The fascination of packet radio -
a personal perspective, by G4EBT.
The early days:
Packet in the UK has been around for almost two decades. The first two-way
packet contacts were back in 1985, following which a network of BBSs (Bulletin
Board Systems) quickly sprang up, covering most of the UK.
This "organic" growth of the network was remarkable. A loose
alliance of fellow amateurs - not just in the UK, but worldwide, setting
up as BBS sysops - sometimes supported by a User Group, but as often as
not using their own time, expertise and money to provide a network for
users within range of a BBS to upload bulletins to other fellow "packeteers"
linked to the packet system, or to send personal messages to each other.
My introduction to packet:
My packet "baptism" was back in 1993, when a Baycom" packet
interface club project was undertaken. Some 20 fellow members of the then
North Ferriby Amateur Radio Society to the west of Hull built these nifty
little gizmos to hook up to the world of packet.
At the same time, many cheap ex Private Mobile Radio (PMR) rigs were
coming onto the surplus market which leant themselves to modification
for use on VHF and UHF packet.
A series of articles by the renowned Chris Lorek, G4HCL, in the now defunct
"Ham Radio Today" magazine covered conversion of a wide range
of such rigs. I successfully converted a Pye MX294 and Tait 2000, and
The Baycom interface was replaced by a G0BSX kit-built TNC.
In the early stages, like most "packeteers", my fascination
and focus of interest was upon the technical aspects of packet radio -
setting up the equipment, antennae, PC and software to enable reliable
connections to the BBS to upload and download messages and bulletins.
Hooray for Winpack!
The need for more "user friendly" software son became apparent,
to enable bulletins and personal messages to be typed off-line, spell-checked,
and edited before sending. That's where "Winpack" came in -
a marvellous packet programme written by Roger Barker, G4IDE, who sadly
passed away this year at the untimely age of 51, leaving the world of
amateur radio with a wonderful legacy and a lasting tribute to one man's
vision.
So popular did Winpack become that it's now used the world over, and
has been refined by add-ons to such a point that it would be difficult
to think of any more "tweaks". For me, Winpack is a daily joy
- every day begins with a quick look at the list of bulletins that have
appeared on the network overnight, and penning the occasional reply. The
fascination for the technical aspects of packet (what packet is) has receded
into the background and the functionality (what packet does) has come
to the fore.
The rise and fall of bulletin traffic:
There's much more to packet than bulletin traffic, but for me, bulletins
are the bedrock. The number of bulletins posted on the UK packet network
rose from 30,000 in 1991 to a peak of 88,000 in 1996, declining to 63,000
by 1999, and 38,000 in 2003. Over the same period, the number of BBSs
declined, the most common reason given by sysops for going QRT being "lack
of users and lack of traffic" making the time, trouble and expense
not worthwhile to carry on.
Many blame migration to the Internet for this decline, seeing packet
as little more than "poor mans' Internet" - slower, less reliable
and not so versatile, but I'm note sure that is the key reason for the
decline. I think it has more to do with unpleasantness, which sadly has
dogged packet from its early days, and continues to this day. Anecdotal
comments seem to confirm this view.
Is the "good ship packet" becalmed ?
Whereas the catalyst that brought packet into being was technical experimentation,
sadly it hasn't moved forward much from the early days. True, speed isn't
everything - 1k2 packet does have a certain "rustic charm" in
a world of hustle and bustle. Many are still content with data speeds
of 1k2 compared to 56k for dial-up modems and 560k - I MB for broadband,
but it has to be admitted that packet has become a technical backwater,
with more focus on software than RF aspects.
Victory from the jaws of defeat!
A robust RF-based network needs BBSs in strategic places within RF range
of each other, but as sysops are volunteers, they aren't always in the
right locations to plug the gaps so the network can soon become threadbare
if vital links are lost.
My "packet adventure" seemed set to end back in 2001 when my
local BBS in Hull GB7HUL closed down because two forwarding BBSs had closed,
cutting off RF links to the network. By that time, users of GB7HUL had
declined from some 200 at its peak, to only a three or four.
My predicament was by no means unique, but what I hadn't realised was
that Roger, G4IDE, had been in the same situation and rather than close
down on packet, had refined Winpack to use the telnet facility.
This enables out-of-RF-range users to connect via the Internet to BBSs
that offers telnet facilities. Trevor, M1CUK, sysop at GB7FCR, kindly
offered me telnet facilities at his BBS - one of several such BBSs in
the UK. (He also has very comprehensive RF facilities for users within
range).
It's ironic that GB7FCR is located at Blackpool on the northwest coast
of England, whereas I'm located on the opposite side of the country on
the northeast coast. Having said that, coast-to-coast is only 130 miles
- a little over 200 km, which reminds us of what a small island this is!
Purists versus pragmatists:
Purists see the use of telnet as little short of heresy - not "proper
radio"; indeed not amateur radio at all. Pragmatists, of whom I'm
one, see it differently. All too often amateurs say: "Internet is
killing amateur radio". Life is about choices - it's true that in
a cash-rich time-poor society, time spent on Internet is time not available
for amateur radio. Some stay with hobbies for the log haul as a lifelong
interest, whereas others come and go. This isn't unique to amateur radio.
Hobbies must adapt and survive or wither away.
I take the pragmatic view that when packet RF links are lost due to BBSs
and nodes closing down at key locations with no way of restoring them,
why not make internet the servant - not the master, and use it to support
the network to plug the gaps, rather than see internet supplant packet
altogether? More and more users and sysops are coming to terms with that
outlook and offering and using telnet as a last - not a first, resort.
In 2004 the harsh fact of life is that without telnet forwarding, messages
placed on the packet radio network by RF wouldn't travel very far.
It cannot be denied that if RF BBSs continue to disappear the trend towards
greater reliance on telnet will continue. Taken to its ultimate that would
mean a "virtual packet" network - something that moves messages
around without RF, and which is really a worldwide Internet newsgroup
only accessible to those who have Internet access. That's a scenario that
few would view with delight. If that day ever comes I hope it's many years
away, but the alternative would be to pull the big switch.
Let's be thankful that a station in Australia or America can send a message
by packet that will wing it's way around the globe from this BBS to that,
arriving in the UK within hours, all because a group of unseen, unsung
heroes - sysops, have provided a robust network for use only by fellow
amateurs who mostly take it all for granted.
We shouldn't mourn the past - we should look forward to the future, and
a packet system that will see us all out! We aren't made wise by recollections
of the past, but by our actions for the future. What packet needs more
than anything is people who are prepared to write a few bulletins, not
just sit back reading other people's. Activity begets activity - on packet
just as any other mode. My plea to anyone on packet is: Don't just be
a "packet SWL"!
See you on the packet network!
73,
David Taylor
G4EBT@GB7FCR
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