07-21-21 08:30 Daryl Stout wrote to Ed Vance about Re: Network Shuffle
Howdy! Daryl,

 DS> @MSGID: <60F828DB.2116.min_bbsf@capitolcityonline.net>
 DS> @REPLY: <60F7628F.2114.min_bbsf@capitolcityonline.net>
 DS> Ed,

 EV> I'M GUILTY AS CHARGED, I AM a Lurker.

 DS>   As Bugs Bunny said in "Hillbilly Hare"..."Oh, mergatroyd!! Look what
 DS> crawled out of the woodwork!!" <BG>.
-snip-
 EV> I had already been using some Amateur Radio BBS's and was glad to
 EV> learn about the Dial-Up C= BBS because I needed to learn about
 EV> "this here" computer stuff from other BBS Users, and hear about
 EV> the things they experienced and to ask them questions about how
 EV> to do things with my computer.

 DS>   I have a bulletin on my BBS of all the Arkansas BBS's (most in the
 DS> central part of the state) that went offline long ago. Admittedly, it
 DS> brings back memories.

Were those Amateur Radio BBS's in that bulletin?
I'm guessing they weren't Ham BBS's just public BBS's, Hmmm ..--.. (?)

 EV> My thoughts were a BBS was sorta like the Amateur Radio Club
 EV> Meetings I attended back when I got my Novice License in 1958.
 EV> I could talk with other Ham Operators there to learn enough about
 EV> Radio stuff so to be able to know enough to pass the F.C.C. Test for
 EV> a higher Class Operators License.

 DS>   I feel that if the Volunteer Examiner Coordinator program didn't get
 DS> going nearly 30 years ago, the hobby would've died out...as there was
 DS> no one to give the exams, when the FCC quit doing it. However, as it
 DS> notes in Part 97, they can still readminister an exam themselves. I
 DS> downloaded a PDF of that (dated March 8, 2018), and put it on the BBS.
 DS> But, I also exported it to ascii text, for 2 of the ham radio doors I
 DS> have online. It took much of the day to go through to format the file
 DS> to under 78 characters per line.

At the last License Exam I took, a F.C.C. Employee was there.
I think the Volunteer Examiner program should be ended, and revert
back to having Agent(s) from the F.C.C. in charge of giving the Tests.

 EV> In a Computer Store I picked up a FREE Newletter and saw a List of
 EV> Dial-Up BBS's and called one of them that had Topics about DOS and
 EV> Windows so I could learn about those OS's.

 DS>   I remember seeing "Computer Shopper" years ago.

Was "Computer Shopper" the name of a local newsletter, or are You
talking about the BIG magazine with advertisements for everything
to build a computer?
I can't remember what the local newsletter I found the BBS List in
was called.
1995 is a long time ago and what the newsletter was called isn't in
My memory anymore...I don't even know if I still have that issue in
my collection.

 EV> The BBS was called The Volunteer BBS and was part of The GT Power BBS
 EV> Network.

 DS>   Wasn't Tom Currie the one who ran that??

YES!

 EV> There were messages from people in the USA, England and Taiwan on
 EV> that BBS, and after reading many, many messages I decided to jump in
 EV> and write a message, and here I are, still lurking and writing
 EV> occasionally.

Later I called The PRISM BBS and began reading FIDO BBS messages.
And also Mike Powell's BBS with a Railroad Train name that I can't
recall, until He moved to Frankfort, Kentucky out of my local dial-up
calling area.

I 'think' Mike's BBS was named The Pan-Am BBS, was that guess close
enuf?

After I retired a friend paid for a few months for a Dial-Up Internet
Service until they moved away, then I paid for it just a few months
more and then quit paying the monthly fee and went "cold turkey"
i.e. No BBS access for a while.

I learned about JUNO Email either just a little earlier than getting
the Dial-Up ISP Account or maybe it was some time later I learned about
JUNO, but I really liked having a Free Email Account and used it until
JUNO quit Dial-In access.

So after awhile I had DSL added to my Telephone Bill and Resubscribed
to Mike's BBS now called The Capital City BBS.

 DS>   There are other things in life besides BBSing and ham radio (some
 DS> would consider that heresy <G>. But, I don't spend every waking moment
 DS> with my hobbies, or I'll risk burnout.

YEP!,

there is: Photography with all of its various sub-hobbies, High Fidelity
Systems, listening to Southern Gospel Quartet Music on the Broadcast
Band Radio, building Heathkits, using The Online Bible on the pc.
Yes - lots of things besides BBSing and Ham Radio.

 EV> As much as I try, I'll never become a Mister Know-It-All, even tho I
 EV> act like it sometimes.

 DS>   I saw a T-shirt awhile back that noted "I don't need Google. My wife
 DS> knows everything". Talk about a personal search engine. <G>

That's cute.

 EV> Thanks for tolerating me.

 DS>   I don't think the moderators have anything to worry about from you
 DS> or me, Ed. 

Hmmm, reading that makes me think about a sign I saw that said:

"All Fishermen are liars, except You and Me. And I'm not so sure
about You."

73 (Best Regards) de (From) Ed W9ODR           dit               dit

... On a hacker's tombstone: CONNECT 1964 - NO CARRIER 1994
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