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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. July 6, 1997 (.260)
by Ken Harris WA8LLM (304) 679-3470 (HOME) or 428-9980 (WORK)
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, P.O. BOX 3328, PARKERSBURG, WV 26103
D.A.R.E.N. News, are articles and information about the Digital Amateur Radio
"Emergency" Network of WV, which operates on 145.69 Mhz. Anyone having
information about the network, they would like to share with others, may send
it to WA8LLM @ PKBGWV on 145.69 Mhz. Outside the DAREN system, on the Nation
Wide BBS System, it may be sent to WA8LLM @ WA8OMR.WV.USA.NA. D.A.R.E.N. NEWS
of WV is posted on several 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'.
I talked to Gene, N8ER on the telephone this week and he gave me an update on
the new Pendleton County (Spruce Knob) NODE. He has been talking to Rick,
N8HON who has access to the Spruce Knob tower site. Gene is waiting for
crystals to arrive for the radio so it can be tuned up. Gene also told me
that a couple of the loops on the antenna needs to be replaced before the
station can be put back on the air. Gene says that Rick isn't on Packet yet,
but would like to get there soon. I'll be sending Rick a DAREN Package so he
will know what DAREN is all about.
I noticed the last few times I tried to connect to the Berkeley County NODE,
BERKWV that all I could get was a "LINK MADE". I think it needed a "RESET" to
get it corrected. I was able to digipeat through the station, I just wasn't
able to use it as a NODE. I don't know if it has been fixed or not, but
Friday night my Daughter Cathy, KC8DJJ was able to connect to the NODE and go
on through it. It may be just one channel that is fouled up. I'll try to get
in contact with Mark, WB8ZLQ and see if he'll give it a RESET.
There were only 70 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. I figured
with it being the 4th of July weekend the net would be low. Last week I made
a mistake, (as if it were my first, Hi Hi). I had the callsign of a first
time check-in wrong. I had Edgar's call as KB8GAR, (note the GAR, as in
edGAR) it should have been KB8QEU. I told you I was tired after Field Day.
Sorry about that Edgar. Jim, N8COG has checked into the net 50 times and will
soon be receiving his DAREN Net Certificate. Ken, KA3SKW needs only one more
check-in to make 200, John, N8RIG needs only one more to make 150 check-ins,
and Marshall, WG8T needs only one more check-in to make 100. 73 Ken
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. July 13, 1997 (.261)
John, N4OKL is still working on his DAREN Web site. He's been putting the
DAREN News on the site, but says it's a lot harder than he thought. A few of
the DAREN News files that I sent him were corrupt and had to be sent to him
again. He says he's had over 200 hits on the DAREN Web Site. The url for the
DAREN Web site is: http://www.newwave.net/~jharmon/daren/
There's another callsign change among us, Ashby, WV8ASH. Ashby's old call was
KB8OPH. Ashby sent me a message and says that all of the equipment to install
the Pendleton County (Spruce Knob) NODE/PBBS, PENDWV/FKLNWV back on the air is
on it's way. The GE MASTR II is already set up. Dave, KB8LCI is getting a
128K upgrade kit for the KPC-3, and Rick, N8HON will do the installation.
They are hoping to have the station on the air by the end of the month.
If you have a call sign change let me know so that I can keep your DAREN Net
check-ins up to date.
While our group was operating a "Safety Break - Free Coffee" concession
trailer over the 4th of July weekend at the South Bound Rest Area on I-77,
just South of Mineral Wells, a couple of DAREN users stopped in. Tim, KC8IT
and Joe, N8DSN stopped in to say hello. I wasn't on duty at the time so
didn't get to talk to them. I want to thank them for stopping and signing our
"Visiting Hams" list.
Don't forget the ARRL State Radio Convention is coming up soon. The State
Convention will be held August 23rd and 24th at Jackson's Mills State Park. I
hope to see you there.
There were 73 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. While I was
going over the net check-in records I noticed that I had made a mistake on
Judy, N8UFQ's check-ins. I had shown her as having checked into the net 250
times. At that time she had only checked in 240 times. Sorry about that
Judy. Ken, KA3SKW has checked into the net 200 times, John, N8RIG has
checked into the net 150 times, and Jim, N8COG has checked into the 50 times.
Each of them will soon be receiving their DAREN Net Certificate. Larry,
KB8CVP needs only one more check-in to make 150, and Prentice, KB8GIZ needs
only one more check-in to make 100. There were two new check-ins to the net
and they were: KC8ICZ and John, W8GSN. I want to welcome both of them to the
DAREN system. If anyone thinks their check-in count is wrong, leave me a
message on PKBGWV and I will go back over the records and get it verified.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. July 20, 1997 (.262)
The Braxton County NODE/PBBS, BRAXWV/GASSWV seems to be out of service. It
was ok on Wednesday, July 9th when we posted the Net Announcement, but when I
tried to post last week's DAREN News I couldn't connect to it. Cathy, KC8DJJ
wasn't able to connect to it this past week to post the Net Announcement.
John, N4OKL has the DAREN News from 1995 to 1997 posted on his web site. He
says he may get the rest of them sometime this week. The Automatic Packet
Reporting System (APRS) is growing in West Virginia. John says that Mac, W8XF
now has an APRS Digi on the air at 145.35 Mhz Voice Repeater site. He also
says that Wes, N8WBR is working on another Digi to go up on Peach Ridge, the
same location as the "HURC" Packet NODE that operates on 145.05 Mhz. Also the
balloon launch I mentioned a few weeks ago is set for Aug 2 now, from Minford
Ohio, Portsmouth airport. We'll have more information about it later when I
get a message from Mac.
Juddie says the Plateau Amateur Radio Club NODE, "PARC", that operates on
145.09 Mhz has taken a lightening hit on the Power System. PARC is one of the
NODEs that is used when connecting to the PARC Packet Net on Thursday evenings
between 7:00 and 10:00 pm. You can also use the NODE, "MTNPAC" which is also
on 145.09 Mhz. MTNPAC is operated by the Mountain Packet Association & the
Nicholas County Amateur Radio Club. Juddie was hoping to have the NODE back
on the air by net time on Thursday, but didn't make it.
Charlie, WB8CNN says the Black Diamond Amateur Radio Club has upgraded the
Kantronics KPC-3 Plus of their NODE "BKW" to a KNODE and now has a BBS called
"BDARC". Their NODE/BBS operates on 145.09 Mhz and can be reached by "PARC"
(when it gets back on the air), and "MTNPAC".
Lynn, AI8I says the Pocahontas County NODE/PBBS, POCAWV/MARLWV is back in
operation. It's not as good as it should be. He said it's not up to full
power because the Finals and the Voltage Control Oscillator were burnt up. It
does have a path to GREEWV, but hasn't tried any other paths yet.
