DAREN of WV News April 25, 2021(F03)
(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.
Not much to report this week. I haven't heard of much going on with the DAREN system. I have been learning more about some more WiFi equipment that can be converted for use on the Amateur Radio Emergency Data Network (AREDN) HSMM (High Speed MultiMedia) 2.4 GHz system. There is another type unit that can be plugged into the USB port of the computer that provides access to the AREDN system, and is about the size of a thumb drive. The unit is called a GL iNet dongle. When we first started getting interested in HSMM system, the only units that we knew of were the Linksys WRT54G wireless routers that could be modified for HSMM, but only if they were the right model and version. Since we started working on our system over the last year, we have found several WiFi units that can be modified for HSMM use. The cost of most of the units are low enough that a HSMM system can be put together very easy. Units like the Ubiquiti Rocket, Bullet, NanoStation, and NanoStation Loco, the TP-Link, and GL iNet AR-150, AR-150-EXT, and GL iNet-USB150, are just a few units that can be software modified to be used on the AREDN system. Even though the AREDN system operates at 2.4 GHz and a lot higher baud rate, we since as high as 35 MHz, it won't replace the DAREN system since it is a short distance system, and takes a lot more units to cover the area. One good thing about the AREDN system is it can pass DAREN traffic.
There were 32 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net this week. Morris (Mo) Kittle, AD8T, who has been participating in the net since May 17, 2003, has completed 250 check-ins and will be receiving his certificate. Frank Hughes, WD8DEP, needs only one more check-in to make 800. And, Cody Stroud, KF8LO, needs only one more check-in to make 50.