Kurt,

KW>I have a cut-down version of XP running on a 12 year-old Celeron desktop
KW>box. It's running the BBS, and I remote into it from
"modern" systems most
KW>of the time to do most of my personal computer work -- light web browsing,
KW>BBSing and email.

  I have 2 desktops and 2 laptops. Both desktops, and 1 of the
laptops, have Windows XP, Service Pack 3, and the other laptop has
Windows Vista Home Basic on it.

  The Vista laptop was procured at a ham radio flea market (hamfest) for
$100...after the battery on the original laptop died. The original
laptop runs on AC power only. The Vista laptop is taken to places such
as hamfests or high school ham radio clubs to do demos of the VoIP modes
of the hobby.

  While the "purists" feel that "internet radio isn't ham
radio", a lot
of ham radio operators are getting into situations (beyond their
control), where there are antenna prohibitions, covenants, creeds, and
restrictions (CC&R's), etc. So, this is the only way they can operate.
However, they realize that when the internet in their area is down, they
are off the air.

  But, the nice thing is that I can basically take the laptop, a set of
portable speakers, a desktop mic, a power supply, and a Verizon MiFi
wireless adapter, and can operate from anywhere...even from a moving
train.

  Indeed, several years ago, one ham radio operator took his setup to a
hospital in Omaha, Nebraska, and arranged contacts between several
patients (who qualified as "3rd party traffic", since they weren't
licensed), and several ham radio operators in the U.S. and around the
world. Using the VoIP mode of Echolink, and a "single user setup" (so no
RF actually occurred), he did it to "take the loneliness out of the day
of several patients". The story made the QST magazine of the American
Radio Relay League (ARRL), and it was entitled "The Echolink Magic
Carpet". That individual passed away a few years ago, but I still have
the PDF file of the story on the BBS.

  The other computer was what was my late wife's computer, and for a
time after her untimely death, it also had the BBS on it. Now, it's just
used for things like Microsoft Train Simulator, and Lost World Pinball.

  The main desktop is the BBS computer, which I also use for the VoIP
ham radio applications of packet via telnet, Echolink, D-Star, and
D-Rats. I run 2 Echolink and 2 D-Star Nets a week, and check into 12
others...although during the holidays, that number has been reduced a
bit.

  I also do BBS work (including QWK Mail), email, Facebook, web surfing,
website updating, and on occasion, Skype, from the main computer.

Daryl, WX1DER
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 þ OLX 1.53 þ 50 Yards to the Outhouse - Edited By Doris Locked
                                                                           
                                          
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