Would you like to go amazing nostalgia? PHATstar (The Progressive Hackers And Technologists) is hosting a dial-up number that goes to a BBS portal, from which you can select your favorite BBS from the list and be teleported to the board of your choice. It is hosted in British Colombia in Canada, and can be reached 24/7 for your dial-in needs. There is only one line, but as most people no longer do dial-in you are pretty much highly likely to get through. You can get to it through the following number: (778) 716-PHAT

Proper respect to Flex (of https://2600.network) for doing the hosting of our dial-in system. I wouldn't recommend it for downloading large files due to the obvious limitations of POTS (Plain Old Telephone System), but if you want to log in to exchange messages or play door games, then that would work for you. If some parts of the Internet gets borked somehow then this might be able to still connect to the BBSes.

If for no other reason than nostalgia, come on over to 778-716-PHAT, and have some fun on our telecommunications system. It is free and it's hosted off of a reliable server. PHAT resolves to 7428, so its 778-716-7428. Please have a lot of fun with this; you can bring out your old modem and connect to us and experience the 90's all over again. If nothing else you can do a demo of old school technology to your friends, family, or school projects.

I wish you well and welcome aboard!

Cheers!
-warmfuzzy

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Linux/64)
* Origin: thE qUAntUm wOrmhOlE, rAmsgAtE, uK. bbs.erb.pw (700:100/37)

If for no other reason than nostalgia, come on over to 778-716-PHAT, and have some fun on our telecommunications system. It is free and it's hosted off of a reliable server. PHAT resolves to 7428, so its 778-716-7428. Please have a lot of fun with this; you can bring out
your old modem and connect to us and experience the 90's all over again. If nothing else you can do a demo of old school technology to your friends, family, or school projects.

Even though I don't possibly have the tools now to connect to a phone line, I find it super cool idea!

I also wonder. all telephony today is VOIP anyway and I can buy a phone number via AirCall or similar services. Would this be possible to virtualize access to a board via such service and virtual modem and a phone number instead of IP?

I think about Internet Phone as a gateway to set something like you did in my local area.. but without anything else but ISP and internet connection and a computer and software to support the idea?

Any possible pointers for such idea?

-h1

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS >> 20ForBeers.com:1337 (700:100/71)

I also wonder. all telephony today is VOIP anyway and I can buy a phone number via AirCall or similar services. Would this be possible to virtualize access to a board via such service and virtual modem and a phone number instead of IP?

The way I do it is, I plug in a real land line modem into a VoIP box (an Obi), and I can actually dial out via VoIP as if it were a land line, however:

* Connections are not totally stable.

* File transfers (not too important) don't work.

However, you can do this sort of thing over VoIP. Unsure how you'd make this work over some kind of PC-hosted VoIP thing, but curious.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A47 2021/12/24 (Linux/64)
* Origin: Shipwrecks & Shibboleths [San Francisco, CA - USA] (700:100/72)

I also wonder. all telephony today is VOIP anyway and I can buy a phone number via AirCall or similar services. Would this be possible to virtualize access to a board via such service and virtual modem and a phone number instead of IP?

So the TL;DR is yes, but you'll need to tweak settings.

I know my close friend Rainman, of Never Never Land BBS, has a physical modem connecting users over VOIP - but that he had to work on the INIT strings and modem settings... not trying to make work for him, but I'm sure he'd chat about it if you sent him mail on NNL.

Other users have discussed VOIP modems on the FB BBS channels and I bet WF will chime in on this... *I* haven't done so, but I know... it's possible.



|07p|15AULIE|1142|07o
|08.........

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS >> 20ForBeers.com:1337 (700:100/71)

Even though I don't possibly have the tools now to connect to a phone line, I find it super cool idea!
I also wonder. all telephony today is VOIP anyway and I can buy a phone number via AirCall or similar services. Would this be possible to virtualize access to a board via such service and virtual modem and a phone number instead of IP?

Yes, there is a perfect solution to your situation. Buy a GrandStream HT802, plug one end into any active ethernet connection and the two plugs into one or two landline handsets, configure the GS HT802 to use the uncompressed audio codec, and you're good to go, a phone that very accurately mimics a standard POTS phone line. You will be able to plug the RJ-11 ports into your modem and dial away like you could as a young youth (if that was your generation). Check it out. Oh, and I almost forgot, you will need to sign up with VOIP.MS (https://voip.ms). Their monthly plans are very inexpensive and a solid alternative to their competition. Huge props to VOIP.MS!!!

Cheers!
-warmfuzzy

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Linux/64)
* Origin: thE qUAntUm wOrmhOlE, rAmsgAtE, uK. bbs.erb.pw (700:100/37)

Obi), and I can actually dial out via VoIP as if it were a land line, however:
* Connections are not totally stable.
* File transfers (not too important) don't work.
However, you can do this sort of thing over VoIP. Unsure how you'd make this work over some kind of PC-hosted VoIP thing, but curious.

The problem you have been experiencing is that your signal uses lossy voice compression, you want an uncompressed stream at a full 64kbps line. PCM-U if I recall correctly is the one you want. Have an awesome time with this, you're going to be really psyched about moving from newschool to oldschool. It is so much fun dialing in. Really cool actually.

Cheers!
-warmfuzzy

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 2022/07/15 (Linux/64)
* Origin: thE qUAntUm wOrmhOlE, rAmsgAtE, uK. bbs.erb.pw (700:100/37)

Yes, there is a perfect solution to your situation. Buy a GrandStream HT802, plug one end into any active ethernet connection and the two
plugs into one or two landline handsets, configure the GS HT802 to use
the uncompressed audio codec, and you're good to go, a phone that very accurately mimics a standard POTS phone line. You will be able to plug the RJ-11 ports into your modem and dial away like you could as a young youth (if that was your generation). Check it out. Oh, and I almost forgot, you will need to sign up with VOIP.MS (https://voip.ms). Their monthly plans are very inexpensive and a solid alternative to their competition. Huge props to VOIP.MS!!!

Cool. thanks for pointers! I'll definitively check this path.

-h1

... Xerox Alto was the thing. Anything after we use is just a mere copy.

--- Mystic BBS v1.12 A48 (Linux/64)
* Origin: 2o fOr beeRS bbS >> 20ForBeers.com:1337 (700:100/71)