D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. January 4, 1998 (.286)
by Ken Harris WA8LLM (304) 679-3470 (HOME) or 428-9980 (WORK)
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS, P.O. BOX 3328, PARKERSBURG, WV 26103
D.A.R.E.N. News, are articles and information about the Digital Amateur Radio
"Emergency" Network of WV, which operates on 145.69 Mhz. Anyone having any
information about DAREN or Amateur Radio in general, they would like to share
with others, may send it to WA8LLM @ PKBGWV on 145.69 Mhz. Outside of the
DAREN system, on the regular 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
operated every Saturday from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm. NET Announcements, showing
the MAIN NCS, ALTERNATE NCS, NODEs accessible to both, and the previous week's
check-ins, are posted by Thursday on most of the MAIN county DAREN PBBS'.
During the snow storm last week that hit the Eastern part of the West Virginia
I saw a few weather reports go to the National Weather Service, in Charleston.
With winter just getting a good start more reports should be sent to the NWS.
Someone in each county should compile the information and be responsible for
sending it to the NWS. The ALIAS for Charleston NWS is: NWSCRW.
Dave KB4LCI is keeping track of Lynn AI8I, who had a stroke a couple of weeks
ago. Dave has talked to Lynn's Mother-In-Law who said he is doing fine. He is
able to use his hands a little, but he still has trouble with his speech. Lynn
will still be at the UVA Hospital untill at least January 15th. Dave gave me
another address in which to send get well cards. LYNN E. TRIPLETT, C/O UVA
HOSPITAL, 3RD FLOOR EAST, ROOM 3106B, CHARLESVILLE, VA 22901. If you have any
doubt about sending the card to the hospital, you can still send them to his
home address, which was in last week's DAREN News.
With the beginning of a new year there are some who would like to let others
know about VE Testing schedules. There are several VE Test sessions that take
place throughout West Virginia and the surrounding states. I don't know the
best way to have these test sessions circulated, but for the next few weeks
I'll post them here in the DAREN News. If you have a schedule of testing for
the year let me know what it is.
VOLUNTEER EXAMINER TEST SESSIONS FOR 1998
PLACE: CUMBERLAND, MARYLAND EMERGENCY MANAGEMENT UNDERGROUND
TALK-IN: 146.28/.88
PHONE: LEO PATTERSON KQ8E 304-298-3576/GAY REMBOLD W3DFW 301-724-0674
TIME: 8:30 AM
FEE: NO CHARGE BY V.E.C. (FREE)
DATES: SATURDAYS 2/14, 4/11, 6/13, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12, 1998
PLACE: ELKINS, WV DAVIS MEMORIAL HOSP. CLASSROOM (ACROSS FROM CAFETERIA)
TALK-IN: 146.175/.775
PHONE: WALTER CORLEY KF8SX 304-637-0506
TIME: 3:00 PM
FEE: NO CHARGE BY V.E.C. (FREE)
DATES: SUNDAYS 1/4, 3/1, 5/3, 7/5, 11/1, 1998
Dennis KC8BNE gave me a report on the Braxton County NODE/PBBS, BRAXWV/GASSWV.
Dennis has talked to Brad WB8MZI who is the SYSOP for the station. Brad said
the station was hit by lightening and looks completely destroyed. They are not
sure when, or if another station will go back on the air, only time will tell.
Their voice repeater was also hit, but they were able to get it back in
operation.
There were 93 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Lowell N8HGL and
John N4OKL have both checked into the net 150 times and will be getting their
certificates. Bob KB8RNE needs only one more check-in to make 50.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. January 11, 1998 (.287)
I talked to John N4OKL this week on the telephone, and he's interested in
establishing a DAREN Message Center, similar to the old Central Message Center
PBBS "DAREN", which hasn't been in operation since June, 1996. When he gets
the station up and running we need to look at how the regular DAREN PBBS' are
forwarding their messages. At the present time only a few of the regular
DAREN PBBS' are set up to Auto-Forward their messages to some where. In the
next few weeks I'll be looking at each of the regular DAREN PBBS' to see which
ones are capable of automatically forwarding messages, IF, they are set up
right. I'll drop a message to the each of SYSOPs of each PBBS and let them
know how to set their station up so that it will forward to the DAREN Message
Center. I'll be working with John while he is getting it set up so we can
make it work a whole lot better than before. We felt that having the DAREN
Message Center near the State Office of Emergency Services would be a great
advantage.
UPCOMING HAMFEST AND/OR COMPUTER SHOWS
SCARF, Nelsonville, OH January 18, 1998 from 8:00 am to 2:00 pm
PARA, Favetteville, WV February 22, 1998 from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm
VOLUNTEER EXAMINER TEST SESSIONS FOR 1998
PLACE: WINCHESTER, VIRGINIA SHENANDOAH VALLEY AMATEUR RADIO CLUBHOUSE.
TALK-IN: 146.220/.82
PHONE: FRED WETZEL W4RKT 540-678-0394
TIME: 1:00 PM
FEE: NO CHARGE BY V.E.C. (FREE)
DATES: SATURDAY 5/23, 12/19, 1998
PLACE: FORT MCCOY, FLORIDA CIVIC CENTER
PHONE: THOMAS S. BENCH SR. KS4ZI 352-546-3967
TIME: 7:30 PM
FEE: NO CHARGE BY V.E.C. (FREE)
DATES: FOURTH MONDAY OF EVERY MONTH (CALL FOR CONFIRMATION)
Even though this week's State Wide DAREN net got off to a rocky start, Ray
KA8GOH reported 102 check-ins. Looking over the file of check-ins he sent me,
it looked like several operators had trouble connecting and were getting
"RETRIED OUT". If you get a "LINK MADE" message back after you have connected
to the last NODE, and then connected to "NET", there's a very good chance that
you were logged in, even if you don't see the NCS' connect message. The most
important thing to remember is to read the DAREN Net Announcement every week
to find out where the Net Control Station is located. If you are not sure of
the best path, play around a little bit a few days before the net to see how
to get there. Next week the Net Control Station will be Ken KA3SKW in Garrett
County Maryland. NODEs in which to get to Ken are: TUCKWV, PRESWV, MINEWV and
PENDWV. Bob KB8RNE has checked into the net 50 times and will be receiving
his certificate. Opal KB8YIS needs only one check-in to make 50.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. January 18, 1998 (.288)
John W8DRO is getting closer to having the new DAREN Message Center in
operation. I need to get him some more information before he can get it
completely ready. Once the DMC is in operation, and all of the regular PBBS'
that are capable of Auto-Forwarding have been set up to Auto-Forward, messages
should state flowing through the system again. There are three major things
to remember about using the DAREN system, (1) DO NOT trust the use of Auto-
Forwarding of messages during Emergencies, Disasters, and Drills. (2) Use "ST
call" as opposed to "S call" or "SP call" when posting messages. (3) Only use
Auto-Forwarding to PBBS' or Mailboxes that are recognized as DAREN PBBS',
other wise your message may be "stuck" at the DAREN Message Center, never to
be delivered.
Pat N3AAS has a good idea of collecting information, practicing message
handling, and testing out the DAREN System. Here's what we are going to try.
Every week when the DAREN Net Announcement is posted, there will be a question
added to the Net Announcement. The question will be of ARES Type information.