There were 78 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Marshall, WG8T
has checked into the net 100 times and will be getting his certificate.
Bonnie, N8VSO needs only one more to check-in to make 50. 73 Ken
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. July 27, 1997 (.263)
From looking over the messages I received the last couple of weeks I still
need to send John, K4OKL a few old DAREN News. His needs them to have a
complete set on his DAREN web site.
Lynn, AI8I says the radio on the Pocahontas County NODE/PBBS, POCAWV/MARLWV is
now back up to full power, but the coverage is down a little. The station did
have a 7db antenna, but it had to be replaced with a 3db antenna. He says it
still has the coverage that it needs.
I sent a DAREN package to Ben, KC4ASF, the coordinator of the Virginia Digital
Emergency Network (VDEN). Sometime in the future he would like to see VDEN
and DAREN have some type of crossover and tie the two systems together. At
the present time VDEN operates mostly on 145.73 Mhz and 446.075 Mhz. Ben says
he's having trouble getting help to put the system together.
Max, W8XF has been named the coordinator for the Automatic Packet Reporting
System (APRS) in West Virginia. He will try to make it to the ARRL State
Convention at Jackson's Mill August 23rd. Hopefully he will give a talk on
APRS. He says a balloon launch is scheduled to be August 2nd. The launch
will be from either the Huntington or Portsmouth, Ohio area depending on the
wind. They will make a go-no go call on the night of August 1st, only the
weather may scrub the launch. The APRS part of the balloon will be operating
on 145.79 Mhz. The balloon will BEACON the call W8XF-14 every 40 seconds.
Anyone sending Max the Latitude and Longitude that was heard will receive a
QSL. He says a the present time there are three permanent APRS Digi's in
operation, Hurricane, Charleston, and Ashland, Kentucky.
There were 76 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Larry, KB8CVP
has checked into the net 150 times and will be getting his certificate. there
were three new check-ins and they were: John KC8FZH, Gary N8GK, and KC8HHQ. I
want to welcome them to the DAREN system. Did anyone get a "LINK BUSY" when
they tried to connect to the net? I goofed and forgot to set one of the
parameters on the TNC. It could only take one check-in at a time. And just
to think... that's the first mistake I've made all year. 73 Ken
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. August 3, 1997 (.264)
Monday afternoon a severe storm went through the Parkersburg area and raised
havoc with several radio systems including a few DAREN NODEs and other Packet
stations. I don't now what the problem was, but it was next to impossible to
connect to any of the DAREN NODEs in Wood, Ritchie, Pleasants, and Jackson
Counties. It wasn't until about noon the next day before most of the stations
were close to back to normal. The only thing I can think may have been the
problem was water from the rain causing high Standing Wave on the antennas.
By noon on Tuesday the temperature was high enough to dry out any water
problems. I did lose one NODE that operates on 145.09 Mhz. The ALIAS on it
is WOODWV. The transmitter just quit working, it would receive ok, but it
would not transmit.
Also Bobbie, KB8TBF reported the Wetzel Country NODE/PBBS, WETZWV/NMARWV is
out of service. He thinks it may have taken a lightening hit from the same
storm that went through the area on Monday.
Phil, K8MHR reported the Putnam County NODE/PBBS, PUTNWV/HURCWV was out of
order. He said the station was being checked. The station went off the air
about the same time the severe storm went through the Parkersburg area. It's
that time of the year again that we will start losing NODEs. We need to try
connecting through different paths be sure which stations we can work through.
Even with the light rain on Saturday, August 2nd the Balloon Launch was held.
Mac, W8XF turned the balloon loose at about 12:45 pm from the Milford Airport.
The launch was delayed a while so John, N4OKL could get the latest weather
report so they could figure where the balloon might come down. But the server
for the weather was not operating and the launch team had to use a weather
report that was twelve hours old. From watching the Packet Beacons from the
Balloon and listening to the 146.67 Mhz repeater in Charleston, it looks like
the Balloon launch this weekend was a success. The balloon burst at about
72,000 ft and fell back to earth. The chase teams were within a very short
distance and were receiving both GPS data and the locating Beacon from the
equipment when I lost the voice repeater. John told me they found the package
hanging in a tree about seventy feet off the ground. The launch sounded like
it was very well organized and every one had a job to do. I think Max, W8XF
was happy with the results. Anyone who monitored the Balloon Launch and has
any information should leave a message for Mac, W8XF or John, N4OKL on the
Charleston PBBS, CHASWV.
There were 79 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Bonnie, N8VSO
has checked into the net 50 times and will be getting her certificate. Roy,
N8RH needs only one more check-in to make 150.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. August 10, 1997 (.265)
I want to thank Gene, N8ER for having the Tucker County NODE, TUCKWV in
operation this past week. I spent three days at Blackwater Falls going to a
class at the lodge. I was able to hit the NODE using just my portable Packet
station. My portable Packet just has an ICOM 2AT H/T running 1 Watt. I did
use 100 Milliwatts a few times.
Bobbie, KB8TBF let me know the Wetzel County NODE/PBBS, WETZWV/NMARWV was back
in operation. We don't know what the problem was.
Also the Putnam County NODE/PBBS, PUTNWV/HURCWV is back in operation.
Don't forget the West Virginia State ARRL Radio Convention will be held August
23rd and 24th at Jackson's Mill State Park. I hope to be there to give an
update on the DAREN System. I don't know much more information then what I
try to put here in the DAREN News. I will try to have copies of the DAREN
Plan, DAREN Path Maps, and any other information about the system.
Not much else to report this week. If you have anything to want to pass along
to others that read this News each week, send it to me and we'll get the word
out.
There were only 65 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Roy, N8RH
has checked into the net 150 times and will be receiving his certificate, and
David, KB8OHW needs only one more check-in to make 50. The net was down a
little bit, but that usually happens in the summer time. I know where three
regulars were at, Judy, N8UFQ, Cathy, KC8DJJ, and Lisa, KB8UER were on their
way to Myrtle Beach, South Carolina. 73 Ken
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. August 17, 1997 (.266)
This week's DAREN News is a little late do to a very busy weekend. This has
been the Parkersburg's annual Homecoming. During the Parkersburg Homecoming
we provide the communications for the Parkersburg Half Marathon, and parade
line up, and three long days of working BINGO. It doesn't sound like a lot of
work, but just getting all of the equipment together, lining up enough radio
operators, and spending the rest of the time working the BINGO games is enough
to wear anyone out. And then there were the storms. The Parkersburg area got
hit with some very strong thunder storms that up rooted and broke off a lot of
trees and knocked out power to a large portion of the county. As I'm about to
finish the news (7:00 pm on Monday), a small part of the county is still
without electricity.
