DAREN of WV News November 25, 2012(.A64)
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.
There are several DAREN NODEs that have gone off the air this year. With the weather starting to turn bad, I would like to see as many of the NODEs get put back into operation as possible. I've received messages from Allen Poland, K8AXW, Lee Mairs, KM4YY, and Gene Roy, N8ER, who have either let me know the Mineral County NODE/PBBS of MINEWV/KEYSWV was off the air, or have been trying to find someone who the System Operator is for the station. I want to thank Allen, Lee, and Gene for keeping me posted on the activity, and trying to get the station back in operation. With Mineral County NODE/PBBS off the air I am having a hard time getting the DAREN News and State Wide DAREN Net Announcement posted in that area of the state. Here is a list of the NODE/PBBSs that have went off the air this year: KANAWV/CHASWV, TUCKWV/PRSNWV, PUTNWV/HURCWV, WASHOH/MRTAOH, RALMER/FLT, BARBWV/PHILWV, and MERCWV/BLFDWV. If any one knows anything about these DAREN stations, or knows who has been taking care of them, it would be nice to get them back in operation. I've finally made access to the tower site where the Washington County, Ohio, NODE/PBBS of WASHOH/MRTAOH is located. I have the station at my house and it is being worked on. I haven't had a lot of time to work on it since I was getting ready for a Packet Radio class that I taught yesterday, and I've been getting ready for a Regional Hospital exercise that will be held on December 6th. The TNC for the WASHOH/MRTAOH seems to be okay, we tested it out at the Packet class yesterday, but I haven't checked on the transceiver yet.
On Tuesday I went to Elizabeth, Wirt County, to teach a communications class for their Community Emergency Response Team (CERT). On the way over I stopped by the tower site to re-install the Wirt County NODE/PBBS of WIRTWV/ELIZWV. The station went on the air okay, but the next day when I connected into it, it had a hum on it's signal. A couple days later, I was unable to connect to it. I don't know what happened to it, but it is back off the air. I was hoping to have it in operation for the hospital exercise, but I don't know if I can get back over there in time to get it back in operation.
There were 52 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net this week. There was one new station that checked in, and that was Julie Paugh, KB3URS, from Oakland, Maryland. I want to welcome Julie to the DAREN system, and hope that she will use the DAREN system, and participate in the State Wide DAREN Net as often as possible.