Daren News 1996 Jan-Jun
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. January 7, 1996 (.182)
by Ken Harris WA8LLM (304) 679-3470 (HOME) or 485-3828 (EOC)
WOOD COUNTY RACES, 1810 STAUNTON AVE., PARKERSBURG, WV 26101
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
information about the network, they would like to share with others, may send
it to WA8LLM @ DAREN, or @ PKBGWV on 145.69 Mhz. Outside the DAREN system, it
may be sent to WA8LLM @ WA8OMR.WV.USA.NA. D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV is posted on
at least 13 High Memory DAREN PBBS', and on the regular BBS system @ ALLWV. A
State Wide DAREN NET is held 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 PBBS'. When you have traffic to get delivered, think about using
the PBBS "DAREN", located in Glenville, WV., accessible via GILMWV.
Shannon, KG8GN in Mineral County told me he had to make a trip to the mountain
top to replace the antenna for the NODE/PBBS, MINEWV/KEYSWV. This is the
second antenna that has been destroyed by the forces of Mother Nature. They
put up a temporary antenna, that is at ground elevation, to get the station
back in operation. He wants to install a "tougher" antenna in the spring. He
took some pictures so people can see what forces (wind and ice) are at work on
the mountain top, he's sure anyone that hasn't been there won't believe it.
While sitting here listening to the Snow weather reports, I begin to think
about a storm on Saturday, March 13th, 1993 when the State Office of Emergency
Services declared a "State of Emergency". That is the only State Wide DAREN
Net that has ever been called off. We didn't want to take any chances of
interfering with any Emergency Traffic that might need to be handled that day.
It should be a Standard Operating Procedure that any time there is a "State of
Emergency" declared on the day of the State Wide DAREN Net, or any Non-
Emergency Packet Net, for that matter, the net or nets should be cancelled.
During adverse conditions such as weather advisories, operators should monitor
State and Local radio frequencies to determine whether a "State of Emergency"
is in effect, and whether Non-Emergency type Packet nets should be operated.
Lynn, AI8I ask me to announce again about those stations that are in operation
at least 12 hours a day on Packet. During some of the Voice Nets, such as the
West Virginia Mid Day Net, there are messages that need to be delivered, but
no one to give them to. Sometimes there are Packet Operators that don't
operate voice, but may be willing to handle traffic. If you are one of those
operators, Lynn would like to know who and where you are. I still have a list
of some operators that will handle traffic, but it's probably out-of-date. If
you monitor Packet a lot, and are willing to handle messages into your area,
let me know and we can get an up-to-date list together.
I don't know how many times I have to talk about patience, but one station,
during the State Wide DAREN Net January 6th, I won't say who it was, he knows
who he is, and others saw it to, just cluttered up the frequency with a string
of at least 10 "C GILMWV" and then another string of at least 10 "C UPSHWV".
It didn't help him get through any faster. As a matter of fact, every one of
the "C GILMWV" and "C UPSHWV" had to retry out before another "CONNECT"
command could be processed. If you haven't got patience, Packet Radio isn't
the place to be.
Lynn, AI8I reported 79 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. This is
the first net to run three hours. He said the path between PENDWV and POCAWV
broke down in the later part of the net, possibly from the 7 inches of snow
falling in that area. They are calling for 3 feet before it stops. By having
only a couple NODEs to connect to Lynn makes it a little tougher, but learning
your way around the system during quiet times helps you find the best paths.
The more you learn your way around the system, the easier it becomes when the
channel is busy. Remember the saying "Practice makes Perfect".
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. January 14, 1996 (.183)
I've had a few operators send me messages saying they check the mailboxes and
PBBSs in their area and are willing to deliver any messages left there. As
soon as I get a few more responses from other operators, I'll put the list
together and post it on the high memory PBBSs where the DAREN News is posted.
Mike, KG8NV Says Fayette County is going to put up a 100 foot tower at the
Emergency Operations Center. It was supposed to be erected this past week,
but the snow changed their plans. When the tower goes up, the antenna for the
NODE/PBBS, FAYEES/FAVLES will go up another 40 feet. Since it's the major
NODE for the county, for the time being, it's coverage should be improved.
Mike has asked me to come to the Fayetteville Hamfest to put on a DAREN Forum
and demonstration. I should know within a week or so if I can make it. The
Hamfest will be at the Fayetteville High School on Sunday February 25th. I
hope to see you there.
Since I wasn't the Net Control Station for last week's State Wide DAREN Net, I
wasn't able to list any stations that had completed their 50th, 100th or 150th
check-in to the DAREN Net, or any first time stations. Last week KA8UEU made
his 100th check-in, and there were two new stations. The two new stations
were: KE4JYN and KB8YRJ. I want to welcome them to the net. If anyone hasn't
received a certificate for their 50th, 100th, or 150th check-in, they should
let me know. I think I've kept up with them, but one may have slipped through
the crack. To find out if you qualify for a DAREN Net check-in certificate,
check almost any of the high memory PBBSs or the PBBS "DAREN", and let me
know.
Just a quick question I'd like to ask. "Why should I get "chewed out" and the
NET & DAREN system given a bad name when some stations "digipeat" during busy
times?" I've seen some stations try to connect to the NCS during the State
Wide DAREN Net by trying to digipeat through as many as "four" and "five"
digipeaters. Digipeating is the poorest form of operating Packet Radio. If
all Packet operators could only understand how "Error checking and correcting"
is accomplished, and why it takes so long to get a completed transmission,
when digipeating, they would never digipeat again. Packet Radio is a very
good form of communications. It's the Packet Operator's lack of training and
operating experience that cause most of the problems. If you are digipeating
instead of NODE connecting, don't come crying to me how bad the DAREN system
is, just clean up your act. On the January 13th Net, one station tried for
over an hour to get connected by digipeating through five digipeaters. All he
did was add additional interference to the frequency. Amen!
There were 99 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One station,
KB8VLS has checked into the State Wide DAREN Net 50 times and will soon
receive a certificate. There was one new station, and that was N8COG. I want
to welcome him to the net.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. January 21, 1996 (.184)
Brad, WB8MZI and Terry KA8OES made a trip to the hilltop of the Braxton County
NODE/PBBS, BRAXWV/GASSWV, January 14th to install a new 6db antenna. After
installing the new antenna they were able to connect to about 10 other NODEs,
but still could only see WOODWV, they are still unable to get into it.
George, K8QEW the ARRL WV Section Emergency Coordinator, has appointed an
assistant ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator. He has asked Pepper, KA8ZOO to
be his assistant. I don't know if there's ever been an assistant position
before, but there should always be an assistant to every important position.
The Charleston Area Medical Center (CMAC) General Division is prepairing a
DataBase for all West Virginia. Jeff, KB8VDK would like to have pictures of
your Local or County Emergency Vehicle/s, showing the City/County Name and the
Emergency Telephone Number. If you can get these pictures, send them to:
KB8VDK JEFF RINEHART, % EMERGENCY ROOM, CAMC GENERAL DIVISION, CHARLESTON WV
25303
Phil, K8MHR said he had a call from Mike Washington of the Charleston National
Weather Service. I seems they must remove the Packet Weather Station, NWSCRW.
They need to make room for a new piece of equipment. The station was taken
off the air Friday the 19th. Mike said he would try to put together a meeting
sometime in February to discuss the installation of the new Packet station.
Since the State Office of Emergency Services and the Governor never declared
a State of Emergency for the flooding in several Eastern and Western counties,
the State Wide DAREN Net wasn't called off. From monitoring the State Wide HF
Frequency, 3865 Khz all day, most of the traffic that was handled, was handled
there. It's funny, ever since DAREN was started, several Amateurs still think
we are trying to abolish HF Voice, nothing is farther from the truth. There's
no way that anything will make voice communications obsolete, short of a
machine that can read your thoughts and print them out. Packet, and DAREN is
just another way to handle large volumes of routine type messages, and when
there's no voice nets in progress. Just because I'm not on HF Voice very
much, doesn't mean it's not a very important mode of communications. I always
have, and always will support any organized voice nets, when possible.
