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M1CUK > USERS 14.06.09 19:52l 167 Lines 6936 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : 900949M1CUK
Read: GUEST
Subj: Re: last man standing ....
Path: IZ3LSV<IK2XDE<F5GOV<F4BWT<DK0WUE<GB7FCR
Sent: 090614/1742Z @:GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU #:28555 [Blackpool] FBB-7.03a $:900949M1
From: M1CUK@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : USERS@WW
> Hello Trevor and all on the last man standing ....
Hi Peter, nice to hear from you
> It is refreshing to hear a sysop, speak of the problems sysops
> face in keeping the RF packet side going for ZERO users.
well its all pretty obvious, it just needed to be said, hopefully it
will sink in with some people, But I wont hold my breath for that to
happen anytime soon.
> Trevor covered many things, that even I can relate to as an ex-syop
> of a landline BBS system, connected to a network. Electric power
> wasted as it ambles along day after day with nothing happening., As
> well add the investment of the sysop in his equipment to even have
> a BBS for all is consideration, because if it goes down, ZERO users
> don't care. They're on the Internet, or telnet to their BBS.
even with the landline bbs system I used to run, the overheads were
the final nail in the coffin, the price of a new pc to run the latest
greatest software to enable the landline/dial up modem bbs to become a
web based (html system) was simply to much at that time (several hundred
dollars) :( nice software but was far to expensive for a hobby system..
In the end the system ended up running more as a mail hub using a
program
called T-Mail, this allowed me to host several different mail networks
on the one system, there was all the usual networks like fido net and
the rest and I also hosted several specialist networks, that was very
good software and was very well supported by the author.
but in the end the final nail was the costs to keep it all going and
then
fixed price adsl came along and that was the end of the basic dial up
bbs as they were just far to expensive to use compared to web based
systems.
> Try running a node. Not from the home, the best node as indicated
> by Trevor were on commerical sites, or apartments rooftops until
> there was money seen to be made, and oh yeah did the rents ever
> increase, and rent agreement clauses demanded this and that to
> the point they could not be afforded. Also some choice sites
> simply told Amateur Radio tenants they were not allowed back
> after the agreement ranout.
indeed the commercial sites were always the best, it was a real
rip off when they started asking for full commercial rents.
> Thanks Trevor for saying so many things that are bang on.
not a problem, I simply tell it as it is.
> Where I am, here at the lake, I am RF to the local BBS between
> Lake Simcoe, and Toronto. 30miles to the south. I also leave
> my TNC online for as long as I can, incase someone needs to
> digipeat via me to the BBS, something which was needed, as
> I had "1" user up here who could not reach there due to antenna
> restrictions, or whatever. How mnay others I have not a clue
> but I know for sure the usage of VE3WBZ as a digipeater is
> far and inbetween when it is and isn't ...while they all
> clamour for the Internet.
the only other bbs I connect to via RF uses a digi to get here,
as theres a great big chunk of rock inbetween us and the signal
simply cant get through it, so we have to go round it using a
digi, its the ONLY way we can connect..
> The Internet destroyed the landline BBS systems here 30
> died over night in 1995 when it arrived here, and I closed
> in 2005 after a few years of ZERO usage. The same can
> be said for the packet BBSes here VE3FJB, VE3YRA BBSes
> that closed... as I know.. " I was the last user of them."
Here it wasnt just the internet that killed the landline bbs
it was a combination of higher prices for the BT phone lines
high line rentals and more expensive call charges meant that
most sysops wouldnt keep the system running as users were so
reluctant to rack up large phone bills, then on top of that the
internet came along with fixed price access and the landline bbs
simply couldnt compete any more.
> Now .... Readers! What are we going to do? I try to get on
> the air and will when my HF is restored after a year and try
> get folks interested again ....I think the packet radio BBS
> and all is a great mode of Amateur Radio.
its a very good mode of communications, but it has it's limits
same as any other system does.
> Someone said ...who will setup this and that ... easy said
> when some , like myself have not a clue as to how to get
> a BBS setup and on the packet network. Setup a NODE or
> have the TNC left on ....OK. No problem ... but WE all
> must get others to give it all a try, sort of the reason
> for the hobby ...RF...not letting your pinkies do the
> Internet thing.
its all well and good these sysops that say stick with RF,
get users to put ax25 - internet gateways on for everyone to
use, the reality is that it isnt going to happen very often.
most people want to use the existing system as it is without
to much hassle and setting an ax25 - internet gateway up is
a step to far for many people, I know as I have tried to get
user access ports set up to extend the range of gb7fcr and see
if I could get any more people on board, I offered to give users
the radios / tnc's / pc's / software FREE OF CHARGE and help them
to get the software set up, needless to say I gave up in the end
and the radios / tnc's I had spare were eventually sold on ebay
and those that were not sold were donated to other sysops who
needed them, no matter where they were based, it cost a few quid
in postage, but that was more than covered by the cash raised by
selling the other kit on ebay..
> I even had an offer for using or setting up my HF radio for
> Packet on HF...forwarding and such ....BUT there too not a
> clue. So a user I have remained for a few years, and too
> bad, but then I too as many sysops saw this all coming and
> the users disappearing.
> Onto the next stage .....
well we have managed to keep things going so far by offering
telnet access, without the telnet access large chunks of the
UK wouldnt have any packet activity at all.
the only bbs's left in this area are GB7FCR, GB7HVU, GB7NLW,
not sure about gb7oar but I have no link to that one
all these systems that I used to hear / connect to have all
closed down....
gb7fyl
gb7crv
gb7bif
gb7fur
gb7bob
gb7gcw
gb7nwi
gb7wlr
gb7mbb
and of course when all these systems closed so did the nodes they
ran and more often than not other nodes that used to connect to them
all got cut off from the network, so they closed as well :(
Thankfully we have telnet, without it packet in the UK would have been
hung out to die long ago..
73
Trev,
SysOp gb7fcr.#16.gbr.eu
E-Mail trev@gb7fcr.co.uk
Packet Radio <-> InterNet Gateway
RF & Telnet access
BBS Web Site http://www.gb7fcr.co.uk
WinPack Web Site http://www.winpack.org.uk
Message timed: 18:42 on 14 Jun 09
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