OpenBCM (Open BayCom Mailbox) is a free packet radio BBS software for amateur
radio operators. It allows you to set up a Mailbox/BBS for digital amateur
radio message transfer. This article explains how to install and run OpenBCM on
an Ubuntu system.
Requirements
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| sudo apt update
sudo apt install -y build-essential git
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Step 1: Clone and Compile the Source Code
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| git clone https://github.com/andreaspeters/openBCM.git
cd openBCM
make
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Step 2: Prepare for the First Run
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| mkdir ~/bcm
cp out-x86_64/bcm ~/bcm/
cd ~/bcm
chmod +x bcm
./bcm # first run creates config files
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Step 3: Configuration
For the first run, we will only change some parameters.
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| boxaddress DB0XYZ.#XYZ.DEU.EU
sysopcall YOURCALL
callformat 2 # 1 is for CB and 2 for amateur radio callsigns
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Step 4: Run OpenBCM with systemd
To run OpenBCM in the background, use this systemd service file as a template:
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| sudo vim /etc/systemd/system/bcm.service
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| [Unit]
Description=bcm service
After=network.target syslog.target
[Service]
Type=simple
User=username
Group=usergroup
WorkingDirectory=/home/username/bcm
ExecStart=/home/username/bcm/bcm
ExecStop=/bin/kill -HUP $MAINPID
SyslogIdentifier=BCM_HAM
Restart=no
RestartSec=90
StartLimitInterval=400
[Install]
WantedBy=multi-user.target
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Step 5: Start
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| sudo systemctl daemon-reload
sudo systemctl enable bcm
sudo systemctl start bcm
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Outlook
OpenBCM is now ready to use. Good luck building your own packet radio mailbox!
Next steps:
- Create the connection to LinBPQ
- Configure Mailforwarding
