What Do I Need for POTS BBS Dial-Up reddit / bbs ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Marky_Aurelius · 2020-12-29 10:08 Hello! I just discovered the fact that you can still dial-up a BBS system via a POTS call. Assuming I can access a Windows 10 or Linux laptop and a landline, what else do I need for both hardware and software? Will a modern USB modem work? Is there any preferred type or brand? If not, is there a go-to old modem that can be connected to a laptop via a USB converter cable? In terms of software, what will run on Linux or Windows 10, where can I get it, and are there any resources for setting it up? Thanks in advance! Hope to see you soon on the boards. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dmine45 · 2020-12-29 11:06 There are several ways to get on the very few Dial-up BBSes these days. I have done this two ways with Windows 10. For the software, I have used both modern SyncTerm and also using old school Telix for DOS in DOSBOX. As far as a modem is concerned, you can either use an external modem via a serial port (some ASUS motherboards still have them, but you need to buy the actual serial port jack) or you can use a USB modem. I have a USR Courier modem from 1996 that still works and this is primarily how I call BBSes, using Telix and DOSBOX. You may also be able to use a USB to Serial adapter, but I haven't tried this method yet. Be careful you don't buy a "Winmodem" which means that it does NOT have a controller built in. Most are of this variety and will NOT work! Recently, I bought a Zoom USB modem on Amazon that interestingly enough DOES have a built in controller. I have successfully used this with SyncTerm and Windows 10 with a laptop! Here's a link to the Zoom USB modem if you wish to get one. If I recall it's around $50. [https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Model-3095-USB-Modem/dp/B07HHKG6HR/ref=sr \_1\_3?dchild=1&keywords=zoom+usb+modem&qid=1609239848&sr=8- 3](https://www.amazon.com/Zoom-Model-3095-USB-Modem/dp/B07HHKG6HR/ref= sr_1_3?dchild=1&keywords=zoom+usb+modem&qid=1609239848&sr=8-3) If you're serious about getting things set up, send me a DM here, or visit the BBS Corner & Telnet BBS Guide group on Facebook and I can help you there. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CharlieBrown197 · 2020-12-29 11:41 I am going to add some corrections to this. Keep in mind that this is entirely based on my own experience, so your mileage may vary. The winmodems mentioned in the post above will work just fine ***provided you are on Windows.*** Because of their design, they will do absolutely nothing on Linux. Secondly, you can absolutely use a Usb to Serial adapter on Windows or Linux. Also, one more note about the winmodems. I have not tried the Zoom modems that u/dmine45 mentioned above. However, they sound much better than the generic winmodems that I used to use. I had 2 of them just kind of... die after a while. Like they would still respond to AT commands, and they would appear to function right in the terminal, but they would never dial. So I would steer clear of them if you can, even if you are running Windows. Honestly, I feel the best route is picking up an old US Robotics or similar quality modem on eBay and hooking it up through a USB to serial adapter. It may be a bit pricey, but buy once, cry once. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- dmine45 · 2020-12-29 13:15 Winmodems do not work with software that requires a controller based modem. They were designed for accessing the Internet, not BBSes. However, I strongly encourage the route that you said to use an external modem. I've had the best luck with those. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- CharlieBrown197 · 2020-12-29 13:17 As I said, in my own experience, mine responded to a limited version of the AT command set, thus allowing me to dial BBSes with it. That was how I did dial up BBSing for months before I got a proper modem. I was even able to configure it to auto-answer. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Iron_Slug · 2020-12-29 15:00 Before you go spending money on hardware, maybe get a copy of Syncterm: [http://syncterm.bbsdev.net/](http://syncterm.bbsdev.net/) And connect to a few boards via telnet. There are a LOT of boards listed at the Telnet BBS Guide and at my site, the IPTIA BBS Resource: [http://www.telnetbbsguide.com/](http://www.telnetbbsguide.com/) [https://www.ipingthereforeiam.com/bbs/](https://www.ipingthereforeiam .com/bbs/) Most dialup BBSes support both dialup and telnet, so if you have to hear that sweet modem handshake, you can find a board you like before you invest in a modem. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- Android8675 · 2020-12-29 22:44 Best modem that's just compatible with just about anything, and I like to call the Cadillac of modems is the [U.S. Robotics Courier USR3453C](https://support.usr.com/support/product- template.asp?prod=3453c). It's a standard serial modem meaning you just connect it to a standard RS232C Serial Port (yes, you can use an USB to RS232C Serial adapter), set the little dip switches on the bottom to "default" (read the manual time), set some terminal software to whatever COM port Windows tells you too (Device Manager, you can right click on the com port and change the COM#. I recommend COM1), any bps speed (modem works on terminal speeds from 110 baud to 115.2k baud), if you type in AT and the modem responds with "OK". You're good to go. Assuming you have the modem plugged into a phone line (POTS or VoIP if the VoIP line is compatible with any standard analog phone), you can tell your software to dial and away you go. Syncterm will dial out, just setup an entry and specify the phone number of the BBS with a 1 at the beginning if the board is in the US. The modem I mentioned above you can find on eBay. I bought one for like $50 several years ago, but you might have to hunt for one at that price. If you want to go cheaper, [just look for any 56k modem that's not a WinModem](https://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_from=R40&_trksid=p238 0057.m570.l1313&_nkw=56k+modem&_sacat=0). WinModem's will let you dial into BBSs, no idea why that other dude said they won't, but they need Windows to load drivers and get them setup properly, and I don't mean Windows 10, I mean whatever Windows they are compatible with. Look, just don't bother with WinModems. Brands, US Robotics I think are the best, other great brands, Zoom, ZyTel, Practical Peripherals, and 3Com (which I think now owns US Robotics) Lastly, your serial cable that you connect to an external modem will typically be a db9 female dsub to a db25 male, and it's got a pinout you need to follow. Lots of modems come with said cable, but some don't. [Here's the cable you want](https://www.showmecables.com/db9-female-to-db25-male-at-modem- serial-cable). Good luck, Google has lots of answers if you're still stuck. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- tallship · 2021-01-05 05:22 Yah I've always been partial to the US Robotics moderns, ever since they displaced the Hayes Smart Moderns back around 1200 Baud days. Internal modems rock but you need to make sure you get one with the Rockwell chipset. I've got a stack of them laying around in a box for spare parts, but I've only had like three fail over a couple of decades, coz they outlast the PCs, although I haven't done any dialup in almost fifteen years. If you're receiving calls, those internal USRs (and clones) w/Rockwell chipsets work good and eliminate all that spaghetti cable, but the number of slots and com ports are limited, and as mentioned, Winmodems are trash and most of those are PCI cards. My preferences are twofold - Cyclades made the Cyclades Cyclom cards. Each card has several ports and only takes up one slot. The "Cyclades Cyclom-8Y", for example, has 8 ports and takes up one slot in a PC. They're hard to find but I've got a couple left, and you can plug in 8 external USR modems. The other solution is a truly elegant one. I prefer Digium as the manufacturer, and they're FXS/FXO cards. You install these in an Asterix server. ---------------------------------------------------------------------- ramsaso · 2021-01-08 21:38 Hello there! I run a BBS --> Telnet modem pool! Here are a list of BBSes you can dial into, with a vast amount of telephone numbers used. https://www.reddit.com/r/bbs/comments/jurs9d/which_bbses_should_i_add_ to_the_dialup_modem_pool/?ref=share&ref_source=link