============================================================ D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV July 4, 1993 by Ken Harris WA8LLM WOOD COUNTY RACES, 1810 STAUNTON AVE., PARKERSBURG, WV 26101 D.A.R.E.N. News, are short articles about the D.A.R.E.N. Net- work. Anyone having information about the network may leave it to WA8LLM @ W8SP.WV.USA.NA, or on PKBGWV on 145.05, .09, .69 Mhz. D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV will be posted on the normal BBS system @ ALLWV, and on the DAREN PBBSs, ELKNWV, HILLWV, PCTNES, and PKBGES, on 145.69 Mhz. A Statewide DAREN NET is held every Saturday from 7:30 pm to 9:30 pm. on 145.69 Mhz. DAREN NET Announcements are posted, by Thursday, on most county PBBSs. I received a message from Roy, KD8VS, stating that the Raleigh County NODE/PBBS, RALEWV/BECKWV, was back in operation after the complete station was damaged by the storm that went through the Beckley area a few days ago. The path between the new Pendleton County NODE, PENDWV, and Greenbrier County NODE, GREEWV, seems to be holding in there pretty good. The band has been up for some time now, but even when it seems to be down, there is a path. It looks like we may have a second path between the Northern and Southern halves of the state. The path may be marginal, but if it's a shorter path to where you need to get, you might give it a try first. Jim, WA2GIN, in Clarksburg, has contacted me, and is wanting to help out with DAREN in the Harrison County area. He was going to set his station up as a temporary Mail/Drop for messages going into the Harrison County, but before he had a chance, the processor in his radio quit working. As soon as we get the station for the Harrison County EOC put together, and install- ed, the NODE/DIGI/PBBS will be HARRES/HARRES/CLBGES. At the State Radio Convention, July 3rd, there was several bits of information exchanged. Rick, KB8CVR, has the NODE for the hill or mountain top in Preston County, and should be installed in the next few weeks. Pepper, KA8ZOO, has found a tower site where the Monongalia County Remote Station should be installed in the next few weeks. Bob, KC8KV, will be going to look at the new state tower, where the Barbour County NODE will be installed, as soon as the lease agreement is signed. These stations are the ones purchased by Woodmen of the World. Lee, WB8FGM, said one of the Commissioners of Wetzel County, who is a Novice, helped acquire the money to purchase two Packet Stations. The NODE, WETZWV, which is owned by Wood County, will be replaced with one of the new ones. The NODE being replaced will then be located in another county, possib- ility Ritchie County, where there are several packet operators, involved in emergency communications and message handling. Dick, N8KGK, has moved the station, that was at his office at the National Guard, in Buckhannon, to a hill top, to test the paths. The ALIAS for the NODE/PBBS is now UPSHWV/BUCKWV. He just hasn't had time to put together the stations, the National Guard purchased last year, but should have them in operation in the next few weeks. There were 35 check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net this week. =============================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV July 11, 1993 At the State Convention, at Jackson's Mill, July 3, I was told that free Government mailing was going to be discontinued for all branches of the MARS program. It was mentioned that DAREN would be a way of handling any messages that can't be passed via the regular MARS Nets. If this is the case, everyone interested in message handling should start checking the DAREN PBBSs in their area for messages that need delivered. This last week I've noticed a couple of things that need to be mentioned. First, be sure of the call or ALIAS that you are trying to connect to. I saw one call go through, that was headed to Charleston, but a couple of letters in the call were reversed, making it a call that should have been going to Lewisburg. The other is something that just WON'T work. When you are connected to a NODE, you're not able to connect to the PBBS of the same station. If you are going to connect to a PBBS, you must connect to it from another NODE. I notice that some stations, using KPC-2's, don't have a batt- ery to prevent the loss of messages in case of power drops, or outages. In an emergency, or even routine traffic, if there are messages sitting in a PBBS and the power drops, even for a second, the messages will be lost. Since the State Office of Emergency Services suggested that all EMA Counties get involved with DAREN, I've sent letters to 27 county Emergency Services Directors, suggesting they have two stations in their county, one at their EOC, or Communications Center, and one on a Hill or Mountain Top. In the letter is a list of equipment needed to put together the stations. If you're in one of the following counties, you might want to get a hold of your E/S Director and talk to him or her about Packet Radio. The EMA counties are: Berkeley, Braxton, Boone, Cabell, Calhoun, Fayette, Hancock, Harrison, Jefferson, Kanawha, Lewis, Lincoln, Marion, Marshall, McDowell, Mercer, Mineral, Mingo, Monongalia, Nicholas, Ohio, Preston, Putnam, Raleigh, Randolph, Tucker, Tyler, and Wood. These counties are able to get 50 percent Federal funding for DAREN equipment. All counties should have at least two stations, always think of the future. Bob, WB8OIF, says messages with telephone numbers starting with 535, 725, 728, and 876 can be left on JEFFES, Jefferson County. George, K8QEW, says messages with telephone numbers starting with 797, 748, 729, 723, 564, 527, 387, 284, 283, and 282 can be left on WEIRWV, Hancock County. There were 37 check-ins to this weeks State Wide DAREN Net. =============================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV July 18, 1993 This week marks one full year of D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. I want to thank all of you, who have helped keep it going. I hope this weekly newsletter is keeping you briefed about the Net- work. Please keep sending me information about what is hap- pening with DAREN in your area. I received a message, via a MARS NET, from Bob, KC8KV, that he has a verbal OK, from the Department of High Ways, to install the Barbour County NODE. I'll be getting back with him about when to go help install the station. Mark, WB8ZLQ, says that messages having telephone numbers starting with: 258, 263, 264, 267, 274, 229, and 754 can be posted on MRTNWV, Berkeley County. The NNX/PBBS directory is coming right along. Before long I will start mailing out a copy for those who want it. Shannon, KB8JTQ, called to let me know that he hasn't received the Mineral County NODE, purchased by Woodmen of the World yet. I told him I would try to track it down for him. The Mineral County NODE may provide another path to the Eastern Panhandle. Both Hospitals in Parkersburg now have permanent antennas mounted on their roofs, to be used in emergencies. St Joe Hospital has two Paramedics, that are Amateurs, and two waiting for their license. There may be a permanent DAREN station set up at that hospital. The Parkersburg Red Cross station has been down for a few days, while they remodel their office. It may be back up by the time you read this News. I talked to Jim, WB8DMS, at the Bluefield Hamfest, and he said they are about ready to install the Summers County NODE. I forgot to mention that in the June 20 News. There were 35 check ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. =============================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV July 25, 1993 I talked to Jim, WA2GIN, in Clarksburg, and told him I had the EOC Terminal NODE for Harrison County Emergency Services ready to go. He's going to talk to Dick, N8FMD, and JR, WJ8G, about getting it installed. Pepper, KA8ZOO, says he has located a tower for the new Monongalia County NODE, MONOWV, purchased by Woodmen of the World. The