[lentulusgracchus]

Perhaps a bunch of us FReepers should ponder this and come up with our own regional BBS list, run by us. Just as a temporary fall-back if this sort of idiocy moves ahead. It'd make a nice alternative comms network, and would give my land line a purpose again.

This idea is a keeper, Charles. Dialup (I'm on dialup) works fine for texting and posting and e-mail, and only slows you down if you are addicted to banner ads, full-motion video blurbs for feminine-hygiene products, and websites that require you to enable Java scripting so they can push full-motion ads at you.

(Cricket is incessantly texting me to come in and buy a new smartphone because they're trying to send me full-motion ads .... I just laugh and delete. I got my Cricket phone because I want to talk to people, not stand under a Niagara of Minority Report advertising!)

Pinging some of our Texas amigos for future reference and possible interest.. .... some of them are IT-literate (okay, then, "IT megaliterate") and could make this work, and as you mentioned, TTY and texting work very nicely over 10 and 20 meters broadcast. There might even be a way to do it over GMRS (the 440-MHz "Citizens' Band Class A" of misty yore), or on Class D/11 meters CB on single sideband.

Pinging ....

[smokingfrog]

http://www.southgatearc.org/news/august2009/universal_ham_radio_text_messaging.htm

Anyone know how this is supposed to work & equip involved?

[Charles Martel]

There might even be a way to do it over GMRS (the 440-MHz "Citizens' Band Class A" of misty yore), or on Class D/11 meters CB on single sideband.

Yeah, CB could be used just like HF for this, based on that PSK31 software in the Youtube link I posted above. Just gotta choose frequencies and figure out how to wire the sound card to the CB's mic jack. The computer and sound card generate the digital tone, based on what you type in. Could be an interesting (and relatively cheap) project.