[2024] Building a Modern Packet Radio Network using Open Software - Dave Hibberd

Packet radio, first popular in the 70s & 80s as a foundation of the modern internet, has seen a modern resurgence in popularity as computers and radio equipment has become cheaper, amateur radio regulations have become more permissive and new experimenters have developed an interest in building and growing radio networks. I will speak about the social, technical and user experience of building a new packet radio network in UK and Ireland using open software on Linux, FreeBSD and Windows. I will cover interconnecting it with legacy users and learning the old ways, connecting to overseas stations when the sun isn’t angry and facilitating entirely new users with documentation, repositories & packages.