DAREN of WV News March 22, 2009 (.871)
Kenneth Harris WA8LLM (304) 679-3470 wa8llm@yahoo.com
WOOD COUNTY EMERGENCY COMMUNICATIONS
P.O. BOX 3328, PARKERSBURG, WV 26103
http://www.wc8ec.com
DAREN News, are articles and information about the Digital Amateur Radio "Emergency" Network of WV, which operates on 145.69 MHz. Anyone having any information about DAREN, or Amateur Radio in general, and would like to share it with others, may send it to WA8LLM @ PKBGWV on 145.69 MHz, or to my E-Mail: wa8llm@yahoo.com. A State Wide DAREN NET is operated every Saturday from 7:00 pm to 10:00 pm, and lately, before and after those hours. The DAREN Net Announcement, 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'. The DAREN News can also be found on the wc8ec.com website.
While I was at the Charleston Hamfest yesterday I got to see some of the DAREN operators who I've meet before and got to meet a couple for the first time. Here are the ones that I remember seeing at the Hamfest. Ray Gorrell, WV8RG; Ron Wilson, K8RWW; Shane Harper, KD8BMX; Bobbie Wells, KB8TBF, and Richard Dillon, K8VE. The new one I got to meet was Elizabeth Myers, W8LIZ, and Timothy Greene, N8UHG. There were a few that I see and talk to about every day from the Wood County area and they were: Tyler Lewis, KD8CPP; Ryan Thomas, KD8EMM; Dave Wright, N8NWV; Ray Bodie, N8TWV; Dot Harris, KC8HAI; Tricia Magyarosi, KC8VLI; and Don Williams, N8NUS. I'm sure I may have missed one or two on my list, but at least I got to meet some of the DAREN operators.
Randy Thomas, K8KHW, has been trying to keep me updated in the changes of the Winlink 2000 (WL2K) program. Randy says they have done away with the VHF Telpac systems as of March 5th. It no longer works and has no support. They are now using an RMS System which he thinks is supposed to work a lot faster. They are using Linux Computer based software. He says you have to be registered through the WL2K system to meet some of the requirements to get a key code and password to use their new system. Randy said that he was lucky he already meet all the requirements. Randy has the New Winlink RMS Software installed on his system, and it's up and running. He says that it will look a little different when you connect, but everything else should be about the same. He will keep us posted if anything else has changed as soon as he figures out how it all works. On his NPRTOH system you still type "TELPAC" at the command prompt to bring up the Internet system. I want to thank Randy for keeping us informed and providing Packet/Internet service.
Check out the "Radio-A-Day Give Away" on the www.wc8ec.com website.
There were 64 participants in the State Wide DAREN Net this week. Bobby Wells, KB8TBF, who's been participating in the net since July 30, 1994, has completed 450 check-ins. Larry Slagle, KB8CVP, who's been participating in the net since October 9, 1993, has completed 300 check-ins. Both of these operators will be receiving their certificates. Bill Bayless, KB8HEK, needs only one more check- in to make 350. I want to welcome Don, K8DSJ, and Tina, K8TMJ, Jones back to the DAREN system. Don and Tina have been missing from the net since October 19, 2002. I also want to welcome Charles (Skip) Hall, K8SOR, back to the net. Skip has been missing from the net since March 24, 2007. Now I want to welcome Robert, AC8BA, and Diana, KD8GMT, Gerard, from Charles Town, West Virginia, to the DAREN system and the net. I hope Robert and Diana can participate as often as possible. I didn't get the rest of the State Wide DAREN Net Certificates that some operators are waiting for printed up like I had planned. I have been busy this week and hope to get them done very soon. I now have a couple more certificates that need to be printed up.