After three years and 170 nets, this week's State Wide DAREN net went over 100
check-ins, 105 check-ins to be exact. One station, WA8BMA needs only one more
check-in to make 150. Four stations, N1DMQ, KA8VAH, KB8TJH, and KB4LCI (a
little late getting in, Hi Hi) only need one more check-in each to make 50.
There were three new stations that checked in, they were KB8YQL, NY8ZX (???),
and the Hancock County RACES station, WC8AAK.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. January 28, 1996 (.185)
This article was sent in by Shannon, KG8GN:
On Friday January 19, 1996 at 7:00 PM Mineral county amateurs were called upon
by the Mineral County OES. The waters in the Mineral County area came to
dangerous levels and some evacuation was necessary. Amateur radio operators
set up communications between National Guard vehicles and locations in the
county. Amateurs volunteers included N8VAB, N8RCG, N8RBD, KB8ISI, KC8AUS,
WA8TOM, and KG8GN. National Guard vehicles transported 15 residents from
Patterson Creek, 2 were delivered to relatives in Short Gap and 13 were taken
to Fort Ashby Community Center. At the Keyser National Guard Armory 6 people
and 2 dogs were sheltered. After the residents were transported amateurs were
released and went to standby at 1:30 AM Saturday morning.
If you have activities such as the above, let me know about them, and we'll
put them in the News. Sometimes it's the only way others in the state will
know what your club, group or organization is doing.
Tom, KF8WX says the Packet Station, NWSCRW is still in operation at the
National Weather Service. Mike Washington of the weather service wanted the
furniture removed, but they were able to relocate the Packet station to the
cabinet with the other radio equipment. The station was only off the air over
the weekend while they moved the radio equipment and installed another
computer. You can post your local weather conditions on the Packet Station,
NWSCRW, which has paths from KANAWV, WYOMWV, and PUTNWV.
I received several message this past week in reference to the flooding in the
state. Most of the messages said they were glad the DAREN Packet Network was
there, even though it was used very little in passing messages. I know of
only one NODE that was off the air for awhile, or at least I wasn't able to
connect to it. I think it may have been off because of the commercial power
failure in the Southern part of Pocahontas County, the Eastern Part of
Greenbrier County and the Northern part of Monroe County.
Even though Wood County didn't have the flooding like the rest of the state,
the RACES group was asked to activate the Emergency Operations Center. The
biggest job the group did was answer the telephones. Most of the calls were
people that wanted to know the present river level, how high it was going to
get, and when it would crest. If your group is RACES, ARES, or just a club
that helps out your Emergency Services, remember answering the telephone can
be just as exciting as talking on the radio. After you have answered a few
telephone calls, you'll find out how important it is. The people that will
call in, will have questions that you would never think of. Sometimes it's a
challenge to get them an answer. The next time your EOC is activated help out
by answering the telephone, you'll enjoy it.
There were 99 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One station,
WA8BMA has checked into the net 150 times. Four stations, KB4LCI, KB8TJH,
KA8VAV, and N1DMQ have all check into the net 50 times. They will soon be
receiving their certificates. I want to welcome three new operators to the
DAREN system and they are: KB8KMH, N8VAB, and N8LNY.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. February 4, 1996 (.186)
Not much to write about this week. With the snow, cold weather, and the
flooding, I think everyone just wants to sit back and relax. The only thing I
did notice was a couple messages that went through the system. One message
was posted as a "Personal Message" and Auto-Forwarded to a Mailbox that
doesn't exist, and the other one was posted as a "Personal Message" to a
"place" instead of a "callsign". One thing you have to remember, only "Auto-
Forward" your messages to Mailboxes or PBBS' that are listed on the DAREN
NODE/PBBS lists. If you are going to post a message as a "Personal Message"
be sure to send it to a callsign, and that it is correct. I too make mistakes
in callsigns, but since I post all of my messages as "ST" they can be seen by
anyone. If I happen to make a mistake in the callsign, there's a good chance
the person it is intended for will find it.
Does anyone have any ideas for RACES Bulletins? Every week Duane, N8LDM
writes a new RACES Bulletin. The Bulletins are posted on the PBBS "DAREN".
If you have any ideas that you would like to share with others, send us the
idea, and we may put it in a RACES Bulletin. You will also get credit for it.
If you have a way to make a job easier, an antenna work better, or anything
that will help your fellow Amateurs out, let us know. Duane has had some
pretty good bulletins in the past, and would like to keep them coming.
How about articles of activities during the resent floods. What did your club
or group do? From a conversation I heard about, the other day, the ARRL
doesn't always know what the Amateurs are doing to make the world a better
place. All of these DAREN News articles and Wood County RACES Bulletins are
in the RACES Newsletter we publish each month. A copy of the Newsletter is
sent to a couple people at the ARRL. If they ever use the information I don't
know, but at least they get it. If you don't send us the information, at
least let your ARRL Emergency Coordinator know about it so he or she can send
it to the League.
Like I said, I didn't have much to write about this week, so I hope you didn't
fall asleep and forget to disconnect from the PBBS where you are reading this.
There were 101 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One station,
N8YZX has checked into the net 50 times and will soon get a certificate. One
station, W8GUL only needs one more check-in to make 100. Three stations,
KB8SCJ, KB8SEJ, and N8YZB need only one more check-in to make 50. I want to
welcome three new check-ins to the net, and they are: AA8UO, KB8YAW, and
KC8BLJ.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. February 11, 1996 (.187)
Have you ever heard of the "Public Service Honor Roll"? Olie, WD8V who is the
West Virginia ARRL Section Manager would like to have the information about it
explained, and how to get on the list. This listing is available to amateurs
whose public service during the reported month qualifies them for 70 points or
more in the following eight categories. Please note the maximum points for
each category. (1) Checking into a public service net, using any mode, one
point each; maximum 60. (2) Performing as a Net Control Station for a public
service net, using any mode, three points each; maximum 24. (3) Performing
assigned liaison between public service nets, three points each; maximum 24.
(4) Delivering a formal message to third party, one point each; no limit. (5)
Originating a formal message to a third party, one point each; no limit. (6)
Serving as an ARRL field appointee or SM, 10 points each appointment; maximum
30. (7) Participating in a communications network for a public service event,
10 points each event, no limit. (8) Providing and maintaining an automated
digital system that handles ARRL radiogram formatted message traffic, 30
points. Category (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) (7) (8)
Maximum points 60 24 24 30 30
Points earned
Total_______________
If you would like to be on the "Public Service Honor Roll", all you need to do
is keep track of the number of nets you check into, the amount of traffic you
handle using ARRL Radiogram Formatted messages, help with public service
events such as walks, runs, regatta, etc. and give it to your county ARRL
Emergency Coordinator (EC). Just think, by checking into the West Virginia
phone net every evening at 6:00 pm on 3865 Khz, you're half way there.
This past week Lynn, AI8I had some trouble getting connected to some of the
NODEs in his area of the state, mainly POCAWV and GREEWV. He thinks the
trouble may have been a steady weak signal causing the squelch to stay open on
the receivers. On his own radio the "Busy" light would stay on. It's
possible to operate your radio with the squelch open using the Kantronics KPC-
2's and 3's. The use of the TNC parameter "CD" can be changed to "SOFTWARE"
and the squelch can be left open. The one thing you must remember is just
don't arbitrary change the parameter. When we first started putting the DAREN
system together we ran into some problems with the "CD SOFTWARE". We first
tried "SOFTWARE" and found that it would take a 45 watt radio to connect to
the station. But when it was changed back to "CD INTERNAL" a 5 watt radio
would work just fine. If the Radio/TNC combination isn't set up right, you
may cause yourself problems. Some Radio/TNC combinations may work just fine
without any trouble or added work, but be sure to experiment with it first.