I didn't receive much information this week so the news may be a little short.
Maurice, AB8E (better known in Elkins as R-2) says the BBS "NEWS" that used to
be on 145.03 Mhz is now on 145.07 Mhz. "ELKINS" is the Digi into the 145.07
Hub. If you get a chance, check out their BBS. I don't know of any NODEs or
Digipeaters that has access to "NEWS" or "ELKINS" so I can't tell you how to
get there. If anyone has any information getting into the BBS or DIGI, let me
know so I can pass it along. Also if you have any information you would like
to get out to others, let me know about it too.
There were 91 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Prentice, KB8GIZ
has checked into the net 100 times and David, KB8OHW has checked into the net
50 times. Both of them will be receiving their certificates. Jim, N8PEJ and
Benjamin, N8XXA needs only one more check-in each to make 100. There were two
new check-ins to the net this week and they were: KC8KZK and Kelly, KA8UVB. I
want to welcome both of them to the DAREN system.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. August 24, 1997 (.267)
Ashby, WV8ASH says the stations at Davis Memorial Hospital in Elkins and the
Tucker Community Care in Parsons now have ALIASs that follow the standard
format of the other DAREN stations in West Virginia. The ALIASs for the NODE,
DIGI, PBBS at Davis Memorial Hospital is RANDWV/RANDWV/ELKNWV. The ALIASs for
NODE, DIGI, PBBS at Tucker Community Care is TUCKDM/TUCKDM/PRSNDM. These are
24 hour a day, 7 day a week stations.
The ARES/RACES meeting at the State Radio Convention at Jackson's Mill was
very informative. George, K8QEW gave a report on the ARES/RACES program in
the state. George and Olie, WD8V spoke on the need to have EC (Emergency
Coordinator) reports sent to them. They would like to have any and all
reports that uses Amateur Radio Operators. If your county is using Amateurs
to provide primary, or back-up and overload communications for any activity
they want to know about it. The activities can be anything from helping with
Road Runs to helping search for downed Airplanes. Send them a brief
description of the activities, the number of operators, and how many people
hours were spent. You can send your reports over the DAREN system to George,
K8QEW @ WEIRWV and to Olie, WD8V @ CHASWV. These reports are needed by the
ARRL (American Radio Relay League) so they can prove to the Congress and the
Federal Communications Commission that Amateur Radio is still a very important
resource of communications. Wess, N8WBR gave a report on the train wreck the
first week of June in Putnam County and how the Amateurs provided the weather
information that was needed during the incident. Bill, W8FZP gave a report on
the flooding in Mineral County this past year. Olie says to go to all Public
Officials and make them aware of what your group and Amateur radio has to
offer and what your capabilities are. He says to also check and see if
ARES/RACES is written into and a part of your local or County Emergency Plan.
Pepper, KA8ZOO talked about the Search and Rescue Teams that are in West
Virginia. Some members in each of the teams are now Amateur Radio operators
and use it when they go into an area to do a job. The only problem they are
having is getting to know who to contact in each area and what repeaters are
best to use.
I talked to Terry, KB8EIR (Randolph County), and he says there will be a cave
search and rescue exercise coming up very shortly and they will be using
Packet Radio as part of the communications.
Ashby, WV8ASH says that plans are to re-install the Pendleton County (Spruce
Knob) station next month. The date has been set for September 6th if all goes
well. That station has been missed since it was destroyed by lightening.
There were 71 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. I saw several of
the regulars at the State Convention on Saturday at Jackson's Mill that didn't
make it home in time to get checked in. Jim, N8PEJ has checked into the net
100 times and will be receiving his certificate. Charles, KC8WO needs only
one more check-in to make 150 and Bob WD8MTN needs only one more to make 50.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. August 31, 1997 (.268)
While I was at the state convention last week I also found out the call sign
of the Buckwheat Festival Special Event Station will be "W8B". This is
Preston's County's 56th Annual Festival and it will run from September 25th
through September 28th. They received their Special Event Callsign too late
to get it in the QST magazine. The Special Event Station will operate on 40,
20, 15, and 10 Meters from 1400Z September 25th through 0200Z September 28th.
You can QSL Richard Wolfe, KA8UEU, PO BOX 512, Kingwood, WV 26537. The Net
Control Station for the State Wide DAREN Net on September 27th will also be at
the Buckwheat Festival.
For some reason the Tucker County NODE was having a problem last Sunday and
everyone that connected to it got disconnected after trying to connect to
another station. It seems to be ok now. This isn't the only station that had
problems last week. The Hancock County PBBS, WEIRWV would only let you
connect to it. You couldn't list or post anything on it. Friday the Wood
County NODE, WOODWV that operates on 145.09 Mhz would only let you connect to
it and nothing else. A "RESET" using the "REMOTE" access on WEIRWV and WOODWV
seems to have fixed them both. If you ever have a problem getting your NODE
or PBBS to operate properly the first thing to do is try a "RESET" before
doing anything else.
Ashby, WV8ASH said that Gene, N8ER has come up with a 110 watt GE MASTR II
radio and everything else that is needed to put the Preston County (Spruce
Knob) NODE/PBBS, PENDWV/FKLNWV back on the air. The radio will only be
running about 50 watts from the station, which should be enough from the
highest point in West Virginia. He says the September 6th date is still a
firm date to get the station re-installed.
George, K8QEW went to the Hancock County NODE/PBBS, HANCWV/WEIRWV site Friday
and installed a small fan on the equipment. The radio is only operating on
medium power since it doesn't seem to work too good on high power. He says
the station seems to be working fine even with the 3's out of Pennsylvania.
There were 78 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Charles, KC8WO
has checked into the net 150 times and Bob, WD8MTN has checked into the net 50
times. Both of them will be receiving their certificate. Judy, N8UFQ needs
only one more check-in to make 250 and Bud, WA8FFG needs only one more check-
in to make 100. There was one new check-in to the net this week and that was
Carl, AA8TH.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. September 7, 1997 (.269)
Ashby WV8ASH says the Pendleton County (Spruce Knob) is back in operation. He
said it was a very windy day on the mountain but, Dick N8FMD, Rick N8HON, and
Gene N8ER got the station installed and operational. The transmitter is a GE
MASTR II running 50 watts, and the antenna is up 100 feet on the side of the
tower. The ALIASs for the NODE and PBBS are still the same, PENDWV for the
NODE and FKLNWV for the PBBS. Bob W3RUA has changed the ALIASs of his back-up
Pendleton County NODE/PBBS to PENDWV-1 and FKLNWV-1, which he will keep in
operation in case something happens to the Spruce Knob station. The Spruce
Knob tower site has almost no access in the winter time from about the first
of November to the last of April do to snow. The NODE seems to have the same
paths at it did before it got hit by lightening. It seems to have a very good
path to Berkeley County and to Pocahontas County. The station is a very
important one since it handles most of the traffic into the Eastern Panhandle
and the North/South traffic on Eastern side of West Virginia.
