system itself, in the textfiles section.

Greetings, Niels Haedecke

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-aarch64)
* Origin: Wintermute BBS - Duesseldorf, Germany (21:1/168)

On 26 Feb 2024 at 04:37p, Niels Haedecke pondered and said...

Hello, my name is Niels and I'm from germany.

Hi Niels .. and a warm welcome to fsxNet :)

I run a Raspberry Pi based Linux BBS based on the MBSE BBS software to which I occasionally submit bug fixes. I've also recently renewed my interest in microelectronics and as a result have built several 8 bit machine kits, from several RC2014 kits up to a ZX Spectrum replica and a modular C64 replica.

Cool, you will find there's a retro computing echomail area in fsxNet that I can well imagine you will have fun chatting with others about these interests... feel free to discuss in the general echo if you want to also.

the appropriate board. But as you can see, bulletin board systems are fascinating me and I love using them.

You're in good company than :)

Back in the day, here in germany even local phone calls were rather expensive and modems (if they were certified and legal) cost a lot of money (the import ones from asia and the US cost only a fraction, but using them was a crime).

Interesting... here in NZ we could only use type approved gear that the telecoms companies allowed... there were (and still are) quite large local calling areas, and then nationally it costed more to do a toll call to another part of the country... but calling in the early hours did help save some $$

So I ended up calling only a few systems, one of them being the "NCC" - a bulletin board that ran on a Unix machine and was located in Neuss. I remember chatting with people there and downloading shareware tools and games like Jazz Jackrabbit and Cmdr. Keen. Oh glorious days ...

I used to gate Usenet news from an early start up ISP where I was living at the time and feed it (with the ISP blessing) to other local BBS.

When I got back into the scene circa 2012 I set up a NNTP server and now do the same thing for fsxNet nodes with the 21;1/10 Games+Usenet HUB.

Greetings, Niels Haedecke

Nice to e-meet you and I hope you have fun with your BBSing.

Best, Paul

Kerr Avon [Blake's 7] 'I'm not expendable, I'm not stupid and I'm not going' avon[at]bbs.nz | bbs.nz | fsxnet.nz

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Agency BBS | Dunedin, New Zealand | agency.bbs.nz (21:1/101)

Hello, my name is Niels and I'm from germany.

One of those Z80 based RC2014 machines is also running a small, CP/M
based BBS which is called "RC-BOX BBS".

I love RC-BOX, Niels - nice to meet the gent behind the login.

I have interest in CP/M and those RC2014 boards... we really enjoy the BBS and glad you jumpin in on fsxNet.

One of these days maybe I'll be able to build one.



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

paulie420 wrote to Niels Haedecke:

I love RC-BOX, Niels - nice to meet the gent behind the login.

Hey, nice to meet you again! You are among the first users on RC-BOX BBS if I remember correctly.

I have interest in CP/M and those RC2014 boards... we really enjoy the BBS and glad you jumpin in on fsxNet.

I'm happy to have joined as well. People seem to be very kind here.

One of these days maybe I'll be able to build one.

If you have done some small solderwork already, this shuldn't be too much of a challenge. But it takes time and in the beginning I had to force myself to concentrate and work slowly and carefully - I was just so eager to get it
done.




Greetings, Niels Haedecke

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-aarch64)
* Origin: Wintermute BBS - Duesseldorf, Germany (21:1/168)

Hello Niels!

Welcome to fsxNet, and thanks for posting your intro!

On 26 Feb 2024, Niels Haedecke said the following...

So I ended up calling only a few systems, one of them being the "NCC" - a bulletin board that ran on a Unix machine and was located in Neuss. I remember chatting with people there and downloading shareware tools and games like Jazz Jackrabbit and Cmdr. Keen. Oh glorious days ...

Oh yes, those were the times...

Phone calls weren't very cheap here in Sweden either -- and the national telco must have made quite a lot of money from all BBS calls (and later on dial-up Internet).

Using non-approved phone equipment wasn't a crime here (I think), but if you would have any trouble with your phone line, they would always ask you if you had any non-approved devices connected.

I remember all the computer magazines and ads back then -- there was always something new that one could dream of. =)

Best regards
Bj”rn

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A49 2023/04/30 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Star Collision BBS, Uppsala, Sweden (21:1/202)

If you have done some small solderwork already, this shuldn't be too
much of a challenge. But it takes time and in the beginning I had to
force myself to concentrate and work slowly and carefully - I was just
so eager to get it done.

I think I could handle it - I just have to remember to spend some greenbacks and DO SO!!!



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbs>>>20ForBeers.com:1337 (21:2/150)

Back in the day, here in germany even local phone calls were rather expensive
and modems (if they were certified and legal) cost a lot of money (the import
ones from asia and the US cost only a fraction, but using them was a
crime).

Wow I was not aware of that!

