What is a BBS for? What could I use it for? Reading and contributing to public messages about any topic you care for; Commonly a BBS will be connected to one or more FTN networks, that is, networks that push out echomail (and often files) to any system attached to them, in a similar way to the old usenet message and binaries groups used to be. For me personally, I like to read messages in the various message bases, sometimes I will reply or create a topic of my own, but for the most part I read more than I say.

What is a BBS? Aside from the software that is, what is it and why is it? To me, a BBS (unless it’s supposed to be commercial) is a personal thing, and should exist just because YOU want it and/or need it. Having other visitors use it also is a bonus. If you want to make it a place others want to visit regularly, make it unique, make it exciting, the visitors will come.

So Cranksy has been super busy over at Sample Central HQ and has completed no less than 7 episodes for us all to listen to. You can catch them at ArakNet Radio and you can also listen to them all here =) Thanks for all the hard work, Cranksy… you da man!

So just over two weeks ago I decided to find out how I could attach my new BBS to a second message network, after I managed to get easily connected to the fsxNet (many thanks to Avon in NZ for your help here). I decided that I would go after the biggest name in EchoMail networks that I know about, one that has been around for getting on for 40+ years if my estimate is anywhere near close.

Firstly I would like to make a HUGE thank you to Alan Ianson aka Al from The Rusty MailBox over in Penticton, BC, Canada for his patience, and assistance in the task I created for myself in setting up my own HUB and NET. Now, with his help, I have got this NET working albeit in a basic form. The NET, is called tqwNet (The Quantum Wormhole Net), and the Zone number is 1337 (wink), the Region for the first nodes is set to 1, and the first 2 nodes are me, 1337:1/1 and Al 1337:1/2.