To celibrate the first year anniversary of the PARC (Plateau Amateur Radio
Club) Packet Net, Juddie KC8CON will be operating the net for 24 hours. The
net will start at 7:00 am on Thursday, September 11th and will run until
Friday, September 12th at 7:00 am. This will be a good chance to have those
who can't check into the net on it's regular schedule of 7:00 to 10:00 pm on
Thursday nights. After the net is over Juddie will post a list of all check-
ins and the amount of times they have checked in for the year that it's been
in operation. The PARC Net operates on 145.09 Mhz and can be accessed through
the NODEs "PARC" and "MTNPAC".
There were 84 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Judy N8UFQ has
checked into the net 250 times, Bud WA8FFG and Benjamin have checked into the
net 100 times each. Each of them will be receiving their certificate. R-2
(Maurice) AB8E needs only one more check-in to make 50. There were four
stations that checked in for the first time and they were: Debbie N8ZYB, Jim
KC8GIM, Jeremy KC8FEI, and Paul K8GLA. I want to welcome them to the DAREN
system. 73 Ken
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. September 14, 1997 (.270)
The news is a little late this week. I got up early this morning to go to the
Wheeling Hamfest. I ran into, and talked to several of the DAREN operators at
the Hamfest. They had a very pretty day for the event and the crowd was about
the same as it's been for the last few years.
Lynn AI8I says he'll be able to start being Net Control for the State Wide
DAREN Net since the Pendleton County (Spruce Knob) NODE/PBBS, PENDWV/FKLNWV is
now back in operation. I'll check and see if he wants to be net control this
coming weekend. If anyone else wants to act as the Net Control Station for
the State Wide DAREN Net at any time just let me know. All I need to know is
when you would like to be NCS and the NODEs that you can connect to direct so
I can let everyone know in the Net Announcements.
The NCS for the net on September 27th will be Rich KA8UEU in Kingwood. The
net will be operated in conjunction with the Special Event Station that will
be operated at the Preston County Buckwheat Festival. The Special Event
Station will be in operation from Thursday September 25 through Sunday
September 28th. Read the DAREN News dated August 31 for more information.
The Wood County group provided Packet and Voice communications with the area
hospitals September 10th during their hospital certification drill. Amateurs
with Portable and Fixed stations were located at the four area hospitals, two
Red Cross offices and the Wood County Sheriff's Department. Traffic that was
handled over Packet was the number of victims and their conditions that were
transported from the disaster scene to each of the hospitals and the name of
the victims were put into the database of the ARES/Data system which is in
operation 24 hour a day, 7 days a week. The ARES/Data seems to work very good
and will hold several thousand names if necessary.
There were 85 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Maurice who is
better known in the Elkins area as, (and would rather be called) R-2, AB8E has
checked into the net 50 times and will be getting his certificate. Joe N8UXE
and George K8QEW need only one more check-in each to make 200. Georgia N3TGL
needs only one more check-in to make 100 and Juddie KC8CON needs only one more
check-in to make 50. There were four new check-ins to the net this week,
Larry W8UB, Scott KC8ECA, Bruce KI5DD, and Hans KB8QH. I want to welcome each
of them to the DAREN system. Last week I left Benjamin's call out of the News
when I said that he had checked into the net 100 times. Benjamin's call is
N8XXA. 73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. September 21, 1997 (.271)
George, K8QEW has been having trouble with the Hancock County NODE/PBBS,
HANCWV/WEIRWV. The stations seemed to work for a little while and then it
would quit. He finally found the trouble in a missing power supply. He has
now connected into the supply system at the tower site where the station is
located. He has changed out the radio and is having a little trouble with the
new radio. We suspect the problem is the audio level going from the TNC to
the microphone input is either too high or too low. In the mean time the
stations are back in operation, but it may have to take a couple of tries
while working through the station.
Pat, N3AAS says there's going to be a SKYWARN Class in Mineral County November
8th, 1997. The class will be located at the Mineral County VO-TECH SCHOOL in
Keyser, WV. The class will begin at 0900 and should be over by about 1500.
The class will be taught by National Weather Service Personnel from the NWS
Office in Sterling, Virginia. With Winter coming this would be an excellent
time for all Amateurs in the area to learn how to observe the weather and what
needs to be reported to the National Weather Service. I've been to several of
the classes myself and have learned a lot about spotting weather. If you need
additional information about the class contact Butch N8RCG in Mineral County.
Lynn AI8I was the Net Control Station this week's State Wide DAREN Net and
there were 57 check-ins to the net. Joe N8UXE has checked into the net 200
times and Juddie KC8CON has checked in 50 times. Both of these operators will
be receiving their certificates. Steve N8SNR needs only one more check-in to
make 150. I know it is hard some times to get checked into the net, but it is
one way of trying different paths to get to different areas of the state.
Remember, the Net Control Stations next week will be KA8UEU and the Preston
County gang operating a Special Event Station under the Call "W8B", which I
was told means "We 8 Buckwheat". 73 Ken
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. September 28, 1997 (.272)
I'm a little late getting the news put together this week, I just got home
from one of our many activities that supports our communications team. Like
every year at Volcano Days we have to tear our BINGO equipment down in the
rain and mud, but we made a few dollars to keep us going.
Lynn AI8I says the Mercer County NODE/PBBS, MERCWV/BLFDWV was out of service
for a few days, but is back in operation now. He says the DAREN station at
the Mining Academy RALEMA/BECKMA must be off the air since he hasn't been able
to connect to it and post the DAREN Net Announcements for two or three weeks
now.
Ashby WV8ASH said that he and Gene N8ER made a trip to the Pendleton County
(Spruce Knob) NODE/PBBS, PENDWV/FKLNWV and upgraded it to 128K of memory. The
PBBS now has 50K of memory and the NODE has 12 channels. It should be a lot
easier to connect through the station into the Eastern Panhandle or into
Pocahontas County. This has been one of the biggest improvements to the
station since it went on the air.
