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Home , Internet Relay Chat, Ircle, MIRC, PIRCH (IRC client), Snak, Visual IRC

Baudwalking New Modes of Communication

By Tom Sundstrom, W2XQ

appy New Year and belated Seasons The significant difference: IM is one-on-one, of your radio “career.” But how, you ask? Greetings to the Monitoring Times whereas IRC is a multi-user . family of readers, subscribers, ad- How does all of this tie into the subjects Hvertisers and gang behind the desks in North that interest Monitoring Times readers? Whereas These snappy little software programs Carolina. Baudwalking is a new occasional the printed word in MT provides the depth and were originally designed to do just one thing. column that takes a wide look at what’s new on background to current events, such as features on You could tell when another person signed onto the as it pertains to radio, media and monitoring in the Middle East, the World Wide the Internet and could engage in a keyboard communications. Web cannot easily provide the details, depth and “chat” with that person. Feedback is immediate The listening and amateur radio hobbies analysis found in the MT articles. Rather, the ‘net and positive, without the delays of e-mail and radically changed beginning with the 1980-era is superb when it comes to breaking news. frustration of not knowing if the mail recipient telephone BBS systems and the Internet’s growth One example. As this column’s deadline had read the latest message sent. starting in 1994 or so.1 But this isn’t a history was looming, a window into the IRC chat chan- Marketing pressures and software designers lesson. There are several sources for looking at nel #swl came to life. It was late at night, and have added everything but the kitchen sink to the past.2 Let’s get going and communicate. listeners in Baltimore, New Hampshire, and Electronic mail is probably the largest ap- Ohio typed “the MW is open... hearing plication of types of services available through trans-Atlantic signals.” I turned on the radio and the Internet. It is a blessing and it is a curse. listened to a very good from Croatia on Although e-mail is delivered quickly, unwanted, 1134 kHz, peaking at 30 db/s9. It was the best annoying and rude “spam” e-mail clutters the of the signals noted on 1062, 1215 and 1314 in inbox and is an expensive time-waster. What the southern New Jersey area, and I listened for can we do? a while continuing to work. What’s the point? Had I depended upon e-mail, I would have only found out about the Working around E-mail Junk Europeans the next day when picking e-mail Alternative communication methodologies from the and only if someone thought to include instant messenger (IM) programs, , write me. Weekly e-mail newsletters would be (IRC) “channels” or “rooms,” slower yet. and headline news servers. Mention IM, and A second example. Are you a radio ama- some persons say “I would rather not be inter- teur but not a contester? You could tune into a rupted all the time.” The interruptions can be server posting callouts of foreign stations in the totally controlled. The IRC network of servers CQ WorldWide Contest. Data is instant, and around the world enable the creation of public includes the exact frequency and time. If you or private chat rooms, and there are software had the right transceiver and software, the data controls to fine tune each room’s characteris- could even tune the transmitter. tics. Blogs – writers’ web pages of comments A third example. The South Jersey Radio on the social or political scene, or on just about Association – http://sjra.net – have a swap net anything timely – and newsletters using special on K2AA-145.29 MHz at 8 p.m. Sunday nights. Web page coding are relatively new, but have The net control of the session opens an IM already become mainstream; “bloggers” (people program and other club members participating who write the blogs) were even invited to the on the net help with missed calls or questions , for Windows, offers a Basic and Pro USA 2004 national political conventions. on equipment. It makes for a more efficient net, version of their software that connects to mul- This month let us look at the two-way and there is less on-air confusion. tiple instant messaging services in one applica- communications: instant messaging and Internet In the business of communicating, these tion. Mac users have a similar product, Fire, relay chat. The common characteristic: imme- technologies are for more than just business and available to users of OS X 10.2 or higher. See diate communications, no delay, and no spam. personal use. It can be very useful in the pursuit the text for more details.

16 MONITORING TIMES January 2005 one were to ask, I would probably suggest look- ing at Trillian (Win) and Fire (Mac) as starting points. An aggregate program focuses on mes- saging and the extra features that bloat some of the individual programs disappear from view.

