DAREN of WV News March 30, 2014 (.B34)
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 a couple E-Mails from Roy Humes, N8RH, who had been having computer problems. Roy ordered a new computer and has been working out problems of getting it to work with his original Packet TNC. He sent me a Packet message the other day, and it came through okay. He also got checked into the State Wide DAREN Net yesterday, so it looks like he is on his way again.
Next Sunday some of the Wood County area Amateurs will be heading for the woods to provide safety communications for a Mountain Bike race. The Amateurs will be stationed around the 26 mile race course. The course will be using some of the walking trails in Mountwood Park, about 15 miles East of Parkersburg. The Amateurs have been providing the safety communications for 15 years or more. Over that period of time the Amateurs have had to call in several accidents that involved a number of different injuries. There have been broken arms, broken collarbones, punctured lungs, and head injuries. From time-to-time there is a missing racer. The Amateurs are stationed at some of the worse areas where accidents are likely to happen. The Amateurs keep track of the racers numbers and the time they go by. That way if there is a missing racer they will know where to start looking for them. The Challenge at Mountwood is one of the best communication exercises that Amateur Radio operators can participate in.
There were 51 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net this week. Donnie Woodford, KC8YVR, needs only one more check-in to make 450. There was one new check-in to the net this week, and that was Patrick Shepherd, KB8OKW, from Middlebourne, WV. I want to welcome Patrick to the DAREN system and hope he will use the system and participate in the State Wide DAREN as often as possible. I finally got the DAREN Net Check-in Certificates printed up for those who have been waiting for them. The certificates will be taken to the Post Office on Friday when I go to town. I want to thank those who participate in the State Wide DAREN Net, and help keep the DAREN system active.