If you have trouble being heard by weaker stations when using the "CD
SOFTWARE" parameter, you might want to preform the Calibration/Equalization
step described on your users Reference Manual.
There were 98 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One station
W8GUL has checked into the net 100 times. Three stations N8YZB, KB8SCJ, and
KB8SEJ have checked in 50 times each. One station KB8TIY needs only one more
check-in to make 50. There was one new station KB8YAK, welcome to the Net.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. February 18, 1996 (.188)
I've been noticing that one of the more faithful Packet operators that checks
into State Wide DAREN Net hasn't checked in for the past few weeks. I just
received my copy of the SERA Repeater Journal Tuesday, and found out why.
Ted, WD4KHL, who writes the article "WV Notes" in the journal became very ill
in early December and had to be hospitalized. Ted has since been transferred
to the Heartland Nursing Home in Charleston, where he's taking recuperative
therapy. Those wishing to send him "Get Well Wishes" can send them to: Ted
Wolfe, C/O Heartland Nursing Home, 3819 Chesterfield Ave., Charleston, WV
25304. Our best wishes goes out to him.
Those who missed connecting into the PBBS "DAREN" for a few days can start
connecting again. Dave, KA8ZXP said the volume on the station got turned down
accidently, but everything's ok now.
I received a real nice letter from Herb, KF8ZH who is the Director of Public
Works for the City is Lewisburg. He sent me a copy of an article that he had
prepared for the City Council of Lewisburg. He told me that Larry Rader, of
the West Virginia Rural Water Association will be using the article in the
Association's quarterly magazine "Mountain State Water Line." The article
talks about using Amateur Radio Communications during the recent flooding and
subsequent power outages in Lewisburg. With no power for the controls and
pumping stations, Amateurs were used to monitor the water tank levels in an
effort to continue providing water to their customers. The article also talks
about the DAREN system, how it can be used state wide, and how it can be used
to communicate with the State Office of Emergency Services. Also enclosed in
the letter was a picture of their communications at the Emergency Operations
Center. Thanks for the article, letter, and pictures Herb.
There were 99 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One station,
KB8TIY has checked into the net 50 times and will be receiving a certificate,
and one station, N8JYS needs only one more check-in to make 50.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. February 25, 1996 (.189)
There isn't much news this week. It seems like everything came to a stand
still. With Spring coming I'm sure there will be something to write about. I
know we had some thunder and lightening in this area last night, and that only
means one thing to me, lightening strikes and NODEs off the air. Now might be
the time to start looking at your station grounding systems, not only on the
DAREN stations, but on your home stations. Be ready to disconnect the
antennas from your stations and unplug them from the commercial power when
leaving home. Did you know that most stations that are disabled by lightening
is because they are connected to the commercial power and not because of the
antenna? It only stands to reason. Look at the how long of an antenna the
power lines are. Most lightening damage is done by induced voltage as opposed
to direct hits. If you get a direct hit from lightening, there's very little
left of the equipment.
There have been several new stations that have been using the system lately
and checking into the nets. If any of those who are new to the system, or
those who just need a copy of the DAREN Path Map, Forwarding Map, or the DAREN
News Special, they can leave me a message on "PKBGWV" or "DAREN". Be sure to
give me your address. The DAREN News Special has a lot of Tid Bits that make
using the system a lot easier. The Forwarding map gives a lot of information
about forwarding messages on the DAREN system. Any club, organization, or
group that is interested in installing a DAREN NODE in their county can also
get a copy of the DAREN Plan that is a guide to setting it up.
There were only 87 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. It looks
like the warm weather has a few people outside, and I don't blame them. After
this winter it's nice to be able to go outside and do something. There was
one station, N8JYS that has checked into the net 50 times and will soon be
receiving a certificate. Two stations only need one more check-in to make 50
and they are: KA8HAP and KG8TK. There was one new check-in to the net and
that was Jim, KC8AUS. I had a real good conversation with Jim just as the net
was going off. I want to welcome him to the system. If you have earned a
certificate and haven't received it yet, don't worry it isn't lost in the
mail, I've fallen a little behind, but will soon be catching up. You should
be receiving them shortly. To make it easier to keep up with, we will start
sending the certificates out at the first of each month instead of week they
have been earned. We'll try and see if it works out.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 3, 1996 (.190)
For the last two or three weeks information about the DAREN system has been
slim. Most of the counties that are going to get involved with DAREN have
already done so. Aside from a few problems with a station here or there, the
system seems to be pretty stable. With this in mind, do we still need the
DAREN News? While talking to Mark, KJ4QQ at the Fayetteville Hamfest last
Sunday, the 25th, he was telling me why the National Weather Service still
needs Storm Spotters and SKYWARN programs. With the new Doppler Radar system,
you would think Storm Spotters would no longer be needed. After listening to
what he had to say, I ask him to write it down in an article so I could put it
in the News and let everyone would know why Spotters are still needed. Also
at the Hamfest I talked to Olie, WD8V who is the West Virginia ARRL Section
Manager. He was asking if it would be ok to post a list of "OO's" (Official
Observers) on some of the DAREN PBBS'. Here again this is information that
Amateur Radio Operators should know to help keep our Amateur frequencies from
becoming "trashed up" and available for emergencies and public service. I
don't know of any other news media in West Virginia that is available to
Amateurs on a weekly basis. Don't get me wrong, I'm not against Contesting,
DXing, EME, and the like, but (aside from Field Day) they are not directly
related to emergency communications. The DAREN News was started to keep
everyone informed on the operation of the DAREN system, but it should also be
used to keep Amateur Radio Operators informed about all forms of emergency
communications. If you have information or articles that you would like
others to see, let me know. What might be just "old hat" for you, might be
information that someone else is looking for. I'd like to keep the DAREN News
about one page long (80 columns x 66 lines) but yet still have information
that is informative. If the information you have takes more space than that,
we can put it in more than one News.
I'll be posting an updated version of the DAREN News Special. There's a few
minor changes but it is still full of good information about the DAREN system.
It will be posted in three parts as "SPL" on the PBBS "DAREN". You can access
"DAREN" through the NODE "GILMWV". To find the DAREN News Special, connect to
"DAREN" and type: L> SPL
This article is for all message handles and maybe all Amateurs in generals. I
had a conversation with a Navy MARS operator today. He feels the MARS program
is going to just disappear. He says that with E-Mail, America-on-Line, the US
Mail, and Cellular Telephones, etc., that message handling is a thing of the
past. If everyone felt that way, it might happen, but talk to people down
south that lost their regular telephone service, the Cellular Telephone
Service and commercial power during the Hurricanes. Radio message handling
will be around when all else fails. Keep practicing good message handling.
There were 103 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One station,
KA8HAP has checked into the net 50 times and will be getting his certificate.
One station, WD8RXN needs only one more check-in to make 50. I'd also like to
welcome two new stations to the net, they are: KB8QJM and N8TXO.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 10, 1996 (.191)
Two majors NODEs have, or have had some problems this past week. The Mineral
County NODE/PBBS, MINEWV/KEYSWV seems to have been off the air for a few days.
I was going to get with Shannon KG8GN, but the station seems to be ok now.
The second NODE/PBBS that is having problems is WYOMWV/PINEWV. I first
noticed the NODE was having trouble Wednesday when I tried to get the net
announcement to Lynn, AI8I. The PBBS seems to be ok, but the NODE has a
problem. Lynn says he has left a message for Tim, KC8IT. A remote "RESET"
should fix the problem. When you connect to the NODE WYOMWV all you will get
is "LINK MADE". From time to time troubles like this will appear and you just
have to work your way around NODEs that have a problem. Using the DAREN
system on a daily basis helps locate problems in the system and helps find
other paths to use until they are fixed.