So I ended up calling only a few systems, one of them being the "NCC"
- a
bulletin board that ran on a Unix machine and was located in Neuss. I remember
chatting with people there and downloading shareware tools and games
like Jazz
Jackrabbit and Cmdr. Keen. Oh glorious days ...

I wish some of the old boards that I used to call were still
around. I don't think that any ran on unix at the time, but who
knows. ;)

Welcome to FSXnet!



--- Talisman v0.53-dev (Linux/armv7l)
* Origin: possumso.fsxnet.nz * telnet:2123/ssh:2122/ftelnet:80 (21:4/134)

I run a Raspberry Pi based Linux BBS based on the MBSE BBS software to
which I
occasionally submit bug fixes. I've also recently renewed my interest
in
microelectronics and as a result have built several 8 bit machine
kits, from
several RC2014 kits up to a ZX Spectrum replica and a modular C64
replica.

I would like to hear more about the C64 replica. There are a lot of
retro hardware enthusiasts in the FSX_RETRO echo.



--- Talisman v0.53-dev (Linux/armv7l)
* Origin: possumso.fsxnet.nz * telnet:2123/ssh:2122/ftelnet:80 (21:4/134)

Hi Chris,
When I saw. KIM-1 in your post that brought to my mind that back in the 1970's one of the first RTTY (Teletype) stations I talked with on my Netronics ASCII/video terminal kit was using a KIM-2.

That contact was on Amateur (Ham) Radio.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

When I saw. KIM-1 in your post that brought to my mind
that back in the 1970's
one of the first RTTY (Teletype) stations I talked with on my Netronics ASCII/video terminal kit was using a KIM-2.

That contact was on Amateur (Ham) Radio.

Oh wow that's awesome, Ed! I have heard a bit about RTTY and it is fascinating, but I have never seen it in action. The KIM-1 is an interesting machine, I enjoy how simple and bare-bones it is, but I have to admit after using it a bit I have more appreciation for our modern conveniences. (I like big stacks and I cannot lie)

Did you do a lot of RTTY and/or BBSing back in the day? I've heard there was impressive ASCII art going around.


Chris/akacastor

--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

On 01 Mar 2024, Ed Vance said the following...

Hi Chris,
When I saw. KIM-1 in your post that brought to my mind that back in the 1970's one of the first RTTY (Teletype) stations I talked with on my Netronics ASCII/video terminal kit was using a KIM-2.

That contact was on Amateur (Ham) Radio.

I was given a RTTY machine with spares, supplies and manuals. The deal was if I got it out of the guy's basement, I could have it.

Been sitting in storage though. Yet another good-idea that ends up a deferred-project.

--- Steve K9ZW via SPOT BBS

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Linux/64)
* Origin: SPOT BBS / k9zw (21:1/224)

Howdy Chris,
When I joined the US Navy I already had my General Class license and became a Radioman.
As a Ham I used CW (Morse Code) and AM voice.
The Navy increased my code speed and taught me how to use the Teletype machines.

In School, they had Model 19, when I was aboard Ship I used the Model 28.
Those were using BAUDOT code, not ASCII.
BAUDOT is 5 level. code, ASCII is 8 level.
BAUDOT was called RTTY, and even back then during the Holidays I have seen RTTY Art printouts. Some of them were very complex.
Copies of them were made on Paper Tape when they came in, and the roll of Tape could be saved and used to send the picture another time.

After I was discharged I dreamed of RTTY, but never happened until I got a book at Radio Shack titled: "The TV Typewriter Cookbook".

I thought WOW! no noise.

When I saw the Netronics advertisement in Popular Electronics and Radio-Electronics magazines I thought that would fill the bill for me.

I could use it on Ham Radio.

I found out some local Ham Radio BBS's were on the 2 Meter Band running RTTY.
I also used that set up on 20 Meters too.

More to follow...have to get some sleep tonight.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

Howdy! again,
I built that Netronics ASCII Video terminal and Keyboard in the 70's.
In 1984 I bought a Commodore 64 PC.

I can't remember the programs name, I'm thinking it was called Digicom.
I may be wrong.

I used the C=64 on 2 Meters Packet.
There was one Ham who lived in the hills that operated Packet on 2 Meters and on one of the high frequency bands.
His IBM PC had a Packet BBS program used for listing all of the packets received on either hand and to forward new packets out on both frequencies.

Local Hams logged on to that BBS could Read and Reply to those messages, most of which came on the HF band.
The best of both worlds, Local and World Wide packet messages!

The Netronics Terminal allowed me to use 60 or 74 baud RTTY and 110 ASCII (maybe 300 ASCII too,can't recall).

One RTTY Contact in particular I remember very well, as the other Station was sending text to me, over on the left of the screen, each line started with non-alphabetic characters.

