HIRAM'S OASIS THE COMPUTER SOURCE OF MASONIC EDUCATION MATERIALS In November 1987, Kena Temple Shrine's Computer Club, Fairfax, Virginia, started the first Computerized Masonic Bulletin Board System. Since then, many Brothers have contributed to its collection of Fraternal messages, stories, notices and articles. Masonic Service Association Short Talk Bulletins back to 1976, Philalethes magazine articles back to 1988, and Scottish Rite Journal issues for all of 1990 and 1991 to date, plus transactions of several Research Lodges and many other excellent articles are available for anyone to download. To use the Hiram's Oasis Bulletin Board, you need a computer and a modem. You should first practice calling a local BBS (Bulletin Board System) before calling long distance. When you are ready to call, set your software to N,8,1 and call 703-938-4990. For one dollar (Cash please) the Kena Computer Club, P.O. Box 456, Merrifield, Virginia 22116, will send you an informative booklet about using the BBS and a sample diskette (IBM) containing a listing of everything available. Dues for club membership is a very modest $10/year for Shriners. Masons, or even non Masons may become Friends for the same yearly fee. Members and friends have 90 minutes a day and may download any file. (We ask you to copy and insert the above in your trestleboard or publication. Help us spread the word about this wonderful service for Freemasons and for the general public. This is a good way to get petitions for membership. This page is a downloadable file, BACKPAGE.INT in ASCII) HINTS FOR BETTER AND EASIER OPERATION If you would like to have your name and password pre-logged, send your $10 membership fee with your First name, last name and password. You will save about 10 minutes on your initial log on. Be sure to read the bulletins on your first call. Prepare a macro on one of your 'F' keys with your "FIRSTNAME;LASTNAME;PASSWORD;!;^M". Use this when logging on the board to save time and avoid the PRELOG file display. Use a communication program that includes ZMODEM, as it is the best file protocal. (Telix and Lync30 are online and have ZMODEM. Very inexpensive shareware and highly recommended) Open your software capture buffer before beginning your communication session. Let everything go by as fast as possible. In reading messages use R;S;NS for read;since;non stop, and when perusing directories, let the screens go by! Read everything AFTER you have signed off. Download HIRAM.DIR or HIRAMZIP.ZIP, a listing of everything available instead of perusing the directories on line. Both files are updated each morning at 0730h. Read bulletins 1 & 2, download HIRAMTUT.ZIP or HIRAM.DIR. If you are a toll caller, practice using a local BBS to avoid toll charges for your learning experience. If you have problems with HIRAMTUT.ZIP, send for the introductory diskette as described in the first paragraph. If you have not paid your membership dues, you will get the EPILOG beg screen when you sign off. If you are interested in our club, respond with a "Y". Each time you respond with a "N", your security level drops by one, and after 4 "N"s, you will be locked out. This is our file to eliminate the disinterested juvenile callers. If you would rather not become a member or friend, you still have 30 minutes a day to download Masonic files, but you will get the beg screen when you sign off. PREPARING MESSAGES 1. Prepare message off line with any word processor or text editor, but be careful that it is ASCII (human understandable text) only -- no special word processor formatting codes. 