Sometime during the day on Saturday, before the DAREN Net gets started, all
operators are ask to answer the question by putting it in ARRL NTS Radiogram
format and posting it on the proper PBBS. The following week's DAREN Net
Announcement will have a summary of the answers of the previous week's
question. Each week there will be a different question. Using this type of
system will allow the operator to practice the use of Message Handling,
reviewing what his/her own communications are, learning what other Amateurs in
your area are capable of, and stressing the DAREN system just like a real
drill. Pat already has a list of questions to start with. If anyone wants to
add questions to his list you will be able to send them to him. This seems
like a real exciting test, so join in the fun and see what happens.
VOLUNTEER EXAMINER TEST SESSIONS FOR 1998
PLACE: HAGERSTOWN JUNIOR COLLEGE
PHONE: LEO PATTERSON KQ8E AT 304-289-3576
TIME: REGISTER AT 8:00 AM
FEE: NO CHARGE. WALK-INS
DATE: SUNDAY, MAY 3, 1998 AT HAGERSTOWN, MARYLAND HAMFEST
PLACE: BERRYVILLE, VIRGINIA HAMFEST, AT BERRYVILLE, VIRGINIA
PHONE: FRED WETZEL W4KRT 540-678-0394
TIME: 7:30 AM AT COOLEY SCHOOL ACROSS FROM THE HAMFEST
FEE: NO CHARGE
DATE: SUNDAY, AUGUST 2, 1998 HAMFEST
Any other test sessions can be sent to me @ PKBGWV so they can be announced.
Ken KA3SKW, who was this week's State Wide DAREN Net Control Station reported
83 check-ins. Opal KB8YIS has checked into the net 50 times and will be
receiving a certificate. Delmas KB8SCJ and Peggy KB8SEJ need only one more
check-in to make 150. John N4OKL has a new call. It is W8DRO, his dad's call
is WB8DRO.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. January 25, 1998 (.289)
I forgot to mention in last week's DAREN News that Bob N8HGL has the
Monongalia County NODE/PBBS, MONOWV/MGTNWV back in good working order. He's
had the station back on the mountain for about two weeks now and it seems to
be working great. He says it seems to be working better now than it ever has.
I haven't had any trouble posting the DAREN News on it.
Dave KB4LCI says that Lynn AI8I is doing better. He was supposed to go home
last week, but an infection set in. He may be going home this week. He's
still at the UVA Hospital in Virginia.
I saw at least 10 messages being sent to Pat N3AAS in reference to the ARES
Question of the Week experiment that started this week. Each week when the
DAREN Net Announcement is posted there will be an "ARES Question of the Week"
added to it. On the following week's Net Announcement there will be a summary
of answers to the question. Some of the messages didn't get delivered until
after the net because they were Auto-Forwarded and got stuck in some PBBS'
until the SYSOPs could get them forwarded. I talked to Bill KB8HEK and some
of the Navy MARS operators liked it so well they decided they would do
something similar to collect Navy MARS information.
VOLUNTEER EXAMINER TEST SESSIONS FOR 1998
PLACE: PARKERSBURG, WEST VIRGINIA. EASTWOOD FIRE STATION
RT 47, 4 1/2 MILES EAST OF I-77
PHONE: DANA PICKENS WV8G (304) 422-1823, CALL FOR VERIFICATION
TIME: REGISTRATION 10:00 AM TESTING 10:30 AM
DATES: SATURDAYS 2/14, 4/11, 6/13, 8/8, 10/10, 12/12
NOTE: The 2/14 test session will be at 6:00 pm due to work schedule
of two of the VE's.
Other test sessions can be sent to WA8LLM @ PKBGWV so they can be announced.
Gene N8JYS reported 88 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Delmas
KB8SCJ and Peggy KB8SEJ have both checked into the net 150 times and will be
getting their certificates. Julie KB8SYE needs only one more check-in to make
150. There were three new stations that checked into the net this week and
they are: Michael KC8FWD, William WA8YCG, and Dick N8FMD. I want to welcome
them to the DAREN system. Juddie KC8CON, who is the NCS for the PARC Net that
operates every Thursday evening between 7:00 and 10:00 pm on 145.09 Mhz says
he would like to be the NCS for the State Wide DAREN Net some time. By having
the NCS at different parts of the state gives every one the opportunity to
find their way through the different DAREN NODEs.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. February 1, 1998 (.290)
On last week's DAREN Net announcement I listed the answers to the previous
week's "ARES Question of the Week". I missed one of the responses. Bob W3RUA
is located in Pendleton County WV 8 miles West of Franklin, WV on State Route
18/1.
Juddie KC8CON sent me a message to let me know the PARC Net that operates
every Thursday evening between 7:00 and 10:00 PM could not be operated January
29th due to the power failure in a large portion of the Southern part of West
Virginia. He was sending the message using all portable Packet station. I
know how it feels to be without power for several days since we went through
it for seven days back in January of 1994. Now is the time to be thinking of
what you need to due in case you will be with out power for any extended
length of time.
Tony N8KNG has announced that due to the snow storm in the Southern part of
the state that the Mountain Packet Association meeting that was scheduled for
January 30th has been postponed and is re-scheduled for February 6th at 6:30
p.m. The meeting is still planned to be held a the EOC in Summersville.
Here's a message that I just had to put in the DAREN News.: Hello Ken. Power
is still out in Fayetteville. Current Temp. 27.5 Degrees outside. Some snow
flurries at this time. Running station from a TRS80 PC and mobile on 12 volt
battery. Charging Battery via automobile. Some parts of Oak Hill have power
now. Was able to get out yesterday and buy some provisions. Heating home
with propane gas grill and using Coleman lanterns for light. This storm has
really put a test of my station and my abilities. One bit of information
about Amateurs helping during emergencies. Tony Barnett N8KNG from
Craigsville was in contact with me on Wednesday night through the DAREN
system, and when I told him what I was heating with he drove all the way from
Craigsville to Fayetteville (Approx. 45 MILES) to bring me a 20lb tank of
propane, a lantern and Coleman fuel, his battery of his truck to run my voice
2 meter station, and double AA batteries for my HT. If anyone I know that
would deserve a certificate or medal for an outstanding Amateur is Tony
Barnett, N8KNG. There are not very many people who would drive that far.
Also, I can not forget Mike Burns, KG8NV. He met Tony in Fayetteville and
picked him up in his truck to get him out to my home QTH because Tony was in
his car and we were not sure if the car could make it out here. That is all
Ken. I will try and check in this evening. I thought I would update you on
the situation. 73'S for now. JUDDIE, KC8CON.
Tony N8KNG reports the Nicholas County NODE/PBBS NICHWV/RWODWV, which went off
the air January 29th, during the storm was restored to service sometime around
noon on January 30th.
George K8QEW says the National Weather Service Pittsburgh will be conducting a
SKYWARN training for Hancock County April 6, 1998 at 6:30 PM at the EOC in New
Cumberland, WV.
David KB4LCI says that Lynn AI8I is out of the hospital and is back home. He
is very tired and needs the rest.
There were 94 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Julie KB8SYE has
checked into the net 150 times and will be receiving her certificate. Buford
KB8QLG needs only one more check-in to make 100. There was one new check-in
to the net. I want to welcome David WD8LDY to the DAREN system.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. February 8, 1998 (.291)
I sure have trouble with dates. Last week I dated the DAREN News as January
25th instead of February 1, and on the Net Announcement I told every one to
send the "ARES Question of the Week" to Pat sometime before the State Wide
DAREN Net January 24th instead of February 7th.