I've noticed a few messages this week that were addressed to stations @ PBBS'
or Mailboxes that are not part of the DAREN System, or are addressed to go to
someone's personal mailbox. The Central Message Center "DAREN" is only set up
to forward messages to DAREN PBBS' or Mailboxes that are in it's Database. It
also does not forward messages to other systems. Most personal mailboxes are
not set up in the DAREN database since they are not dedicated on the DAREN
system 24 hours-a-day, 7 days-a-week. Be sure that if you use the " @ " sign
when posting a message, that it is going to a DAREN PBBS, otherwise it will be
go to "DAREN" and sit there until someone finds it.
The National Weather Service in Charleston sent letters to those who have been
registered as Storm Spotter. It seems there will be representatives from the
Weather Service at the Charleston Hamfest which will be held Sunday March 24th
at the Charleston Civic Center. Mike Washington, the Warning and Coordination
Meteorologist and James Packett, KC8BCH assistant Warning and Coordination
Meteorologist will be at the Hamfest to meet interested parties and to answer
questions about the SKYWARN program.
I think I have my records caught up finally. Those who have checked into the
DAREN Net 50, 100, or 150 times should be getting their certificates this
week. They are sitting at the EOC, in envelopes with labels on them, waiting
to be taken to the Post Office. Sorry it took so long on a few of them.
There were 107 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One Station,
WD8RXN has checked into the net 50 times. Lynn, AI8I needs only one more
check-in to make 150. One station KB8SYE needs only one more check-in to make
50, and there were two new check-ins I want to welcome to the net, and they
are: N8TXP and KC8RNG.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 17, 1996 (.192)
It was brought to my attention about TNC's that didn't take in consideration
Leap Year. Some PBBS' and Mailboxes may be putting the wrong dates on their
messages. You might want to check the date on your PBBS or Mailbox to make
sure it isn't a day off, since there was a February 29th this year.
George, K8QEW has posted the latest list of the ARES Emergency Coordinator
(EC) and District Emergency Coordinators (DEC) on the Central Message Center
"DAREN". This list is Message #8324. There are a few counties that don't
have an Emergency Coordinator. If you are a member of the ARRL, and are
interested in filling one of these positions, contact George, K8QEW @ WEIRWV.
The following is from Mark, KJ4QQ. This information was written from memory
after a representative from the National Weather Service was at one of Mark's
club meetings. Accuracy may be less than 100 percent, but it's still
interesting: The reason the National Weather Service still promotes the
Skywarn program despite the success of Doppler Radar is because of the very
nature of how doppler radar works. Doppler radar systems scan the sky in a
360 degree circle. The doppler radar begins each new scanning cycle almost
parallel to the ground. After each complete 360 degree pass, the radar then
starts a new scan at a slightly higher angle to the horizon. For example, 0
degrees to 5 degrees. And so this process goes until it reaches its highest
programed angle. Then it resets and begins again. Mike Emlaw at the National
Weather Service office in Blacksburg, VA told me that the doppler radar can
only show movement and relative density of weather systems in its coverage
area. What it doesn't show is storm intensity, such as heavy lighting,
damaging hail, rivers that have flooded over their banks, etc. Plus, as the
radar increases its angle each cycle, the information it gathers begins to
become less important because of how high the radar is looking at that stage.
For example, lets say that the doppler radar is scanning at 20 degrees above
the horizon. And lets assume that the radar is looking at the sky at 150
miles out from the center of the radar station. By this point, the weather
information being returned is from altitudes of 10,000 feet and greater. What
is being missed is the real severe weather occurring or changing at altitudes
much closer to the earths's surface at the distance of 150 miles from the
radar's center. This is where skywarn weather spotters really become an asset
to the National Weather Service staff. Although the doppler radar is
providing most of the weather information, it is the skywarn weather reports
that help the NWS supplement and change their warnings and advisories. All of
this is necessary because of the way the radar works as mentioned above.
There were 101 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Lynn, AI8I has
checked into the net 150 times. One station, KB8SYE has checked into the net
50 time and will soon receive a certificate. Aaron, N8NVQ needs only one more
check-in to make 100. I want to welcome one new check-in to the net, KE8DY.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 24, 1996 (.193)
For those of you who follow the California RACES Bulletins, the series name
and numbers will soon be changing. After RACES Bulletin 423 (RB423) the name
will be changed to EMCOM. On April 1, 1996 the new series will start with
EMCOM.021 (EMC021). The weekly California RACES Bulletins can be found on the
regular Nation Wide Packet BBS' or the PBBS "DAREN".
Mark, KJ4QQ says that Kantronics is advertising a Web Page on the internet.
It is http:\\www.kantronics.com. From it he has learned that the KPC-3 can be
upgraded to version 6.0N. This may be good news because this version allows
the use of the K-Net networking option. True networking may be in the future
for the DAREN system, without a large cost and additional equipment.
The Wyoming County NODE, WYOMWV still has a problem. If you connect to the
NODE WYOMWV, all you will get is a "LINK MADE". You won't get any NODETEXT or
anything. You won't be able to connect to anyplace else. The PBBS, PINEWV
still works ok and you are still able to DIGIPEAT (yuk) through WYOMWV, you're
just not able to NODE connect through it.
Jac, KB8QIR says as soon at the weather gets better that he and Pepper, KA8ZOO
are going to the Monongalia NODE/PBBS, MONOWV/MGTNWV and change some of the
Parameters, the NODE and CONNECT TEXTs and set the station up for have Auto-
Forwarding. Jac will become the new SYSOP of the station.
There were exactly 100 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One
station Ken, KB8QPW needs only one more check-in to make his 100th. One
station, KG8GN needs only one more check-in to make his 50th.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 31, 1996 (.194)
I missed the weather forum/meeting at the Charleston Hamfest last Sunday. The
forum was held at 2:00 pm, and I had told the family I would be home by 2:00.
I don't have any idea what came out of the forum/meeting, so if someone who
was able to stay for the forum/meeting would like to write a little article
about it, I'll put it here in the DAREN News.
I have received some more information about the Kantronics K-NET upgrade. The
upgrade only takes a couple of minutes to install in a KPC-3, but it has to
have a 128K of RAM installed with it. When the K-NET chip is installed and
operated in a KPC-3, or other unit that it works in, it is recognized by other
high level protocols NODEs such as TheNET, NetRom, and X1-J which doesn't
recognize KA-NODE protocol. It has one big advantage over the regular KA-NODE
version 5.1. If you connect to the NODE of a K-NET, you are able to connect
to the mailbox of the same NODE by typing "C BBS". The only big disadvantage,
that I'm told is the connecting from NODE to NODE. With the Kantronics
version 5.1 and lower, you are able to connect from NODE to NODE, one right
after another, and then sit back and wait till they all get connected to the
last station. My understanding about the K-NET is that you have to connect
from NODE to NODE, one at a time. When operating the K-NET you have to
connect to a NODE, wait till you get your "LINK MADE" message, and then you
can connect to you next NODE. I was going to call Kantronics to see if that
is the case, but I didn't get it done this past week. If I don't forget, I'll
call Kantronics this week and see if that's the case. If so, maybe they can
correct that problem on their next upgrade version. Mike, KG8JA has had a K-
NET NODE in operation for about a year in Cabell County on 145.05 Mhz with
ALIAS of "CAB."
For general information the West Virginia ARRL State Convention will be held
on August 23, 24, and 25 at Jackson' Mill. It "WILL NOT" be held the 4th of
July weekend like it has been for the last umpteen years. Mark it on your
calendar.
I received a handy little book this past week. It is a "1996 DATA & SOURCE
DIRECTORY" that is published by the SouthEastern Repeater Association. The
directory is full of valuable information. It not only lists the repeaters in
the area that SERA coordinates frequencies for, it also lists Club Meetings,
VHF/UHF Nets, Hamfest schedules, and VE exams. The directory is available at
the cost of $3.00 dollars from SERA. To receive a copy of the directory send
$3.00 dollars plus $1.00 dollar for shipping and handling to: SERA DATA BOOK,
P.O. BOX 215, TOBACCOVILLE, NC 27050.