tower is owned by a company that has several towers around the state, and the country. He said Dick, N8FMD, will be helping him install the antenna. Spencer, KB8FIR, who was able to convince Woodmen of the World, to buy the NODEs for Barbour, Mineral, Monongalia, and Preston Counties, still has the NODE for Mineral County. He will have the representative of Woodmen of the World, in Mineral County, contact Shannon, KB8JTQ, about getting the NODE to him. The first issue of the West Virginia Office of Emergency Services Newsletter, "TRANSMISSIONS", was mailed out this week. The Newsletter went to all county Emergency Services Directors in West Virginia, and to the State OES Directors in the other 49 states. There was a one half page article about DAREN, how it's growing, and how the West Virginia State OES is in full support of the system, by making Federal money available. I received a letter from Greg, WB4HRR, the ARRL DEC in Hickory, NC. He's seen articles about DAREN in the "South Eastern Repeater Journal", and "ARRL Field Forum", and wanted more information about it. He's getting ready to implement some kind of the Emergency Packet Network in North Carolina, and is interested in DAREN. Bob, WB8OIF, left a message on the Berkeley County PBBS, about the Jefferson County NODE/PBBS being down for awhile. I don't know what Bob is doing, but he said it should be back up shortly. Greg, E/S Director Preston County, Rick, KB8CVR, and another Amateur, went to the mountain and installed the new Preston County NODE/PBBS, PRESWV/KINGWV, purchased by Woodmen of the World. The NODE/PBBS at the EOC has been changed to PRESES/- KINGES. The EOC station has been having trouble, ever since lightening hit the power lines to the building last Summer. Mark, KJ4QQ, in Bluefield Va, who was the State Wide DAREN Net Control Station this week, said there was 40 check-ins. =============================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV August 1, 1993 Have you had some unusual problems operating through different NODEs?, if so you might contact the SYSOP, and have him or her give the TNC a "RESET". I've had several operators ask me what is wrong with a certain NODE doing strange things, only to find out that all it needed was a RESET. I don't know what causes some, or maybe all, TNC's to do it, but once in awhile they seem to have a mind of their own, and you have to get their attention. Since Mark, KJ4QQ, was Net Control last week, it gave me a chance to watch the stations try to connect to him. Don't get upset with the DAREN Network, it works, but a few things that I've noticed that will help get through the system, when it's busy and they are: (1) Don't try to DIGIPEAT through more than one or two DIGIs. (2) Take the shorted path, you don't have to go through every NODE, some NODEs have a good path, and may be able to skip one or two. (3) Be sure where the NCS station is at, it will start changing more often since more stations are asking to be NCS. (4) Be sure of the spelling of each NODE you go through. At the present time there are 8 Net Control Operators. Since we now have NODEs in about 21 counties that can be connected to from about 75 percent of the state, any one wanting to be Net Control of the State Wide DAREN Net, can leave me a message on PKBGWV, and we can get you on the schedule. It's not hard and kinda fun watching stations connecting to you. Sometime in September, Mark, WB8ZLQ, in Berkeley County, will start taking turn as Net Control. Joe, N8UXE, in Ripley, has asked to be Net Control sometime after August 7th. On Tuesday July 27th, The Mason Dickson Amateur Radio Club installed a new NODE, purchased by the County Commission, in Wetzel County. The ALIAS of the new NODE will stay the same as the old one, WETZWV. The original NODE was put in operation by Wood County, to get a path to the North when the Network was first started. The old station will now be moved into Ritchie County, as soon as a location is found. I'm sorry to announce that one of our DAREN Packet Operators has passed away. Bob Wyatt, KB8EIQ, passed away suddenly and un- expectedly, Thursday morning July 29th in Elkins. Bob was an active RACES member and was a mobile Packet Operator. Bob was the brother of Terry, KB8EIR, ARRL EC for Randolph County, Bob will be missed. There were 38 check-ins to this weeks State Wide DAREN Net. ================================================================= D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV August 8, 1993 Mark, KJ4QQ, says there are some Amateurs in Virginia forming a Packet Radio Frequency Coordination group. He sent me their names and addresses, and I sent them packets of information about DAREN, and asked them to consider holding the frequency of 145.69 Mhz open for Emergency, Priority, and NTS type traffic. Fred, KE4HI, ARRL EC for Roanoke County, Virginia is interested in DAREN, so I sent him a packet of DAREN information. Mark, KJ4QQ, said Fred used to be the EC of Kanawha County, WV, before moving to Virginia. Pepper, KA8ZOO, called to let me know that he has the new NODE, MONOWV, purchased by Woodmen of the World, in operation. He said it is high enough to have a direct path to HANCWV. In testing the paths, I found it also has good paths to MARSWV, WETZWV, PLEAWV, RANDWV, PENDWV, TUCKWV, PRESWV, UPSHWV, and GARRMD. I have the NNX/PBBS Directory together with the information that I've compiled from several sources including those who send me their information. It's a single 8 1/2 X 11 sheet of paper with the three digit telephone exchange prefix (in Area Code 304) and nearest PBBS on one side, and all the known telephone exchange prefixs and the county they are located in on the other side. If you would like to have a copy let me know, some have already been mailed out. Buzz, K8CFT, says the Fayette County E911 system will being going on line Monday, August 8th, and he and W8OQC will be installing the FAYEEC NODE shortly there after. Alan, N8POB, is putting together a list of "Personal Stations" that are left on 145.69 Mhz, 80 to 99 percent of the time. If your personal station falls within this range, and you would like to have it on the list, leave Alan a message on "PKBGWV". Bob, KC8KV, and I will be getting together sometime after August 22, to install the Barbour County NODE, BARBWV, that was purchas- ed by Woodmen of the World. NMARWV, Wetzel County, has been upgraded to a 99K PBBS. DAREN NEWS and NODE LISTS can now be picked up there. There were 34 check-ins to this weeks State Wide DAREN Net. ================================================================= D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV August 15, 1993 The Lewis County Emergency Services Director, Bill Rowan, who's Amateur call I've lost, sorry Bill, has applied for Federal Funding of two Packet Stations through the State Office of Emergency Services. Shannon, KB8JTQ, has been contacted by a representative of Woodmen of the World. There will be a picnic August 18th, and at that time, they will present him with the NODE, they have purchased as part of the DAREN system, to be placed on a Mountain Top in Mineral County. When Federal Funding money first became available last year, Steve Allen, Emergency Services Director of Berkeley County, purchased two stations, one for the mountain top, and one for the EOC. Before he can install the EOC NODE, he is in need of help, installing a 30 foot tower. George, K8QEW, has left me a message about an ARES/RACES/DAREN meeting/picnic. The picnic will be held at the Clarksburg Veterans Park, September 25. This picnic is for all Amateur Radio Operators, interested in ARES, RACES and DAREN and other emergency communications. He's also planning to hold a meeting sometime in October on the rezoning of the ARES Districts. I talked to Dave, KA8ZXP, while he was in Parkersburg Saturday. He has the crystals, that he had ordered for the Pendleton County NODE, but didn't get them by the time we were ready to install the NODE. He has placed them in a