The "ARES Question of the Week seems to be working out pretty good. If you
save the summary answers each week you should be able to put together a very
informative resource list. If you have any questions that you would like to
see added to the list, send them to either me or Pat N3AAS @ KEYSWV. Pat has
already put together a long list of questions, but there may be others that
are just as important. If and when we run out of questions the old ones will
be started again. If you didn't get to answer the question the first time, or
if something has changed, you will be able to answer it then. Be sure to
connect direct to the PBBS KEYSWV when leaving your message to Pat, don't use
the Auto-Forwarding method, remember this is also a weekly mini-drill to keep
us all familiar with the DAREN system and the sending of formal type messages.
All in all Pat and I think the mini-drill is working great.
Due to inclement weather The Mountain Packet Association have decided to
cancel the meeting again. The snow is so heavy that buildings like Krogers
and the like are collapsing in Beckley, Oak Hill, and Fayetteville. They
don't want any one to get hurt trying to make the meeting. Tony N8KNG says he
will let us know when they plan to hold the meeting.
I'm glad to see that Lynn AI8I is back home. I received a message from him
and he is back on Packet. Due to the stroke everything he does is slow, but
the typing is giving his hands and fingers good exercise.
It depends on who you listen to about the Groundhog, but the way I look at it
we only have six more weeks of winter.
There were 80 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Buford KB8QLG
has checked into the net 100 times and will be receiving his certificate.
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. February 15, 1998 (.292)
John W8DRO is still working on the new "DAREN" PBBS. He still has a few bugs
to work out, but he has it on the air. The PBBS uses a regular BBS program,
but he is building in safe guards to prevent it from accidently posting the
wrong type of messages. Since the regular DAREN PBBS' have an ALIAS instead
of a call sign for the name of the PBBS, he's having a little trouble getting
it to Auto-Forward to them. When completed all of the regular DAREN PBBS's
should be forwarded toward "DAREN" which has a direct path to and from The
Kanawha County PBBS "CHASWV". At the present time the PBBS' CHASWV, HRVLWV,
MRTAOH, PKBGWV, RPLYWV, and STMYWV already forward any messages they have into
"DAREN".
The Elk Amateur Radio Society (EARS) is operating a Two Meter Simplex Voice
Net on Wednesday Evenings. The net is operated in 146.55 Mhz. There are two
Net Control Stations and Two Alternate Net Control Stations. The Net Control
Stations are: Mac W8XF who covers the Charleston and Lower Elk River area and
Randy N8XEA who covers the Upper Elk River area. The two Alternate Net
Control stations are: Juddie KC8CON who covers the Fayetteville area and
Jeannie KB8QLC who covers the Winfield and Huntington areas. The net starts
at 9:00 pm.
Larry KF8NW says the Parkersburg Amateur Radio Klub (PARK) is starting an
Amateur Radio class. The class will last about ten weeks. The class will be
held at the Emmanuel Baptist Church on 23rd Street in Parkersburg. The class
will start at 7:00 pm February 17th. Call Paul KB8QPY at (304) 422-3424 for
any additional information.
Don't forget the Plateau Amateur Radio Club (PARC) Packet net which is held
every Thursday (provided there's electricity) between 7:00 pm and 10:00 pm on
145.09 Mhz. Direct connections to the NCS (Juddie KC8CON) are available from
PARC, MTNPAC, MTNNIC, BKW, CHSWV, and SUGRDG.
The Fayetteville Hamfest will be held February 22, 1998 in Fayetteville WV.
For those of you who would like a different kind of net and would like to know
more about the ARES/Data program, connect to "FINDER" at 7:30 pm on every
Tuesday except the first one of the month. If you need more information about
"FINDER" and the ARES/Data program drop me a message @ PKBGWV and I'll send
you some information.
There were 91 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Delmas N8JYS
needs only one more check-in to make 150 and Rose KC8EUR needs only one more
check-in to make 50. 73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. February 22, 1998 (.293)
David KB4LCI sent me a message saying the Greenbrier County NODE/PBBS
GREEWV/LSBGWV is down, but didn't know or say why. I just checked it again
this morning and it's still down. It may have something to do with the snow
storm that went through there a couple of weeks back. With the GREEWV down and
still knowing heard from the Wyoming County NODE/PBBS WYOMWV/PINEWV, it sure
makes it hard to get traffic into and out of the Southern part of the state.
If anyone is interested in helping get some more NODEs/PBBS' in the southern
part of the state let me know and I'll send you the information to set up a
station that will be uniform with the rest of the DAREN stations.
David also said that he has changed his own PBBS from POCAEC to POCAEC-2. He
says he's going to be installing another NODE/PBBS in the upper part of
Pocahontas County. The new NODE will be POCAEC and the new PBBS will be FROSWV
which will have high memory with auto forwarding. He's hoping to have it
operational within the next four months.
With the busy activities of John W8DRO, he's been unable to spend much time
working with the new DAREN Message Center "DAREN". He says that it does seem
to be working quite well. He's seen several messages forwarded by it. If you
are the SYSOP of a DAREN PBBS and are not sure how to set the PBBS up to Auto-
Forward messages, let me know and I'll send you the information that you need.
I was a little late sending the information to Bob N8HGL so that he could get
the Monongalia County PBBS MORGWV set up to forward messages, but he should
have it working soon. As time permits I am checking each of the DAREN PBBS' to
see if and how they are forwarding their messages.
Remember, any Amateur related articles can be published here in the DAREN News.
As an example our group "Wood County Emergency Communications Inc." Operated
a communications drill for the four local hospitals February 12th between 10:00
pm and Midnight. The hospitals needed to test out some part of their Hospital
Disaster Plan as required for their Hospital Accreditation. They chose to test
out their back-up and auxiliary communications. The ARES/Data system "FINDER"
was used to store and retrieve names of mock victims and to handle messages
between the hospitals. The hospitals were quite impressed since the use of the
computers and other communications equipment did not require the use of
telephone lines, which usually get loaded down or are inoperative during major
disasters.
There were 98 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Delmas N8JYS
has checked into the net 150 times and Rose KC8EUR has checked into the net 50
times and they will be receiving their certificates. Tom KA8HAP needs only
one more check-in to make 150 and Quentin N8RCG needs only one more check-in
to make 50. There were three new stations that checked in this week and I
want to welcome them to the DAREN system. They are: Eugene KC8GJD, John
KC8FZH, and Lois KC8HFR.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 1, 1998 (.294)
I don't know what's happening, but another NODE seems to be down. The Randolph
County NODE/PBBS RANDWV/ELKNWV was down on Saturday. I checked the surrounding
county NODEs and the last time they had heard the station was around 13:35 on
Saturday. I still haven't heard anything about the Greenbrier County NODE/PBBS
GREEWV/LSBGWV, but it still seems to be down. It's possible the winter weather
is taking it's toll on the stations. John W8DSO also mentioned the fact that
several of the stations have been in service for five years or more and the
stations could be experiencing antenna problems, such as corrosion. I'm not
sure what kind of antennas are in place at each of the NODEs so I don't know
what the problems might be. NODEs such as RANDWV, GREEWV, and WYOMWV are
located on mountain tops that get plenty of severe weather such as Ice and
Wind. When summer gets here it might be a good idea to make a trip to your
local NODE and examine the antennas. With three of the main NODEs out of
service it makes it hard to find good paths around the state. Because NODEs
fail from time to time is one reason that DAREN is a manual system and not set
up to be completely automatic. We run a State Wide DAREN net so that operators
can get used to finding their way around the state using different paths.
