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BBS from modern PC

sciencegirl100

sciencegirl100

Experienced Member
Joined
Jun 11, 2016
Messages
63
Location
Washington, DC
So, I know I can use a BBS with Windows 10 if I had a modem, but I have no RJ-11 hookup anywhere. My dorm room only has RJ-45 gigabit.
Is there a way I could access BBS lines through my cell phone (LG V20) or Google Voice?

P.S. If there's an answer with using my cell phone, would I be able to use dial-up through a normal phone call? Slow, but emergency internet access would be nice.


Ed Green
http://EdNerd.net
 
If you can't find a real telephone jack somewhere, the next best thing is VOIP (Voice Over IP) with a dedicated device, such as Ooma or Obihai. Those will connect to your Internet connection and provide you a telephone jack that you can plug any standard telephone/modem/fax machine into.

I've had problems getting a Hayes 300 and Hayes 1200 to communicate over an Ooma connection. VOIP is not friendly to analog modems. Even on the highest quality levels and using 'fax machine' type settings I could barely get connected. That could be a problem with my ISP or Ooma - Google Voice and your ISP might be better.
 
Yeah Voice over IP is terrible for modem usage. While for a human ear it is normally "understandable" when packages get compressed, downsampled or chopped it is simply a no-go even for a very slow modem. Get a landline or just forget about it. If you have an Acoustic coupler you can try it via an old public phone booth if you can find one that is still analog. http://wrybread.com/WryRoad/gadgets/coupler.htm
 
Ok, so it looks like VoIP is out, but what about my cell phone?
Also, an acoustic coupler would be EPIC! I would love to use one.
 
Your digital cell phone suffers the same problems as VoIP. In fact, your cell phone may be VoIP already.

I haven't done this in a decade or more, but there yoostabee servers on the internet (usually other BBSs) that would allow you to telnet in and dial out. Those are probably all gone now though. Are you sure the BBS you want to connect to isn't accessible by telnet, anyway?
 
telnet is ok.. but no where near as cool as dialing in.
I was hoping to use the technology just for the purpose of using it, not for the usefulness of the server.
 
Yanno, I've had similar thoughts. I'm getting interested in ham packet radio. I believe the protocol used is a varient of X.25.

Not quite "Dialing in" but pretty damned close.

The other option i was looking for, but i can't quite remember the right keywords for (so i'd look like a total retard trying to talk to the phone company) would be a telephone line emulator and a service contract that basically gives you a 2-wire link inside a certain geographic region. But, i guess you could simulate the dialing and answering with just a pair of modems. Set the one your "dialing" to run off a telnet server to whatever online bbs you want. This also requires a phone line emulator, but i know i saw a simple schematic somewhere in the not-too-distant-past.

And yeah, VOIP will only be an excuse in frustration. The closest I ever got to an acoustic coupler with a cell phone was one of the very old bagphones. Had to mod the headset, and i dont think i ever got more then 300 baud. When Sprint started their PCS network, I saw the end of the line for analog cell. :(

But, damn, driving around in my rusty beater and calling a local bbs with my 8088 laptop (back when pentium's first came out, IIRC) was the highlight of my "cyberpunk" phase :p
 
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