DAREN of WV News June 24, 2018(.D55)
(304) 679-3470 wa8llm@yahoo.com
Wood County Emergency Communications, 319 Communications Dr, Waverly, WV 26184
www.wc8ec.com or 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 www.wc8ec.com and www.wc8ec.org websites.
Well, Field Day is over for another year, and time to start correcting the problems or mistakes that came out of the exercise. One good thing that comes from Field Day it gives me a chance to get all of the equipment in one location so that it can be used, and find out what is defective. Over the year between Field Days the equipment gets spread out being used for other events. I know that we have several brute power supplies that need to be repaired. I have three transceivers that have no transmit audio. Not all switching power supplies are good for communications, some are noisy and have birdies in the Amateur Bands. We did have good luck this year with digital PSK-31. We got to set up the two stations on Friday evening and they worked great. We are usually spend hours working on them Saturday morning trying to get them to work. Our VE group gave a couple upgrade exams to General Saturday morning to a couple that were going to participate at another Field Day location. The storms that went through the area slowed things down a little bit, but we still had fun, lots of good food, and visits from a lot of people like the Wood County Sheriff, and a reporter, with a camera, from WTAP-TV.
I got an E-Mail from Mike Talkington, N8FWD, about a station he was hoping to get on the air a few weeks after the Charleston Hamfest, where he bought a couple Packet stations. Mike said that he can't find a location that he can get permission to use, and get into the rest of the DAREN system. He said he will keep trying.
There 40 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net this week. A few must have checked into the net from a Field Day location, since the last time they checked in was on Field Day weekend last year. My wife Dot, KC8HAI, who has been participating in the net since May 3, 1997, has completed 1100 check-ins. My son Kevin, KC8OXY, who has been participating in the net since July 1, 2000, has completed 900 check-ins. And, Jim Woodford, KC8MLK, who has been participating in the net since February 7, 2004, has completed 700 check-ins. All of these operators will be receiving there certificates. My daughter Cathy Wotring, KC8DJJ, needs only one more check-in to make 1150. And, Gregory Day, N8GD, needs only one more check-in to make 100. There was one new check-in to the net this week, and that was Richard Kutchman, KC3KJQ, for Oakland, Maryland. I want to welcome Richard to the DAREN system, hope he gets more involved with Packet, uses the DAREN system on a regular basis, and participates in the State Wide DAREN Net.