How many of you forgot to read the Net Announcement for the March 30 State
Wide DAREN Net? Remember, I'm not always going to be the Net Control Station,
or it's not always going to be in Wood County. Marshall, WG8T and a small
group of Amateurs from Marion County operated as Net Control for this week's
State Wide DAREN Net. They operated from a hill top where the W8SP voice
repeater is located, somewhere between Fairmont and Grafton.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. April 7, 1996 (.195)
All SYSOPs, remember to reset the time in your NODEs and PBBSs to Daylight
Savings Time.
Here's the State Wide DAREN Net report for last week's net. Marshall, WG8T
and a group from Fairmont was the Net Control Station from a hilltop in Marion
County. They reported 101 check-ins to the net. Not bad considering they
weren't sure what NODEs they could be connected from. Two stations, KB8QPW
and N8NVQ have both checked into the net 100 times each. One station, KG8TK
has checked into the net 50 times. Three stations, KA8GOH, N8UBG, and KC8WO
need only one more check-in each to make 100. One station, KF8OM needs only
one more check-in to make 50. I want to welcome four new stations to the
DAREN system and they are: KB8WJB, KB8TJA, KB8YIS, and KB8TQH.
Phil, K8MHR wants to alert everyone about a new Trojan Horse virus that has
emerged on the internet by the the name "PKZIP300.ZIP." For the full
information about the virus connect to "DAREN" through "GILMWV" and type:
L> VIRUS
For those operators that post information as Bulletins "SB", you may have to
come back to the PBBS' where they are posted and delete them when they are out
of date. Remember the DAREN PBBS' are not using a full blown BBS program and
Bulletin Type messages are not deleted automatically after a certain date.
Since some SYSOPs are not familiar with their privileges as SYSOPs, they are
unable to delete the bulletins.
I received some additional information from Mike, KG8JA and Lynn, AI8I. Mike
says the upgrade K-NET EPROM chip will only work in the KPC-3 and it will work
with the standard 32K of RAM, however to have more memory in the PBBS, it is
suggested to have 128K or more of RAM. He says he has moved the K-NET NODE
"CAB" from 145.05 Mhz to 145.01 Mhz. Also if you connect to a K-NET NODE you
don't have to type "C BBS" to connect to the PBBS, you only have to type
"BBS". Lynn has tested the K-NET NODE by entering a series of "connect"
commands as fast as he could and they were taken ok. He did notice that when
he ask the NODE for a "ROUTES" list that only the Amateur call sign would be
shown, not the ALIAS. This would be a disadvantage for someone that is not
familiar with the DAREN system, and was searching for paths through the
network, since the callsigns of most of the NODEs are set to disconnect, when
connected to. But if you ask for a NODEs list, it will show both the Amateur
Call and the ALIAS. So far the advantages outweigh the disadvantages.
There were 106 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Two stations
KA8GOH and KC8WO have checked into the net 100 times each. And two stations
KF8OM and KG8GN have checked into the net 50 times each. These stations will
soon be receiving their certificates.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. April 14, 1996 (.196)
Well, did everyone get their clocks set up, and TNCs and computer times re-set
for daylight savings time? I'm glad that we are back to daylight savings time
it lets me have longer evenings so that I can get more things done, and I know
that summer is on it's way. The only thing that I don't like about summer is
the lightnings storms. Now that the weather has got a little warmer it's time
to go to your tower sites and give them an inspection, remember the winter has
been a long one and you don't know what may have happened to the tower, guys
wires, or the building, and the ground it. Are there trees around the tower
that didn't get trimmed last Fall? Now's the time to check for good grounding
of the antenna, tower, and radio equipment, the storms will soon be here, and
you don't want to lose any radio equipment to the storms.
Since we've changed the format of the DAREN News a little and started putting
in other articles, we need to mention about Amateur Radio Classes, VE Testing,
and Hamfests. A few months ago we started putting information about Amateur
Radio related subjects on the PBBS "DAREN". Items that were related as close
as possible to the purpose of DAREN. Information that would allow us to
inform others of activities that would be happening in the near future. Well,
DAREN News is doing the same thing. If you have information you would like to
get out to others, or information that would help others to learn, we should
put it in the News. If the article or information is too lengthy, we can just
tell where the information can be found. If you know of an Amateur Radio
class or VE Testing, etc, let's put it in the News.
I've received a lot of information from a few DAREN users about the Kantronics
K-Net EPROM since I started writing about it. The K-Net has a few draw backs
as far as the DAREN System is concerned, but they are minor compared to what
it can do. If you are looking for a TNC that is capable of working with the
with other Network Procols such as TheNET, NetRom, and X1-J, this might be the
way to go. I don't know about all TNCs, but with some of them you have to
"burn" an EPROM before you get to use it, if using it for a NODE as opposed to
a Mailbox or Digipeater. If the K-NET is used in the DAREN System, it may
cause a little confusion to someone who is not familiar with the system, but
for those who use the DAREN System on a regular basis may find it handy.
Yesterday I found out what it's like to have an offspring become an Amateur
Radio operator. Unlike a lot of parents, I didn't "push" my kids into
learning about radio, one of them just decided on her own that she wanted to
get her license. She did all of the work. When I saw that she was sincere
about getting her license, I explained to her the parts she wasn't sure of.
She's no stranger Packet Radio, or to the DAREN System, she's been playing
with Packet for about a year. Before long you'll start seeing her run the
State Wide DAREN Net from time to time.
There were 91 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One station,
N3AAS needs only one more check-in to make 50. And I want to welcome one new
check-in to the net, and that is KG8WB.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. April 21, 1996 (.197)
Mike, KG8JA has put some interesting information about lightening on the PBBS
"DAREN". Even though the data statistics are a little outdated, the facts and
precautions are still very good. Connect to "DAREN" through GILMWV and read
message number #8559. This is one type of information the PBBS "DAREN" should
be used for.
I've been writing the DAREN News articles for almost four years now and
there's a lot of history in them. I've written about the growth of the
system, where you can get monies to install a NODE/PBBS in your county, who
should install and maintain the stations, how it should be used, and I've
listed those stations that have failed, and were out of service for awhile.
I've had several operators send me articles they wanted others to see. I've
got on a soap box and blew off steam, and I've put together a DAREN News
Special that gives a lot of good information on how to use the system. Now
that the system has grown as large as it's going to, it gets harder and harder
to think of something to write about. Like now I'm just rambling on, hoping
that something comes to me. I live on a hilltop and I'm able to see a lot of
the NODE/PBBSs in the state, and I know the News is being read by a lot of
operators. If you have something that you would like for others to see, or
know about, just send it to me. If you don't know how to put it together,
just give me the jest of the information and I'll try to put something
together. I'm no journalist by far, but one time I heard that "The Pen Is
Mightier Than The Sword", and I'm no fighter either. Even though the "Pen"
has been replaced by the computer, that old saying still holds true. If you'd
like to send something, but you're afraid someone might make fun of you, just
let me know and I'll leave your name out of it. I'd like to keep the News
going on a weekly basis, in case something important comes up and should be
told to everyone. I know that if something isn't kept up on a regular basis
people will soon forget about it, and you've lost your audience. Well I guess
I've rambled on long enough, so think it over, if you have something to say
let me know.
It looks like summer must be here, the net check-ins are starting to drop off.
There were only 89 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One station
N8UBG has checked into the net 100 times. One station N3AAS has checked into
the net 50 times. Two stations, N8ZAQ, and WG8T need only one more check in
each to have 50. I want to welcome two new operators to the DAREN system, and
they are: WA8KAN, and his wife AA8UL.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. April 28, 1996 (.198)
David, KB6JAW, has sent out a questionnaire for ARRL DEC's, EC's, and AEC's.
The questionnaire is very informative and asks some very good questions. Some
of the questions he has asked made me look at the way we run the ARES/RACES
programs here in Wood County. He would also like to add other questions that
he hasn't thought of. I have posted the questionnaire on the PBBS "DAREN" as
message number #8594. Read the questionnaire over and see what you think.