Since we've had two main NODE/PBBS fail in the last couple of weeks brings to
mind something else. When leaving a message for someone, it might be a good
idea to sign your message with the Mailbox or PBBS that you want an answer sent
to. Since there's a possibility your main PBBS is out of service you should
put two locations where you check for mail on a regular basis.
There were 85 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. The net may have
been down a little do to the loss of RANDWV this week. Tom KA8HAP has checked
into the net 150 times and Quentin N8RCG has checked into the net 50 times.
Both of these operators will be receiving their certificates. John K8CHW needs
only one more check-in to make 100.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 8, 1998 (.295)
John W8DRO is still working on the new DAREN Message Center "DAREN". We tried
to automatically send this week's Net Announcement, but it had some problems.
It seems that when a message such as the Net Announcement is sent to all of the
DAREN PBBS' as a traffic "ST" message, those PBBS' which have Auto-Forwarding
tried to send it back to "DAREN". It does seem to work ok "IF" the message is
sent as "SB" (Send Bulletin), but only the originator of the Bulletin, or the
SYSOP of the PBBS can Kill or Delete the message. The only way the Net
Announcements can be deleted from the PBBS' is to have the originator of the
Bulletin go to each PBBS and delete the message, or the SYSOP needs to kill it
each week. Before we start sending messages as Bullettins (SB), we want to be
sure they will be deleted when the foot note says to delete them, otherwise the
small PBBS' will be filled up with un-deleted messages and there will be no
room for any other messages.
I just noticed this morning the Randolph County NODE/PBBS RANDWV/ELKNWV is back
on the air. I don't know why it was off, but I'm glad to see it back. Any
time that you notice there is a DAREN NODE/PBBS that is off the air let me know
so we can find out what may have happened to it. The Greenbrier County
NODE/PBBS GREEWV/LSBGWV is still not back on the air and I haven't heard from
anyone as to why it's off. With GREEWV and WYOMWV off the air there are very
few good paths to connect the Northern part of state to the Southern part of
the state. If anyone talks to Tim KC8IT (SYSOP for WYOMWV) or Jim WB8DMS
(SYSOP of GREEWV) you might ask them if they are needing help getting these two
main NODEs back in operation.
Don't forget the PARC Packet Net which is operated every Thursday Evening from
7:00 pm to 10:00 pm on 145.09 Mhz. Juddie KC8CON places Net Announcements on
several 145.09 Mhz PBBS' and BBS' telling how to get to the Net Control and who
checked in the previous week. If there are other Packet Nets in operation on
other frequencies that are in operation let me know so others will learn about
them.
There were 91 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. John K8CHW has
checked into the net 100 times and will be getting his certificate. Jim KI8EC
needs only one more check-in to make 100.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 15, 1998 (.296)
Terry KB8EIR gave me information why the Randolph County NODE RANDWV had been
off the air for about a week. The power was interrupted during a thunderstorm
and one of the power lead wires was removed. The station operated on battery
power for about two weeks before it went dead. After Terry got the Randolph
County back in operation he changed the Auto-Forwarding path of the PBBS
ELKNWV to forward it's mail to the Ritchie County PBBS HRVLWV.
Little by little we are getting the Auto-Forwarding paths re-directed to make
the system operational again. The one thing to remember about using Auto-
Forwarding, it should only be used when the traffic you use it for is routine
and a delay or chance of it getting lost would not be of any importance. If
the message is important enough, it's best to connect directly to the Mailbox
or PBBS that you want to leave the message in.
Terry also let me know why we haven't heard from Ashby WV8ASH for awhile. He
will be off the air until he gets his new radio hooked up with the TNC.
Jim WD8DMS said they were finally able to get to the mountain top site of the
Greenbrier County NODE/PBBS GREEWV/LSBGWV. When they got there they found out
why the station was off the air. The roof of the building had collapsed and
melted snow had poured into the radio. They think the radio can be dried out
and out and put back in operation, but only time will tell. The TNC also
needs to be re-programed. Jim said the station took a pretty good thump when
the roof fell on it.
There were 90 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Ken KB8QPW needs
only one more check-in to make 200 and Vivian KA8VAH needs only one more to
make 150. One station Max N8TMF that hasn't been heard from since November
27, 1993 made it back into the net. There were two new stations that I want
to welcome to the DAREN system and they are: KC8JLK and Williams KC8GGK.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 22, 1998 (.297)
Since we started "ARES Question of the week" mini-drill/evaluation there have
been several things that I hadn't thought about. Last week we ask about
equipment that you could go portable or mobile within 30 minutes. Some of the
items weren't radio equipment, but were food and clothing. Just having the
equipment and being able to operate it isn't much good if you start getting
hungry and cold. Just reading some of the answers to the questions each week
makes me think what I need to do in case there's a large emergency and I have
to operate for an extended amount of time. This week's question really didn't
have anything to do with resources that are available, it was more of an
operating exercise. The weather reports that were given aren't of much use as
a resource, but it is a practice on how to send weather reports to the
National Weather Service. I've talked to the NWS several times about a
message format that would be easy for them to use, but they don't have a
standard format. I guess the best way to send them a weather report is in
plain language with as much information as you think they might need.
I got a report from Bud W8OO that during last week's State Wide DAREN Net the
Mineral County NODE/PBBS MINEWV/KEYSWV was off the air for awhile due to high
winds. Five stations W8OO, W8FZP, KI8EC, W8GSN, and N8RCG, didn't get to
check into the net. Since they tried and their only NODE was down, they have
been accredited for having checked into the net. Jim KI8EC will be credited
for having checked into the net his 100th time and will be receiving his
certificate.
I talked to Brad WB8MZI at the Charleston Hamfest March 15th and he said the
Braxton County Emergency Services Director Fred Thompson now has his Amateur
License. I never thought to get his call from Brad, but I'll find it out
later. Since he has his license, he's hoping to acquire a little money from
the County Commission to repair or replace the Braxton County NODE/PBBS
BRAXWV/GASSWV.
I haven't heard from Jim WB8DMS lately about how things are going with the
Greenbrier County NODE/PBBS GREEWV/LSBGWV, but it isn't back on the air yet.
There were 98 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Ken KB8QPW has
checked into the net 200 times and Vivian KA8VAH has checked into the net 150.
Both of these stations will be receiving their certificates. Rich KA8UEU
needs only one more check-in to make 200, and Jim KB8HPZ needs only one more
check-in to make 100. 73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. March 29, 1998 (.298)
Jim WB8DMS has the Greenbrier County NODE/PBBS GREEWV/LSBGWV put back
together. He said it was really messed up. He didn't have it back on the
mountain at the time he sent me the message, but just before I finished this
week's news Lynn AI8I let me know it is back in operation on the mountain. It
will be nice to have a path to the Southern part of the state again.