A Matter of Control Some persons you ask to join you on an IM program will decline. Reasons offered include citing a nuisance value, opening the computer to virus attacks, and unwanted “visits” from persons unknown seeking to open a conversa- tion that may quickly dissolve into something tasteless. I contend that if a computer user perceives a need or want to communicate directly and quickly with a few friends, such as illustrated earlier, there is little or no reason to avoid using the “proper” IM application. A variant on two-way messaging in IRC is to use an automated program such as done here Consider these ideas to eliminate nuisances. by #exciteradio. Their Starchat chat room, shown in Chatzilla, shows the song being played Sign up for a Web mail-based e-mail account by Apple’s iTunes at the stated time. The browser, the plugin Chatzilla and iTunes are that can serve as a throwaway address. Use this available for the Windows platform as well. throwaway address when signing up for an IM account, and keep your home or personal e-mail the current generation IM programs. News and Odigo (Win) - http://www.odigo.org/ address close to the vest (family et al). sports headlines, weather, stock quotes, audio PeopleLink - http://www.peoplelink.com/ - and video messaging, conference or chat rooms, corporate product, for behind firewall. links to e-mail applications, advertisements... the What do you do when you have friends on Internet Relay Chat features are endless. different IM networks? The solution is an IM IRC stands for Internet Relay Chat. IRC IM programs typically do one-on-one short aggregator. Rather than launch up to four or five is a multi-user, multichannel chat system that messaging. Are you and a friend elsewhere do- different programs, taking up display screen real is run on a network of computers that may well ing some listening while sharing notes of what’s estate and memory resources, a single applica- be scattered all over the world. People can type heard on a frequency? Did the six-meter band tion “talks” to several networks. Generally, these to each other in real time. Each user open with Sporadic-E to a place far away? Is types of programs do messaging only. has a nickname (nick) and converses with other Fire (Mac) - http://epicware.com/ - AOL, ICQ, users in either public channels (chat rooms) or your friend busy working on the computer in MSN, Yahoo! and Jabber another software program and you want to attract Gaim (Win, Mac, , BSD) - http://gaim. in areas. his or her attention amongst the pile of windows sourceforge.net/ - AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo!, There are a number of different networks, on their screen? Perhaps you are in the same IRC, Jabber, Gadu-Gadu, and but the radio-related chat rooms – the focus of community, and the scanner has come alive due (Linux) - http://kopete.kde.org/ - sup- this column – seem to settle on less than a hand- to some activity? What’s the phone number? Are ports AIM, ICQ, MSN, Yahoo, Jabber, IRC, ful of providers. Novell GroupWise Messenger, Lotus Same- you free for lunch? Time, and more The well-known radio-related chat rooms Virtually all IM programs can be set to PalTalk (Win) - http://www.paltalk.com/ - AOL, operate with a minimal set of rules established beep, squeak, honk, or play the national anthem Yahoo and MSN by the chat room organizers who keep order. (not really, I made up that last option...) when Pexit (Win, Mac, Linux and ) - http://www. Common sense and courtesy are the keys to a message arrives on station. For someone who pexit.com/ - “all the popular networks” the chat rooms. You will not find the chaos and Trillian (Win) - http://www.trillian.cc/ - AIM, mayhem that characterizes the chat areas on the cannot pay close attention to the IM window ICQ, MSN, Yahoo! and IRC for the occasional words of wisdom, the user- large Internet access providers (e.g., AOL, MSN selected noisemaker can be helpful to turn at- and others). tention to the computer screen. The programs identified as operating on the The most popular of the IM programs are Mac do so on OS X 10.2 and higher. IRC Software AOL’s AIM and ICQ, Yahoo! Messenger, and In all probability, in a hobby environment Software solutions for IRC are relatively Microsoft’s Messenger. But there are other IM you have friends and acquaintances on most of easy to use for Windows and Mac users, and are programs out there that are not so well known, the popular consumer-oriented IM programs. If either low-cost, or free. Mozilla and and some of these may be a better choice once you look at your needs. Perhaps there are only a few officials with ham licenses involved in managing a county’s Amateur Radio Emergency Services (ARES). For security purposes, perhaps a group may select an IM program that has no file transfer capabilities within it or they may step up to an industrial strength IM program like Bantu. Look at these alternative software applica- tions:

Bantu (Win) - http://corp.bantu.com/ (corpo- rate product) Excite’s Private Messenger - http://www1. excite.com/home/messenger/messen- ger_overview/ Jabber (Win) - http://www.jabber.com/

January 2005 MONITORING TIMES 17 Firefox browser users have an extension plug-in supplemental directions that should make software installation and configuration easy Getting More Help option, Chatzilla, that works quite well, in my Does IRC still look like it is too confus- opinion. The Windows platform is dominated to understand. #cybershortwave - irc.startchat.net/ ing? There are a few Web sites for users just by a UK program, mIRC, and Pirch is a second; #cybershortwave - Originally supporting the starting out in IRC. Look at these pages for for Mac, is often-mentioned, but I prefer ANARC SWL Net, it now comes alive every assistance: AkwaIRC. Look at these and select the one you two weeks when N1DK does a live show like: on Sunday mornings with a combination of #Beginner - http://www.ircbeginner.com/ music, radio, and fun. All are welcome. The Chatting on the Net - http://www.newircus- chat sessions during Big Steve Cole’s weekly ers.com/ AkwaIRC (Mac) - http://akwairc.online.fr/ Saturday night “Different Kind of Oldies” IRC Beginner - http://www.beginner.pro- Chatzilla (browser plug-in) - http://www.mozil- show also takes up occupancy here; if you room.com/ la.org/projects/rt-messaging/chatzilla/ like Doo Wop and music of the ‘40s, ‘50s IRC Help - http://www.irchelp.org/ HydraIRC (Win) - http://www.hydrairc.com/ and ‘60s, you can’t do better than tune to Ircle (Mac) - http://www.ircle.com/ this show. Cole airs repeats of the show dur- mIRC (Win) - http://www.mirc.co.uk/ ing the week, but without the live interaction Quickies Pirch (Win) - http://www.pirchat.com/ in the chat room. Grab your calendar and a red pen. Circle (Mac) - http://www.snak.com/ #monitor - irc.zirc.org/#monitor - This chat room changed networks in the summer of the dates of March 11 and 12, 2005, and make Visual IRC (Win) - http://www.visualirc.net/ plans to attend the 18th edition of the USA- Xchat (Unix) - http://xchat.org/ 2004 due to some technical difficulties, and now has found a home on ZiRC. Whereas based Winter SWL Festival. The gathering #swl tends towards more broadcast listen- of the clan is perhaps the largest convention ing, it appears to me that #monitor has an If you are using a third-party computer gathering of long-, medium- and shortwave active group of utility monitors. I see discus- listeners and scanner enthusiasts in the world. when traveling, in a , or on rental, most sions on military and coded transmissions. of the IRC networks also offer a Java-based The chat room organizers have accompany- It is not too early to plan ahead, and watch user interface accessible through the installed ing chat rooms of #airband, #milcomm and for the 2005 registration form to be posted on browser. The access is immediate and no soft- #satcomm, but when I have visited I have http://swlfest.com/ in December or so. You not seen any traffic. There is a nice touch can sign up for a news feed alert as well. ware installation is required, but system response here: the #monitor room is also repeated on may be a bit slower and all IRC features may not Starchat (irc.starchat.net/#monitor), which be available. Nevertheless, you can get to many makes it easier for users with IRC software In Closing chat rooms with just a . that logs onto only one network at a time. The purpose of this edition of Baudwalk- #cqdx - irc.radiochat.org - As a radio amateur ing was to review a few easy-to-use alternative IRC Networks active on the HF bands chasing DX, un- doubtedly you have heard of the term “DX means of communications on the Internet other In the past few years I have found radio- cluster.” It is an over-the-air packet radio than e-mail. E-mail continues to be plagued and communication-related chat rooms on five network system that displays “callouts” of by spurious spam messages from persons and networks. Clearly, there are more networks, and stations worked and heard. The “spotting” companies clogging bandwidth and wasting a search in the search engine of your choice will of the frequency, mode, date and time gives our time. Sometimes there may be a better way find more networks. As a starting point, you may instant information