When his message to me was complete those characters on the beginning of the lines made an image of a house that had a beam antenna aat the top.

A friend who also used a C=64 had a ELF Computer on one board.
The ELF had a 16 Key Keypad and used a RCA 1802 CPU.
I think the ELF came out B4 the 6502 KIM's did.

Before I bought a C=64 he let me take the ELF home and play with it.
In one of my magazines there was a STAR TREK program for the ELF.
When I RAN the code a image of The Enterprise came on the screen of my TV Set.

I am not on the air now (the wife didn't like the looks of the Coax wires that came out of a bedroom and went up into the attic, and out to where my Antenna(s) are. [GRIN]

I guess enuf of me is enuf.
Your Turn.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

Great read about your personal history.
I have been licensed from when I was 18 in 1998.
IN that time until I was 22 or so I operated 2 meter vhf fm for a while and then dropped the hobby until 2018.
I picked it up agin and operated voice for field day in 2018 and in 2019 I was asked if I would like to try my hand at morse codeand since that day I have not looked back.
Morse code is my primary mode of choice for getting on the air for a few reasons, but I do like to operate voice on 10 and 6 meters when I can.
As a blind op I would like to try more digital modes other than ft8, but most of them do not work with the screen reader program I use to read the screen so I have limits on the modes I can operate with.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: Cw Shack Bbs telnet kf4yey.com 2330 (21:2/153)

Howdy! Steve,

Those old mechanical machines Teletype Corporation built weighed a Ton, didn't they?

Once when aboard Ship, a bunch of us were selected to move a (one) Teletype machine a short distance from one compartment to another.
(Two or Three is better than one, isn't it?).

Once at a Hamfest a deft man brought his RTTY GEAR in the 1960's.
Pretty impressive set-up.

Because You are Ham I thought You might like this tale: I was listening to CW in a classroom at Navy Radioman School.
Random words were being sent.
During the code run, all of a sudden I heard: TENNESSEE.
I STOPPED TYPING when I heard it and paused a while.

I had never before heard the name of that State in CW.
I had worked many 4 stations in Tennessee but those operators sent TN
NOT the whole word!

BTW, the day I bought my Hallicrafters S38-E receiver I tuned it to listen to the Eighty Meter Bunch.
Several Hams in High School had their Conditional Class or General Class License.
Their Homeroom was where Radio and Electricity was taught and since that room was nextdoor to my Homeroom I hung out there until the bell rang for me to be my homeroom for the Roll Call.

That day as I listened to my friends talk to others, the Mailman dropped my Novice Class License in our mailbox.

I JUST HAD TO CALL ONE OF THE HAM ON THE PHONE TO HAVE HIM TELL THE OTHERS THAT I GOT A HAM LICENSE!

When it was his turn to talk he said: LID Vance got his license to the others. YEP!, even before I got my Ham Ticket I was known as "LID Vance".
But I've always tried to be a good LID.

Another story: While driving through Utah I called CQ on a 2M Repeater and during the QSO (Conversation) another local station came on and told me that He didn't think I was Licensed because My Voice didn't sound like someone from the North Central United States.
The Call letters I used was in the Ninth Region.

My first License had a Call in the Fourth Region, so I have an accent from that area.

I told the Ham that doubted my status:
"I was born in Four Land and got my Novice License there.
I live now in Nine Land and had the FCC issue my license for the area that I live in.
If You don't believe that I passed a Ham Test I will say some of the alphabet backwards in this microphone to You."

--.. -.-- -..- .-- ...- ..- - ...
Z Y. X. W. V. U. T S

And unkeyed the mike.

The station that I had originally been chatting with told me:
"Don't worry about that guy, he does things like that all the time."

YEP! Another Long Winded Message from me.
73 (Best Regards for those reading who don't know Ham Lingo)
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

Hello Ed Vance!

** On Sunday 03.03.24 - 16:40, Ed Vance wrote to k9zw:

Another story: While driving through Utah I called CQ on a
2M Repeater and during the QSO (Conversation) another
local station came on and told me that He didn't think I
was Licensed because My Voice didn't sound like someone
from the North Central United States. The Call letters I
used was in the Ninth Region.

Why would you or anyone else even to be concerned about your
voice matching the presumed accent from an area you claim to be
from? I mean.. people with English as their second language
would have an "accent" almost ALL of the time.

--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: (} Pointy McPointFace (21:4/106.21)

Howdy! Kronos aka KF4YEY,
I was 16 when the FCC issued the Novice Class ticket to me.

Originally from Kentucky but became an deported Kentuckian when I was hired for a job in Indiana.

Your name wasn't in your post.
I wanted to start this reply saying: "Howdy! ......", so I went to qrz.com to see it.
Because I didn't Log On to QRZ.COM due to my losing that precious piece of paper that has ALL of my passwords to websites I have joined all I saw was a blank page asking me to Log In.