Bill KB8RPI says the Marshall County ARES group are planning an Exercise in
their county. The exercise will be a simulated prison break. They are hoping
to use and demonstrate the uses of Digital Radio and the importance of it to
Law Enforcement, hospitals and the county. They will be using a voice
repeater on 146.91 Mhz and Packet on 145.09 Mhz. I don't know if they will be
using the DAREN system for any part of the exercise. The exercise will be
held April 25 from about 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. So don't get excited if you
start seeing information about prisoners running free.
Now that winter is pretty much over, it's time to make a trip to your Voice
Repeater or Packet Radio site in look things over. Look for such things as
loose or broken guy cables and ground wires from heavy ice or broken limbs and
fallen trees. Look for leaks in the roofs and walls. Clean up the mouse
droppings and give the place a general clean up. Most of us are using towers
and building that belong to Public Safety or Communications Businesses and
they have no complaints if the grass is cut and trimmed and the floors are
swept. If the building needs painting you might even ask them if they would
like to have it painted. If there is something that looks unsafe and you
can't fix it, you might let them know about it. The price for using some of
these tower sites could be pretty high if it weren't for the generosity of
their owners. If your group puts out a newsletter you might put an article or
advertisement in there about the tower site owners and send them a copy of it.
Phil K8MHR has been talking to the National Weather Service about the use of
the Packet Station there. Since most of the hams at the Weather Service
aren't that familiar with their Packet equipment yet, they aren't able to
forward Weather Bulletins to each of the PBBSs. Maybe in the future a system
(such as PACKET 6.0) can be set up to allow the automatic distributing of
weather bulletins.
There were 95 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Rich KA8UEU has
checked into the net 200 times and Jim KB8HPZ has checked into the net 100
time. Both of these stations will be receiving their certificates. Donald
KB8TIY needs only one more check-in to make 150, and Gladys KC8GIZ needs only
one more check-in to make 50. I would like to welcome two stations to the
DAREN system and they are: John KB8WCS and Jerald KC8CUX.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. April 5, 1998 (.299)
Did you get all of your clocks and watches set up for Daylight Savings Time.
How about your computers, microwaves, VCRs, and TNCs. Check with the SYSOPs
for the NODEs/PBBSs in your area to see if they have changed the time on their
remote stations. I don't mind setting everything for DST because you get that
extra hour of daylight in the evenings and I can sure use it.
Pat N3AAS says the American Red Cross was to hold a class for the members of
the Mineral County ARES Group. The class was on Shelter Management. Shelter
Management is needed in case of some type of mass disaster that requires the
sheltering of people. The Red Cross are seeking out Amateurs because as
managers they also offer the ability to "Communicate". The class was to be
held April 4th at the Fort Ashby Community Building.
I got a message from John W8DRO yesterday explaining why he hasn't done much
with the new DAREN Message Center "DAREN" located in Charleston. John's
father, Leo WB8DRO, passed away March 10th and he has been busy. I know John
was making the trip from Charleston to Huntington about every day to be at the
hospital. I'm sorry to hear about his father.
I've had a couple of requests for information about how the DAREN system got
started. I started putting the information together a couple of years ago,
but I never finished it. I got it out the other day and started working on it
again. It's hard to believe how much time and how many people were involved
in the creating of the system. The information will soon be available.
There were 90 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Don KB8TIY has
checked into the net 150 times and Gladys KC8GIZ has checked into the net 50
times. Both of these stations will be receiving their certificates. Bill
W8FZP and Bob WD8RXN need only one more check-in to make 150. Cathy KC8DJJ
needs only one more check-in to make 100. Arch W8GWR and Dot KC8HAI need only
one more check-in each to make 50. I would like to welcome one new station to
the DAREN system and that is Klaus N3IWJ.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. April 12, 1998 (.300)
In the March 29, 1998 DAREN News I said that Bill KB8RPI and the Marshall
County ARES group were planning an exercise in their county. The exercise
would be a slated prison break. I wasn't sure if they would be using DAREN
as part of their exercise, but I got another message from Bill and they will
be using 145.69 Mhz also. If any of you have friends that are with your local
Law Enforcement Agency, you might send a message to Bill on the day of the
exercise and demonstrate Packet Radio to them. The exercise will be held on
Saturday April 25th from about 8:00 am to 5:00 pm. For those who have been
sending messages to Pat N3AAS, answers to the "ARES Question of the week", you
might want to send a message to Bill KB8RPI at MDSVWV (Moundsville), giving
him your local Law Enforcement name and contact telephone number, as a Mini-
Drill for the state. Just something to think about.
Did the Two Meter Band seem to be unusual yesterday, April 11th, during the
State Wide DAREN net? Looking over the check-in list there were a lot of
"retry count exceeded" and then "disconnects". This usually happens when the
paths between NODEs are very poor, or a lot of activity . This is one of the
things that I look at during the net to get some idea how the DAREN NODEs are
hearing each other. The band could either be down and NODEs aren't able to
hear each other, or the bands could be up, where the DAREN NODEs are hearing
distant stations (even other DAREN station they normally don't hear) and they
have to wait before sending their traffic. I don't know what's going to
happen when the Sun Spots start getting stronger.
If you're expecting a certificate for checking into the State wide DAREN Net
and don't receive it within a couple of weeks, send me a message and let me
know that you haven't got it yet. I send out the certificates showing my
appreciation for your support of the DAREN system. I may be a little slow
getting them out, but not by much more than a week or so. Sometimes things do
get lost on the mail, so just let me know if you didn't get it . The reason I
list the stations that have checked in is so they will know to expect their
certificate.
There were 81 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Bob WD8RXN has
checked into the net 150 times, Cathy KC8DJJ has checked into the net 100
times, and Dot KC8HAI has checked into the net 50 times. All of these
stations will be receiving their certificates. Jim W8GUL needs only one more
check-in to make 200. John KB8QJM and Jim WB8DMS need only one more check-in
each to make 100, and Bob KC8CR needs only one more check-in to make 50. I
want to welcome two new stations to the DAREN system and they are KC8JLK and
Harold KC8JHG.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. April 19, 1998 (.301)
Not much news this week. I haven't heard from anyone about any new DAREN
stations, stations that are having problems, or any Amateur Radio activities
that will be going on, except the Mock Drill that will be held in Marshall
County this coming Saturday. This is the time of the year when indoor
activities such as Ham Radio starts to slow down after being cooped up all
winter. If you have any information about any Amateur Radio related activity
just let me know so that we can help spread the word.
There's a couple of Hamfests coming up next weekend. The Pioneer Amateur
Radio is sponsoring an ARRL sanctioned Hamfest April 25. The
Hamfest will be held at the Braxton County Middle School from 8:00 am to 2:00
p.m. For further information you can contact Ed Messenger N8OYY at (304) 462-
5312 or Gerald Davis KG8WB at (304) 462-8486. The second Hamfest will be held
Sunday April 26 in Athens, Ohio. I don't know the particulars, except it is
on State Street in Athens.
Pat N3AAS and I ran out of ARES questions of the week to ask, so this week's
"Question of the Week" was looking for ideas of what to ask. A few operators
sent in some ideas, so we will try them for the next few weeks.
There were 94 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Jim W8GUL has
checked into the net 200 times, and Bill W8FZP has checked into the net 150
times. John KB8QJM and Jim WB8DMS have checked into the net 100 times each.
