In the late 1980s and early 1990s, before most people had Internet, amateur radio operators were using something called packet radio to deliver electronic mail, emergency traffic, and technical bulletins around the world.
And they were doing it all wirelessly.
The N0QVC Packet Radio Simulator is an effort to tell that story and remember the individuals and organizations that made it all possible. A tutorial guides you through what it was like to navigate that old AX.25 network, and you get to hear the 1200bps AFSK modulated data, see shared communications on frequency, and interact with an electronic bulletin board system from that era.
Learn how messages were store-and-forwarded, and hop from node to node to see how long of a chain you can create before it all comes crashing down. If you actually had a hand in the old network, you might just be taken down memory lane.
You will likely run into bugs since there are a lot of moving parts to replicate the feel of those archaic but beautiful systems in a single web browser window. Bugs and glitchy elements were certainly a part of the old packet systems too! Using Google Chrome on a PC or Mac will give you the best experience, but mobile devices are compatible too.
If you have pictures of your old packet BBS setups, please, send them over to me so I can include them in elements of the presentation! My goal is to preserve the feel and the accomplishments of this period of computing.
Please follow me on social media by visiting the links at the top of this page, and be sure to let me know what you think!
73, Brian, N0QVC