The Net Control Station for this week's State Wide DAREN Net was located at
the Preston County Buckwheat Festival in Kingwood. Larry KB8CVP and Rich
KA8UEU were in charge of the net which was a part of the Special Event Station
in operation at the festival. Anyone who checked into the DAREN Net this week
can get a Special Event Certificate by sending a SASE to: Richard Wolfe,
KA8UEU, PO BOX 512, Kingwood, WV 26537. George K8QEW has checked into the net
200 times and Georgia N3TGL has checked into the net 100 times. Each of these
stations will be receiving their certificates. Lisa KB8UER and Jerry NQ8B
need only one more check-in each to make 150. 73 Ken
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. October 28, 1997 (.273)
I've posted the latest NODE/DIGI/PBBS list on most of the High Memory PBBSs,
and have had a few messages on some corrections and additions. If there are
any corrections that need to be made or additional NODEs that should be either
put on, or taken off the list leave me a message so I can keep it up to date.
Gene N8ER has upgraded the Tucker County NODE/PBBS, TUCKWV/PRSNWV to 128K of
memory. There are now 12 NODE channels and 65K of memory in the PBBS.
Last week Juddie KC8CON sent me an update about the PARC NODE which operates
on 145.09 Mhz. The station is still in operation, but not at it's regular
site. He has the station at his house in Fayetteville, an elevation of only
about 1910 feet. As soon as he gets the chance he will be re-installing the
station back up on the mountain. He also told me about the new club "Mountain
Packet Association Inc". He says the club's goal is to promote packet radio
and to put up nodes. All amateurs are going to be welcomed to join the club.
The club's address is: Mountain Packet Association, Inc., Route 3 Box 498A,
Fayetteville, West Virginia, 25840. The club also has NODEs in Nicholas
County - Grasshopper Knob (MTNPAC), Fayette County - Crooked Run Road (EAGLE),
and in a week or two Webster County - Point Mountain (MTNWEB). All of these
NODEs operate on 145.09 Mhz.
Ashby WV8ASH told me the SYSOP for the Davis Memorial Hospital in Elkins is
Steve Johnson KB8TCB. Steve is the Plant Manager for Davis Memorial and it's
out of town clinics. He says they are in the process of setting up a station
at Broadus Hospital in Phillipi. They will also be converting the radios on
the RANDWV and TUCKWV NODEs to General Electric MASTR IIs as soon as possible.
Rick N8HON who is the SYSOP of the Pendleton County (Spruce Knob) NODE/PBBS
now has his home station on the air and starting to learn his way around the
system.
There were 84 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Steve N8SNR,
Jerry NQ8B, and Lisa KB8UER have all checked into the net 150 each and will
soon be receiving their certificates. Cal N8RNY and Mike N9GAB need only one
more check-in each to make 40. I want to thank everyone for taking time to
check into the net. 73 Ken
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. October 12, 1997 (.274)
John N4OKL says he's had over 500 hits on his internet DAREN Web Site since he
set it up in mid-April. I still need to get John a couple DAREN News that
were bad when I sent all of them to him. The url for the DAREN Web site is:
http://www.newwave.net/~jharmon/daren/. John also told me that Brian N8PQI
has a Kanawha Valley Balloon Experiment (KVBE) web page set up. The url for
it is: http://www.crwnet.com/kvbe/index.html. You can get the complete track
file from the balloon launch that was held August 2nd and rerun it via the
APRS program. You can also see the pictures from the balloon and its
recovery. One great shot of the Ohio river, and a few shots of leaves, and
when the balloon was still in the tree, plus other information about the
launch.
Don N8NUS will be the Net Control Station October 18th for the State Wide
DAREN Net. A Boy Scout JOTA (Jamboree On The Air) Special Event Station will
be sponsored by Troop #215 in Williamstown, West Virginia. If you connect to
him, and/or check into the net, you can receive a Special Event Station QSL
card. You'll be able to connect to Don by using the NODEs: WOODWV, RITCWV,
PLEAWV, and WASHOH. To receive the QSL Card send a SASE Envelope with a 32
cent stamp to: DON WILLIAMS, N8NUS, 104 W. 9TH ST., WILLIAMSTOWN, WV 26187.
I can see the band is starting to change with the cooler weather. Later in
the evening and early morning I can see the BBS Stations in Pennsylvania and
the DX Cluster Station in Dayton, Ohio. The newer users of the DAREN need to
be asked to refrain from trying to connect to these type stations using the
DAREN NODEs and DIGIs. I know it's hard to keep from connecting to these
stations since they are on a frequency that isn't cluttered and it would be
easy to get through to them, but, that's what make the DAREN system work so
good, the lack of clutter. If you happen to see someone trying to connect to
Non-DAREN type stations please explain to them about the use of the DAREN
system and it's stations. Thanks.
There were 83 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN net. There wasn't
anyone that checked into the net 50 times or multiplies of 50 this week even
though there were a couple last week who only needed one more check-in. I did
have one Army MARS Call check-in. If you think you may have forgot to change
your call back when you checked in, or you don't see your call on the list
when I post the net announcement Thursday, let me know so I can give you
credit for the check-in. 73 Ken
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. October 19, 1997 (.275)
I want to congratulate Jim KI8EC for his upgrade to Advanced class license.
He also had his call changed from KC8AUS. Anyone else who has changed their
call when they upgrade or now have a vanity callsign should let me know so I
can carry their DAREN Net check-ins over to their new call.
Juddie KC8CON, Jim N8PEJ, and Harold KD8XU have re-installed the Packet NODE
"PARC", which operates on 145.09 Mhz, back on Gauley Mountain. The NODE was
moved back to the mountain on October 11th. It seems to be working pretty
good since I used it to connect to the PARC Packet Net which runs Thursday
evening between 7:00 and 10:00 pm.
Lynn AI8I sent me some information about renewing or modifying Amateur License
using the Internet. The URL is: http;//www.fcc.gov/wtb/electcom.html for
renewal. To receive a 610 form use the URL of: http://www.fcc.gov.
Gene N8JYS said he would like to take Net Control for the State Wide DAREN Net
October 25. The NODEs that he can connect to are: RANDWV, MONOWV, PRESWV, and
BARBWV.
Don't forget that Daylight Saving time ends next Sunday. SYSOPs need to
change the time on their NODEs so that messages left on the PBBSs will have
the right date and time. It's also a good time to give you stations a RESET
to clean out any strange bugs that seem to work their way into the memory of
the TNC. I know it may sound strange, but I've seen some strange troubles
that cause the NODEs to not process connects and a "RESET" to the station
seems to bring the station back to normal, what ever that is.
