One of my hobbies is (obviously) Amateur or "Ham" Radio. One of the activities, I practice, is called Packet Radio. This is a way of communicating, computer to computer, over the radio (without phone lines). Although slower than your typical Internet connection, this technique allows communication and file transfers anywhere, anytime. Actually, packet radio is somewhat similar to today's Internet system. In many locations, packet radio is used in conjunction with the Internet.
Here are some photos from an antenna party I held, on a local mountain top, to upgrade my existing Packet Radio system. These are just a few of the folks who helped me. Without them, I wouldn't have dared to climb up on the roof for this antenna installation (thank goodness OSHA wasn't around). I replaced the Comtelco antenna and RG-8 cable with a far superior Sinclair antenna and 1/2 inch heliax cable. This vastly improved performance from the site. Finally, here is a photo of the CHEW/N7CKJ-8 packet node consisting of a 35 watt Micor radio, Astron power supply and MFJ 1270C packet TNC. I should also mention the Tripplite IsoBar surge supressor, protecting the whole mess.