radio that will be used for the Gilmer County NODE. I will be sending him the TNC as soon as I get it set up, and the Gilmer County NODE will be on the air. Ashby, KB8OPH, and Terry, KB8EIR, made a trip to RANDWV, and changed the call. The new NODE Call is KB8EIR-7. The call N8POB-7 was used when first placed in service because Ashby didn't have his call yet, and DAREN hadn't been heard of by the local hams in Randolph County. Since Ashby, who is the Emergency Services Director, became interested in Amateur Radio again, several operators have got involved with E/S. After a rough start, and several operators still not reading the NET ANNOUNCEMENTS, posted on most main county PBBS's, or watching the BEACONs, Ashby, KB8OPH, did a great first time job of being Net Control of this weeks State Wide DAREN Net. He had 32 check- ins. He would have had more, but several operators thought the NCS was in Wood County this week. Gotcha again. Hi Hi ================================================================= D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV August 22, 1993 Last week I said I had lost the call of Bill Rowan, the Emergency Services Director of Lewis County. His call sign is N8XRP. The TNC I will be sending to Dave, KA8ZXP, for the Gilmer County NODE, is programed and ready to be mailed. I will try to get it sent by Monday the 23rd. Ken, KA3SKW, called to let me know his radio had to be sent to shop for repair. The radio is used on the Garrett County, Maryland NODE, GARRMD. He's hoping to have it back soon. September 30th starts the 52nd annual Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood. This festival is a fund-raiser for the Kingwood Vol. Fire Department. As usual, an Amateur Radio Station will be set up at the festival for demonstration and Special Event. The October 2nd State Wide DAREN Net will be operated from the festival with Richard, KA8UEU, Fire Chief, Kingwood Vol. Fire Department, as Net Control. Stations checking into the DAREN Net, that week, will be sent a Special Event Certificate. I received a message, via DAREN, from Tom Burns of the State OES. The message was sent from the Packet station set up at the State Fair, in Greenbrier County. Tom wanted to know if we are still working on the DAREN system in preperation for the next disaster. With any luck, I will be making a trip to Charleston to install a new NODE for Kanawha County. The new NODE will have 86K of memory in the PBBS, and 8 NODE Channels. The new station will be installed on the EMS Tower on Malden Mountain. Alan, N8POB, had 40 check-ins on this week's State Wide DAREN Net. ================================================================= D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV August 29, 1993 Lynn, AI8I, left me a message saying he would like to be DAREN Net Control from time to time. Having Lynn as Net Control will put a good challenge to the system and the operators. The only access to Lynn is through GREEWV, and there are very few paths to GREEWV. On August 24th, the new Kanawha County NODE went into operation at the Maulden Mountain EMS tower site. The TNC is a Kantronics KPC-3 with 5.1 version firmware, and an Alinco DR1200T radio. With the 5.1 firm- ware and 128K of expanded memory, the station is able to have 8 NODE channels, and 86K of PBBS memory. Tests, so far, show that it has a very good path to JACKWV, MERCWV, RALEWV, and WYOMWV. It has a fair path to GREEWV and FAYEWV. It still doesn't have a path to BOONWV. Maybe in the near future Boone County may put a Hill or Mountain Top NODE in service. I want to thank the people at the National Weather Service, in Charleston, for the use of the their storage trailer as a temporay home of the old KANAWV, for the longest couple of weeks in history. I had a visit from Tom, N8GQK, from Columbus, Ohio. Tom is an assis- tant editor of a scanner frequency directory, and holds a Scanner Listeners Net once a week. He's not into Packet yet, but was quite impressed with DAREN. Through his Scanner Net, he knows Amateur Radio Operators in most of the larger cities in Ohio, who are already into Packet. Tom will start trying to implement DAREN of OHIO. At Mark, KJ4QQ's, request, DAREN information was sent to Mike, KE4BKQ, at Virginia Tech., in Blacksburg, Virginia. Mike has been reading about DAREN in the East River Amateur Radio Club newsletter, and is very interested. He's checked into the State Wide Net a couple of times. The TNC for the Gilmer County NODE has been shipped to Dave, KA8ZXP. In a few days we may be seeing GILMWV in operation. The PBBS for the Gilmer County will be GLENWV (Glenville). Mark, KJ4QQ, says that on August 25, the tower site where MERCWV is located, was hit by a severe isolated thunderstorm. MERCWV/BLFDWV as well as BLFD57, on 145.57, and the 145.49 & 444.45 voice repeaters are all off the air. Messages for the Bluefield area may be left on PINEWV or LSBGWV. Judy, N8UFQ, had 45 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV September 5, 1993 George, K8QEW, ARRL SEC, sent me a note stating that he will be checking all of the DAREN PBBS's once a week on a regular schedule. He'd rather have any ARRL reports left on WEIRWV, but, he will look for them once a week on other PBBS's. His schedule is as follows: MONDAY: MDSVWV, NMARWV, STMYWV, MGTNWV. TUESDAY: KINGWV, PKBGWV, PRSNWV, ELKNWV. WEDNESDAY: RPLYWV, BUCKWV, FKLNWV, MGTNWV. THURSDAY: CHASWV, PINEWV, DANVWV, BECKWV. FRIDAY: OAKHWV, LSBGWV, BLFDWV, JEFFES. Other will be added as they come on line. Ashby, KB8OPH, would like to be State Wide DAREN Net Control, the Saturday of the Forest Festival in Elkins. He's to give me the dates of the festival. There may be special certificates, for those checking into the DAREN net that day. He feels that having a packet station at the activity, will let more of the public know about DAREN. Ted, W8KVK, kept RPLYWV busy this past week, posting updates of Hurricane Emily, as she approached the East Coast. Ted updated the location status, and probability of landfall of Emily every six hours at 5am, 11am, 5pm, and 11pm. The information was looked at, on a regular basis by several operators. If Emily had made landfall and caused any problems in West Virginia, I think DAREN would have been ready. Ashby, KB8OPH, left me a message about making a report to the West Virginia Emergency Services Council, about DAREN. He's going to suggest that the Emergency Services Council be the parent organization of DAREN. He suggests that DAREN ask the council to fund the network at least $500 dollars to start acquiring equipment to establish and maintain main county NODEs, and that each County Emergency Services, using DAREN, be sent an invoice of from $25 to $50 annually, to help maintain the main county NODEs. Bill, N8ZQU, Wetzel County, reports that the Paden City Fire Department now has a 24 hour DAREN station installed in their Communications Van (COMM7). The NODE and DIGI are WETZFD, and the PBBS is PDCYFD. There is a new NODE on the air. It looks like Mark, WB8ZLQ, has the Berkeley County EOC station on the air. The NODE and DIGI are BERKES, and the PBBS is MRTNES. For those stations who had trouble connecting to DAREN NCS, September 4, NCS was Lynn, AI8I, in Pocahontas County. The only NODE to Lynn, was GREEWV. To try to connect to his station, any other time, you can connect HILLWV. Lynn had 40 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. This is great considering the limited routes. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV September 12, 1993 Ron, N8YIB, in Mineral County, said he was hoping that he and Shannon, KB8JTQ, would get the Mineral County NODE on the air this week, but I haven't seen it yet. The Mineral County NODE was purchased by the organization, Woodmen of the World. I've been talking to the Manager of the Telephone Company in Ritchie County. He's shown interest in allowing the installation of a DAREN NODE on their company tower. We may have to wait awhile, till a commercial 2-way radio company decides where they are going to mount a paging antenna on the tower. Ashby, KB8OPH, says the West Virginia Forest Festival will be held from October 2nd to the 10th. They are hoping to have a DAREN Packet station set up at the festival, and he's going to ask Terry, KB8EIR, to be DAREN Net Control on October 9th. Stations attempting to connect that day, may want to connect direct to DAREN from NODES: RANDWV, PENDWV, TUCKWV, MONOWV, and UPSHWV. Stations checking into the net, that day, well receive a Special Event Station Certificate. Bill, N8ZQU, says the paper work has been approved to move the Wetzel County NODE, WETZWV, to the county owned tower. The county tower is more centrally located to cover the county. There were 34 check-ins to this weeks State Wide DAREN Net. The first 3 or 4 stations that checked in got the wrong CONNECT MESSAGE. I forgot to change my CTEXT, but they still got in. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV September 19, 1993 The Wetzel County Emergency Services Director, Jim Richmond, has just received his Amateur License from the FCC. Jim is now KB8PKZ. This makes at least 5 County Emergency Services Directors that have their Amateur Radio License. Other Directors that have shown an interest in getting their licenses are: Greg Groves, Preston County, and Fred Smart, Harrison County. Don't forget the ARES/RACES/DAREN picnic/meeting coming up Saturday, September 25th. The location will be at the Memorial Park in Clarksburg. Bring a picnic basket and something to eat. The picnic/- meeting, starts about 10:00 am, and will be over when everybody leaves. George, K8QEW, will be discussing the re-zoning of the ARRL sections in West Virginia. Any other ARES, RACES, and DAREN information can be discussed. The information about the DAREN NODEs in West Virginia will soon be sent to the ARRL Repeater Directory. The list will be mailed around the 1st of October. All 24 hour NODEs, in the system, will be listed in the Packet Section of the Directory. If you have a station that you're hoping to have in operation in the next few weeks, let me know so it can be listed. Good news from one of our more active DAREN operators, Terry, KB8EIR. Terry and his wife are the proud parents of a new baby girl. She was born Wednesday, September 15. Terry is the ARRL EC of Randolph County. Gary, WV8D, is looking for about 170 feet of 1/2 inch Heliax cable to move GREEWV, to another location. The location that GREEWV is located at, on Keeny's Knob, is crowded, and the new location will allow him to increase the overall height of the antenna. At the present time it's next to impossible to get a path from downtown Lewisburg to the NODE. If anyone knows of any Hardline cable, even if it is larger than 1/2 inch, you can leave a message for Gary on LSBGWV, or he can be reached at (304) 645-7675. Ron, N8YIB, says that Shannon, KB8JTQ, and the Mineral County EOS are trying to build stand-offs for a tower, so they can mount the MINEWV NODE antenna. With Shannon working all the time, they're hoping that sometime next weekend, they may have the NODE in operation. Aaron, N8NVQ, said he had 42 check-ins to this week's DAREN Net. He did have an equipment malfunction, at the last part of the net, and may have lost one or two. If you were missed, please let us know. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV September 26, 1993 Jim, WA2GIN, is back on the air after about two months without a radio. Jim was getting ready to put a temporary mailbox in operation where Harrison County traffic could be left, when his radio went on the blink. Dave, KA8ZXP, is planning to put a very large PBBS on the air. Since Gilmer County is pretty much center of the state, his idea is to have a PBBS, that can be a single point where messages can be left for those stations having traffic outside of their local PBBS, or are not sure where to leave a message. If you're not sure what county PBBS to leave a message at, or there is no PBBS in the county you have traffic for, it can be left there. Operators should only have to check two PBBSs for traffic, their local one, and the central one. The PBBS will be put on the air experimentally on a trail basis, until the Traffic Storage and Forwarding system can be put in operation. We've lost another good DAREN Packet operator, Dewey (Buzz) Collins, K8CFT. Buzz passed away about 11:00 am Tuesday, September 21st, while on a Golf course in Fayette County. Buzz, was the SYSOP of the Fayette County NODE, FAYEWV. I only met Buzz one time, but talked to him several times on the phone while he was setting up FAYEWV. The Gilmer County NODE is in operation. The NODE and DIGI are GILMWV, and the PBBS is GLENWV. At the present time, there is no backup power on the station, and a few hours after the station went on the air, the Power Company, had a planned power outage, and it was inoperative. Dave, KA8ZXP, has plans of putting a battery on the station in case of any power outages. GILMWV has direct paths to at least 13 other NODEs. The Ritchie County NODE also went on the air Friday, September 24th. The NODE and DIGI are RITCWV, and PBBS is HRVLWV. RITCWV has paths to at least 11 other NODEs. With these two new NODEs, there are at least four routes that can be used to keep the Northern and Southern halves of the state tied together. I got a message from Mark, KJ4QQ. Mark says that MERCWV is back on the air after taking a severe over abundance of uncontrolled static electricity (lightening). It's been back on the air since the 17th, but he wanted to make sure it was in proper working order before placing it back is service. This week's State Wide DAREN Net control was located at the Meigs County, Ohio Emergency Operations Center. Al, N8UBG, NCS, said he had 45 check-ins to the net. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV October 3, 1993 Al, N8UBG, said he had a little trouble with the DAREN Net September 25. The path from WOODWV to the Meigs County, Ohio, Emergency Operations Center was a little iffy to say the least. After the net was over he found out there was a better path from KANAWV, but that's what nets are for, to found your best path to your destination. Matt, KA8YEZ, said the equipment for the Ohio County NODE was ordered September 17th. He will keep us posted when OHIOWV will be going on the air. Ken, KA3SKW, SYSOP for the Garrett County, Maryland NODE, GARRMD, may start leaving the NODE on the air, on a 24 hours basis, starting some time in October. At the present time the station is only on the air from about 6:00 pm to 11:00 pm. At the ARES/RACES/DAREN picnic/meeting in Clarksburg on the September 25th, it was mentioned about holding a net that would be a connect and converse net, not just a connect, disconnect net. This is possible with a program called CHAT, and ideas' of placing one in operation on DAREN, has been discused. It would be just like a normal net. The biggest reason for a Connect, Disconnect net, is to familiarize operators of the system with the best paths, and alternate paths through the system. In a real emergency, however, there will be very little Keyboard to Keyboard operation. Most traffic would be left on designated PBBSs. Ted, WD4KHL, brought something to my attention. Since there are new operators checking out the DAREN Network, about every week, it might helpful if we explain a few things about the system. If there's very little news next week, I'll write a special DAREN information newsletter. Even with a power problem at the Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood, 15 minutes before this week's State Wide DAREN Net was over, Richard, KA8UEU, and Rick, KB8CVR, had 44 stations checking into their SPECIAL EVENT STATION. Power failures can always be a problem when operating at a remote location, this also happens in emergencies'. During non- emergency times is the best time to find out your weakness'. They hope that everyone wanting a SPECIAL EVENT CERTIFICATE got checked in. Next week's DAREN Net Control Station will be KB8EIR, located at the State Forest Festvial, held in Elkins. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV October 10, 1993 The State Wide DAREN Net control station, at the Buckwheat Festival, October 2nd, had a power failure about 15 minutes before the net was over, and a couple stations may have been missed. If you got checked in and your call wasn't on the 10/9/93 net announcement, or any other questions about the list, please leave me a message. Also those stations, with fairly new calls, that checked in, need to send me an address, for the special event certificate. Matt, KA8YEZ, has the Ohio County NODE in operation. At the present time he has it at his home QTH, and the only paths into it are through MARSWV and HANCWV. The NODE/DIGI are OHIOWV, and the PBBS is WLNGWV. As soon as they get a work party together, they're going to move it to a hill top. I met with Jack Pace, the Communications Director of the WV EMS. We have the permission to reinstall the antenna of the Jackson County NODE, JACKWV, on the EMS tower, in Ripley. The antenna was removed from the tower last year, thinking it was receiving interference from the EMS radios. At the present time, it is on top of 20 feet of TV mast pipe, strapped to the side of the transmitter building. The problem was located as being RF interference, generated by the KPC-2 controller. Since the controller has been changed to a KPC-3, the interference is gone, and we're going to mount the antenna back on the tower, between 40 and 50 feet. Ron, N8YIB, says that MINEWV, in Mineral County, may be delayed. The official permission for the use of the tower they want to use has not been acquired yet. On a good news side, he did say that Shannon, KB8JTQ, who will be the SYSOP for MINEWV, has passed his test for a General Class license. MINEWV is one of the four NODEs that was purchased by Woodmen of the World, and donated to the county Emergency Services. Don't be surprised to some strange traffic on the DAREN system. Dana, KB8GYU, is working on the automatic traffic forwarding system. If he gets the program to work the way we want it, there will have to be a few changes in some of the equipment, to accommodate a different UHF or 6 meter backbone frequency, to be used strictly by the Traffic Forwarding System. To get ready for an automatic forwarding system, we need the ZIP CODES of each PBBS where traffic can be forwarded. If you have a DAREN PBBS in your area, send me the ZIP CODEs that should be posted there. A report from Ashby, KB8OPH, shows that Terry, KB8EIR, who was this week's State Wide DAREN NCS, had 36 check-ins. A special certificate will be sent to those checking in. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV October 17, 1993 Dave, KA8ZXP, has an experimental MAIL-DROP system in operation. The MAIL-DROP is called DAREN-1, and can be accessed from GILMWV. Since DAREN-1 is located somewhere near center of the state, it can be accessed by just one or two hops. His idea is, traffic for stations within your local area can be left on your local PBBS, but traffic that will take you several hops, can be left on DAREN-1. This way you should only have to check two mail-drop locations for traffic, your local one, and DAREN-1. Also traffic for an area that doesn't have a DAREN PBBS should be left there. This system MAY stay in operation, even after the automatic traffic forwarding system is in operation. When Dave is finished setting it up, DAREN-1 may have several ports, so more than one station can be connected at once. Even though the system is using a regular BBS program, it doesn't have access to the nation wide BBS network, and normal BBS messages (Buy, Sale, Trade, Jokes, Grips, etc) shouldn't be left on it. So far I've heard from George, K8QEW, Bob, WB8IOF, and Mark, WB8ZLQ, who have sent me the ZIP CODES, for messages, that should be posted on WEIRWV, JEFFES, and MRTNWV. When Dana, KB8GYU, gets the autoforward- ing system working, NTS Messages that have a ZIP CODE could be posted on any of the low memory PBBSs (7K or less), and it should be routed to the nearest DAREN PBBS, of that ZIP CODE. If there is no PBBS near the ZIP CODE, then it would be posted on DAREN-1 in Glenville. Any other stations having ZIP CODES for their Local PBBS can leave me a message on PKBGWV. The antenna of JACKWV has been moved from 20 feet of TV mast pipe, to the nearby EMS tower. The move didn't allow JACKWV to gain access to any additional NODEs, but it did help make the paths better to the ones that were marginal. In the very near future, the Berkeley County NODE, BERKWV, will be upgraded to a KPC-3 with 86K of memory in the PBBS, and 8 NODE channels. This should complete the high memory PBBSs, and make it easier to access NODE Lists, RACES and ARES Bulletins, and DAREN News. The third of four NODEs purchased by Woodmen of America and donated to Emergency Services, went in service October 16th. The Barbour County NODE went into operation on a State Road tower near Philippi. The NODE and DIGI are BARBWV, and the PBBS is PHILWV. The NODE has good paths toward the North, East, and West, but is very limited to the South. The SYSOP for the NODE is Bob, KC8KV. There were 46 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Any stations, that checked into the October 2nd and 9th nets, and have a fairly new call, might want to leave me a message so you will get your Special Event certificate. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV October 24, 1993 Yesterday, October 23rd, marked one full year of the State Wide DAREN Net. Judy, N8UFQ, reported 38 check-ins to this week's DAREN Net. In the first year of the net, at least 187 different stations have checked in. There was a total of 1776 check-ins and a total of 94 hours. Below is a list of all those stations that have checked into the nets: AI8I K3TYW K8BS K8CFT K8CHW K8QEW K8SOR KA3SKW KA8QVL KA8TSQ KA8UEU KA8YEZ KA8ZOO KB4LCI KB8BA KB8AYZ KB8BUR KB8CHW KB8COI KB8CVG KB8CVP KB8CVX KB8DA KB8DXI KB8EHT KB8EIQ KB8EIR KB8FVU KB8GIZ KB8GYU KB8HEK KB8JHO KB8KAC KB8KKV KB8KQM KB8KSB KB8LSH KB8LZH KB8MHL KB8MLY KB8MRK KB8MWY KB8NBD KB8NEG KB8NNS KB8NPC KB8NRK KB8NSA KB8NUF KB8NUR KB8PLD KB8PWF KB8OPH KB8ZM KC3YR KC4TMT KC8CR KC8IT KC8KV KC8WO KD4GJQ KD4IYJ KD8VS KE4BKQ KE8EC KE8WL KF8LL KF8NW KF8SX KF8TQ KF8ZH KJ4QQ KW8I N1DMQ N3OQW N4OKL N8AJC N8CFT N8DMQ N8ER N8FIP N8GEK N8GTI N8HTR N8HXV N8ILO N8JGT N8JVS N8JXO N8KGK N8KMN N8KUQ N8KVU N8LDM N8LGU N8LHL N8MTU N8NKN N8NMA N8NUS N8NVQ N8NZQ N8OHB N8PEJ N8PEK N8POB N8POT N8PQI N8PRJ N8QJL N8QKL N8QPW N8QQM N8RAS N8RIF N8RIG N8RIR N8RKY N8RMY N8RNP N8SCT N8SSU N8TGF N8TGI N8TJG N8TMF N8TWS N8TWU N8UBF N8UBG N8UFQ N8UFU N8UGB N8UGL N8UPV N8UXE N8UXF N8VFO N8VFR N8VJS N8VOW N8VXL N8XGK N8XIK N8YIB N8ZQU N8ZYR N8ZZT NQ8B W3BMD W4CA W8CUL W8GK W8GUL W8KBM W8KVK W8MOP W8ZQ WA2GIN WA4K WA8ART WA8AVZ WA8BMA WA8LLM WA8OMR WB8CNN WB8DMS WB8FGM WB8LZQ WB8OIF WB8OIS WB8PAM WB8SNO WB8ZLQ WB8ZMQ WB8ZTV WD4KHL WD5GKE WD8DMS WD8DNC WD8JCO WD8JNU WD8PQG WD8V WF8X WM8D WV8D I hope I didn't miss anyone, if so, I want to apologize. Even though the net is just a connect/disconnect, it allows operators the chance to find their way around a busy network, which could come in handy in case of a real emergency. Thank everyone for checking into the nets. I've had a few operators ask me if there's any way to list just the last few messages on the large memory PBBSs. If you only want to list the last few messages, use the LL (List Last) command. Example: To list the last 3 messages on any of the DAREN PBBSs, type LL 3. When I installed the Kanawha County NODE, KANAWV, I forgot to put a blank plug in the EXT Speaker jack, to silence the speaker. A service technician from another service, sharing the building, turned the receiver volume down, disabling the NODE. KANAWV/CHASWV was out of service from late Sunday evening, the 17th to Wednesday the 20th. I should've remembered this from a similar experience with FAYEWV while attending the Fayetteville Hamfest to present a DAREN Forum. The Berkeley County NODE/PBBS has been upgraded to a KPC-3, with 5.1 version firmware and 128K memory to allow the posting of ARES and RACES bulletins, DAREN NODE lists, DAREN News, and other Emergency and NTS associated information. Most stations should be able to connect to one of the seven large memory PBBSs (CHASWV, ELKNWV, HILLWV, MRTN- WV, NMARWV, PKBGES, and PCTNES) in one or two hops, without having to connect half way across the state to get this information. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV October 31, 1993 One thing I've noticed more than anything else, is stations trying to connect to the PBBS, when they are connected to the associated NODE, this is JUST NOT POSSIBLE. When connecting to a PBBS, you must connect to it from another NODE, or direct. In other words, if you are connected to WOODWV, you CAN NOT connect to PKBGWV. A list of NODE/DIGI/PBBSs, can be found on all of the large memory DAREN PBBSs that are listed at the top of this page. To find the NODE LIST, connect to one of the large memory PBBSs, and type L> NODES. I've received ZIP CODES from KC8KV, for Barbour County. I will be putting together a list of ZIP CODES for each DAREN PBBS. Then if you have a message that has a ZIP CODE, you will know what DAREN PBBS it should be posted on. I would like for someone in each county to send me a list of their ZIP CODES for their DAREN PBBS. Sysops, Daylight Savings Time is over for about 6 months, don't forget to set the time on your NODEs. I'm looking for reasons why some brands of TNC's have trouble connecting to the Kantronics KPC's. In the last year or so, I've had a few operators say they are not able to operate through Kantronics controllers. There are two reasons, that I've seen, that will cause a TNC not to receive well. 1. The TNC or the associated computer is transmitting an interfering RF signal, distorting the received data. 2. At least with the Kantronics products, they have a command called CD (carrier detect). When the CD is set to INTERNAL, the modem uses an energy type carrier detect, to decode the data. This method works quite well, even with noisy signals. When the CD is set to SOFTWARE, the modem uses the presence of data to decode the signal. This method works good, as long as the receiving signal has an almost perfect level balance between the Mark/Space frequencies, and there is NO, NO noise on the signals. This method will allow you to run your radio un-squelched, but your received signals have to be perfect. I know the Kantronics units will have different levels of their Mark and Space frequencies when connected to different transmitters. This is not good, but it happens, and most operators don't take the time to equalize their transmit audio. It's possible that some stations are running their receivers un-squelched, trying to copy stations that don't have a perfect balance of transmit audio level between the Mark and Space frequencies, or may be receiving distorted data, due to an interfering RF signal. I can't speak for other type controllers, but if they have a way to use an energy type carrier detect, I'd suggest trying it, and squelching the receiver audio. Just food for thought. Due to a last minute work schedule change, Alan, N8POB, had to turn Net Control over to his wife Connie, N8TWS. Connie reported 36 check- ins to this week's net. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV November 7, 1993 In case you've wondered, but was afraid to ask, the RACES Bulletins, that are posted on PKBGES, are not only for Wood County RACES/ARES personel, but anyone interested in them. They are written from activities and experiences that happen in Wood County and surrounding areas. If you would like to post them on your own PBBS or Mailbox, please do so. Duane, N8LDM, is always looking for new items to write RACES Bulletins about. If you have something you would like to have put in a RACES Bulletin, Leave Duane a message on PKBGWV. Just give him the subject and a little information, and he will write it up. When we get the auto-forwarding system in operation, the RACES Bulletins will be posted on all of the large memory PBBSs. A copy of the latest DAREN Path Map, and NODE List have been mailed to all Emergency Services Directors, showing them how the system has grown in the last year. If they see there is no DAREN activity in their county, they may want to get their Amateurs involved. If you are in a county that doesn't have a DAREN NODE, you might want to contact your Emergency Services Director and ask if he/she can help you get one established. They all should know about DAREN by now, but they may need a little push to get them started. Olie, WD8V, said he has talked to Jim, WA8CGM, the Emergency Services Director, Logan County. He says Jim is very much interested in an EOC DAREN station. Matt, KA8YEZ, says there well be a Special Event Station set up at Oglebay Park, Wheeling, from December 3rd to December 6th. He said that he can be net control for the State Wide DAREN Net on December 4th. He also mentioned QSL cards from the park. I'll have more information later. A Harrison County NODE/DIGI/PBBS is in operation. The station is located at the Harrison County Emergency Operations Center. It's good to see another one of the major cities in West Virginia have a place to leave NTS and other type traffic in the county. The NODE and DIGI are HARRES, and the PBBS is CKBGES, and has paths to/from PRESWV, MONOWV, BARBWV, and RANDWV. Shannon, KB8QGC (new call), Ron, N8YIB, and Denny McGann, Emergency Services Director Mineral County, braved the snow November 6th to install the Mineral County NODE/DIGI/PBBS. First tests show that it has paths to BERKWV, PRESWV, TUCKWV, MONOWV, and PENDWV. The NODE is on Pinnacle Mountain about 3140 feet. NODE and DIGI ALIAS are MINEWV, the PBBS ALIAS is KEYSWV. The station was the fourth of four stations purchased by Woodmen of the World, and donated to Emergency Services. Looks like Ashby, KB8OPH, has taken the record for check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net. He has reported 56 into this weeks net. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV November 14, 1993 In the DAREN NEWS of May 30, and August 1, I talked about problems that can be caused to the Kantronics TNC's when they encounter high level protocol control characters. If one of the NODEs gives just a "###LINK MADE", and nothing else, you might want to give it a "RESET", and turn the "FILTER" ON. Engineers for the TV station where the Berkeley County NODE is located, had some extensive repairs and maintenance, so they shut the power off while doing the work. "BERKWV/MRTNWV" was only out of service for a few days last week. BERKWV is a very important NODE in the Eastern panhandle. There is a now second path in and out of the panhandle with the installation of The Mineral County NODE "MINEWV". ******************* THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: ******************* All operators need to be sure to post their messages as "ST". If a message is sent with just an "S", or an "SP", it will be posted as a PERSONAL MESSAGE, and ONLY the SENDER and the ADDRESSEE will be able to see it. This is ok, IF, you want it to be a personal message, but if you post it with "S" or "SP", and happen to put the wrong call, or something other than a call, such as NTSWV, or ALL, the message WILL NOT be seen, unless your call happens to be, NTSWV or ALL. This has happen several times in the last few weeks, and some messages hang around several days, before the SYSOPs catch it. PLEASE PASS THE WORD. ******************* THIS IS A VERY IMPORTANT NOTE: ******************* Pepper, KA8ZOO, is having some trouble with MONOWV, and will be moving it to another location temporarily so he can keep a closer eye on it, and it will be right at hand till he gets it fixed. Any traffic for the Monongalia County area can be left on MGTNES, or ELKNWV, if you're unable to get into MGTNWV. With all the changes and upgrades in equipment, the DAREN Plan