There were 81 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Don N8NUS who
was the Net Control Station, operating from a church just a couple blocks away
from his house said he had trouble getting connected to the same NODEs that he
can connect to at his home location. He said the Boy Scouts and their leaders
were very impressed the technology of Amateur Radio. Some of those trying to
get checked in had trouble getting connected to the NCS. I monitored the net
and think I got those who may have given up. Those who were successful in
getting checked in can get a Special Event Station QSL Card by sending a SASE
with a 32 cent stamp to: DON WILLIAMS, N8NUS, 104 W. 9TH ST., WILLIAMSTOWN,
WV, 26187. Mike N9GAB has checked into the net 50 times will be receiving his
certificate, and Ted KB8DXI needs only one more check-in to make 150.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. October 26, 1997 (.276)
Juddie KC8CON says the Mountain Packet Association Inc. has a new 145.09 Mhz
NODE on the air now. The ALIAS of the NODE is "MTNNIC" and it's located on
Grasshopper Knob in Nicholas County.
Does anyone have NODE maps or lists of Packet stations for the other Packet
frequencies in West Virginia? George K8QEW just gave me an idea. I would
like to put together a complete set of Packet NODEs, Digipeaters, PBBSs, and
BBSs for West Virginia. After they are completed they would be available for
anyone who wants them. If you have a list or map, how about sending or
mailing me a copy. It doesn't make any difference if it's a hand drawn copy
map or hand written copy. I know there are plenty of stations on other Packet
frequencies that are permanent, or semi-permanent that other Packet operators
would like to know about. Any information like type of NODE, who the SYSOP
is, where it's located, if it's a full blown BBS, any thing at all that you
can give me would help put together a list that everyone can use. Just mail
anything you have to the above address.
Did you change your clocks back? How did it feel to sleep in that extra hour?
I mentioned last week about giving your TNC a "RESET" every now and then, well
during the net last night I was using the Ritchie County NODE, RITCWV as my
first hop. I noticed that every time I, or anyone else would connect to it,
and they were on NODE CHANNEL "D" all you got was "LINK MADE", nothing else.
During the net I went in the back door of the TNC and gave it a "RESET". That
seems to have cleaned up the problem. Any time that you notice a problem like
that contact the SYSOP of the NODE and let them know so they can get it fixed.
I want to thank Gene N8JYS for being the Net Control Station for this week's
State Wide DAREN Net. Gene reported 83 check-ins. Cal N8RNY has checked into
the net 50 times and will be getting his certificate. Joe N8DSN needs only
one check-in to make 150 and Bill KB8NWU needs only one more to make 100.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. November 2, 1997 (.277)
There's been another callsign change. Prentice KB8GIZ now has a new call.
His new call is K8CXD.
Phil K8MHR told me that after two and a half years he had to give the TNC for
his MARS NODE a "RESET". He thought the TNC was starting to go deaf. It
seemed to be communicating with another station and was ignoring him. He gave
the TNC a "RESET" and everything seems to be fine now. If you have any idea
that you may be having trouble with your Packet station or the NODEs your are
working through, first thing to do is give the TNC a "RESET". A "RESET" does
nothing more that turn the TNC off and back on. It may save you a lot of
headaches.
David KB4LCI gave me the internet address for the TAPR (Tucson Amateur Packet
Radio) listing for all Packet NODEs, DIGIs, and BBS' that are listed with
them. Since the ARRL Repeater Directory no longer lists Packet stations you
have to get them off the internet. The address is: HTTP://WWW.TAPR.ORG. This
only gives a list of those stations that someone has sent to TAPR. If you
know of any other stations that should be listed send them to me and I'll try
to get them listed. The stations that are listed SHOULD be stations that are
on the air 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week, not home stations.
Is your Amateur License coming up for renewal? Remember the FCC no longer
reminds you when it's due.
There were 87 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Ted KB8DXI and
Joe N8DSN have checked into the net 150 times each and will be getting their
certificates. Ron KB8YAQ needs only one more check-in to make 50. There was
one new station that checked in this week and that was Tony KC8ESW. I want to
welcome him to the DAREN system.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. November 9, 1997 (.278)
Juddie KC8CON is working on a list of NODEs on 145.09 Mhz, and I'm still
looking for others that can help me put together a complete list of NODEs,
DIGIs, and PBBS' in West Virginia. The reason I'm trying to get all of these
together on all frequencies in West Virginia is because George K8QEW has asked
me to take over as District Emergency Coordinator of West Virginia for all
digital communications. It's been awhile since I've been on some of the
frequencies looking for various station, so I need as much help as I can get.
When it's all put together we all can have a up to date list of Packet Stations
in West Virginia. Any information that you can send will be a help in putting
together a complete Packet Systems Guide.
John N4OKL has given me some more information about the Web Site he has set
up. He's added LINKS pages off of his DAREN page. It has links to Emergency,
Local Clubs, and other sites such as (ARRL, AMSAT, FCC, etc). Anyone wishing
to put the names of clubs, RACES, and ARES groups on his information page, can
email them to his url address of: n4okl@amsat.org. I'm not on the internet
yet myself, but Bill N8JXO showed me John's Web Site, and it looks great. I
finally got the missing DAREN News to John so he would have a complete set of
the News from July 19th, 1992 to the present date, on his Web Site. If you are
not on the internet yet, you can still send any information you have about
clubs and other radio groups to John N4OKL @ CHASWV.
Lynn AI8I said he was unable to post the net announcement on the Berkeley
County PBBS MRTNWV Wednesday. He's tried several times since, and I tried to
connect to MRTNWV and BERKWV a couple of times. It looks like it may be off
the air. I'll try to get a hold of Mark WB8ZLQ in Berkeley County and let him
know about it.
There were 93 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Bill KB8NWU has
checked into the net 100 times and Ron KB8YAQ has checked in 50 times. They
will both be receiving their certificates. Dave KB4LCI needs only one more
check-in to make 100. There were two new stations that checked in this week
and they were Mat KC8FSI and Joe KB8YPA. I want to welcome both of them to the
DAREN system.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. November 16, 1997 (.279)
Navy-Marine MARS held a communications disaster drill this week and it seemed
to go pretty well. The drill ran for 25 hours and handled 27 messages via the
DAREN system and a total of 60 messages for the drill. I guess Bill KB8HEK was
handling traffic on Voice, Packet and the Internet. A couple of problems that
I saw on Packet was the use of "Auto-Forwarding" and using "S" or "SP" during
drills or actual emergencies. Some of the DAREN NODEs are set up for "Auto-
Forwarding", but may be forwarding in the wrong direction. Since the Central
Message PBBS "DAREN" is no longer in operation, some messages may get stuck and
noget to their destination. The use of "S" or "SP" when addressing a message
makes it a "Private" message and no one but the intended receiver will be able
to "read" and "kill" the message. If for some reason the "Call Sign" of the
message is wrong, the intended receiver will not get his message until the
"SYSOP" of the PBBS the message is on happens to find it. I'm sure Bill has a
few more things that he has seen that can be improved to make the operating of
the next drill or a real emergency go a little smoother, that's what drills are
for.