Another item to add to my ROUNDTUIT List.

I have a Heathkit Sixer but stopped using when my neighbor across the street mentioned he could hear me talking on his television set.
So I QRT'd 6 Meter operations.

You read already that HF operation ended when Coax and Antenna Rotor Cables looked ugly.

Years ago I owned a Kenwood TR-9130 All Mode 2M rig.
It began resetting the frequency that I was chatting on to 144.000 which is a NO NO on FM.

Kenwood recommended a Service Shop and I shipped it, but the problem couldn't be fixed so I told the owner to keep it for Spare Parts.
He said it would go in his JUNQUE PILE.

I got Ham Radio information in the Amateur Radio Echo on this BBS to let me know what was going on.
I could read ARN (Amateur Radio Newsline) and ARRL messages and also post messages to others in the Echo.

But then, two years ago my DSL Service began having problems.
A Serviceman came and said my speed was low caused by something at their end and he recommended cancelling DSL and having a Fiber Internet Service.

So I moved the XP Desktop away so the Fiber Cable could be routed in the room my computers are in.
When the Tech came to install the new service I tried connecting to several websites on my notebook, without any of the pages I usually read appearing.
I then typed the Fiber Companies Dot Com page and it came up.
The Tech left and I moved the XP box back in place but never made a connection, not even the notebook could open a webpage.
I cancelled the Fiber Internet Service.
Last year I called to have Fiber installed again.
No luck that time either, cancelled again.

This year I subscribed to a Cellphone Company and got my Internet Fix finally. I've been told that I'm snakebit, probably so.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

Hi Ed,

I really enjoy reading your history. I'm curious what years you served in the Navy? "The TV Typewriter Cookbook" sounds interesting, I found a copy at thriftbooks for under $10(+shipping) so now I have that to look forward to.

I have heard other stories of advertisements in Popular Electronics being the way a lot of things spread. I gather it was one of the most influential publications in homebrew computers. (born in '81 so everything before the 80s I know only through lore)

How many radio BBS's were you able to make contact with? Both local and world wide packet messages is great reach, from home, and for "free" (I assume the outlay on equipment over the years was not insubstantial).

How long would a packet radio session typically last?

With 60 or 74 baud RTTY being 5 bit BAUDOT, was 110 baud ASCII (8 bit? or 7?) actually much faster?

I have to respect anyone who entered programs on a 6 key keypad, that's "walking to school, uphill both ways" level of hardship! :) I grew up typing BASIC programs from books.

I hope I'm not asking too many questions! Your writing and stories are great.


Chris/akacastor


--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

Hello AKAcastor!

** On Sunday 03.03.24 - 18:43, AKAcastor wrote to Ed Vance:

[...] "The TV Typewriter Cookbook" sounds interesting, I found a copy
at thriftbooks for under $10(+shipping) so now I have that to look forward to.

A pretty good preview is available at archive.org

https://archive.org/details/donlancaster_tvtcb


--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: (} Pointy McPointFace (21:4/106.21)

[...] "The TV Typewriter Cookbook" sounds interesting, I found a copy
at thriftbooks for under $10(+shipping) so now I
have that to look forward to.

A pretty good preview is available at archive.org https://archive.org/details/donlancaster_tvtcb

After I found a physical copy for under ten dollars I got so excited about that I didn't even think to find a scanned copy. :) Thanks for the link!


Chris/akacastor

--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

Howdy! Ogg (August?),
The 4th Region is the State of Kentucky and Eastward towards Virginia, then Southward down to Alabama, Georgia and Florida.

Folks in the more southern States have a "twang" to the words they say.
AKA "Southern Accent".
And English is THEIR First Language.

Speaking about accents: I have a problem with Companies that I make telephone calls to.
When they answer my call I am asked to say or press a number key if I want to talk to an employee speaking English or Spanish.

I select English.

On most calls the employee answering my call is a person that speaks English as their Second Language and occasionally I have trouble knowing what they are telling me.

BTW I'm THICK HEADED AND HARD OF HEARING, which doesn't help the matter much. And yes I do wear Hearing Aids.

The person I talk to probably might have trouble understanding my accent also.

Now that I have got an Internet connection again if I can send an Email to them, I will do that.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

Howdy! Chris,

I served in the U. S. Navy 1959 - 1962.

Will answer the other things you asked later.
Just got the word that we are leaving home for some tasks.
See Ya later.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

I served in the U. S. Navy 1959 - 1962.

Sounds like you had several years of waiting between time in the Navy and when you got setup for RTTY at home. I can imagine finding the TV Typewriter Cookbook was like the light at the end of the tunnel! :)


Chris/akacastor

--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

Chris,

Between the time I was Discharged from the Navy and seeing the Netronics advertisement another Ham I visited was using a CW Sending/Receiving keyboard terminal hooked up to his Gear and reading incoming code and what he typed on a TV set.
Boy! did I drool over his set-up.

