Echoing QWK Mail By John "MegNET" Kleinbauer Introduction Ok you have your BBS almost the way you want it but now Echoing Mail has caught your eye. Well you are in luck because I will show you Step By Step how to do it. I have taught dozens of people how to echo and all of them say I am a good Teacher. Lets hope that I can help you learn Via the written word. Besides the Step By Step method I will also give you other Info to ponder, Read on..... How it Works,When It Works! During the Board's Event in the early morning hours your BBS drops to DOS and loads a Mail Tosser which takes new messages entered on your BBS and puts them into a REP packet. Now a program like ROBO- COMM or a Communications program that can use a script dials out to the main HUB. While Online it goes into a Front Door or a Mail Door and Downloads a QWK mail packet, it then uploads your REP mail packet. The program then hangs up and unloads letting the Mail Tosser like RNET, QNET,TRINET etc. load and Import the messages into the BBS. Easy Read On.... Step By Step 1. Look around at different NETS that you might be interested in and download any info packs you find. If you still have support call your support board because they have a whole bunch of info packs. HINT: When you decide what NET you want sign on to the local HUB and look in each conference checking the date of the last message and if the messages are good or just Ads for other BBSs. Also look for stupid fights and how the Mediators do or do not stop them. Try to figure out if you can call local to save money. Believe it or not it is cheaper to call across the country at night than to call across some states. 2. OK now that you have decided what NET you want to join, you now have to fill out an application to join. Some small NETS like mine only require you to be serious about joining. Alot of the larger NETS require a FEE plus you must buy their special software. The other thing is some NETS move very slowly in letting you join until they check out your BBS. Most NETS want you to have a BBS that has been up over one year. HINT: Be curtious, Echo Mail takes more work than running a BBS so stay calm. Some Sysops are very busy and they have to set aside the time to help you. 3. With the permission of the HUB Sysop and having read all you can it is time to capture the conference Screen of the HUB. You can use Shift-Print or turn your log on. You will need the correct names of the conferences as well as their numbers for the Mail TOSSER. HINT: Save this file or sheet of paper in a safe place! 4. Now it is time to setup your conferences so lets get to it. Your conferences can be in any order but keep the same names for them as the HUB. There is one big difference between a Local conference and a Echo Conference. You must turn the ECHO FLAG ON in your software or force in in the tosser. HINT: Increase the message block size at this point if you join a large NET. 5. Well now it is decision time! without any help from me it is time to play with the program that will call out and bring back the Mail Packet. Do some dry runs watching the program as it calls out and brings the packet back. HINT: Make sure the program can be called from a DOS line command like RoboComm. Example ROBOCOMM /AFREE /R 6. If you are still there it is time to choose and play with a Mail Tosser. Call the HUB and go into the Mail Door and select the conferences you want and set the last read message so you will get at least ten messages or more per conference. Now leave the BBS and get ready to play. Send you ROBO type program out and watch it bring back the packet. Now it is time to play with the Mail Tosser. Follow the directions that come with the Tosser very carefully and good luck! HINT: While you are downloading look to see if it mentions NET STATUS or you see (n) after each Conference name will the conferences are being scanned. Make a copy of the QWK packet before you run the Mail Tosser just in case something goes wrong. RNET 109 will not work with older Qmail doors so use QNET or get the Sysop to upgrade his mail door. Glossary of Echo Mail Terms NET STATUS: Without this mail packets are useless. The HUB Sysop sets this in the mail door. It allows messages for people who don't exsist on your BBS to be uploaded into the message area. Echo Mail: Messages that are passed from BBS to BBS usually during the night when phone rates are low. Mail Tosser: A program such as RNET,TRINET or QNET which will Import or Export messages in and out of your BBS. See your support board for a tosser that will work for your BBS software. Mail HUB: A BBS with a Front End Mail Door or Regular Mail DOOR. Just like the HUB of a wheel this BBS is in the center and all the systems call it to exchange mail. Mail Door: A Door program that lets your users download mail packets to use in their offline mail reader. NET: A Mail Network with certain rules and Regulations plus it is the people who belong to it. Some NETS even have partys and elections. Some Closing Thoughts I use ROBOCOMM to get my mail because it is made to work with PCBoard and like PCBoard it is one of the best. I use QMAIL for my mail door because it is the most popular and has many options one of them being it works with ROBOCOMM. I use RNET to Toss my mail but QNET will work and if you register it you will get the QMAIL door FREE. The reason I use RNET is I used to have a FREEWARE mail door which no longer supports all the new mail options. To echo mail you don't need a Mail Door but you must have a Mail Tosser, Likewise you must have a way of going and getting the mail packets. Well I hope this file has made Echoing Mail as easy as it is and I wish you luck with your BBS, you will need it. More information can be found in the RNET,TRINET and QNET DOCs.... John Kleinbauer Founder of MegNET Voice 201-991-6659 BBS 201-998-7337