Each of these operators will be receiving their certificates. Norman KB8KMH
and Tony N8KNG need only one more check-in each to get their certificate for
50 check-ins. I want to welcome one new operator to the DAREN system and that
is KC8JVG.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. April 26, 1998 (.302)
Ray KA8GOH says the Tyler County Amateurs are having a Special Event Station
set up commemorating the Tyler County Historic Museum. They will be operating
as the Net Control Station for the State Wide DAREN Net May 9th. A special
certificate can be acquired with a SASE to: TCARO, Box 287, Middlebourne, WV,
26149. Additional information can be found on Page 97 of the May Issue of
QST. Ray also wanted to tell everyone about the Packet Net that is operated
on 145.05 Mhz every Monday evening. The net runs from 8:00 pm to 9:30 pm.
Connect to "NET" through the Tyler County NODE "TYLER"
While checking my DAREN records I notice that I missed the 100th check-in of
Jim KI8EC. Jim made his 100th check-in March 21st. He will soon be receiving
his certificate. Sorry about that Jim.
I haven't heard from Bill KB8RPI about the Prison Break exercise that was held
in Marshall County yesterday. I tried to send a message to Bill @ MDSVWV, but
wasn't successful. I'm not sure what was wrong, but I couldn't get my message
posted. I hope a few of you were able to help Bill demonstrate Packet Radio
to the County Officials during the drill by sending him the name of the Law
Enforcement Agencies in you county.
There were 87 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Tony N8KNG and
Arch W8GWR have checked into the net 50 times each. They will be receiving
their certificates. Dick W8DT needs only one more check-in to make 150. Bill
KB8HEK needs only one more check-in to make 50. I want to welcome another new
operator to the DAREN system and that is KC8JYA.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. May 3, 1998 (.303)
As you can see from the following paragraph I'm searching for something to
write about. If you have something to put in the DAREN News just send it to
me and we'll try to put it in here.
For those who like statistics here are some about the State Wide DAREN Net.
The first net was held October 31, 1992 with 22 stations checking in. There
was no net on March 13, 1993 due to inclement weather and the governor putting
the state of West Virginia under a State of Emergency. There have been 287
nets, with a total of 587 different stations checking in. Out of the 587
stations that have checked in, 304 of them have checked into the net at least
once in the past two years. The average total check-ins each week is about
90. There have been 134 stations that have checked into the net at least 50
times, 80 which have checked into the net 100 times or more, 37 that have
checked into the net 150 times, 11 who have checked into the net 200 times,
and 2 who have checked into the net 250 times. At the present time there are
70 stations that have checked into the net only one time and are on the active
list. There is an inactive list which contains a list of stations that have
checked into the net one or more times and haven't been heard from for awhile.
If a station checks into the net one time, and isn't heard from after a year,
it is put on the inactive list. If a station checked into the net two or more
times and it's been over two years since the last time they checked in, they
are put on the inactive list. As a memorial to the "Silent Keys" they are
shown on the active list, then taken off the list after three years.
There were 87 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Dick W8DT has
checked into the net 150 times. Bill KB8HEK, Norman KB8KMH, and Bob KC8CR
have checked into the net 50 times each. All of these stations will be
receiving their certificates. One station Andrew KC8EMQ needs only one more
check-in to make 50. I want to welcome one new operator to the DAREN system.
Linda KB8NYR checked in for the first time.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. May 10, 1998 (.304)
Harry KA8CMG sent me an interesting article about a friend of his, Ernest
Smith K1HO. Ernie (Butch) is a member of the sales staff at the Orlando, FL
Amateur Electronics Supply store. Ernie has had a very interesting career.
In 1985 he was the radio Officer aboard the Wood Hole Oceanographic
Institution's R/V Knorr, the vessel that located the TITANIC, south of St.
John's Newfoundland, at a depth of 12,500 feet. I'll put the article in the
DAREN News in three parts.
Ernie relates: "We arrived on the search site at approximately 2200 GMT on
August 24th, 1985. There was a feeling of excitement, and at the same time a
feeling of sadness among the crew and scientists, realizing that this was the
location of the great Titanic disaster. From a Radio Officer's point of view,
I tried to visualize what the Chief Marconi Operator of the Titanic, Jack
Phillips, and his assistant, Harold Bride, had gone through years ago on this
exact location. The first thing via radio was to verify the International Ice
Patrol data on how far we were from the ice. Fortunately the closest iceburgs
were more than 200 miles to the north, and we were in the clear. The weather
was overcast with a slight drizzle and the temperature was around 67 degrees
F., Seas were 5 to 7 feet and seemed to calm somewhat after our arrival. Our
video camera sleds were deployed and a methodical search pattern was started.
(Continued in Titanic Part 2).
Juddie KC8CON has given me an update on the progress of getting a DAREN station
setup at the 911 Center in Summersville, Nicholas County. The Mountain Packet
Association has started the ball rolling. The County has purchased a power
supply for the NODE and the antenna is in place. Tony N8KNG has the TNC, which
is a KPC 2 and the Alinco Data Radio. He's getting the TNC programed. Mike
Tyler WA8YWO and Birl O'Dell, Nicholas County Commissioner and also a member of
the Mountain Packet Association, has located a 386 Computer for the station.
Juddie is donating a Panasonic Dot Matrix printer to the station. The Director
of the Emergency Services in Nicholas County is real excited about getting the
DAREN NODE up and operational. He has informed the Mountain Packet Association
that they can meet at the 911 Center anytime. Once this station is up and
operational, Juddie is planning to set up training meetings to show members who
have volunteered to be called out in an emergency on the appropriate operations
of the DAREN System. The Mountain Packet Association is setting up the DAREN
station and the Nicholas County Amateur Radio Club is setting up the HF station
at the 911 Center. There's also plans to set up a 145.090 Mhz NODE at the site
to be used in non-emergency activities, and also a 2 Meter voice station.
This week's State Wide DAREN Net was held at the Special Event Station
commemorating the Tyler County Historic Museum. Those stations who were
successful in checking into the net, and wanting a certificate can send a SASE
to: TCARO, Box 287, Middlebourne, WV, 26149. Ray KA8GOH who was Net Control
reported 91 check-ins. Andrew KC8EMQ has checked into the net 50 times. Bill
W8FZP and Merlin WB8PAM need only one more check-in each for 150 times. I want
to welcome five first time operators checking into the DAREN system, and they
are: Clarence N8MTA, Anna KC8JWW, Mike KC8JWR, Jeffrey KB8PLE, and KC8IWS.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. May 17, 1998 (.305)
I hope everyone had a good time at the Dayton Hamfest this weekend. I saw
several DAREN operators there. Some of them even made it back in time to get
checked into the week's State Wide DAREN Net.
Titanic Part 2
After 7 days of intensive search, the Titanic was located at 0405 GMT on
September 1, 1985, over 73 years after she struck the iceberg and sank. Most
of the people on board the Knorr were off duty when the find occurred. I was
sound asleep in my stateroom adjacent to the radio room. It was only a matter
of minutes after the discovery that I was called on the ship's telephone by
Captain Richard Bowen, who told me the news. By then almost everyone was
awake; the crew, scientists, and technicians all were wild with excitement. A
few minutes after the discovery, Robert Ballard (co-Chief Scientist) assembled
a group on the fantail of the R/V Knorr where he raised the Titanic's
builders' flag and held a brief memorial service, remembering those who had
perished on that tragic night. It was a very touching moment, one that I will
always remember.