That is one of the items I have had on my ROUNDTUIT List for ages, but couldn't use it now unless I could figure out a way to please my wife that Coaxial cables look pretty, THEY "DID" TO ME back when I could operate my Hamshack. Sometimes I have to Praise The Lord anyhow.
...
To continue the earlier Reply I made today:

All of the radio BBS's I used were local.
The 3 or 4 BBS were on the Two Meter Amateur Radio Band (144-148 Mc/s).
Note: I use Megacycles instead of Hertz because as a child one day I took the headphone off of my older brothers Crystal Radio Set, and then sat on the floor by an A.C. RECEPTACLE and put those two metal terminals into the slots so I could hear what Electricity sounded like (after all my brother could hear AM Radio Stations over that headphone with a long antenna wire Dad hung up alongside the house).
With one hand I held that single headphone to a ear and with the other hand I pushed the terminals in .

I heard a loud BUZZ and the shock moved me back a few inches.

That BUZZ is the same thing as Hum that isn't wanted at all coming out of a Woofer Speaker in someone's Hi-Fi system back in the mid-fifties (Stereo nowadays).

This post is getting lengthy so I will end it and begin another one.

BTW No one has to exaggerate when they talk about Me.
Telling what I did is bad enuf!
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

Part Two, Chris,

You asked about the length of a Packet Radio Session.
When I was logged in to the Packet Repeater BBS I would select the option to have ALL new messages sent continually.
When the Buffer on the C=64's terminal program was almost full, I would press the Key to tell the BBS to Pause.
Save the Buffer to floppy disk, Clear the Buffer and then type the Command to have the BBS resume sending what it had for me.

IIRC I saved the buffer 2 or maybe even 4 times in a Session.

After Logging Off, I would read the file.
Print what I wanted.

OR

It may have been I would have had my Epson FX-86 printer print all of the info the BBS sent to me.
Under the Printer was a Box of FanFold Paper.

I may had printed everything, logged off and then start reading.

If there was a message I wanted to Reply to, I'd type it up, save to floppy disk, and log in again to send any replies I made.

Back two years ago when DSL was working here, I used an BAT File to run a FTP Script that would Sign In, GET new mail on this BBS, Log Off.

If I had outgoing message(s) I ran the BAT File for the FTP Script that PUT them on CCO (Capitol City Online).

Back then I used MultiMail DOS to Read and Write messages.

Chris, about 110Baud ASCII, I "think" (C) TM it is 7 bits.
I haven't seen any purffed(?) tape to know if there were 7 or 8 Holes in it.

RTTY Baudot tape has 5 Holes I know as a FACT after handling many, many miles of it in the Ships Radio Room.

Earlier I mistyped 6 Key Keypad on the ELF board, suppose to had typed 16 Keys. DUH!!!!!!!!!!!

One other thing about my use of the Netronics ASCII/RTTY Video Terminal:
I knew ARRL (The Amateur Radio Relay League) Station W1AW sent Bulletins from their Shack in different Modes during each day.
Voice, CW and RTTY & ASCII.

I tuned my Transceiver to the Frequency that W1AW made their RTTY Broadcast on 20 Meters (14 Mc/s) because after the RTTY Broadcast they sent the same Bulletin(s) in 110 ASCII.

After the ASCII broadcast ended I typed:

CQ CQ CQ DE W9ODR K
on my terminal, which meant " A general call to anyone, from me, over.
I figured some other Ham who could receive ASCII would hear me and answer.

YEP!!!!!!!

I made Contacts several different days doing that.
And the first time I did that it proved that I could Send ASCII as well as Receive&Decode it.

BTW in another post in this Thread I used the Amateur Radio Term "LID".

I don't know if the FCC Rules and Regulations in Part 97 have changed, but in the 1950's Hams weren't allowed to curse on the airwaves (as TV Shows do over the airways currently), the word LID according to a ARRL Chart means: A Poor Operator.

Instead of cussing out someone you would call them a LID or a BIG LID.

I think I've answered all of the query's in your posts.

I'm not a mister know-it-all, I just act like one

Well Sir, at least Mike our SYSOP hasn't banned me from this BBS. yet?
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Ed Vance wrote to Ogg <=-

Folks in the more southern States have a "twang" to the words they say. AKA "Southern Accent". And English is THEIR First Language.

Speaking about accents: I have a problem with Companies that I make telephone calls to.
When they answer my call I am asked to say or press a number key if I
want to talk to an employee speaking English or Spanish.

I select English.

On most calls the employee answering my call is a person that speaks English as their Second Language and occasionally I have trouble
knowing what they are telling me.

Why did I hear this in a Jeff Foxworthy voice in my head?