It's that time of the year again when the Two Meter band will start being hot
and the distant stations will start being seen regularly. You may start
seeing new users of the DAREN NODEs trying to connect to stations that aren't
a part of the DAREN system, looking for Regular BBS', DX Clusters, etc. If
you see someone using the DAREN NODEs connecting to stations that aren't part
of the DAREN System, explain to them what DAREN is and help keep the system
from becoming cluttered. If they need more information, I'll be glad to send
it to them.
It sure doesn't take long to get a reply from the FCC about licensing. I told
you in the April 14th DAREN News that my daughter Cathy passed her license
test on April 13th. Her license just arrived today with an issue date of
April 22nd. It's hard to believe that it takes less than two weeks from the
day you take your test till you get your license. Her call is KC8DJJ, and I'm
sure you'll be seeing her on Packet quite a bit.
I just found out yesterday that another faithful user of the DAREN System and
a friend has pasted away. Bob, KC8KV, of Philippi died Friday evening of
complications which he started having about a year ago when he went in the
hospital for Kidney problems. I first met Bob shortly after the DAREN system
was started and he was visiting his son in Belmont. He called me on the
telephone and wanted to get involved with the DAREN system. Bob was the SYSOP
of the Barbour County NODE/PBBS, BARBWV/PHILWV. Bob was also an active MARS
member. We'll all miss him.
There were 88 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Three stations
were a little late getting checked in since they were working on their voice
repeater. One station, WG8T, has checked into the net 50 times and will soon
receive his certificate. One station, N8POB, needs only one more check-in to
make 150. One station, WB8PAM, needs only one more check-in to receive a
certificate for checking into the net 100 times. One station, KB8GIZ, needs
only one more check-in to get his certificate for 50 check-ins. There were
three new stations that checked into the State Wide DAREN Net this week and
they were: KC8DJJ, N8ZAE, and N8RBD, I want to welcome them to the system.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. May 5, 1996 (.199)
Jac, KB8QIR has been working on a way to allow RACES, ARES, and NTS Type
traffic access into and out of the DAREN System. He sent me a message April
27th saying that within a week or two he should have DAREN2 in operation. I
don't have much information on how it will work, but I've been assured that it
will be simple to use and will take very little training to learn. He will be
monitoring it to make sure that it is only used for the way DAREN is intended.
Doug, KC8AJH is the new SYSOP for the Barbour County NODE/PBBS, BARBWV/PHILWV.
Doug became SYSOP after Bob, KC8KV passed away, April 31. Doug has also been
asked to become the new ARRL EC for Barbour County.
Thursday morning I noticed the Net Announcements for KINGWV and MGTNWV did not
get posted. I was able to connect to MGTNWV, and post the Net Announcement,
but was unable to connect to KINGWV. The forwarding path from DAREN to MGTNWV
is via PRESWV. It seems as if the Preston County NODE/PBBS is off the air.
If you have any traffic for MGTNWV, you might want to connect direct to it and
post the traffic manually, until we can get the problem resolved.
Lynn, AI8I said that a violent storm went though his area on Saturday the 4th.
A few hours later he tried to connect the Pendleton County NODE/PBBS,
PENDWV/FKLNWV with no success. He thinks it may have taken a lightening hit
from the storm that went through the area a few hours before. PENDWV is a
major NODE for access into the Eastern Panhandle.
George, K8QEW says the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh wants me to give
them a telephone call the week of May 13th. Jim Weyman of the NWS wants to
talk about putting their Packet Station on the DAREN frequency. This would be
a good idea since the National Weather Service in Charleston is on the same
frequency. I admit that I haven't used the station in Charleston as much as I
should, but I'm not sure if everything is ready for complete service yet. I
need to put together a complete set of operating instructions on the sending
of weather reports to the NWS, in Charleston via Packet.
Since we had a severe storm go through Wood County last night, and we had to
activate the Emergency Operation Center, I had my daughter Cathy, KC8DJJ keep
an eye on the State Wide DAREN Net. She reported 78 check-ins to this week's
State Wide DAREN Net. One station, N8ZAQ has checked into the DAREN Net 50
times and will be receiving a certificate. One station needs only one more
check-in to have a total of 100. There were two new check-ins to the net. I
want to welcome N3TRF and N8WBR to the DAREN System.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. May 12, 1996 (.200)
It's hard to believe, but this is the 200th issue of the DAREN News. I hope
it's been informative to those who read it. It's primary intent is to keep
users of the DAREN System in West Virginia informed about the growth and
condition of the system, but it can also be used to pass along activities and
events that Amateur, and Public Safety communications people may be, or have
been involved with.
I talked to Bob, W3RUA in Franklin Monday and found out a little more about
the Pendleton County NODE/PBBS, PENDWV/FKLNWV. The tower was struck by
lightening. The electric meter was blown off the wall and the electric
company had to replace the power transformer on the pole. He said it didn't
take the guys very long to repair the 2 meter voice repeater that was there,
so with any luck the NODE/PBBS may be back in operation soon.
The tower site housing the Preston County NODE/PBBS, PENDWV/KINGWV was also
hit by lightening, but the person I talked to didn't have any idea if, or when
the station will back in operation.
I found out Tuesday, that one of the Charleston users of DAREN, and the SYSOP
of the MARS Packet System, NODE/PBBS in Parkersburg is in the hospital. Phil,
K8MHR is in the Intensive Care Unit at the Thomas Memorial Hospital in South
Charleston, I'll try to keep you informed of his condition.
Last year the building that housed the Jackson County NODE/PBBS, JACKWV/RPLYWV
was going to be replaced, so the station was moved to a weather-proof cabinet
until the new building was installed. The new building was put in place some
time in October, but do to the weather, the station didn't get put back in the
new building until something happened to the battery back-up charging system
and the station was last heard at about 1 pm on Thursday. On Friday evening
the station was moved back inside the building with new batteries and charger.
I'm not for sure, but the Lithium battery inside the TNC that holds it's
memory may also be dead, since the TNC had to be re-programmed just like a new
one. If this is the case, you might want to replace the Lithium battery every
two or three years, or anytime the station has lost power and all of the
parameters have went back to their factory default values. I'll found out the
battery number and put it in a future DAREN News.
Ray, KA8GOH, in Tyler County, was net control for the State Wide DAREN on May
11th. Even though some operators tried to connect to the NCS from WOODWV,
they must have went back and read the Net Announcement and found him. He
reported 96 check-ins to this week's net. One station, N8POB has checked into
the net 150 times, two stations, WB8PAM and N8RIG have completed the 100th
check-in, and KB8GIZ has checked in 50 times. All of these stations will be
receiving their certificates shortly.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. May 19, 1996 (.201)
Rich, N8KGK gave me additional information about the condition of Phil, K8MHR.
Phil had surgery related to what the doctors call Crohn's Disease. He's
expected to be hospitalized an extended period of time. The recovery period
will be from 6 to 8 weeks.
Lynn, AI8I has posted some information on DAREN about finding out the calls of
new licenses via the INTERNET. The INTERNET address is: http://www.qrz.com.
Open the "FCC DAILY REPORTS". Of course it depends on how the VEC (ARRL,
W5YI, etc.) have filed their reports to the FCC after they have received them
from the VEs in the field, but the new calls can be found in as little as 24
hours if they were filed electronically, a lot longer if filed by the US
Postal Service. He says there's other Amateur related information that can be
found on the INTERNET by searching for "ARRL".
Speaking of INTERNET, while I was at the Dayton Hamvention I talked to John,
N8RIG and he says that a lot of the guys in the Bluefield area are using the
INTERNET and getting away from Packet Radio. Granted, the INTERNET has a lot
more to offer, but remember telephone lines are one of the first things to go
out of service during disasters.
