FAA to decommission RCO network.

[Pilot Fighter]

You could get some weather products through Compuserve, but anything but the most basic was $.

DUATS rolled out in 88 or so. That was the new hotness to be sure.

I need to see if I can access my old CompuServe email address. Everything interesting on Compuserve charged by the minute. I dumped Compuserve when they forced us to install an app requiring Win 3.1. I had a couple of Windows computers by that time but it didn’t run well on my Toshiba 1600 laptop.

Recently, I discovered that a dial-up BBS that I accessed frequently in the early nineties is still up and running, ported over for Internet access. Was interesting to see old chats and the online games I would spend hours playing, mostly trivia. The BBS was funded with tokens. You had to buy tokens at the local comic book shop.

 

[Richman]

I need to see if I can access my old CompuServe email address. Everything interesting on Compuserve charged by the minute. I dumped Compuserve when they forced us to install an app requiring Win 3.1. I had a couple of Windows computers by that time but it didn’t run well on my Toshiba 1600 laptop.

Recently, I discovered that a dial-up BBS that I accessed frequently in the early nineties is still up and running, ported over for Internet access. Was interesting to see old chats and the online games I would spend hours playing, mostly trivia. The BBS was funded with tokens. You had to buy tokens at the local comic book shop.

Bonus points if anyone remembers "The Source"

 

[Pilot Fighter]

Bonus points if anyone remembers "The Source"

Yep! I wasn’t a subscriber, but I remember. It was like $20/hour during daylight hours and didn’t have nationwide coverage with toll-free dial-up numbers.

Bonus points if anybody had MCI and can remember their access code.

 

[///AMG]

Most base ops have PMSV service, and they are a very good resource, although they seem to be used more at training command and airlift command bases moreso than at tactical jet bases.

Yeah maybe so. We had them at Oceana and currently do at Whidbey. Not sure about Lemoore

 

[Richman]

I need to see if I can access my old CompuServe email address. Everything interesting on Compuserve charged by the minute. I dumped Compuserve when they forced us to install an app requiring Win 3.1. I had a couple of Windows computers by that time but it didn’t run well on my Toshiba 1600 laptop.

Recently, I discovered that a dial-up BBS that I accessed frequently in the early nineties is still up and running, ported over for Internet access. Was interesting to see old chats and the online games I would spend hours playing, mostly trivia. The BBS was funded with tokens. You had to buy tokens at the local comic book shop.

BBSes in the early 90s were the pinnacle of the art.

I remember dialing up my first BBS in 1982 with my Apple ][+ and my 300 baud Hayes Micromodem.

Ran a couple BBSes in my day. One on a CP/M machine, and a later one on my IBM PS/2 Model 50.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

BBSes in the early 90s were the pinnacle of the art.

I remember dialing up my first BBS in 1982 with my Apple ][+ and my 300 baud Hayes Micromodem.

Ran a couple BBSes in my day. One on a CP/M machine, and a later one on my IBM PS/2 Model 50.

BBSes in the early 90s were the pinnacle of the art.

I remember dialing up my first BBS in 1982 with my Apple ][+ and my 300 baud Hayes Micromodem.

Ran a couple BBSes in my day. One on a CP/M machine, and a later one on my IBM PS/2 Model 50.

I started with TRS-80’s, Timex Sinclair ZX81, and spent an entire student loan on an Osborne 1.

 

[derg]

BBSes in the early 90s were the pinnacle of the art.

I remember dialing up my first BBS in 1982 with my Apple ][+ and my 300 baud Hayes Micromodem.

Ran a couple BBSes in my day. One on a CP/M machine, and a later one on my IBM PS/2 Model 50.

That's about when I discovered "demon dialing" and phreaking US Sprint card numbers to uhh... stuff.

 

[MikeD]

Yeah maybe so. We had them at Oceana and currently do at Whidbey. Not sure about Lemoore

Well, you guys don’t really have much of a force or fatty planes such that my service does.