... Adding on
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Howdy! Poindexter,

Long time since I've wrote to You.

I haven't seen, read or heard Foxeorthys comments.
Didn't know My Opinion came close to anyone else's.
Always thought I was UNIQUE.

BTW, just the other day I learned tapping twice rapidly on the Up Arrow symbol key that's to the Left of the Z. Key turns CAPS LOCK ON.

But you already knew that didn't You?
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
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Howdy again OGG,

One more comment about accents.

The fellow questioning if I truly owned a Amateur Radio License lived in Utah. FAR FAR AWAY from the Southern or northern Mid-west States.

I can't recall if it was in the 70's, 80's or 1990's when I talked to someone who was living in KY who's Call Sign had the numeral 1 in it.
Region One is the extreme Northern section on the U.S.A.

He told me the FCC had changed the Amateur Rules to allow Hams that moved into a different Region to keep and use the Call Sign they been issued.
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Howdy! Niels,

Thank You for starting this thread.

My seeing Chris comment about the KIM-1 Breadboard Computer made me just have to jump in to talk about Old Times.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
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Ed Vance wrote to Niels Haedecke:

Howdy! Niels,

Thank You for starting this thread.

You're welcome! I love reading about how people made first contact with a computer and what their equipment was back in the day. Especially the pre-PC era with all the different types of machines and OSes. I'm a little too
"young" for the KIM-1 but I remember the first computer I ever saw was one
of those Sharp Pocke PCs. They looked like a pocket calculator with alphanumeric keys and display and only had a few byte of RAM. A friend of my parents showed it off some day in summer 1982. I was deeply impressed.

Greetings, Niels Haedecke

--- MBSE BBS v1.0.8.4 (Linux-aarch64)
* Origin: Wintermute BBS - Duesseldorf, Germany (21:1/168)

Niels, back in that time frame my boss had the Radio Shack model and asked me to write a BASIC program to help him see what Monthly Payments would for a Home.

He wanted to compare Price(s) and Interest Rates when at the Realtor Office.

It was within my capabilities because when I bought a TI-35 Calculator at K-Mart, Texas Instruments included a very good book. "The Great International Math On Keys Book".

That Book explained Home Mortgage Calculations, and I had already fooled with the Formula in the book to do just what he needed.

I believe I already said that I'M not Mister Know-It-All, I just act like one, but in case I hadn't I just did.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
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Ed Vance wrote to lodger <=-

It was within my capabilities because when I bought a TI-35 Calculator
at K-Mart, Texas Instruments included a very good book. "The Great International Math On Keys Book".

That Book explained Home Mortgage Calculations, and I had already
fooled with the Formula in the book to do just what he needed.

I did all those calculations by hand for my first mortgage. When I
re-financed it, I bought a HP 12c calculator and let it do all the
heavy lifting. :)


... Adding on
--- MultiMail/Win v0.52
* Origin: realitycheckBBS.org -- information is power. (21:4/122)

Poindexter,
I have a question for You and the Others.
After having DSL and Fiber Internet failures here I thought a Android phone could be attached to my XP box and I could be using the phones Data feature with a REAL keyboard and Multimail as I had normally done B4 internet failed here.

According to Microsoft Support a XP ot Vista PC can't do that.

Suggestions from Anyone how to use USB with the phone and pc Is what I am wanting to do.
Help is VERY MUCH Appreciated.

My experience using a BBS has shown if I want to know something, just post about it and Someone who does what I wish to know about does it on the job.

I got interested in owning a PC back in the 1970's from reading Popular Electronics Magazine and from friends who owned a computer.
Some were Hams, some I knew at Church

THANKS for reading.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

Hello Ed Vance!

** On Saturday 09.03.24 - 19:33, Ed Vance wrote to poindexter FORTRAN:

I have a question for You and the Others.
After having DSL and Fiber Internet failures here I thought a Android phone could be attached to my XP box and I could be using the phones Data feature with a REAL keyboard and Multimail as I had normally done B4 internet failed here.

According to Microsoft Support a XP ot Vista PC can't do that.

I use a couple of different phones/androids to connect my XP-
based Thinkpad T60, no problem. I simply operate the phones as
hotspots and connect my laptop with wifi.
--

--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: (} Pointy McPointFace (21:4/106.21)

After having DSL and Fiber Internet failures here I thought a Android
phone
could be attached to my XP box and I could be using the phones Data
feature
with a REAL keyboard and Multimail as I had normally done B4 internet
failed
here.

According to Microsoft Support a XP ot Vista PC can't do that.

It might be that, while you cannot plug the phone directly into the
machine to share the internet, you might still be able to use the phone.

(1) if your machine supports wireless or, if you have an ethernet port,
you can find a wireless dongle for it, your phone might be able to act as
a wireless hot spot to supply internet for your pc. Your phone and/or
provider may or may not support the phone-as-a-wireless-hotspot so you'd
have to figure that out first.

