XPost: rec.radio.amateur.policy, uk.radio.amateur   
   From: nomail@example.com   
      
   FranK Turner-Smith G3VKI  wrote:   
   > "Rob"  wrote in message   
   > news:slrnnbol6a.oo3.nomail@xs9.xs4all.nl...   
   >> FranK Turner-Smith G3VKI  wrote:   
   >>> ISTR, in the days when audio cassettes were the common storage media, an   
   >>> early BBC experiment where the viewer was asked to mike the TV speaker   
   >>> and   
   >>> record the tones normally sent directly from the computer. The cassette   
   >>> was   
   >>> then to be replayed into the computer in an attempt to load the program.   
   >>   
   >> This has been done here in the Netherlands for many many years, but on   
   >> the radio, not (I think) on the TV.  Certain tech shows had a weekly   
   >> program section where you heard 3 minutes of cassette tape sound.   
   >>   
   >> After some initial runs of audio specific for one computer (e.g.   
   >> Apple ][),   
   >> a format was decided upon (Kansas City Standard, 1200/2400 Hz AFSK at 1200   
   >> bits per second) and software was written for all home computers of those   
   >> days to read that into memory, so a single transmission could be used.   
   >>   
   >> This went into history under the name "Basicode".  I wrote the decoder   
   >> for the TRS-80.   
   >>   
   > Basicode! Yeah, that was it, a software form of Esperanto. Happy days.   
      
   I remember I joined the late Hans Janssen (PE1CRC) to the control room to   
   playout the recorded "Hobbyscoop" show of that date, prior to joining a   
   meeting with the members of "Scoop Hobbyfonds" that evening.  He had the   
   recorded show with him on 1/4" tape reel, and made sure he alerted the   
   engineer at the desk to the moment where the Basicode segment started.   
   At that time a switch had to be thrown to cut out the Orban Optimod   
   from the transmission path (and back when the segment ended), or else   
   it would distort the AFSK signal to the point of becoming unreadable by   
   many of the zero-crossing detecting software demodulators.   
      
   That show has not been transmitted for many years (Basicode had continued   
   in another show for some time), but "Scoop Hobbyfonds", established by   
   Hans to facilitate the first Dutch amateur repeater on a broadcast tower   
   in those days, is still very much alive, and maintaining amateur repeaters   
   and data network on broadcast locations all over the country.   
      
   See http://www.hobbyscoop.nl/   
      
   --- SoupGate-Win32 v1.05   
    * Origin: you cannot sedate... all the things you hate (1:229/2)