I talked to Jim Weyman of the National Weather Service in Pittsburgh Thursday
about putting their Packet weather reporting system on the DAREN system. Jim
has a copy of the DAREN Plan, but they are not ready to put the station on the
air yet. Having their Packet system on DAREN will allow only stations that
have access to DAREN Nodes, and stations that can get into it direct the
opportunity to report weather conditions. He will get back with me when they
get ready to install their Packet station.
While at the Dayton Hamvention Friday, I saw Ed, N8OYY and ask him if Dave,
KA8ZXP knew what had happened to the Pendleton County NODE/PBBS PENDWV/FKLNWV.
He said that the NODE/PBBS was delivered to Dave, and when he opened the cases
all of the parts, what was left of them, fell out. It looks like it's going
to be a lot longer than I thought before PENDWV/FKLNWV is back on the air from
the direct lightening hit. The Pendleton County NODE was a joint venture
between Dave and the Pendleton County Emergency Services. This is one reason
that a DAREN Emergency Restoration Fund be set up.
I kinda figured this week's State Wide DAREN Net would be a little low this
week since this was Dayton Hamvention Weekend, and I saw a lot of the regular
operators there. Cathy, KC8DJJ looked after the net until I got home from
Dayton myself. We let the net run a little longer to allow those who were
returning from the Hamvention a chance to get checked in. There were 73
check-ins this week. Two stations, N8MDZ and WA8FFG only need one more check-
in each to make 50.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. May 26, 1996 (.202)
I didn't find out until after I had already posted the News last week that a
severe storm went through the Barbour County area. The storm brought a lot of
rain and caused some major flooding. Doug, KC8AJH told me the Barbour County
NODE/PBBS went off the air during the storm, and hasn't been heard since. He
tried to make contact with someone to gain access to the tower site that
night, but was unable to find out what had happened to the station. He had
heard that the tower site had taken a lightening hit and that the emergency
generator was running. Mother Nature hasn't been very nice to the DAREN
System so far this spring. By Sunday the 19th, she has taken three stations
off the air, PENDWV/FKLNWV, PRESWV/KINGWV, and BARBWV/PHILWV.
I talked to Rich, KA8UEU on the telephone and he said that PRESWV/KINGWV had
been hit by lightening, but it is covered by insurance. He's was thinking
about taking the station from the Emergency Operation Center up to the hill.
He must have done something, PRESWV/KINGWV was back on the air in time for
this week's State Wide DAREN Net.
I got a message from Ash, KB8OPH and he said the Randolph County NODE/PBBS,
RANDWV/ELKNWV went off the air either Tuesday or Wednesday along with another
two meter station. He's not sure what has happened, but they have a backup
unit they can take to the site to get their main NODE back in operation.
Now might be the time to ask yourself the five famous words: Who, What, When,
Where, and Why. If you don't know by now, find out "WHO" is responsible for
keeping your county DAREN station/s in operation. "WHAT" will you need to get
the station back in operation? WHY would it have just gone off the air? WHEN
will you be able to get to the station and get it back in operation? Where is
the backup equipment, if there is any? There are several other questions that
can be asked, like, where will the money come from to get the equipment fixed?
You should start asking the questions now, and not wait till it's too late.
Lynn, AI8I has found another NODE that is having a problem. The Putnam County
NODE, PUTNWV locks up when you connect to it. It gives no NODE TEXT and you
can't go any where, or get disconnected from it. The Wyoming County NODE,
WYOMWV had the same problem a few weeks back, it's back in operation, but it
still has only one NODE Channel, "Channel D". The Kantronics Instruction
Manual talks about a Parameter called "FILTER". When "FILTER" is "ON", it
blocks some control characters that are used during binary file transfers.
The manual says "Control characters which may be embedded in those packets can
have strange and unpredictable effects on the monitoring TNC."
Some of the NODEs that have become inoperative are MAJOR links in the DAREN
System, and have crippled Auto-Forwarding and some of the network paths. With
so many NODEs down, so was the net. There were only 77 check-ins to this
week's State Wide DAREN Net. Two stations, WA8FFG and N8MDZ have checked into
the net 50 times each, and will soon get their certificates. There was one
new check-in that I want to welcome to the DAREN system, and that's KG8TP.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. June 2, 1996 (.203)
After my writing got cold and I read last week's News, I realized I didn't
explain the parameter "FILTER" very well. If a station is monitoring a
frequency, and another station is sending Binary Files, it's possible that
some of the control characters embedded in the Binary Files can have strange
and unpredictable effects on a monitoring TNC. The best thing I've found to
help prevent this from happening is to turn the "MONITOR" OFF, turn the
"FILTER" ON, and then give the TNC a "RESET" about once a month. Most of the
DAREN NODEs are high enough on the hills that they can hear other non-DAREN
stations that may be sending Binary Files. I've had some strange things
happen that only a "HARD RESET" will take care of.
I talked to Larry, KB8CVP Monday and he told me there is a temporary Preston
County NODE/PBBS, PRESWV/KINGWV back on the hilltop, waiting for a new station
that will be replaced by insurance. Last week I thought it was on the hill
top, but it was only at Larry's house. Lightening completely destroyed the
old Radio, TNC, and Power Supply. Now that it is back in operation I'm unable
to connect to the Monongalia County NODE/PBBS, MONOWV/MGTNWV. It's possible
that it may have taken a lightening hit to. I haven't received any messages
from the SYSOP. There is still a PBBS in Monongalia County at the Emergency
Operations Center. The PBBS is MGTNES, any traffic for Morgantown should be
left at that PBBS, it is accessible through "PRESWV".
Charlie, WB8CNN beat me to posting a very important message from the ARRL.
The message is about the possible loss of the 2 meter and 440 Mhz Amateur
bands. It is very important to read the message and write letters. If at all
possible I'll try to find out the proper format to write the letters and let
you know. In the mean time connect to "DAREN" and read message number #8766,
titled: "URGENT ARRL ANNOUNCEMENT!!!".
Pass the word that with so many NODE/PBBSs out of service due to lightening,
that some messages are not getting forwarded to their destination. Everyone
should check the PBBS "DAREN" from time to time to see if there is any traffic
there for you. Connect to "DAREN" through "GILMWV"
There's more to Packet than just message handling. The other day I received a
message from Jac, KB8QIR about using a Packet Station as a warning device to
give forewarning of flooding. Connect to "DAREN" and read his idea of flood
warning, it is message number #8775. Here in Wood County we have thought
about connecting rain gauges into the unused RS-232 Port of the hilltop DAREN
NODEs so that we can get rainfall measurements just like the state IFLOWS
(Integrated FLood Observation and Warning System) does.
There were 80 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One Station,
N3BHY needs only one more check-in to make 50, N8PFY needs only one more check
in to make 100, and KA3SKW needs one more check-in to make 150. Phil, K8MHR
must be out of the hospital and feeling better, I see he checked into the Net.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. June 9, 1996 (.204)
The Randolph County NODE/PBBS, RANDWV/ELKNWV is back in operations. Terry,
KB8EIR said he got it going at about 9:00 PM during the State Wide DAREN last
night. I'm glad to see it back on the air. RANDWV is used to forward a lot
of the Auto-Forwarded messages from the PBBS "DAREN" to several other PBBSs,
so there were several messages that were stuck at "DAREN". When a message get
stuck at "DAREN" I try to leave a message near the location it is headed for
to let the addressee know where to find his/her message.
I had a message that one of our DAREN operators has upgraded to Advanced class
and has a call change. Dave, KB8TQL has upgraded to Advance and his new call
is KG8XR. Any time that you have a call change, and you have been checking
into the State Wide DAREN Net, let me know so that I can keep your check-ins
added to you old call and you get credit for them. Congratulations Dave.
I have talked to Bob, W3RUA in Franklin, WV on the telephone, and he's unable
to get into the DAREN System since the Pendleton County NODE/PBBS was
destroyed by lightening. Bob has ordered a TNC and is waiting for a radio to
be repaired and he's going to put another NODE on the air in Pendleton County.
