DAREN of WV News April 8, 2012(.A31)
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, but this is what I have. I got a telephone call from the Tyler County Office of Emergency Services Director, Tom Cooper, WV8TOM. Tom told me the State Office of Emergency Services has asked him to head up a Search and Rescue event on May 11, 12, and 13. The event will be held on Pocahontas County. The state said that Amateur Radio would be involved in the event. Tom and I assume the Amateurs in Pocahontas County have been asked to participate. Tom has asked our communications group, Wood County Emergency Communications (WCEC), to provide his county Search and Rescue team with communications. He said that WCEC will be working for his group, and not in charge of the event communications. He said that WCEC can help the Pocahontas County Amateurs with anything them may need. At least a couple of the WCEC group will be going to the event.
I'm still looking for someone who knows something about the tower site where the Kanawha County NODE/PBBS of KANAWV/.CHASWV is located. When I first installed the station on August 24th, 1993, the tower site was on Malden Mountain, and controlled by the West Virginia Emergency Medical Service. Since it's been almost 20 years, I have no idea if the station is still at that site, and if it is, who to contact about getting it fixed. The station has been out of service for over a month. I would make a trip to Charleston to repair the station, if we can find out who owns the tower site, and if we can get access to it. Without the Kanawha County NODE/PBBS in operation there is no way to have DAREN Packet Radio communications into and out of Kanawha County and the WV State Office of Emergency Services.
There were 57 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net this week. Donnie Woodford, KC8YVR, who's been participating in the net since November 27, 2004, has completed 350 check-ins. Keith Dobbins, KC8RFW, needs only one more check- in to make 50.