[nos-bbs] promoting packet ... was (KLMproxy ... an old idea)

[maiko at pcs.mb.ca]

Hi Demetre,

> There are many options for high speed ...

I saw Baycom's offerings last year, when I checked their website

> to see what they had at the time. Very impressive stuff ...

> I do not understand why we are still stuck with 1200 and 9600 bps.

Out of financial necessity perhaps ...

Suppose I decide to buy a 76.8 Kbps modem from Baycom, with a radio
that can handle the speed. Trust me, when I saw it, that was the first
thing I was thinking. Here's the problem. I'm the only one in my town
that will do this. NO ONE ELSE in the group will. They are more than
eager to upgrade their computer or any of their internet related
hardware, but NO they won't sink a dime into their packet systems.

There's your answer. What's the point me buying that beautiful
equipment, when there's no one else to use it with ? That is the
cold reality of the situation. People can say over and over, things
like 'we need to educate the masses about high speed packet', or
'we need to promote packet radio better', etc.

So at the end of the day, it becomes a financial issue. If I'm
the only one, and I know I will be the only one after one year,
then it's not a financially sound decision for me to make.

I haven't given up, but at the same time, I don't want to *waste*
my money, when I can put it into an extra tower section or two,
so that I can much better enjoy doing my CW on 30 meters, etc.

That's just my 2 cents worth on the topic ...

> I am not sure if we are lacking bandwidth and technology !

People choose what they choose, and I'm sure we can all agree
that in reality, it's clear what most others have choosen ...

> I think we should all make an effort to revive the interest
> in PACKET RADIO ...

I think alot of us are doing just that, but with limited success. For
me, I accept that. I simply continue to operate a packet station with
the notion that if I can provide some type of packet infrastructure
to even one straggler that happens upon 145.01, then I've done my
job. That's what the hobby is to me, nothing more.

> think that you Maiko are doing a great job with reviving JNOS and
> our interest again.

Thank you, although I'm not so sure I am reviving it. I simply like to
use it as an experimental platform, and I figure as long as I am using
it, and adding things that I myself want to see added, then I might as
well make the latest release available to others. Ironically, it is
the internet itself that allows me to distribute it to others :-)

> Now if we only could persuade the old sysops ...

I won't be doing that. In some ways, I have *become* the 'old sysop',
despite the fact that I'm only 40 years old ... What's that I said ?

Think about it. Why on earth would I want to use something like JNOS ? Almost
everyone around me thinks it's obsolete. Probably it is to them, but I still
find it the best platform available to experiment with PACKET RADIO apps.

JNOS has given me one heck of a good education. I've learned how to write
IP router code, I've learned both IP and AX25 from the very bottom layer
up. I've learned how forwarding of information works between one system
and the next, and with the latest HF Pactor code I've been experimenting
with, I now understand much better how to do forwarding with the latest
software out there like AirMail and WinLink systems. The list goes on.

> I personally will never stop trying. It is worth it.

Same here. Even if I wind up being the only (and my own) best customer.

Case in point, once a year at field day when I want to pass messages
back home while I am out in the field over 50 kilometers away. We have
enough packet infrastructure left around here for me to do that.

Here's the BONUS - during field day, I can show it to everyone there :-)

Maiko Langelaar / VE4KLM