'
Breaking
May 9, 2025

A Fast Rewind to the Era of Tapesponding Heidi Ulrich | usagoldmines.com

Newspaper clipping with words 'speaking personally' and a photo

Imagine a time before Discord servers and cheap long-distance calls. Back in the 1950s, a curious and crafty group of enthusiasts invented their own global social network: on reels of magnetic tape. They called it tapesponding (short for tape corresponding), and it was a booming hobby for thousands of radio hams, tinkerers, and audio geeks. Here’s the original video on this analog marvel.

These folks weren’t just swapping mixtapes. They crafted personal audio letters, beamed across the globe on 3-inch reels. DIY clubs emerged everywhere: World Tape Pals (Texas-based, naturally) clocked 5,000 members from “every Free Nation” – which frames it in a world in terms of East vs. West. Some groups even pooled funds to buy shared tape decks in poorer regions – pure hacker spirit. The tech behind it: Speeds of 3¾ IPS, half-track mono, round-robin reels, and rigorous trust networks to avoid ghosters. Honestly, it makes IRC net ops look soft. Tapesponding wasn’t just for chatty types. It fostered deep friendships, even marriages. It was social engineering before that term was coined. The video is below the break.

What are your thoughts on this nostalgic way of long-distance communication? The warm whirring of a spinning tape reel? The waiting time before your echo is returned? Or are have you skipped all the analog mechanics and shouted out into the LoRaWAN void long ago?

 

This articles is written by : Nermeen Nabil Khear Abdelmalak

All rights reserved to : USAGOLDMIES . www.usagoldmines.com

You can Enjoy surfing our website categories and read more content in many fields you may like .

Why USAGoldMines ?

USAGoldMines is a comprehensive website offering the latest in financial, crypto, and technical news. With specialized sections for each category, it provides readers with up-to-date market insights, investment trends, and technological advancements, making it a valuable resource for investors and enthusiasts in the fast-paced financial world.

Recent:

Hacky Shack? The TRS-80 Model I Story Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

Understanding Linear Regression Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

DIY Driving Simulator Pedals Matthew Carlson | usagoldmines.com

Edison Phonograph Plays the Cylinders Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

Spyware Firm Ordered To Pay $167,250,000 in Damages for Enabling WhatsApp Hacks of 1,400 Smartphone ...

Let the Wookie Win with this DIY Holochess Table Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

The Owon HDS160 Reviewed Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

Flow Visualization with Schlieren Photography Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

A Constant-Fraction Discriminator for Sub-Nanosecond Timing Aaron Beckendorf | usagoldmines.com

3D Printed TPU Bellows with PLA Interface Layers Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

Jellybean Mac Hides Modern PC Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

Superconductivity News: What Makes Floquet Majorana Fermions Special for Quantum Computing? John Ell...

Messaging App Used by Trump Admin Hacked – Attacker May Have Stolen Data From Hundreds of Government...

Wireless USB Autopsy Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

Liquid Silicone 3D Printing Is No Joke Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

FLOSS Weekly Episode 832: Give Yourself a Medal Jonathan Bennett | usagoldmines.com

Germany’s Cabinentaxi: The Double-Sided Monorail That Wasn’t Meant To Be Maya Posch | usagoldmines.c...

Big Chemistry: Cement and Concrete Dan Maloney | usagoldmines.com

Magic On Your Desk via MagLev Toy Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

Tracking the Sun? Nah! Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

Adorable Robot Steals the Show Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

DIY Penicillin Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

Five Oddest Op Amp Applications Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

A New, Smarter Universal Remote Matthew Carlson | usagoldmines.com

Building a DIY Chicken Incubator Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Supercon 2024: A Hacker’s Guide to Analog Design in a Digital World Navarre Bartz | usagoldmines.com

AI Brings Play-by-Play Commentary to Pong Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

Optical Contact Bonding: Where the Macro Meets the Molecular Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

Improving Flying Drones By Mimicking Flying Squirrels Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

Hardware Built For Executing Python (Not Pythons) Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Nebula Mouse: The 6-DOF You Build Yourself Heidi Ulrich | usagoldmines.com

3D Print Your Own Injection Molds, Ejector Pins and All Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Water Drops Serve as Canvas for Microchemistry Art Navarre Bartz | usagoldmines.com

3D printed downspout makes life just a little nicer Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

Round Displays Make Neat VU Meters Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Kraken Catches North Korean Hacker Posing As ‘Steven Smith’ Applying for Job at Crypto Exchange: Rep...

Keebin’ with Kristina: the One with the Bobblehead Kristina Panos | usagoldmines.com

Creative PCB Business Cards are Sure to Make an Impression Matt Varian | usagoldmines.com

What Happened to WWW.? Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Rayhunter Sniffs Out Stingrays for $30 Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

The Convoluted Way Intel’s 386 Implemented its Registers Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

Lancing College Shares Critical Design Review for UK CanSat Entry John Elliot V | usagoldmines.com

Train With Morse Master Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Hackaday Links: May 4, 2025 Dan Maloney | usagoldmines.com

All-Band Radio Records Signals, Plays MP3s Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

Bank Teller Admits to Stealing $255,000 From 80-Year-Old Clients, Triggering Unauthorized ATM Withdr...

