DAREN of WV News June 17, 2012(.A41)
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.
Nothing much to report this week, I guess everyone is getting ready for Field Day. I have dedicated most of this coming week to getting ready for Field Day. Field Day is the time that I get to put as much of my equipment together as possible, to make sure that it still works. I do a lot of experimenting with new antennas, and setting up stations in different ways. This year our communications group, Wood County Emergency Communications, is going to try to use the wireless Field Day network logging program by Scott Davis, N3FJP.
I got a telephone call the other day from Ann Rinehart, KA8ZGA, the WV ARRL Section Manager. We talked about the ARES program in WV. She would like to see more Amateurs get involved in the ARES program. All but 15 counties in WV have an ARRL ARES Emergency Coordinator, and only 6 of the 10 districts have a District Emergency Coordinator. Each month when I send my Section Emergency Coordinator Report to the ARRL Headquarters, there are only 13 to 15 counties who are reporting any activity. If your county has any kind of activity such as drills, exercises, VE Testing, providing communications for walks, runs, parades, or any activity that involves Amateur Radio, I'd like to hear about it. Reports from each state to the ARRL is one of the tools the ARRL takes to the FCC to help us keep our Amateur Radio frequencies.
Jim Stephenson, WV8JS, sent me a message and said the antennas that I took down to him on May 1st was turned over to Paul Whited, KB8YZT. One of the antennas is to be used to get the Kanawha County NODE/PBBS of KANAWV/CHARWV back in operation.
Summer is coming this coming Wednesday, the days and night are going to start getting shorter. When that starts to happen winter won't be far behind. Now is the time to start getting your outside activities completed so you can enjoy you radio when it's cold and snowing outside.
There were 55 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net again this week. No one needs only one more check-in to make any multiple of 50, or has completed any multiple of 50.