"From that moment forward, the traffic through the radio room increased
tremendously. Something on the order of 100 commercial radio telephone calls,
40 telegraph messages, 81 HAM radio phone patches (calls) via Gil Geitner
(W4LLA), and numerous calls from coast stations with traffic were handled.
Interviews with Robert Ballard were conducted via ship's radio with David
Hartman of "Good Morning America," Peter Jennings of "The ABC Evening News,"
Tom Brokaw of NBC, Maria Schriver of "The CBS Morning News," Terry Drinkwater
of CBS, and science writer for The New York Times. (Continued in Titanic Part
3).
From Pat KB8QEV via K8MHR: The National Weather Service in Pittsburgh has
just received a new vanity club call sign. WX3PIT replaces the old call
KB3BLX. Special thanks goes out to Larry, KA3COX Trustee of the call and Rich
Kane, NWS Pittsburgh Warning Coordination Meteorologist for making this
possible. The WX3PIT call sign will also be used for packet radio operations
originating from the National Weather Service.
Are you still digipeating through remote stations, or are you connecting from
NODE to NODE? It may take a little longer by connecting from NODE to NODE
when working your way through the system as opposed to digipeating, but in a
long run it is much quicker getting your traffic passed. The next time you
connect to a distant station try connecting from NODE to NODE.
There were 88 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Bill W8FZP and
Merlin WB8PAM have both checked into the net 150 times each. They will be
receiving their certificates. John K8ZPR needs only one more check-in to make
200.
73 Ken WA8LLM
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. May 24, 1998 (.306)
Titanic Part 3
To handle all the calls continuously coming in, I had to start a list.
Ballard would then return calls when he was able to. Helicopter operations
had to be coordinated via the radio room between Captain Bowen and the
helicopter operations center in St. Johns. Between these calls, the French
scientist on board was quite often on the radio to France. When time
permitted, I would attempt to catch up on my radiotelegraph traffic."
In addition to his shipboard radio duties, Ernie always ran phone patches
on 20 meters via the Maritime Mobile Net for the ships personnel and
scientists. Originally he used Swan rigs, then a Kenwood TS-430 and TS-520
with a Collins 30L-1 linear.
Ernie ended his sea going career after 29 years as a radio operator on a
variety of ships. Besides the Knorr experience, he has a treasure of stories
to tell about his experiences on the high seas. Ernie has been a Ham since
1954 and holds an Extra Class license. He's active on 20 meters CW with a
Kenwood TS-405S/AT and GAP vertical. He hangs out around 14.030 MHz where he
coasts along at 45-50 wpm. If you hear him, give him a call. Ernie is married
and has three daughters. His other passion is golf, and he's a certified
SCUBA diver. Page 151 of the Summer of 1997 AES Catalog. Butch's address is:
ERNEST (Butch) G. SMITH K1HO 22733 STALLION DR SORRENTO, FL 32776. E-mail
k1ho@juno.com (The End).
A few years ago George Settles KC8ANZ, who was the Emergency Services Director
at the time, ask me to come over and help him build the interface cable that
goes between the radio and the TNC, which the County Commissioners had
purchased using Revenue Sharing money. George has since moved to another
position in the county and the DAREN project was dropped. Now BK (Berry)
N8MJB is getting the Calhoun County NODE into operation. BK has the station
in operation at his house, which is a fairly high hill in the county. The
NODE/DIGI of the station is CALHWV/CALHWV and the PBBS for the station is
GRSVWV (Grantsville). I want to thank BK for getting the station in
operation.
I just came back from the tower site where the Ritchie County NODE/PBBS of
RITCWV/HRVLWV and the 147.255 Mhz repeater is located. Some time during the
winter one of the six two volt batteries cracked and let the acid leak onto
the floor. The batteries have been in operation since early 1990 and haven't
given us any problem. A couple things that I have learned is to place Lead
Acid batteries in a retaining pan, and don't use the clear plastic (Telephone
Type) batteries in locations that aren't in a temperature controlled building.
There were 95 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. John K8ZPR has
checked into the net 200 times. Gene N8ER needs only one more check-in to
make 250 and Ray KA8GOH needs only one more check-in to make 200. I forgot to
mention there was one station last week that checked into net for the first
time and that was Jeffrey KB8PLE. There was also one new check-in to the net
this week and that was Jonah KB8SLH. I want to welcome these two operators to
the DAREN system.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. May 31, 1998 (.307)
Lynn AI8I sent a message back on May 20th about the Pocahontas County
NODE/PBBS, POCAWV/MARLWV being off the air. He said the station was ok on the
morning of May 19th, but it's no longer in operation. He said there was no
storm on the day it dissapeared so he doesn't know what the trouble is. He
will let us know when it comes back on. I just tried today and I'm still not
able to connect to it.
I had a lengthy conversation with Edgar KB8QEU on the telephone yesterday. He
is setting up a phone line BBS that will have access to DAREN information.
From what I understand there will also be a way of connecting to Packet radio
and the Internet for those who don't have either one available. Edgar is
setting this BBS up mostly for the Handicap, but everyone will be welcome to
use it. The telephone number of the BBS is (304) 255-1749. Edgar would like
to hear from users of land line type BBS's. If you have a land line BBS he
would like to know a few things about it so he can put together a
Land Line BBS Directory. He needs to know the Name of the BBS, the Telephone
Number, Name of the SYSOP, and the SYSOP's Telephone Number. Edgar doesn't
have Packet Radio yet, so you can send the information to Charlie WB8CNN @
BECKWV. Edgar says Charlie will get the information to him.
David KB4LCI is the Mid-East liaison and NCS for the for The 6 Meter World-
Wide DX Club. He wants to let everyone know about a 6 Meter SSB Net that will
be held the 4th Tuesday every month (weather and work permitting) on the
frequency of 50.170 Mhz. The net will start at 2030 hours local time. The
purpose of the net is to increase 6 Meter activity. 6 Meter nets are being
held throughout the world at different times. There's one in New England
area, and in Florida. Others are held throghout the Mid-West and on the West
Coast and in Canada. For more information you and see their Web Page at
http://www.6mt.com or leave a message for KB4LCI @ LSBGWV.
There were 83 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Gene N8ER has
checked into the net 250 times and Ray KA8GOH hs checked into the net 200
times. Both of these operators will be getting their certificates shortly. I
want to welcome three new operators to the DAREN system and they are: KC8JUG,
KC8EEQ, KC8HXA.
==============================================================================
D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. June 7, 1998 (.308)
How about those storms that went through West Virginia and the surrounding
states on Tuesday. John W8DRO sent me a message telling me what had happened
in the Charleston area. His antenna system now has to be rebuilt. He says
the mast pipe is now 180 degrees from what it used to. I talked to some of
the employees at Bell Atlantic in Charleston and they said there was three or
four confirmed Tornados touched down in the Charleston area. A large plate
glass window in one of the conference rooms was knocked out by Hail Stones,
and they were picking up Golf Ball size stones off the floor of the room. I
also received a message from Harry KA8CMG who sent a run down on several
cities in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and West Virginia. Harry got the information
from the Pittsburgh National Weather Station WX3PIT and the Automated Weather
from Internet to Packet "THE WEATHER CHANNEL on PACKET". It looked like we
were pretty lucky here in the Parkersburg area.