2. Make sure that there are no more than 70 characters on each line. This BBS permits 72, but many word processors and text editors leave a space at the end of a line when word wrapping. You can't see that space but it fouls up a message here. Setting 70 plays it safe. Also be careful to have no more than 99 lines or things will run away from you. 3. Log on to the BBS, get into the proper conference, and press E to enter a message. Fill out the addressee, subject, and protection level from the keyboard. When the (----------) is presented by the BBS as a signal for you to type in the body of the message, exit from terminal mode on your end into command mode and upload the prepared message using ASCII protocol only. 4. When the message has been transferred from your end to this BBS, get back into your terminal mode (automatic with most software) and press and then S to save the message. ABOUT ZIP FILES Most files have a ZIP extension. ZIP is a method of combining several or many files, and compressing them into a single ZIPed file. You must have the unZIPing file to use these files. The master ZIP file is PKZ204G.EXE. PKZ204 is a self unpacking file. it creates 15 files, including a MANUAL.DOC and the main two files PKZIP.EXE and PKUNZIP.EXE. If you have no need for the ZIPper, you can download UNZIP.EXE which will open all the ZIPs. We recommend you get the master file and read the MANUAL. PLEASE--DO NOT upload DOS files here unless specifically requested!! We want Masonic stories and articles in ASCII format.. If you are calling from a distant toll charge area, you may leave a request for files to be sent to you by mail. We will load diskettes with the files you select and send them to you for: 360K's, $4 each; 1.2M's, $5 each; and 1.44M's, $7 each, in IBM DOS format. Files for RBBS bulletin Board are available. We recommend all publications of the Masonic Service Association, (MSA) 8120 Fenton St., Silver Spring, MD., 20910-4785, (301) 588-4010. The catalog of publications is available for download as CATALOG.MSA and membership in: THE PHILALETHES, Drawer 70, 110 Quince Ave., Highland Springs,VA., 23075-0070. Dues $25 for the first year- $15 thereafter. Also the SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA RESEARCH LODGE, PO Box 6587, BUENA PARK CA 90622-6587--$15/yr. By all means, use at least a 14,400 modem with V.32bis. Hiram's Oasis us using the best state of the art Courier HST DS V.everything 28,800 modem. Many callers are achieving better than 1600 BPS transfer rate. 14400 modems are available for well less than $75. OTHER KNOWN MASONIC BULLETIN BOARD SYSTEMS BBS Name Phone Location Baud Brother Sysop Acacia BBS 503.637.6624 Eagle Creek MI 14.4 Ted Rolle Anchor & Ark 602.877.9253 Phoenix AZ 14.4 Bill Johnson C*A*T*C*H 414.761.2582 Oak Creek WI 14.4 John Robin-Wells DataByte Computer 619.367.9208 29 Palms CA 14.4 Jim Kornegay, PM Dawn Cove Abbey 902.742.3399 Nova Scotia NS 14.4 Klaas Tuinman Edge, The 504.345.3797 Hammond LA 14.4 Zane Melder Hiram's Abbey BBS 203.664.3597 Clinton CT 2400 Richard Holton Hiram's Middle Chamber 909.421.9557 Rialto CA 14.4 Roger Johnson Hiram's Inner Chamber 619.282.0857 San Diego CA 9600 Bill Gourley Hiram's Light 404.476.5834 Atlanta GA 14.4 Joseph Keyes Hiram's Oasis 703.938.4990 Fairfax VA 28.8 Preston Burner Hiram's Tracing Board 204.667.1871 Manitoba CD 14.4 Robert Galbraith Hiram's Valley 619.562.0137 El Cajon CA 28.8 David Stites Magna Borealis Lux 403.475.6061 Alberta CD 14.4 George Helmer7 Masonic Charity Fndn 609.386.7135 Burlington NJ 14.4 John Miluzzo Masonic Quizboard PHA 410.760.6238 Glen Burnie MD 14.4 Stanley Conyer Ninth Arch BBS 901.872.6952 Millington TN 28.8 Max Shafer,PM Ohio Masonic BBS 513.235.2062 Dayton OH 38.4 WM Joe Everette PC-Motorsports 910.595.8073 NC 14.4 Robert Conrad Shenandoah BBS 703.856.3043 Shenandoah VA 9600 Dan Heartfield Solomon's Quarry 619.562.2707 El Cajon CA 14.4 Harry Wiggs,PM Square & Compass UK 1.44.31.53.8101 EdinBurgh UK 14.4 Robin Slack Square and Compasses 313.367.6286 Smith Creek MI 14.4 Larry Clarke Templum Solomonis 510.944.4989 Pleasant Hill CA 14.4 Lew Jenkins Top Flight Online 804.495.8468 Virginia Beach VA 19.2 James Carter Trestleboard BBS 708.366.0803 Chicago IL 9600 David Grooms,PM Widow's Son 305.749.3722 Sunrise FL 9600 Dennis Littlefield Grand Lodge California 415.776.9813 Oakland CA 9600 M.W.G.S. (Corrections to this list ar encouraged) REMEMBER YOUR PASSWORD Printed June 15,1995 file: HO-INTRO.WP6