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G4EBT > BBS 06.05.09 11:24l 87 Lines 3113 Bytes #999 (0) @ WW
BID : F50715G4EBT
Read: GUEST
Subj: Re: Re: Packet Seems Alive to Me!
Path: IZ3LSV<IK2XDE<DB0RES<ON0AR<GB7FCR
Sent: 090506/0905Z @:GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU #:27072 [Blackpool] FBB-7.03a $:F50715G4
From: G4EBT@GB7FCR.#16.GBR.EU
To : BBS@WW
Danny, PD0SNK wrote:-
> I see a lot of bulls from you @GBR as i see there are a lot of packet
> bulls in GBR. Here in Holland there are none only automatic generated
> messages but almost none hand written.
> Looks like the GBR HAM's are doing ok over there :)
> Ok couple of bbs's stop their services and fall away but here and there
> new bbs's and nodes are being set up. For instance my bbs and node :)
Good news - no BBSs then no packet!
(except of course 1-2-1 contacts in range)
> Packet is just what you make of it.. Some people go for the conects
> some for the bulletins other for the one to one chats or chatbox chats
> other for DX clusters.
> Thats whats make packet radio fun it overs something for everyone :)
Evidence over many years does show that unless there are enough users who
generate enough traffic to make it worthwhile the sysop continuing to run
a BBS, sysops lose heart and motivation.
It costs almost as much to keep a BBS idle as busy.
And of course, some sysops, like some users, just lose interest over time.
I'm still in touch with the former sysop at GB7SYP from the mid 90s. As
well as being a sysop, he was a keen constructor, but moved north, lost
interest in the hobby and hasn't renewed his licence.
Another sysop, also a keen constructor, a senior Morse tutor and senior
examiner examiner when the Morse test was still in being, left packet.
He shares my interest in vintage radio, and has built some superb retro
designs of receiver from 1960s magazine articles. He's active on the
British Vintage Radio Forum, where people don't make fun of spelling
errors.
Quite a lot of amateurs, several off GBR packet, are active on that forum
- it has a homebrew section, and vintage amateur radio and test gear
section (Eddystone, Racal, AVO etc).
One of the problems of BBS closures, is that they often have as knock-on
effect. For example, the local BBS here was run by a professional BBC
trained RF engineer and never skipped as beat.
Two forwarding BBSs and two nodes to the south, north and west all closed,
and to the east, is the North Sea. The local sysop didn't want to use
telnet, so went QRT. At its height of activity, the local BBS in Hull,
10km from me had about 150 users.
So, the few users who were left had a choice - go QRT on packet, which
most did, or use telnet, as I did. A couple of local used to have conacts
with each other, but one passed away.
As far as I know, there's only myself and one other still on packet now,
using GB7FCR. He doesn't often post bulls, but we occasionally excange
SPs.
Packet still rumbles on, but those were the days:
http://www.jrmiller.demon.co.uk/products/figs/man9k6.pdf
http://www.jrmiller.demon.co.uk/
But then every day's a good day while we're here!
There are no bad days - just that some are better than others:-)
Best wishes
David, G4EBT @ GB7FCR
British Vintage Wireless Society Member
G-QRP Club Member, No: 1339
Cottingham, East Yorkshire.
Message timed: 10:01 on 2009-May-06
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