(2) some mobile providers will sell you a wireless hot spot device that
will allow you to use your mobile plan to provide internet to your
household. This would likely also require to you find a wireless dongle
to plug into the pc to accept the signal.

I have never tried using my mobile plan to provide internet to another
device, but I have seen others do it, and I have received offers from
providers in the past for the wireless hot spot device.

I have used a wireless dongle on a Thinkpad laptop that was just old
enough not to have wireless built it. The machine thought it was an
ethernet connection and it worked great. The one caveat here is that you
have to be able to access the dongle, either via software or a browser interface, to get it set up before you can use it. If it requires
software, you will need to be sure the software is compatible with your
OS.

Once they are programmed to "point to" the proper wireless signal, they
are usually OS independent and can be plugged into any device that will
accept an ethernet connection (and that has a free USB port available to
power the device).



--- Talisman v0.53-dev (Linux/armv7l)
* Origin: possumso.fsxnet.nz * telnet:2123/ssh:2122/ftelnet:80 (21:4/134)

August (?),
I rather want them connected with a USB CABLE with an USB C to the phone and an USB A in the XP.

Remember the Burger King commercial "I WANT TO HAVE MY WAY!!!!!!"

Before I got this phone the only device in the computer room is a AIO printer /scanner.

Wi-Fi was turned off of it the first time it was turned on.

I'm a private person that doesn't want anyone intruding into my computer stuff.

A neighbor who retired from Tech told me I need to create a VERY COMPLEX SSID for the Negate Wi-Fi Router I bought from him.
(This was last year after the AT&T's Fiber/Wi-Fi Router fiasco).

Since You mentioned owning an Android phone, I have a question for you.
Where in the Settings can I see the SSID Settings AND / OR make changes to it IF I decided to try the Wi-Fi route vice USB.

MANY THANKS! to YOU AND ANY OTHER WHO CAN HELP THIS CANTANKEROUS FELLOW!
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

Hello Ed Vance!

** On Monday 11.03.24 - 19:37, Ed Vance wrote to Ogg:

I rather want them connected with a USB CABLE with an USB
C to the phone and an USB A in the XP.

I never explored a hard-wire connection between phone and pc.
Depending on the phone and your pc capabilities, a Bluetooth
link up could be possible too. Either wifi or bluetooth, I
think wireless is the way to go.

I'm a private person that doesn't want anyone intruding
into my computer stuff.

The wireless between phone and pc ought be secure enough.

A neighbor who retired from Tech told me I need to create
a VERY COMPLEX SSID for the Negate Wi-Fi Router I bought
from him. (This was last year after the AT&T's Fiber/Wi-Fi
Router fiasco).

What is a complex SSID? It's just a string. Spying computers
don't care what it is. You can disable the "broadcast" of the
SSID. Devices attempting to connect would need to know the
passphrase to allow a connection.

Since You mentioned owning an Android phone, I have a
question for you. Where in the Settings can I see the SSID
Settings AND / OR make changes to it IF I decided to try
the Wi-Fi route vice USB.

Look for the thing that looks like a gear. Tap on that, and
look for something called "Connections".

--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: (} Pointy McPointFace (21:4/106.21)

In another echo tonight, I posted a msg to August.
Are You (OGG) him?
I think so.
Been wrong with "my" memory lots of times tho.

The XP rig is a desktop and never investigated running Bluetooth with it.

If You are not August, I told August I don't use Wi-Fi because the notebook here has WEP not WPA2.

It's an Acer Vista Home box.
After turning it on I wait to see the Wi-Fi led blink and then press the button to shut it down.
I'm writing to the group on this BBS,, NOT someone lurking on Wi-Fi.

Yes, I am a case.
Just never been documented about it EXCEPT for BBS Users who read posts from me in the past (and currently).

I would prefer USB but Bluetooth might be a better route over the Wi-Fi option.

Thanks for the help.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

Hello Ed!

** On Monday 11.03.24 - 23:05, Ed Vance wrote to Ogg:

In another echo tonight, I posted a msg to August.
Are You (OGG) him?
I think so.
Been wrong with "my" memory lots of times tho.

I am who thee speaks of he.

The XP rig is a desktop and never investigated running
Bluetooth with it.

If You are not August, I told August I don't use Wi-Fi
because the notebook here has WEP not WPA2.

It's an Acer Vista Home box.

A few lines back you say it's XP. Now you say it's Vista?

The OS doesn't matter as much anyway.

A short test just to see if you can work with wifi wouldn't be life-threatening. Bluetooth might be better for use between
phone and laptop for continued use.


--- OpenXP 5.0.58
* Origin: fsxnet/2 (21:3/110.10)

Hi Ed! It's taken me a while to reply, I enjoy your messages and wanted to take the time to write a proper reply.

