DAREN of WV News October 26, 2014 (.B64)
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.
Bill Bayless, KB8HEK, who is the WV State Chief Navy/Marine MARS, said that he is going to hold a MARS meeting on Saturday, November 1st, at North Bend State Park, near Harrisville, and asked me for a list of the DAREN NODEs. It's been a few years since I have updated the DAREN Path Map, and NODE List, so I thought I would update it before I gave him copies to put in the packages he's going to be giving to the MARS members. It's hard to believe how many DAREN stations have went off the air, and how many new ones have come on the air since the last update. I can remember when there were at least 34 counties out of the 55 that had a main county NODE/PBBS. At one time there was about 90 percent DAREN Packet Radio coverage in the state with those 34 stations. When you look at the map, it looks like the system when it first started up 20 years ago, but instead of growing, it seems to be fading away. From time-to-time I get messages or E-Mails from Amateurs who would like to put a DAREN station on the air, but don't know how to start. A copy of the State of WV DAREN Plan is on the www.wc8ec.org website that will give enough information to put a DAREN station in operation. The only problem with putting a station on the air is the cost of the equipment. There are plenty of cheap 2 Meter Radios around that can used for the transceiver, the problem is the Packet Terminal Node Controller (TNC). The DAREN system uses the Kantronics Packet Controller as the primary type TNC. The reason we used the Kantronics TNCs is because it can be a PBBS, a NODE, and a Digipeater, all at the same time. Since the DAREN system first started, the cost of the Kantronics TNCs have increased in price to the point that it costs almost too much to put a DAREN station on the air. I'm sure there are still plenty of the old TNCs available from those who no longer operate packet radio. Any of the old Kantronics TNCs such as the KPC-2, KPC-3, KPC-4, and KAM can still be used as a main county NODE/PBBS. If you know of someone who has one just sitting around, not being used, maybe you can talk them out of it. As far as needing a TNC for a terminal station (one that is at an operators house), they are no longer needed. There are several Packet soundcard programs that can be downloaded free off the Internet. Maybe someday someone will write a Packet soundcard program that can do the same things that the Kantronics TNCs can do now. Then all that will be needed is a cheap 2 Meter Radio and a surplus laptop computer. In the mean time, to keep the DAREN system from fading away, let's try to get more NODE/PBBS stations in operation, and try to get state wide coverage to 90 or 100 percent again.
There were 44 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net this week. Remington Sweitzer, KB3TXG, who has been participating in the net since October 2, 2010, has completed 200 check-ins, and will be receiving his certificate.