Ok, you've found a BBS that you would like to call/connect to... How?
Let's start with what you might have available on your system already.
Windows, from Win 3.10 to current, has a program called "HyperTerminal". To use this, check your Start Menu under Programs -- accessories -- communications and you should find the HyperTerminal program. Click on it.
This will open up a folder that has a lot of icons in it. One of these will read hypertrm.exe. Double click on it. A program should be launched. You will see the HyperTerminal program and a box with some icons in it and a place for a name. Type the name of the BBS you want to call in the box provided and choose an icon. Click on the "OK" button to continue.
You will be presented with another box asking for information.Some of this might be filled in for you depending on how your modem and such are setup. At any rate, type the area code and the phone number to the BBS you wish to call/connect to.
Once you do this and click the "OK" once again, you'll be presented with a box that gives the information you just entered and the option to "Dial" or "Cancel" along with the dialing properties and some other options. Click "Dial" and you're modem will dial the number to the BBS you've chosen.
When you are finished, disconnect from the BBS you've called by the "Log Off" menu on the BBS and then go to the "File" area of the HyperTerminal window and save the session. This way, you won't have to go through all the setup stuff each time you call. You can just click on the Icon you choose and click dial when the option is presented.
HyperTerminal works, but there are a few things that might help you in your experience with it. In the HyperTerminal window is an option to set the font. Choose this and then choose the "Terminal" font. It will show the Ansi code that the BBS uses better. You can also choose the size of the font and size your screen to fit that font size.
What to do once you have connected
When you've dialled a BBS (you'll hear your modem connecting, similar to when you connect to your ISP) you enter your real name as a login. The BBS will call for all types of information about you (only when you call the first time) and a password for logging in for later sessions.
From then on, you follow menus to explore the BBS. One you're in you can usually leave a message to the Sysop (System Operator) to ask for help, or just to say hello. The Sysops usually appreciate a message to say that you've called. It also alerts them to the fact that there is a new user. Then they validate you. They will usually give you a higher security level that gives you access to more features of the BBS.
Acknowledgements to Frank Vest and David Segall. The material in this section was adapted from things they originally wrote
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Calling BBSs from the Internet
If you haven't got a modem, and are reading this through a direct Internet connection, don't give up hope yet!The International Genealogical Conference (GENEALOGY.EUR) on Fidonet is now being carried by The NeverEnding BBS located in Deltona, Florida, USA.
Give us a call at (904) 789-8383 or via telnet at bbs.neverending.com
Access is FREE, All PUBLIC FIDO Access is Free. Stop by and take part in your favorite Fido Net Echos.
Yes folks, you can gain access to the Fidonet genealogy conferences by Telnet! So there's no reason not to participate any more!
For more information on BBSs and their uses, try the following:
- How to use BBSs - full instructions on how to use BBSs for genealogy, from the National Genealogical Society of the USA, complete with lists of BBSs you can call in various countries.
- South African BBSs - gives information about the uses of BBSs in South Africa, how to call them, and especially how they can be used by churches, NGOs etc.
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Why use BBSs when you can use the Internet?
This must count as a FAQ (frequently asked question), so I'll try to give an answer here.If you are interested in genealogy, then useful tools should not be ignored, and BBSs can be very useful tools indeed. It is a question of both/and, not either or. And these days, electronic communications are such that BBSs and the Internet are closely linked. BBSs use the Internet to transport mail and messages internationally, and sometimes even within the same country. "The Internet" is such an all-embracing concept that it is virtually meaningless to speak of "the Internet" on its own. There are all kinds of services and tools that can be useful to genealogists.
- E-mail - person to person messages. These are useful for personal correspondence, and are the electronic equivalent of an ordinary letter or fax message. It is best used for "one-to-one" messages - one person corresponding with one other person.
- Newsgroups - These are, as the name implies, for posting "news" on various topics. "News" is the electronic equivalent of a newspaper - it is "one to many" communication, like the "letters to the editor" column in your local newspaper. Replies are normally sent privately, by e-mail, to the original poster. One problem with newsgroups is that if you post anything in them, your e-mail address will be picked up by electronic junk mail distributors, who will then flood your e-mail address with advertising. "Follow-up" posts may be made to the newsgroup - these are like another letter to the editor in reply to the original one, but they can easily be missed by the person who wrote the original item.
- Mailing lists - this is an attempt to overcome the shortcomings of newsgroups as a means of many-to-many communications. E-mail messages are sent to a list server, which are then distributed to a number of addresses on a list. The problem is that if you subscirbe to 10 or 15 mailing lists, your personal incoming mail can become overwhelming. You will receive messages from people you don't know, and that don't interest you at all. Some e-mail software, like Pegasus, can sort this mail into "folders" which makes it a bit easier to cope with, but other e-mail readers cannot.
- BBS echo conferences - these provide true "many-to-many" communication. They are particularly useful for situations in which "two heads are better than one". Solving a particular research problem, discussing sources and methods, getting help with using a particular genealogy program - these are things where BBS echoes excel, and are much better than either newsgroups or mailing lists. They are also much more personal. In both newsgroups and mailing lists, you can see who a messages is from, but only rarely can you see who it is addressed to. It is therefore easy, in a large newsgroup or list, to miss messages that are replies to your specific queries. In BBS echoes, messages can be addressed to a particular person or to "All".
- The World Wide Web - this is intended primarily for reading, not replying. There is far less interaction with other people. It is primarily used for static information that doesn't change very much, but remains available. It provides hypertext links and search engines that enables one to find a particular kind of information easily. Nowadays the Web is many people's first introduction to electronic communications, and after a while, when the novelty of the gee-whiz animated graphics and every line in a different font begins to wear off, people start looking for substitutes for communication that is found more easily by other means. So, for example, one has "guest book surfers", who surf the web signing guestbooks, and asking others to come and sign their guest books in return - a rather restricted form of communication.
The following table summarises the suitability of each tool for various purposes.
| Newsgroups | BBS | FTP | Web | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| One-to-one | ***** | * | **** | * | |
| One-to-many | ** | ***** | **** | ***** | |
| Many-to-many | ** | *** | ***** | ** | |
| Searching for info | *** | ** | ** | ***** | |
| Downloading files | ** | * | *** | **** | **** |
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to this page since 28 April 1998
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Steve Hayes
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Created: 1996-08-28
Updated: 2006-07-31