is being updated. Bill, N8JXO, will be working on it for the next few weeks, he should have it ready to send out before the end of the year. We have another possible answer why some stations, that are not Kantronics, have trouble talking to the KPC-2's and KPC-3's. The Kantronics units have a TXDELAY default of 30 right out of the box. Have your SYSOP change the TXDELAY to 35 of the NODEs you are trying to work. We ran into this problem while using an H/T. There were 54 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV November 21, 1993 After last weeks article about TXDELAY, I've had a couple messages commenting on the same thing. Lynn, AI8I, says all the Packet Literature, that he has read, suggests raising the TXDELAY to as high as 50 (500 milliseconds). This is suggested for two reasons, 1. To allow the older type transmitters time to come up to full power before any data is transmitted, and 2. To allow time for the microprocessors in synthesized radios, especially Hand Helds, to switch from transmit, to receive, internally. This information was sent to me by Ashby, KB8OPH. On November 9th, Tucker and Randolph Counties held a joint exercise, centered around a telephone failure in Tucker County, and a radio outage in Randolph County. RACES/ARES operators provided Packet and 2 meter voice service between the two counties and, in Randolph County, between the scene, and the Davis Memorial Hospital Emergency Department. As a result of the drill, Davis Memorial Hospital is installing Packet and Voice facilities at the main hospital in Elkins, and at it's branch in Parsons. Hams taking part in the exercise were: KB8NCX KENT, KB8NNS BRAD, K8CHW JOHN, N8LGU DAVE, KB8KIM WAYNE, KB8NQA DALE, KA8WNO JACK, N8ZAQ SKEETER, KB8OPH ASH, KF8SX WALT, AD8T MOE, KB8EIR TERRY (ARRL EC Randolph County), N8VZH RICK, AND N8XXH LINDA. I've been asked, "why 7000 bytes?". The 7000 bytes that shows up on most of the DAREN PBBS's is what was left over after all other parameters were programed into the original DAREN TNCs. Since the primary NODE/PBBSs are located where they can be accessed easily, and the system is set up to store NTS Type Traffic, which shouldn't be hanging around mailboxes for a long period of time, we figured 7000 bytes would be plenty of space for several messages. The rest of the memory was used to provide as many NODE Channels as possible. The 7000 bytes also make it possible to see, at a glance, if there are any messages in the PBBS. If a large amount of NODE Channels are not needed, the PBBS can have a larger memory, but remember, the MAIN NODEs are the path-way for all other stations through the network. Pendleton County NODE/PBBS, PENDWV/FKLNWV, has went inoperative. The station was last heard November 17, at about 17:20. A strong thunder and lighting storm went through the state at about that time. Let's hope that it's nothing major. A message from Don, KD4WGV, in Vienna, Virginia, says they are in the process of implementing a digital system in their ARES organization, and are following our DAREN activities. The message was sent to Mark, WB8ZLQ, in Berkeley County. There were 46 check-ins to this weeks State Wide DAREN Net. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV November 28, 1993 Matt, KA8YEZ, said the Northern Panhandle Amateur Radio Club ARES/- RACES will be having a SPECIAL EVENTS Station at the Oglebay Park Festival of Lights. Most of the information is in the December issue of QST on page 130. The DAREN NET Control Station for the December 4th net will be at that location. Stations checking into the DAREN NET that day can receive a QSL Card by sending a SASE to Matt, KA8YEZ. NODEs for connecting to the NCS will be "MARSWV" and "HANCWV". Jim, N8ZQU, said that Wetzel County held a Disaster Drill along the same lines as Randolph and Tucker Counties. The Wetzel County drill also had telephone communications failures, and was used to train and verify that communications could be established county wide. Talks have been held with the Wetzel County Hospital, and they are going to purchase an antenna, and are talking about buying radios and a TNC. The hospital board is having a problem understanding why they won't be allowed to use the radio. This is a common problem everywhere. One of the best suggestions is to let the agencies you are providing a communications serve for, know that with the one or more radios they are providing, comes several trained volunteer radio operators, most with their own personal radios. Let the agencies know that Amateur Operators can use additional frequencies and MODEs of transmission when necessary. Also Amateurs can establish communication links faster than would be possible with commercial or public safety radios. Dave, KA8ZXP, and Ed, N8OYY, made a trip to Spruce Knob to work on "PENDWV". The storm that took the NODE off the air, must have scrambled the brains of the transceiver. After a hard reset of the radio, Dave and Ed had the station up and running. With the loss of "PENDWV", we were back to only one path into the Eastern Panhandle, and the loss of the North/South path on the Eastern side of the state. I want to thank Dave and Ed for braving the bad weather to get one of our main NODEs back in operation. Bill, N8JXO, has the master copy of the updated DAREN Plan complete. We've starting making copies, and they should be mailed out shortly. Some of the new copies will be sent to several MARS operators that are showing more interest in the system, and have asked for information. This week's NET was a tough one. I want to applaud all the operators who hung in there to make that check-in. Lynn, AI8I, who was the Net Control, said his computer hung up on him and he may have lost a couple check-ins, but he had a count of 46. I was recording the net and may have the ones he lost. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV December 5, 1993 I goofed. Last week in the article about Wetzel County disaster drill I had the right call, but the wrong name. It was Bill, N8ZQU, that gave me the information about the drill. Sorry Bill. Sorry Jim. Mark, KJ4QQ, is going to upgrade the NODEs MERCWV and MERCES to 5.1. He's also going to add NODE channels to MERCWV and leave the PBBS with the same amount of memory, or maybe a little more. With the version 5.1 firmware, it is possible to have as many as 26 NODE Channels, if there is no PBBS. The updated DAREN Plan shows the ratio of NODE Channels to the amount of memory when using version 5.1 and 128K RAM. The updated DAREN Plan has been mailed out to all of those who had registered their old plan, and to all of the SYSOPs for the NODEs, of which I have an address. If you don't get a new plan in the next few days, and want one, drop me a message on PKBGWV. The plan has been updated to reflect a lot more of how a DAREN NODE/DIGI/PBBS should be set up to make them look more uniform when connected to, and some information on the 5.1 version firmware and 128K RAM. After the Randolph County NODE, RANDWV, was off the air for a few days, because the power supply tripped off, Ashby, KB8OPH, has what he calls a $6 dollar solution. The power supply they are using can be reset by turning the power off, then back on. He's thinking of using a timer, that would turn the power supply off for about 15 minutes each day, this would allow the power supply to reset, if it has been tripped out any time during the day. If anybody else is using the same type power supply it might be worth looking into, it might save a 2 hour trip to the mountain top. The State Wide DAREN Net Control, this week, was Matt, KA8YEZ. He was operating the net at the Special Event Station at the Festival of Lights in Wheeling. This net was almost as hard as the week before, when Lynn, AI8I was NCS. I don't know the check-in count yet, but anyone who got checked into the Net December 4th, and wants a QSL Card, can send him a SASE. His address is: MATT KOVAL, 125 HARDING AVE., WHEELING, WV 26003. The list of check-ins will be posted by this coming Thursday, with the December 11th Net announcement. Equipment has been ordered to upgrade WOODWV to 5.1 firmware, and 128K RAM. PKBGWV will have at least 7K of memory, and maybe more, whatever is left over, after the NODE channels have been set. It is more important to have as many NODE Channels as possible, than to increase the size of the PBBS. In the last two years of DAREN operation, 7K of memory has worked fine, since most messages are only left there for 3 or 4 days. The last two State Wide DAREN Nets have shown a great need for more NODE channels. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV December 12, 1993 I can't emphasize enough, the importance of posting messages on the Kantronics KPC-2's and KPC-3's, of which are used on the DAREN system as "ST" (Send Traffic). I received another message that had been posted as either "S" or "SP", which makes it personal message, to the call "KB8LLM". The message was hidden, even to me. I try to check the PBBS's of which I have SYSOP privileges, at least every 3 or 4 days, but sometimes it may be a week or two. A message that has been left as a personal message (S or SP), and has the wrong call or something other than a call, such as "ALL", may never be seen. I know for a fact there are a couple of messages, on a couple of PBBS's that are posted as personal messages to "ALL", that will never be seen, until the person with the call of "ALL" checks into the PBBS, or the SYSOP changes it from "PN" (Personal Not read) to a "T" (Traffic) or "B" (Bulletin). The operator posting the message, may re-connect to the PBBS and see the message, thinking everyone can see it to, but only the sender of the message, and the addressee of the message will see it, if it is posted as "S" or "SP". The NODE "WOODWV" has been upgraded to version 5.1 firmware with 128K of RAM. After a little more reading and testing, it was found that with 7K of memory in the PBBS, MAXUSERS set to 1, there was enough memory left to have 26 NODE Channels. One thing the instruction manual doesn't explain enough is the MAXUSERS. MAXUSERS is only used to set the maximum amount of stations that can connect to the TNC "CALLSIGN". A MAXUSERS of 1 is all that is needed on a TNC that is used as a remote or unattended station. It allows one station to connect to the TNC "CALLSIGN". Any station connecting to a remote NODE Callsign should get a "Connect Message" and then be disconnected. If the MAXUSERS is set any higher than 1, it is just wasting memory. We learned this after the DAREN Plan had been updated, so the section, in the plan that shows the amount of PBBS memory in relation to the NODE Channels, is wrong. Each NODE Channel needs about 4K of memory. If the time would ever come when 7K of memory in the PBBS isn't enough, then the NODE Channels could be reduced. But it is more important to have as many NODE channels as possible to keep operators from getting a "LINK BUSY" when connecting to a NODE, in turn slowing down traffic. Connecting to "NODEs" in a system is a lot better than trying to Digipeat all the way, but there needs to be enough NODE Channels available. There were 56 check-ins to this weeks State Wide DAREN Net. It looks like I am tied with Ashby, KB8OPH, with the most check-ins since the net was started over a year ago. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV December 19, 1993 The Grant County Emergency Services Director has contacted Paul, AA8FM, and has asked him to gather additional information about the DAREN System. There's a possibility that Grant County may be wanting to get involved with the system. A DAREN Plan, NODE List, and NODE Map have been sent to Paul. There's a new Digi/Mailbox in Hardy County. The Digi/Mailbox is operated by Charles, N8XGH. The Mailbox has the ALIAS of MFLDWV, and the DIGI is HARDWV. The TNC is an MFJ controller, so it doesn't have any NODEs. Charles says it's on the air almost all of the time, and can be used to leave NTS Type Traffic for Grant and Hardy Counties. The Digi/Mailbox can be accessed from Mineral and Pendleton Counties only. The equipment needed to upgrade PLEAWV and RITCWV from KPC-2's to KPC- 3's with 5.1 version firmware, and JACKWV to 5.1 version firmware has been ordered. All three of the NODEs will be equipped with 128K RAM, which will allow them to have 26 NODE Channels, and 7K of PBBS. I havn't seen the Jefferson County NODE, JEFFWV, for a few days. If I don't see it in a couple more days, I will give Bob, WB8IOF, a telephone call, to see if he needs any help. In the mean time, and traffic for Jefferson County can be left on MRTNWV, in Berkeley County. An experiment was performed on this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Aaron, N8NVQ, was using an H/T, and had access to only one NODE, WOODWV. We wanted to see how much traffic the NODE would handle, if it were the only one that would have access to the Net Control Station. A special message was placed with the Net Announcement, asking everyone to connect to WOODWV as the last NODE before connecting to DAREN. There were 46 check-ins to this week's net. Out of the 46 check-ins, 39 connected to the NODE, WOODWV, as the last NODE before connecting to the NCS, and 5 stations digipeated thru it. The 39 stations that connected to the NODE, and then to DAREN, only caused a maximum of 6 NODE Channels to be in use at any one time. Since connecting from NODE to NODE is a MUCH BETTER way of moving traffic through any network, as opposed to digipeating, all of the main county NODEs, (ones ending in WV) should be upgraded to the maximum number of NODE Channels, and traffic will flow smoother. I, and all of the members of Wood County RACES, would like to wish you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. ====================================================================== D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV December 26, 1993 I hope everyone had a very good Christmas, and got all the toys they wanted. The equipment to upgrade the Pleasants and Ritchie County NODEs has arrived and will be put in service, the first chance we get. The upgrading is not only to provide the additional NODEs, but is one of the first steps in providing Auto-Forwarding. If all goes well, I will explain how it will work in a future DAREN News. Jim, WA2GIN, says the EOC NODE/PBBS, HARRES/CKBGES in Clarksburg is down. He's going to work with the Harrison County Emergency Services and try to get it back in operation. The Jefferson County EOC NODE/PBBS, JEFFWV/JEFFES was down for a few days while some remodeling was being done. George, K8QEW was having trouble with the Hancock NODE/PBBS, HANCWV/WEIRWV. The station would only operate for a very short period of time and then "RETRY OUT". Some of the operators said they could hear a hum when it transmitted. What he found was the battery ran out of water. Anyone using a battery charger, as opposed to a regulated power supply might want to check their batteries to make sure they are not getting over charged. The Wetzel County NODE/PBBS was down for a few days. It's back up now but I don't know why it was off the air. A new NODE, WEBSWV/WBSPWV is in operation. The NODE is located in Webster County. At the present time, Richard, N8KGK, has the antenna mounted on a building with 10 feet of mast pipe, and about 2 feet above the building. The location of the station is on Point Mountain, elevation of about 4000 feet. The NODE has direct paths to GILMWV, JACKWV, KANAWV, PENDWV, RANDWV, RITCWV, UPSHWV, WOODWV, WYOMWV, and maybe more. The NODE is very strong to the WEST and North, very good to the East, and poor to very poor to the South. Richard feels the performance will improve once he gets the antenna mounted on the tower. He's also looking for a source of 128K RAM chips so he can increase the number of NODE Channels. WEBSWV will be a very important addition to the network. Judy, N8UFQ, reported 53 check-ins to this weeks State Wide DAREN Net. ======================================================================