Dialling Back the Years

Friday, July 31, 2026

Dialling Back the Years

Better Late Than Never

Back in the tail end of the 1980s, I heard about a friend's Atari 520ST connected to a Bulletin Board using a 2400-baud modem. Back then, I knew very little about this dark magic and pestered him for more information and a demonstration. He connected to "something" called a BBS and pottered about its menu options: he grabbed a couple of files (albeit slowly) and even posted to ST people on one of the boards.

This experience changed me more than I can explain. Not only were we able to download ST programs on the fly - instead of ordering from a PDL or waiting for a new magazine cover disk - but we were able to communicate with other ST users. It was all so new and extremely exciting. A few weeks later, he upgraded to a faster modem, and I bought his old one (which I soon replaced with a 9600 baud model). I had no phone line, so I remember a huuuuuge cable running downstairs, much to my parents' annoyance!

Fast forward nearly forty years and things couldn't be more different with the Internet. In fact, it's been several years since we had a telephone in our house. Thankfully, there are still BBS's out there, and that enticed me to buy something called a WiModem Pro (it's now that I send greetings to a good ST friend).

Wanna see a photo of my WiModem? Of course, you do...

My Wi-Modem Pro is connected to the WiFi and ready to go.

WiFi Modem

This is a simple device that plugs into the serial port (just like an old modem would have done). All it needs from you is access to your WiFi (done using an ST Terminal program). Once completed, your Atari ST sees this device exactly as it would an old modem connected to the phone line. Only this time there are no expensive phone bills, waiting until after 6pm for cheaper rates, and that horrendous modem screeching.

Of course, a cynic might say just use something like SyncTerm on a Mac/PC, but that completely misses the point. The attraction isn't simply being able to access a bulletin board. It's using the BBS from an actual Atari ST, thus authentically experiencing a bulletin board service as originally intended. Yep, there is something satisfying about browsing message boards and downloading software on my Atari ST.

Any ST terminal program can be used - ANSIterm, Freeze Dried Terminal, TAZ, Teddy-Term, whatever! And you will still use the same Hayes AT command set because the WiModem translates those commands on the fly into Telnet commands (without you or the computer knowing). So, for me, it's just like 1990, but without the noisy modem and long phone cable. That's right, it feels authentically the same. Genius!!

In this screenshot I'm about to begin reliving my twenties over on Darkforce...

You can't do better than logging onto this BBS. Trust me!

Get dialling...

The biggest and best BBS out there for the Atari ST platform is Ronald Hall's DarkForce, which has quickly become my favourite. You might assume this old BBS is some kind of relic from the past, slowly dying? No, it's an extremely active gathering place for many Atari enthusiasts, with discussion boards, file libraries, games, news and the perfect tool for conversation with fellow users from around the world.

There are zillions of BBSs out there, but here is my Fuji directory for the Atari ST Nutter...

BBS Gateway by SouthernAmis is a fantastic starting point for all 'Atari' users.
Darkforce BBS by Ronald Hall is the go-to BBS for Atari ST users!!
Biker Bob's Clubhouse by James is back online and something I'm eager to use.
Cas-Bah by Oliver Graf might be Germany's answer to Darkforce running on real hardware.
Guardian of Forever by Josh Renaud is a new BBS and also the place to go for everything IGS.
Shodan's Core by Android8675 supports the ST with downloads and Usenet (remember those?)
13th Leader by Paul Jones has fantastic Atari ST support.

I've heard of other Atari BBSs, but I can’t connect to them. Sigh, I'd love to know why...

ST Guild (stguildbbs.ddns.net:23)
Starfleet HQ (bbs.sfhqbbs.org:5983)
The Grove (shadow.skeleton.org:23)
Bates Motel (bbs.thebrewingacademy.com:8888)
NRG (nrgbbs.ddns.net:520)
Kaypro BBS (kayprobbs.org:23)

Of course, a bulletin board system doesn’t necessarily need to have dedicated ST boards or file downloads to be usable. There are several other geeky reasons to check out any BBS, and I really enjoy logging on to The Black Tower and Titantic BBS. You can find a shedload more listed on the Telnet BBS Guide.

If you thought using the serial port after 30-odd years was a daft thing to do, then why not check out my guide on connecting your Atari ST to the Internet? And it's dead easy to do!
I bought my WiModem Pro from (wait for it) CBMStuff.com in America.
All terminal programs can be downloaded from AtariUpToDate.
I share most of my BBS experiences on X, so check that out. Yes, click the link, dammit.