I've received a few messages of Packet Systems in West Virginia. Dave KB4LCI
says we now have a path to the Virginia Digital Emergency Network (VDEN). He's
been working with Ben Sager KC4ASF. Ben is the coordinator for the VDEN system
in Virginia. I haven't had a chance to try to get through to it yet, but
here's the path: from where ever you are at, get to PENDWV then -> MINEWV ->
DMSCS6 -> NVAHUB -> VAEOC. VAEOC is the Mailbox or PBBS at the Emergency
Operations Center in Richmond, Virginia. A direct path to Ben is: PENDWV ->
MINEWV -> DMSCS6 -> NVAHUB -> BBFRED.
Phil K8MHR also sent me an updated list of Army MARS NODEs and Mailboxes. Army
MARS has a NODE/PBBS in five counties in West Virginia which operates on 148.65
Mhz. The COUNTY - NODE/MAILBOX are as follows: KANAWHA - STAMIL/STAMMS,
WEBSTER - WEBMIL/WEBMMS, WETZEL - WTZMIL/WTZMMS, WOOD - PBGMIL/PBGMMS, and
UPSHUR - CWVMIL/CWVMMS. The Army MARS Packet system went in operation in
February, 1995.
Well... I guess Winter is finally here. We have at least an inch of snow on
everything and there were 106 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. I
had a little trouble right at the beginning of the net. I forgot to set the
users to 20 and several operators were getting a link busy, Old Timers Disease
must be kicking in. All of those who got a "Link Busy" still got on the list.
Dave KB4LCI has checked into the net 100 times and will be getting his
certificate. Dean N8OLT needs only one more check-in to make 50 and he will
then get his certificate. There was one new check-in to this week's net, Tom
K8YA. I just sent him a DAREN package this week. Welcome to the net Tom.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. November 23, 1997 (.280)
On information I'm collecting for the Packet information booklet, Bob W3RUA
says there's a gateway "MFLD" on 145.07 Mhz to N8YIB to all kinds of other
connections to everywhere. You might check it out. If anyone else has this
kind of information let me know.
Juddie KC8CON says there will be NO PARC Packet Net on Thanksgiving (November
27). He will be out of town. The PARC Packet net normally runs from 7 to 10
pm every Thursday Evening on 145.09 Mhz. Connect to "NET" through the NODEs
"PARC", "MTNPAC", "MTNNIC" "BKW", and "CHSWV".
I've been told that DAREN News and other information is being removed from the
DAREN PBBS' sooner than they should be. It's up to the SYSOP to determine how
long he or she wants to keep information on the PBBS. Traffic messages should
be removed as soon as the message is picked up or delivered. DAREN Net
announcements should be removed as soon after the State Wide DAREN Net is
over by anyone. The DAREN News should only be removed by the SYSOP or someone
appointed by him or her.
There is W5YI and ARRL testing at two locations December 13th. Dana WV8G
(304) 422-1823 is holding W5YI testing at the Eastwood Fire Station, 4 and
half miles East of I-77 on Rt 47 near Parkersburg. Registration at 10:00 am
and testing at 10:30 am. The Jackson County Amateur Radio Club and the Wood
County ARRL VE-Team are having their test session at the Jackson County EOC in
Ripley, WV. Testing 9:00 am. For more information contact Art, W8PBO on the
146.67 MHz repeater, or Larry, KF8NW via 146.97 Mhz repeater, or phone (304)
863-0073).
Dave KB4LCI says his club is getting ready to move their voice repeater to
another location sometime next Spring. He plans to install a DAREN node at
the same location. It will be operated on intermediate power because the site
will be looking down on the observatory. When he gets it in operation the
NODE will be called HIGHWV and the PBBS will be called FROSWV for Frost, WV.
He said he will keep us updated on the progress.
The Net Control Station for next week's State Wide DAREN Net will be Gene
N8JYS. The NODEs to connect through are: RANDWV, MONOWV, PRESWV, and BARBWV.
There were 102 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Dean N8OLT has
checked into the net 50 times and will be receiving his certificate. Bob
W3RUA needs only one more check-in to make 150. Bill KB8TJA and Frank WA8LFZ
need only one more check-in to make 50 each. There were two new stations that
checked into the net and they were WD8DX and Dave KC8HFL. Have a happy and
safe Thanksgiving. 73 Ken
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. November 30, 1997 (.281)
I hope everyone had a good Thanksgiving. I received very little news this
week, so there's very little to pass on to everyone.
Juddie KC8CON has sent me a map of the NODEs, DIGIs, Mailboxes, and BBS' that
he's made contact with on 145.09 Mhz. Little by little I'm getting the
information together for a booklet that will list stations that operate on
Packet in West Virginia. If you know of any stations that you use or can
connect to let me know. I'm sure there will plenty of double-ups, but it's
the only way to make sure of getting all of the stations.
For the past couple of weeks we've been having interference on our 147.255 Mhz
voice repeater here in Parkersburg from a paging transmitter that is located
in Harrisville, West Virginia. The transmitter which operates on 158.700 Mhz
was splattering across a large part of the band. The problem was corrected at
about 7:00 am Saturday morning. The transmitter had at least one "Birdie"
that was on 147.855 Mhz. There may have been other repeaters that was
receiving the same interference. I'm just curious if the 147.255 Mhz repeater
in Hinton, West Virginia was receiving the interference.
Gene N8JYS, who the Net Control Station reported 75 check-ins to this week's
State Wide DAREN Net. Bob W3RUA has checked into the net 150 times and Frank
WA8LFZ has checked into the net 50 times. Both of them will be receiving
their certificates. There was one new check-in to the net and that was N0CLU.
I want to welcome him/her to the DAREN system. I noticed that N0CLU was
having trouble finding a path the NCS. If anyone needs a DAREN Path Map, just
send me a message @ PKBGWV, or a letter to the above address, and I'll get one
mailed out to you. 73 Ken
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. December 7, 1997 (.282)
Last week there was a new call that had checked into the State Wide DAREN Net.
the Call Sign was N0CLU. John N4OKL said that is the default call sign on the
Windows version of the APRS program. He gave me a call sign of who it may
have been that checked into the net and he will get credit for the check-in.
It's no sin to make a mistake and get the wrong call sign on your packet
controller, as long as it's an honest mistake and you're not just "bootleging"
someone else's call. It's happened to the best of us, me included.
Phil K8MHR reports the West Virginia Amateur Radio (WVAR) repeaters (WV8AR) in
Kanawha and Putnam counties are installing CTCSS (subaudible) tone to their
linked repeaters. The repeaters that operate on 145.41 Mhz, 147.27 Mhz and
449.225 Mhz will use the PL TONE of 123.0 Hz to access them. The PL TONE will
not be needed for any net, example the Sunday, Wednesday, and Friday evening
nets. Phil says adding the PL TONE is necessary due to the increasing
intermod problems and the human resources to constantly chase it down. I know
what he's talking about.
