Idea

[David W. Borden]

Gang,
  This is just an idea.  In the olden days of AMRAD, we used the AMRAD
repeater as
an experimenter's intercom.  When Bob Bruniga would make something
(hardware or
software), we would all hear the progress reports and discuss problems
using the voice
repeater.  This mechanism helped facilitate greater experimentation (we
fooled around
with computers and radios) and greater progress on projects (other people
would present
solutions to problems).  Plus, lurkers would hear a kind of ongoing soap
opera of 
fun experimentation.  We need to revive this somehow.
  If you have a separate data phone line (this was once an AMRAD
requirement), you
could use Mirabilis Ltd.'s ICQ, a message service like AOL Instant
Messenger.  This
free software and free server allows private message by budlist and chat
(including
conference mode).  It would probably be more fun to drag out our old packet
radios
and TNCs (I still have several) and set them up as permanent Instant
Messaging.  We
could even write some simple software to give ICQ like conferencing, etc.
  Think about it.  In the coming months, we will probably be doing more LF
fooling around
and we could use an experimenter's intercom......david,k8mmo