Between the time I was Discharged from the Navy and seeing the Netronics advertisement another Ham I visited was using a CW
Sending/Receiving keyboard
terminal hooked up to his Gear and reading incoming
code and what he typed on a TV set.
Boy! did I drool over his set-up.

Sounds like a great setup for the time. Was there any longer-term storage involved, or (I assume) it was just for realtime use, showing the data live?

The CW Sending/Receving keyboard is translating between letters and morse code for the user, correct? So you press 'S' and it outputs ... ?

Note: I use Megacycles instead of Hertz because as a child one day I EV> took the headphone off of my older brothers Crystal Radio Set,
and then sat on the floor by an A.C. RECEPTACLE and put those two metal EV> terminals into the slots so I could hear what Electricity sounded like EV> (after all my brother could hear AM Radio Stations over that headphone EV> with a long antenna wire Dad hung up alongside the house).
With one hand I held that single headphone to a ear and with the other EV> hand I pushed the terminals in .

I heard a loud BUZZ and the shock moved me back a few inches.

Fantastic story, and if I ever observe erratic behaviour from you then I will assume this to be the root cause. ;)

Given that it is a RECEPTACLE it does seem reasonable to try to receive through it... That had to be a hell of a 60hz boom. :)


Chris/akacastor

--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

You asked about the length of a Packet Radio Session.
When I was logged in to the Packet Repeater BBS I would
select the option to have ALL new messages sent continually.
When the Buffer on the C=64's terminal program was
almost full, I would press the Key to tell the BBS to Pause.
Save the Buffer to floppy disk, Clear the Buffer and
then type the Command to have the BBS resume sending what it had for me.

The original offline mail reader! That's gotta predate QWK by a few years! :)

It may have been I would have had my Epson FX-86
printer print all of the info the BBS sent to me.
Under the Printer was a Box of FanFold Paper.

I may had printed everything, logged off and then start reading.

Printing everything to fanfold paper makes me nostalgic and I wasn't even there! :) (I did print to fanfold paper from my Tandy 1000HX in the 80s.)

Back two years ago when DSL was working here, I used an BAT File to run EV> a FTP Script that would Sign In, GET new mail on this BBS, Log Off.

I have been using Blue Wave offline mail reader on Roon's BBS but ran into Y2K problems when posting messages. I might have missed RTTY and radio BBSes but I remember the (mostly) DOS based BBS offline readers fondly. (QWK, Blue Wave, Silver Xpress)

Chris, about 110Baud ASCII, I "think" (C) TM it is 7 bits.
I haven't seen any purffed(?) tape to know if there
were 7 or 8 Holes in it.

Makes sense that it would be 7 bits.

RTTY Baudot tape has 5 Holes I know as a FACT after
handling many, many miles of it in the Ships Radio Room.

I'm just realizing - you must have had an actual 'bit bucket' also?

I tuned my Transceiver to the Frequency that W1AW made their RTTY EV> Broadcast on 20 Meters (14 Mc/s) because after the RTTY Broadcast they EV> sent the same Bulletin(s) in 110 ASCII.

After the ASCII broadcast ended I typed:

CQ CQ CQ DE W9ODR K
on my terminal, which meant " A general call to anyone, from me, over.
I figured some other Ham who could receive ASCII would hear me and answer.

YEP!!!!!!!

I made Contacts several different days doing that.
And the first time I did that it proved that I could Send ASCII as well as Receive&Decode it.

Nice trick to make contacts! Must have felt pretty fulfilling to get your first answers and know for sure your transmission is working correctly and everything is good!

Instead of cussing out someone you would call them a LID or a BIG LID.

I hope I can remember this in the moment when someone next pisses me off. I am sure I'll get confused looks when I call someone a LID but I will have the satisfaction of knowing what it means. :) (though I do know a couple friends who would immediately 'get it' if I called them that - maybe I'd be surprised by others. secret HAMs may be out there.)


Chris/akacastor

--- Maximus 3.01
* Origin: Another Millennium - Canada - another.tel (21:1/162)

Two PC's - XP desktop, Vista notebook.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
* Origin: capitolcityonline.net * Telnet/SSH:2022/HTTP (21:1/175)

I think my friends CW terminal may have had enuf memory to store CQ de his call, maybe a few other short items.

Yes, pressing a key would send the letter in CW .

IIRC the terminal could Receive (and Send 65 WPM) CW.
--- SBBSecho 3.20-Linux
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Re: bit bucket , IIRC the perforators had a small metal container to catch the CHAFF. It has to be emptied occasionally, can't recall if the "perf" had a small lever in the container to pause it when it became almost full.

The ARRL definition of LID is "a poor operator".
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Re: 60 CPS hum.
I learned later in life that no one wants 60 cycle HUM on their audio gear.

HMMMM?
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