PCB Renewal Aims To Make Old Boards Useful Again Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Electric Catamaran Sails High Seas of Inland Canada Bryan Cockfield | usagoldmines.com

A Delay Line Memory Demo Board Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Frnisi DMC-100: A Clamp Meter Worth Cracking Open Heidi Ulrich | usagoldmines.com

3D Printed Cable-Driven Mechanisms – Some Strings Attached Aaron Beckendorf | usagoldmines.com

Testing a Cheap Bench Power Supply Sold on Amazon Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

LLM Ported To The C64, Kinda Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Tablet Suspension System Avoids Fatigue at Bedtime Seth Mabbott | usagoldmines.com

JPMorgan Chase Suffers $1,000,000 Loss After Scammers Lift Customers’ Credit Cards, Increase Limits ...

Hacking Different Sized Nozzles For AnyCubic Printers Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

$310,000 Drained From Wells Fargo Account – Bank Says Reimbursement Not Happening, Claims Funds at J...

Knowing What’s Possible Elliot Williams | usagoldmines.com

30,000 Bank Passwords From One Country Leaked Onto Dark Web Amid Global Malware Onslaught: Report Da...

Getting Stated with ATtiny Configurable Custom Logic (CCL) John Elliot V | usagoldmines.com

Ratcheting Mechanism Gives Tendons a Tug Ian Bos | usagoldmines.com

A Neat E-Paper Digit Clock (or Four) Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Bank of America Refuses To Reimburse Customer After $38,000 Disappears From Account: Report Mark Eme...

A Gentle Introduction to Impedance Matching Aaron Beckendorf | usagoldmines.com

Prusa Mini Nozzle Cam on the Cheap Heidi Ulrich | usagoldmines.com

Major Cybersecurity Breach Exposes Records of 4,000,000,000 Americans – Including Names, Addresses a...

Smart Speaker Gets Brain Surgery, Line-Out Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

3D Printed Spirograph Makes Art Out of Walnut Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

Supercon 2024: Turning Talk Into Action Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Preparing for the Next Pandemic Navarre Bartz | usagoldmines.com

Hackaday Podcast Episode 319: Experimental Archaeology, Demoscene Oscilloscope Music, and Electronic...

This Week in Security: AirBorne, EvilNotify, and Revoked RDP Jonathan Bennett | usagoldmines.com

Is This the Truck We’ve Been Waiting For? Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

Pinoutleaf: Simplifying Pinout References Matt Varian | usagoldmines.com

Single-Board Z80 Computer Draws Inspiration From Picasso Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Blurry Image Placeholders, Generated With Minimal CSS Donald Papp | usagoldmines.com

Printable Pegboard PC Shows Off the RGB Tyler August | usagoldmines.com

Crypto Wallet Company Ledger Issues Warning as Customers Receive Physical Scam Letters Rhodilee Jean...

Make Your Own Telescope, Right Down To The Glass Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

libogc Allegations Rock Wii Homebrew Community Tom Nardi | usagoldmines.com

Open Source Firmware For The JYE TECH DSO-150 Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Researchers Create A Brain Implant For Near-Real-Time Speech Synthesis Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

A Dual Mirror System For Better Cycling Safety Donald Papp | usagoldmines.com

Gaze Upon Robby The Robot’s Mechanical Intricacy Donald Papp | usagoldmines.com

Vintage Stereo Stack Becomes Neat PC Case Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Neutron Flux Impact on Quartz Expansion Rate Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

A New And Weird Kind of Typewriter Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

FLOSS Weekly Episode 831: Let’s Have Lunch Jonathan Bennett | usagoldmines.com

Layout A PCB with Tscircuit Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

Supercon 2024: Photonics/Optical Stack for Smart-Glasses Lewin Day | usagoldmines.com

Radio Repeaters In the Sky Bryan Cockfield | usagoldmines.com

A Gentle Introduction to COBOL Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

Terminal DAW Does it in Style Fenix Guthrie | usagoldmines.com

Building an nRF52840 and Battery-Powered Zigbee Gate Sensor Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

Back to Reality with the Time Brick Bryan Cockfield | usagoldmines.com

Comparing ‘AI’ for Basic Plant Care With Human Brown Thumbs Maya Posch | usagoldmines.com

Read Motor Speed Better By Making The RP2040 PIO Do It Donald Papp | usagoldmines.com

Crossing Commodore Signal Cables on Purpose Bryan Cockfield | usagoldmines.com

There’s An Venusian Spacecraft Coming Our Way Jenny List | usagoldmines.com

The DIY 1982 Picture Phone Al Williams | usagoldmines.com

Leave a Reply