DAREN NEWS (00-03-05)

=============================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 5, 2000 (.399) by Ken Harris WA8LLM (304) 679-3470 (HOME) or 428-9980 (WORK) WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, P.O. BOX 3328, PARKERSBURG, WV 26103 D.A.R.E.N. 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. A State Wide DAREN NET is operated every Saturday from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. DAREN NET Announcements, 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'.

We're losing an active DAREN worker and supporter. David, KB4LCI who's the ARRL Emergency Coordinator for Pocahontas County and NWS CO-OP, has been offered another job in Danville, Virginia. He will be leaving his present job with the National Radio Astronomy Observatory. His last day at the NRAO will be March 24th, and starting his new job on April 3rd. He says he'll still have access to Packet and will coming back to West Virginia on the weekends until school is out, then the move will be complete. He says he'll still be available on Two Meter via the 147.330 mHz repeater. He's also hoping to have HF privileges after April 15th. He says the 8 Rivers Amateur Radio Club will still be active and that he hopes Pat, KC8CSE will take over the job of ARRL EC for the county. I want to thank David for all the help he's been getting DAREN stations set up in the one part of the state that is in the "Quiet Zone". Having an inside hand with the NRAO has helped get the DAREN system in a major part of West Virginia. Thanks again Dave.

Is Packet Radio being killed by the Internet? It's been awhile since I have checked the DAREN PBBS' that our group, Wood County Emergency Communications, is responsible for, so I started checking the parameters of the stations. Since some of the TNC's and radios have been worked on or replaced in the past couple years, I started by checking the FORWARDING paths. Most of the paths had something wrong with them and needed to be fixed. When I got to the Charleston PBBS, CHASWV, I noticed there is several messages that have been there a long time and haven't been picked up. One message is dated May 19, 1999. Is there any further use to keep up a Packet system if the messages are just going to be posted and never delivered or picked up. I haven't seen the Central Message Center, DAREN, for awhile, so I don't know if it's still in operation. Since the Internet has been getting more and more popular it looks like there's little use for Packet Radio and Amateur Radio. But remember, the Internet operates over telephones lines, and will be out from time to time. Most of the Voice Nets that I listen to have very little NTS Type Traffic being handled, and what is being handled is Net Reports of the Nets they are on. It looks to me like the Internet is taking operators and traffic away from Amateur Radio. But how can you compete when Packet runs 1200 baud and the Internet runs 56,000 baud.

There were 82 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Julie, KB8SYE, who's been checking into the net since January 25, 1995 has completed 250 check-ins, and James, N8COG who's been checking in since January 13, 1996 has completed 150 check-ins. Both of the operators will be receiving their certificates. Ken, KB8QPW needs only one more check-in to make 300. Georgia, N8TGL needs only one more check-in to make 200, and Cal, W8WWF needs only one more check-in to make 150.

73 Ken WA8LLM
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