The site which he is going to use isn't quite as good as the site that
PENDWV/FKLNWV was on (since it was on the highest point in the state) but he
thinks it will allow coverage of the county and paths to some of the other
NODEs. The site is the same location that he has his voice repeater, and
feels it should do a good job. On a temporary basis he will be using the same
ALIAS as the original NODE/PBBS, PENDWV/FKLNWV, but as soon as the original
NODE/PBBS gets back on the air, he will change the ALIAS to PENDWV-1/FKLNWV-1.
There were only 74 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One
station, KA3SKW has checked into the net 150 times, one station, N8PFY has
checked in 100 times, and one station, N3BHY has checked in 50 times. All of
these operators will soon get their certificates. I want to welcome two new
operators to the net, and they are KC8CON and N9GTX.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. June 16, 1996 (.205)
It's been quite this week, even though there were storms that went through the
state. No one has left me any messages about losing any NODEs. I did get a
letter from Bob, W3RUA saying he will be going to a Hamfest to look for a
radio to put on his back-up NODE, PENDWV. With any luck we should be hearing
back about a radio that has been sent in for repair, that he may use for his
NODE. He did send me a copy of a DAREN News that had went though several BBSs
before it got to where he picked it up. The News was pretty well cobbled up,
it has a lot of half words and other traffic mixed in with it. If at any time
you see the DAREN News that's all screwed up, let me know and I'll re-post it.
As it's been a tradition since the starting of DAREN, the Digipeaters and
NODEs of the system are open for Field Day which is next weekend. The DAREN
system can be used to make your Packet contacts during Field Day. The State
Wide DAREN Net will start at 3:00 pm local time on Saturday and end at 3:00 pm
on Sunday. This is one time of the year that BEACONs can be used, as long as
they are not abused. BEACON through the NODEs and Digipeaters that you feel
will give you the best coverage and also check the HEARD lists from time to
time looking for stations that are operating Field Day. If you send out a
BEACON be sure to let others know what NODEs to connect to you from. Have a
good time and be safe.
There were 75 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. One station,
N8ER needs only one more check-in to make 150. One station, K8ZPR needs only
one more check-in to make 100. I want to welcome W8PBO to the net, it was
Art's first time checking into the State Wide Net. I've been asked how long I
leave the net up when I'm net control. While I'm finishing the DAREN News, I
am still monitoring the frequency. Even though it's past 10:00 pm, and I see
someone connecting through the system trying to get to the net control, I let
them get logged in. I feel that at long as there is someone on the frequency
that is watching traffic go through, no net is ever really over. There are
times when I can't hang around the frequency after the net is over, and I
might miss someone trying to get checked in late, but if you are a little late
getting home, and you may have missed the net, it never hurts to try.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. June 23, 1996 (.206)
After I posted the News last week, I noticed that it didn't get forwarded to
the Wetzel County PBBS, NMARWV. I checked the PBBS and the NODE, and neither
one were up. I talked to Randy, WA8ART on the telephone Monday and he was
unaware of what might have happened, but he's hoping to go to the hilltop to
find out what is wrong before he goes out of town on vacation. I haven't
talked to him since, but the NODE/PBBS, WETZWV/NMARWV is still down.
Lynn, AI8I send me the internet address for the WARC 97. He's not sure when
information will start being put on the internet, but the address will be:
http://www.fcc.gov/ib/wrc97/ Those who use internet might keep the rest of
us updated as to what is going on, since the Little LEOs is wanting to take
our two meter and 440 Mhz frequencies from us.
Larry, KB8CVP says that the Preston County NODE/PBBS PRESWV/KINGWV is back in
full operation again. He installed a new radio (Alinco DR 130-T) and new KPC-
3 with version 6.0 firmware. For those who don't know it, Alinco no longer
makes the DR 1200-T, which has been a very good radio for packet.
I looks like the Gilmer County NODE, GILMWV is off the air. I tried to
connect to it Tuesday morning, and had no luck. I checked the NODEs list on
RITCWV, and it wasn't on the list as being heard as far back as about 3 pm on
Monday. I left a message on Dave, KA8ZXP's answering machine, to see if he
might know what has happened to it. In the mean time there is NO paths to the
Central Message Center "DAREN", which means that "Auto-Forwarding" is very,
very limited, so back to the old fashion method, hand-delivery of those
messages for a little while.
Phil, K8MHR says the owner of the site where the Putnam County NODE/PBBS,
PUTNWV/HURCWV is located, Dave, W8HYX has moved the station , and the antenna
is about 20 feet higher. Phil says that is seems to work better now. Also
the problem of connecting to PUTNWV and not going anywhere because of the
lock-up seems to have been corrected.
Since this was Field Day weekend, the State Wide DAREN Net Ran for 24 hours,
from 2:00 pm on Saturday till 2:00 pm today and the DAREN News is getting
posted a little later than normal. By now everybody is burnt out and ready
for a break. There were 90 check-ins to this 24 hour net. One station, N8ER
has checked into the net 150 times, and one station, K8ZPR has checked in 100
times. Both of these stations well be getting their certificate. Three
stations, N4OKL, N8SNR, and KB8CVP need only one more check-in to make 100,
and one station, N3TGL needs one more to make 50. There were five new calls
that checked in. They may have been at Field Day sites and were able to see
what Packet Radio is about, let's hope they check in again soon. I want to
welcome: K8VNQ, N8RLR, KC8CZO, KC8CZM, and KE4HYM to the DAREN system.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. June 30, 1996 (.207)
With the changing of the weather, the bands are changing some too, and I'm
seeing an increase of traffic using the DAREN NODEs going outside of the state
looking for regular BBS type traffic. I know we can't say anything about
other states using the frequency for their own type of traffic, the only thing
we can do is hope that stations in West Virginia don't start using the DAREN
NODEs to connect to other non-DAREN, or non-NTS Type traffic BBSs. Monday
night I saw a station connected on and off to a regular BBS for over two
hours. I've been told they only do it when everyone else is not using the
DAREN NODEs, but if they use it that way, others will think it's ok to use it
however, and whenever they want, and the NODEs and frequency will soon get
away from us. If you see someone in your area using your local DAREN NODE for
this purpose, you might want to give them a friendly reminder of what the
DAREN NODEs are there for, otherwise it's use might get out of hand and when
you want to use for what it is intended, it will be too cluttered up to use.
If you find someone using the system for other than what it is intended, give
me their call, and I'll send them a DAREN Package.
I finally got to talk to Dave, KA8ZXP. It seems the tower which housed the
Gilmer County NODE, GILMWV was going to be replaced and all of the services
that were on it were going to be moved to the new site. What happened was
people that is doing the move hadn't contacted Dave to let him know they were
in the process of removing the equipment and antenna, so GILMWV just
disappeared. GILMWV wasn't the only station that went off the air, the local
fire and police radios also became inoperative. Dave says that as soon as the
antenna is re-installed at the new tower site that GILMWV will be back in
operation. Amateur radio equipment just isn't the highest priority when you
are involved with business.
When I tried to post the Net Announcement Wednesday evening, I noticed that
The Monongalia County NODE/PBBS, MONOWV/MGTNWV wasn't there. I've since
received a message from Mable, N8TJM telling me that the station has taken a
lightening hit and possibly destroyed everything.
I must have been sleepy last week when I wrote the information about the 24
hour State Wide DAREN Net. After I rechecked my check-ins I found there were
92 instead of 90, and one that I had missed was another new call. I also want
to welcome KC8AFH to the system. There were 81 check-ins to this week's State
Wide DAREN net. Three stations, KB8CVP, N4OKL, and N8SNR have each checked
into the net 100 times. One station, N3TGL has checked into the net 50 times.
All of these station will be getting their certificates. I want to welcome
eight new users to the DAREN system and they are: N8RNY, N8YXY, KB8MQN, N8XFH,
N8TNB, KB8ZIT, N8JYS, and WB8CJG.
==============================================================================