 

[Pilot Fighter]

That's about when I discovered "demon dialing" and phreaking US Sprint card numbers to uhh... stuff.

In college, my roommates and I discovered poorly secured 66 blocks for the entire dorm complex. We would grab a random line for per-minute dial-up services and an occasional 1-900 number.

 

[Richman]

I started with TRS-80’s, Timex Sinclair ZX81, and spent an entire student loan on an Osborne 1.

Osborne 1. $1750. Came with CP/M, CBasic, Wordstar, SuperCalc, MBasic, and 2 single density drives that they later made a card to up them to double density. TINY screen.

Legit setup for the day.

Buddy of my had one. For those that don't know, even though a system may have run CP/M, Every. Single. System. had its own proprietary disk format. That means if you wanted to trade programs, you either had to download them, slowly, at 300 baud, or hook up a serial port with a null serial cable.

Mid-80s I had an Epson QX-10 CP/M machine that had programmable format floppy drives that could mimic the format of any other CP/M machine, and the drives could be independently programmed, so you could copy a Osborne CP/M disk to an Apple CP/M disk.

Holy cow was that cool stuff.

 

[derg]

I learned computer basics on this in the 1970's:

And my very first home computer, the Atari 400

 

[woodreau]

That was mine. I still have the Atari 800 from my childhood. My wife put it in a display case with all other things that she considers our significant “heirlooms”.

But I dare not power it up for fear that there might be smoke if I plug it into the wall outlet

 

[Pilot Fighter]

I learned computer basics on this in the 1970's:
View attachment 83087

And my very first home computer, the Atari 400

View attachment 83088

I wanted a PET so bad as a kid. My dad gave me a choice between a season of skiing or the PET. I went skiing.

In Oak Harbor, WA, the public school system operated ski busses to Mount Baker and later switched to Steven’s Pass. I think it was eight or ten bucks. I grew up in an amazing place.

 

[CFI A&P]

Someone asked how you filed flight plans before foreflight or fltplan.com.

I said I did it on a dialup connection and filed it on DUATs or I picked up a phone and called 1800WXBRIEF and filed it with a person when the briefer was done with his weather briefing. I had a blank FAA Form 7233-1 in front of me and I just read off the blocks one by one to the briefer.

I got a blank look and head shake back.

Remember when it was popular to get a business card with the flight plan form on the back?

 

[Lawman]

Remember when it was popular to get a business card with the flight plan form on the back?

Try flying with a guy that insists you put a laminated FAA flight plan card on your kneeboard but refuses to accept an Altimeter setting from Foreflight.

Old people suck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[CFI A&P]

Try flying with a guy that insists you put a laminated FAA flight plan card on your kneeboard but refuses to accept an Altimeter setting from Foreflight.

Old people suck.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Did he at least call it ForeFlight? I flew with a boomer fella that called it Foreskin.

 

[derg]

Did he at least call it ForeFlight? I flew with a boomer fella that called it Foreskin.

Ungh. I suppose he also calls "ALPA" "Alpo".

 

[CFI A&P]

Ungh. I suppose he also calls "ALPA" "Alpo".

Not sure, it wasn’t an ALPA shop.

 

[DE727UPS]

Speaking of old school flight service stations at small airports. I learned to fly in the late 70's in Wenatchee, WA (KEAT). I showed signs of being an aviation enthusiast in my younger days, like maybe 14. My grandfather, bless his heart, took me on a trip to visit the FSS and the briefer gave us a nice tour. My grandfather mentioned I wanted to be a pilot when I grew up and asked if there were any books available to take with us. I was presented with a 1975 Airman's Information Manual to pique my interest in aviation. Can't believe I stuck with it....

 

[ERfly]

Riddle fun:

Getting a snout-full of Coors Extra Gold and calling PRC FSS during a thunderstorm and asking for a “…weather briefing for a VFR cross country to Winslow, student pilot”

Man! You Prescott boys sure knew how to party!