In 1984, a great deal of packet experimentation was done, software for packet bulletin board systems was developed, and packet radio started becoming more and more popular all across the U.S. and Canada. If you're wondering what it's all about and why so many people got so excited about it, continue reading. You're about to find out. Packet Radio - What It's All About Packet seems to offer something different from other facets of Amateur Radio, yet it can be used for everything from a local QSO to a DX contact thousands of miles away, for electronic mail, message transmission, emergency communications, or just plain tinkering in the world of digital communications.
Packet is for the rag chewer, the traffic handler, the experimenter, and the casual operator.
All you need is a transceiver, a computer, and a TNC or special packet modem and software. A two-meter rig is preferred, since that's where most of the packet activity is located. It contains software for controlling the outgoing and incoming transmissions for your station and a modem that converts the data from the computer into AFSK tones for transmission and changes the tones that are received by the radio into data for the computer. The TNC modem works much like a modem that's used to connect your computer to the telephone lines. It's a simple matter of wiring up a plug and a couple of jacks to become fully operational on packet.