to other hams on the to communicate. packet radio network. This #cqdx chat room like to browse these networks and look through is an Internet reflection of what is seen at a By controlling access to yourself, instant the available chat rooms: packet terminal. Frankly, it was rather fas- messaging can be a useful tool for the occa- cinating to watch during the two CQ World- sional short message to and from a friend. If Wide Contests in late fall. Data just flew by your contacts use a variety of IM programs, Chatnet - http://www.chatnet.org/ the window at a high rate of speed. there are all-in-one solutions to communicate EFnet - http://www.efnet.net/ Slashnet - http://www.slashnet.org/ with different IM sources at once. Whereas IM programs are designed for Starchat - http://www.starchat.net/ In addition to the instant feedback and one-on-one messaging, somewhat akin to a ZiRC - http://www.zirc.org/ alerting to special events as described earlier, radio amateur net, a controlled Internet Relay the roundtable nature of the chat rooms is Chat channel is fun or useful for ongoing con- useful in day to day monitoring. A number IRC Chat Rooms versations 24/7 among a group of like-minded of years ago, ye scribe heard a bandsweeping What chat rooms are available? There are persons. In the IRC program setup, mark noise in 60 m. It was destroying the otherwise quite a few to start with. I may show up in #swl yourself “invisible” and the stray broadcast normally very good daily reception of Ghana – note the leading pound sign – almost any messages from unwanted intruders will not on 4915 kHz. Asking others in the #swl chat time outside normal work hours and put in an show up on your screen. Set the “logging” on room to listen, within an hour we all knew appearance in #cybershortwave during the live to see what happens when you are away from that the pulsing noise was heard in Brazil, the shows of Big Steve Cole (http://www.dkosme- the computer. There may be a listening tip or Netherlands, South Africa, Norway, Canada dia.com) and Dave Kirby, N1DK (http://www. something interesting found on the ‘net, that and around the eastern half of the USA. Inter- n1dk.com/) that air on Live 365 (http://www. scrolled off the screen in your absence. net research showed that the interference was live365.com/), and usually monitor our own See you next time. Topics will include low-powered vertical polarized signals from chat room #Baudwalking. If you see Baudwalk blogs and XML/RSS news feeds. These are New Jersey-based transmitters, measuring in the list of chat room attendees, that’s us. Say useful tools for current information. Comments ocean wave heights at short distances out to hello! or questions? Is there a topic you would like sea. (Publicity soon forced some reengineering Try these chat rooms. If you know of other us to address? Please e-mail tomsundstrom@ and reduction in bandwidth of these signals.) chat rooms that fall into our circle of interest, monitoringitmes.com. What’s the point here? The rapid gathering please do tell us. Here is a starting grid: of data and sharing of notes among all listeners 1 My first computer, a 48k Apple II with 3 drives, would have just about been impossible by any an optional 16k memory card and CP/M #swl - irc.starchat.net/#swl - One of the old- other means. After circulating the information card, an Epson MX-80 printer, green screen est chat rooms that I know of, this one by other delivery mechanisms, several persons monitor and Hayes 300 bps modem was a dates back to the ANARC SWL Net days of wrote and said (in so many words) “I heard powerful beast indeed. Times have changed. the late . See N1DK’s history on the that noise but I didn’t know where to find more A Palm T3 PDA gets a daily workout. shortwave listener’s net. This room is alive information.” If those listeners had kept an eye 2 24/7 although activity and response time One source of history is Wikipedia, a multi- slows during the working hours, mostly on the #swl chat room... You get the picture. language free-content encyclopedia, at http:// east coast North America. See a specific Undoubtedly similar stories can be told by us- en.wikipedia.org/, with more than 382,000 help page at http://trsc.com/irc_swl.html for ers in other chat rooms. pages on the server.

18 MONITORING TIMES January 2005