Field Day is coming up June 27th and 28th. Are you ready? As in the past few
years the State Wide DAREN will be in operation from 1400 on Saturday the 27th
to 1400 on Sunday the 28th. You'll have plenty of time to take a break from
your Field Day contesting to get checked in. The rules have been changed from
previous years with regard to Packet Radio contacts. There is no additional
points for making a Packet contact. Packet, RTTY, and other NonCW type
transmissions are classified a band of their own. In the past there were two
types of transmission bands, Voice and CW. This year there is Voice, CW, and
Digital. Another change in Packet operating is the use of NODEs and DIGIs.
You cannot use NODEs and DIGIs to make contacts, they have to be direct
connects. This changes how the DAREN system gets involved. Before, Field Day
was the one time of the year that BEACONing was allowed on the system, and
operators could BEACON through several DIGIs. BEACONing will still be allowed
on the DAREN system. As a matter of fact, the frequency of 145.69 Mhz might
be the frequency to operate your VHF Packet station on since there will be
very little traffic and when you do hear something it might just be the BEACON
that you are looking for.
There were 85 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. There was only
one new station to welcome to the DAREN system this week and that was Gary
KB8UGP. There was one station that checked in using the call sign of "NET".
If you don't see your call on this coming week's Net Announcement and think it
may have been you who had the wrong call, send me a message and let me know so
that I can update your records. Some times it's hard to get checked into the
weekly net and you don't want to be left out. We all make mistakes and no one
is going to make fun of you.
73 Ken WA8LLM
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. June 14, 1998 (.309)
I haven't heard anything about the Pocahontas County NODE/PBBS POCAWV/MARLWV
from Lynn lately. It's still off the air.
Everything seems to be quiet this week. I haven't heard from anyone about any
activities that are going on, and most of the PBBS' except for the one already
mentioned are on the air. There have been no new DAREN NODEs or PBBS stations
put in operation, so there's not much to report on in that area.
The check-ins to the State Wide DAREN Net are down a little, but that's to be
expected for this time of the year, when everyone is working and spending time
outside until it's too dark to do anything.
I guess the big thing to get geared up for now is Field Day. With a few rule
changes we'll just have to figure out new ways of doing some of things we used
to do. One thing about Field Day, it gives us some time to try out new type
antennas and experiment with operating modes that we may have never tried.
Is there any special event stations or hamfests coming up in the near future
that need to be told about? Just let me know so we can get the word out.
I guess that's about all I can think of for this week.
There were 81 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Bob KC8VV needs
only one more check-in to make 100. Remember the State Wide DAREN Net on June
27th will start at 2:00 pm on Saturday and will run until 2:00 pm on Sunday
the 28th.
73 Ken WA8LLM
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. June 21, 1998 (.310)
Happy Father's Day to all of the fathers who read the DAREN News.
Boy... things have sure been slow the last couple of weeks. I haven't got but
one message in the last two weeks, I beginning to wonder if there is anything
happening out there. I have been busy getting things ready for Field Day and
working on a new Two Meter repeater to replace the old one. After being a
communications organization since July of 1983, we decided to get a club
license that could be used for events like Field Day. Since they came out
with the vanity call sign program and after seeing Ashby's WV8ASH call sign,
I thought we might as well do something similar. After applying for a Club
License and receiving KC8KGB, we applied for the vanity call of WC8EC and
found that it had been approved June 18th, just in time for Field Day.
The band must have been a little difficult yesterday during the State Wide
DAREN Net. I saw where several stations were having trouble getting connected
through the system. I sometimes have problems getting from RITCWV to RANDWV
while uploading the DAREN News. I the think the band conditions are a lot
more unstable in the summer that in the winter and we can expect to have some
problems.
Next weekend is Field Day and the State Wide DAREN Net will be operated for 24
hours. It will start at 2:00 pm on Saturday and shut down at 2:00 pm on
Sunday. The Net Control Station will be WC8EC and will be located at our
Field Day location site, at Mountwood Park about 15 miles east of Parkersburg,
the highest site in the county.
There were 85 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Bob KC8VV has
checked into the net 100 times and will be receiving his certificate. Jack
N8MDZ needs only one more check-in to make 150. There was one new call on the
net last night, and that is K8WT. I don't know if it is a new operator or an
old operator with a new call. If it's a new operator then I want to welcome
them to the DAREN system. Remember, if you get a new call by either upgrading
or a vanity call, let me know so that I can get your check-in record updated.
73 Ken WA8LLM
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D.A.R.E.N. NEWS of WV. June 28, 1998 (.311)
Well... I wanted something to write about, but this wasn't what I had in mind.
Field Day started bad and then got worse. Friday night the storms moved in
and just wouldn't go away. The rain quit long enough, and the sky cleared up
enough to allow us to get our stations set up and operational. We even got
several contacts on 10, 20, and 40 meters, when all "H" broke loose. We had
already talked to the Tyler County group and were told they weren't going to
be able to operate Field Day since the trailer they were going to operate out
of was laying on it's side in the middle of the city park. Some where around
5 pm we got a call on our repeater from the Parkersburg Amateur Radio Klub
Field Day site they had just been hit by very high winds and that both of
their tents had collapsed and the storm was heading our way. At about the
same time the Public Safety radios were buzzing with traffic about a Tornado
that had just touched down in the City of Williamstown and power was out and
trees all of the city were down and many houses had trees in or on them. We
had between 5 and 10 minutes to get our Field Day site secured and ready for
the storm. We got wet, but were able to shut down the stations and get the
antennas disconnected just as the storm hit our site. About thirty minutes
into the storm we were paged by the West Virginia State Police, Parkersburg
Detachment, they needed communications between them and the Ritchie County
Sheriff's Department. As telephone and radio communications were out of
service in Harrisville. Chuck N8KIA went to the Sheriff's Department, Charlie
WB8NSL went to the Pennsboro Rescue Squad, and Ken KB8QPW went to the State
Police. They wanted Packet Communications for hard copy, semi-secure
communications, but the boys from Ritchie County didn't have portable Packet,
so they used voice communications between the three locations. In the mean
time it was decided to call off Field Day activities and try to get our
equipment home where we could be available for emergency communications. One
of our operators, Tony KC8FCL had left the Field Day site an hour before the
storm hit to pick up another operator, and returned about two hours later.
Trees down on the main road kept him from returning any earlier, but members
of the Deerwalk VFD had the trees removed and the main road open. When Tony
made it back to the site he said we wouldn't be able to get out of Mountwood
Park with our mobile communications vehicle since there was a tree down that
had most of the road blocked and we wouldn't be able to get under it. A call
to the Fire Department brought a couple of Deerwalk's finest, the sons of Anna
KC8JWW, and brothers of Judy N8UFQ and Lisa KB8UER. In about 20 minutes the
mobile communications vehicle was headed for it's base location. After the
first storm, the storms that followed only got worse. It was a very bad
weekend and here it is Tuesday 7:20 pm and I'm just now finishing the DAREN
News.
I sure made a mistake this weekend by not having a backup plan and recording
of the State Wide DAREN Net. When the storm hit the Field Day site, all of
those checking into the net from the start was lost due to computer failure.
Ken KB8QPW quickly took over as net control for the rest of the 24 hour net.
During the storms Ken's power was off for about 5 hours and lost several
check-ins. If you who got checked into the net between 2:00 pm Saturday and
2:00 pm on Sunday, and are not on the very short check-in list, send me a
message so that I can get you on record.
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