DAREN of WV News March 18, 2012(.A28)
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.
Not much news this week. I did get to go to the Charleston Hamfest yesterday and pick up a couple items that I can use. I got to see several DAREN operators, and held the ARRL ARES Forum. The crowd for the hamfest was fairly large, but the ARES Forum was very low. There were only four ARES members at it. The ARES Forum was only 15 minutes after the doors were open for the hamfest, and a lot of people wanted to look around at it first.
I was unable to post last week's DAREN News and this week's State Wide DAREN Net Announcement on the Kanawha County PBBS of CHASWV, and the Putnam County PBBS of HURCWV. I thought it might have just been band conditions, but I still cannot connect to CHASWV. I have a feeling that it may have been damaged in one of the storms that went through the Kanawha County area last week. The Putnam County NODE/PBBS seems to be okay. I'm able to connect to it through the Jackson County NODE of JACKWV. I know the Jackson County NODE is working fine, since I'm able to connect to it direct from my house. If there is anyone in the Charleston area who can get access to the Kanawha County tower site, and look at the station, I would appreciate it. I don't know who takes care of that tower site any more. I did talk to Dirk Burnside, WD8PAD, and he said the site has a chain link fence and security cameras at it.
The weather is supposed to be very warm this coming week, maybe I can work on the Wood County APRS (Automatic Position Reporting System) station this week and see why it's not in operation. I found my antenna analyzer, so I should be able to check out the antenna.
There were 59 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net this week. Lisa Hendershot, KB8UER, needs only one more check-in to make 900. Terry Meadows, N8HXV, needs only one more check-in to make 100. There was one station that checked into the net at about 7:12 PM Saturday with the callsign of "NOCALL". If you checked into the net at about that time and don't see your callsign on this coming weeks State Wide DAREN Net Announcement, and think it may have been you, let me know so that I can correct your check-in record. I still haven't got the Check-in Certificates printed up for those who have been waiting for them. I will be attending an Emergency Services class for a couple of days this week, so that will put me a little farther behind. If I can squeeze in a little bit of time maybe I can get them printed up, and mailed out.