It might have been just band conditions, but last week I was unable to get a
PTEXT from the Pocahontas County PBBS MARLWV when I would connect to it. Lynn
AI8I says he's been able to connect to it ok and everything was fine. He went
ahead and gave the station a "RESET" anyway.
There were 96 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Bill KB8TJA has
checked into the net 50 times and will be receiving his certificate. I had a
couple of MARS calls that checked in, but they will be converted to Amateur
calls so they will get credit for their check-in.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. December 14, 1997 (.283)
Things have sure been quiet this week, I've only heard from Lynn AI8I. I
notice that Ashby WV8ASH hasn't checked into the weekly net for a few weeks
and that's unusual. He may be out of town.
Bill N8JXO gave me a copy of the Packet information that he down loaded from
the TAPR web site. It shows several Packet stations in West Virginia, but it
doesn't show a bunch of them that I know are in operation. Bill has been
getting the web site up to date as far as the DAREN system. To update
information on the TAPR web site you need to be registered with them. Any of
the information that I am receiving about Packet in West Virginia will be
given to Bill to update at TAPR web site. I've received some information from
several operators and will keep looking forward to more. You don't have to
the SYSOP of any of the stations that are in service. Just give me what you
know about the Packet stations that you use.
Lynn AI8I said he found a new Kantronics Packet Program that is made for
Windows 95. The program is called "PACTERM 98". He found a DEMO version of
the program on the internet @ www.kantronics.com. Since it's a DEMO program
it has it's limitations. He says the full version is $50 and that's a special
price. He says it takes about 4 megs of memory. He hasn't finished testing
out the program, but he says it has a couple of major drawbacks. One you can
only connect to one NODE, from there you are stopped. Another problem is
exiting the program. When you exit the program, the TNC is left in the "HOST"
mode. It's possible that these problems are only in the DEMO version. If any
one has ever used the "PACTERM 98" program you might compare notes with Lynn.
He says there's only a couple of ways to get your TNC back into the "TERM"
mode if it is in the "HOST" mode. One is to give it a "HARD RESET", (clear
back to day one), or two, hold the ALT key down and type 192 from the keypad,
type the letter Q and then hold the ALT key down again and type 192 from the
keypad again. This should put the TNC back into the "TERM" mode.
There were 82 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Next week the
Net Control station will be Gene N8JYS. Gene is located in Carolina in Marion
County. NODEs you can connect to him from are: RANDWV, BARBWV, PRESWV, and
MONONWV. 73 Ken
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. December 21, 1997 (.284)
I'm getting ready to go to Bill N8JXO's house to help him update the DAREN
Plan and the list of West Virginia Packet stations that are on the TAPR Web
Site. I'll be letting everyone know when the updated plan is ready. If you
want one just let me know.
I got a good looking newsletter this week called "Digital Communicator". It's
the newsletter put out by the Mountain Packet Association. It looks like it's
going to be published every four months. The editor is Juddie KC8CON. I know
how hard it is to get little tidbits of information to put in the DAREN News
each week, so if you have anything about Packet Radio, Digital Communications,
or anything Amateur related, just send it to me and/or Juddie. The Mountain
Packet Association is taking applications for membership. If you would like
further information their address is: Mountain Packet Association Inc., Rt 3
Box 498A, Fayetteville, WV 25840.
Don't forget the PARC Net on Thursday evenings on 145.090 Mhz. It runs from
7:00 to 10:00 pm. NODEs to connect to "NET" are: PARC, MTNNIC, MTNPAC, BKW,
KNOBS, and CHSWV.
Gene N8JYS reported 77 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Diane
KB8VLS needs only one more check-in to make 150. Bob KB8QKY and Roger KB8TQH
need only one more check-in each to make 50. Sometime after the first of the
year Ken KA3SKW may be the Net Control Station for the State Wide DAREN Net.
Ken can only hit a few NODEs, so it may be an interesting net. Just keep
reading the DAREN Net Announcements each week to be sure where the NCS is
located.
Members of Wood County Emergency Communications Inc. and myself would like to
wish you a very Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.
73 Ken WA8LLM
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. December 28, 1997 (.285)
Lynn AI8I, who posts the DAREN News, Net Announcements, and monitors the DAREN
system in the South and Eastern parts of West Virginia was hospitalized last
Saturday with a stroke. He's in at the UVA Hospital in Virginia. Dave KB4LCI
has been staying in contact with his family and getting updates. As he gets
better he will be moved to the VA Hospital in Richmond, Virginia. Get well
cards can be sent to his home address of: Lynn E. Triplett, HC 64, Box 21,
Hillsboro, WV, 24946. I think Lynn would like to know that everyone is pulling
for him. While Lynn is recovering, Dave will be keeping an eye on the NODEs
and PBBS' that Lynn usually takes care of.
Bob N8HGL has informed me the Monongalia County 911 Center has been relocated
to a new building. The antenna for the Monongalia County DAREN NODE/PBBS,
MONOES/MGTNES has been removed from the old building and is in the process of
being relocated. It may be a couple of weeks before the station gets put back
in service. Also the NODE/PBBS, MONOWV/MGTNWV is out of service being worked
on. It seems that mice have been doing their normal destructive work to the
station. They have damaged the audio cable. Bob has the station at his house
for the time being while it is being checked out for other possible problems.
I received my copy of the National Weather Service Newsletter this week and it
had some interesting facts and information in it. There was a reminder about
the Packet station that is set up at the weather service. The ALIAS for the
station is NWSCRW. It has direct connections from JACKWV, KANAWV, PUTNWV, and
maybe other NODEs. Any weather reports that you have can be sent via Packet.
Even though the Charleston Weather Service doesn't cover the entire state of
West Virginia, they would still like to get the reports and they will pass them
on to the other National Weather Services that need them. At the present time
there is no set format of sending them your weather report, but be sure to
leave your name and a callback telephone number, with the Area Code in case
they need to get any other information.
There were 97 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. I even had SANTA
check into the net. Diane KB8VLS has checked into the net 150 times and will
be receiving her certificate shortly. Also Roger KB8TQH and Bob KB8QKY have
checked into the net 50 times and will be receiving their certificates. Lowell
N8HGL and John N4OKL need only one more check-in each to make 150. There were
three new stations that checked in last night and they were: Amber Jr. KC8HHI,
Amber KC8HHJ, and Mike KF8XP. I want to welcome them to the DAREN system.
73 and have a Happy, Safe, and Prosperous New Year. Ken WA8LLM
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