Subj : Re: Packet BBS
To   : Alonzo
From : tenser
Date : Sat Oct 12 2024 10:33 am

On 10 Oct 2024 at 08:24p, Alonzo pondered and said...
 
 Al> With the recent string of cataclysmic disasters hitting the USA lately
 Al> and the complete collapse of the Verizon network due to a cyber attack, 
 Al> I have been thinking about how fragile the Internet is and how all BBS
 Al> activity could grind to a halt with little warning.

I don't think any of that is evidence that the _Internet_
is "fragile".  If anything, that the Internet has continued
to work unimpeded in the areas not affected by storms and
such shows just how resilient it is.

I think what you mean is that commercial providers have gaps
in their setups that make them susceptible to failures of
various kinds, and that's fair, but that says more about
those providers than it does about the Internet.

 Al> So I have been seriously thinking about starting a packet BBS. Packet BBS
 Al> uses shortwave but of course you still need electricity. A small
 Al> generator would be enough to run it from a laptop.

Let's assume by "packet BBS" you mean using AX.25 over amateur
radio; you can run AX.25 over a number of frequencies, including
the shortwave (HF) frequencies, but also VHF and UHF.  One can
also use it over e.g. CB or LoRa or the unlicensed IMS bands.
I haven't checked the regulations, but I'd be surprised if it was
prohibited on GMRS or FRS.

One can also tunnel IP over AX.25, meaning that any of those
radio technologies could be used to extend one's access to the
Internet over an RF channel, in case a commercial provider 
failed.

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

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