DAREN of WV News March 14, 2010 (.922)
Kenneth Harris WA8LLM (304) 679-3470 wa8llm@yahoo.com
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
P.O. BOX 3328, PARKERSBURG, WV 26103
http://www.wc8ec.org
DAREN News, are articles and information about the Digital Amateur Radio "Emergency" Network of WV, which operates on 145.69 MHz. Anyone having any information about DAREN, or Amateur Radio in general, and would like to share it with others, may send it to WA8LLM @ PKBGWV on 145.69 MHz, or to my E-Mail: wa8llm@yahoo.com. A State Wide DAREN NET is operated every Saturday from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, and lately, before and after those hours. The DAREN Net Announcement, showing the MAIN NCS, ALTERNATE NCS, NODEs accessible to both, and the previous week's check-ins, are posted by Thursday on most of the Main county DAREN PBBS'. The DAREN News can also be found on the wc8ec.org website.
It's Daylight Saving time again, and I'm glad. If you didn't set your clocks set ahead an hour before you went to bed last night, you'll have to do it this morning, unless you are like me and get several of the SkyScan Atomic Clocks, and let them set themselves. I still had to do Alarm Clocks, Radios, VCRs, and a few other devices. After you've set your clocks in the house, it's time to set the clocks in your Packet Radio Terminal NODE Controllers (TNC), both your home station and any remote, hilltop or mountaintop stations, both DAREN, and all other regular Packet stations. Also there are few Voice Repeaters that have voice IDs that need the time changed. When changing the time in the Packet stations, it's a good time to give them a "RESET", which may help them operate better. The information given here is for most of the Kantronics TNCs, KPC-2, KPC-3, KPC-4, KPC-9612, KAM, KAM Plus, KAM-XL, KAM-98, etc. Not only is it a good time to reset the TNC, it's also a good time to do other things. For one thing, it's a good reminder to change the battery in your Smoke and CO Detectors. Here's how to change the time in your TNCs, if they are made by Kantronics. If you're at the TNC just type the command "DA", <space>, followed by the two number year, month, day, hour, minute, and second. For example: the command to set the date of March 13, 2010, at 2:00 am would be; type DA 100313020000, and then press <enter>. If you're connecting to a remote station over the air, you must connect to your Remote Access callsign or ALIAS, and give your passcode. When you get the (prompt:) command, then do the "DA" command. I'm sure that you didn't get up at 2:00 o'clock this morning to set your clocks or TNC, so be sure to adjust the above procedure for the time that you do make the changes. While you're into your remote station, and if you haven't done so already, now would be a good time to change the "MYA" to "DAREN". I know there are still several remote stations that have the same "MYA" ALIAS as their "MYN" ALIAS. I found that's it's not necessary to make the "MYA" and the "MYN" the same. By changing the "MYA" to "DAREN" will allow any necessary or EMERGENCY BEACONs cover the DAREN system a lot better. After you finish setting the time, and the MYA, and have the (prompt:) command back, do a "RESET" command. Doing the "RESET" command may clear out some minor problems that have been building up for the last few months, or the last time you did a RESET. I've sent out test beacons a couple of times to see how they work, but don't know how much of the state got covered. If you are going to Digipeat through the DAREN system, use the "MYN" of the remote stations, don't digipeat using the "DAREN" ALIAS, unless you want to cover the whole state. You would be surprised how many DAREN stations it ties up.
I hope to see several Amateurs at the Charleston Hamfest next Saturday.
There were 63 check-ins this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Ron Wilson, K8RWW, who's been participating in the net since March 27, 2004, has completed 250 check-ins, and will be getting his certificate. Jerry Nelson, KD8HJN, needs only one more check-in to make 550. There was one new participate in the net this week, and that was Keith Richmond, W8KER, from Beaver, WV. I want to welcome Keith to the DAREN system, and hope participates as often as he can.