DAREN of WV News August 17, 2014 (.B54)
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.
It's been another quiet week, not hearing from anyone. I was busy Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and today. Our group started at about 5:00 pm on Thursday setting up the 24 by 80 canopy, 36 table, and 144 chairs, to get ready for the BINGO games at the Parkersburg Homecoming. The crowd seemed to be down a little from last year, but we are going to put some money in the bank.
This coming Saturday August 23rd is the WV ARRL State Convention at Jackson Mills. I am planning to be there. I have been missing the Hamfest for the last few years since it was at the same time as the Parkersburg Homecoming. I hope to see a lot of the DAREN Packet operators at the mill.
Back in March and April, I was writing about putting together a HSMM-MESS system. Other project took my attention away from the system, but my Nephew Sammy Mercer, N8SVX, are still working on the system. We have been looking over plans for antennas for the 2.4 GHz system. We put together a couple of 16 elements collinear coax antennas to replace the original ones, but we're not for sure if they are working very well. When we get some of the other projects that we're working on completed, we'll be back on the HSMM-MESS system. In the mean time if any one else has been doing anything with the HSMM-MESS systems, I would like to hear about them.
There were 45 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net. Joe Peterson, N8DSN, who's been participating in the net since March 26, 1994, has completed 1000 check-ins, and will be receiving his certificate. My wife Dot, KC8HAI, needs only one more check-in to make 900, and my son Kevin, KC8OXY, needs only one more check-in to make 700.