Rebuilding the Dial-Up BBS from Scratch
In this feature-length video from The 300-Baud Guy, a full SnobSoft dial-up BBS is rebuilt and tested in real-time. It’s not just a walkthrough—it’s an attempt to make a live connection from Hamburg, Germany to Ohio, USA. Both ends are using real Commodore 64s and 1980s hardware.
The setup includes a C64 breadbin, a pair of 1541 drives, a GLink LT interface, and a US Robotics modem—all wired into modern Fritz!Box routers to handle the VoIP link. The dial-up BBS isn’t emulated. It’s real. And it’s about to get a long-distance call.
Ohio’s Call Attempt with a 1650 Modem
4,000 miles away, DroidMike preps his Commodore 64 with a 1650 modem—pulse-dial only. That’s a problem since most modern phone networks don’t support pulse dialing. His workaround? A vintage paper terminal that can connect at a locked-in 300 baud speed and then transfer the line to the C64. It’s a retro hack worthy of an engineer in a time machine.
Connecting to the Dial-Up BBS over VoIP
The connection isn’t smooth. There are dropped dials, mistyped numbers, and the occasional existential modem chirp. But after a few retries, something clicks. The SnobSoft login screen appears in Ohio. The dial-up BBS has answered the call.
The signal is slow. Typing lags. Commands bounce back with delay. But it works. And that’s the win.
Why This Dial-Up BBS Still Matters
The video is more than a tech demo. It’s part tutorial, part history lesson, and part comedy. Expect quirky drive names like Gandalf, overloaded user lists from 1985, and shoutouts to forum users and mystery women in Jaguars. It’s equal parts circuit board and stand-up routine.
The SnobSoft BBS—alive again after decades—is more than a nostalgic trip. It’s proof that old tech, when respected and rebooted carefully, still has something to say. And someone, somewhere, still wants to call in to hear it.
