Who is WCEC?
Wood County Emergency Communications Inc. (WCEC) is an all volunteer Non-Profit organization, created to provide back-up and overload communications to all Public Safety agencies in Wood County, West Virginia and the surrounding counties in WV and OH. Read more in our Mission Statement to see what we do. For more information on Emergency Communicators and Amateur Radio read the "Who Are We?" article.
The organization's Bylaws are available in Adobe pdf format by downloading them here. You can also read the WCEC Operation plan.
Capabilities:
- Mobile communications command center setup
- Skywarn operating under the National Weather Service
- Digital Communications statewide via D.A.R.E.N.
- Voice Communications via handheld and mobile radio and in house wired and wireless telephone systems.
- Both fixed and mobile voice repeater setups available.
- Satelite internet and phone service
- Long range wifi internet available at site
Parkersburg Hamfest
702 Butcher Bend Road
Mineral Wells, WV
Sponsored by: Wood County Emergency Communications, inc. WC8EC
ATTENDIES
The second annual Parkersburg Hamfest has moved to a new larger facility with easy access from I77.
We have secured a building at the WV Interstate Fairgrounds, 702 Butcher Bend Road, Mineral Wells, WV. See our details page for directions.
This year’s event will be held on October 9th 2010 from 8:00 AM till 1:00 PM.
There will be an indoor vendor area and an outside tailgating area. Ample parking is available including handicapped accessible areas. Door prizes and the W5YI testing schedule are listed on our details page
Admission tickets are $5.00 at the door for the inside vendor/swap area. The outside tailgating area will be free.
“Early Bird” tickets are available over the internet that will allow holders to enter the vendor area ½ hour early and provide additional savings on multiple tickets.
Door Prize will be awarded hourly.
VENDORS
Reserve your tables early (available on a first-come first-serve basis). All vendors wishing space inside the building need to apply as early as possible.
Although we have much more space than last year we can’t guarantee space for vendors showing up at the door late. Pricing is the same with or without electrical hookup.
- Commercial Vendor’s tables are free (those with a business license) . Internet registration is available and advised.
Security will be provided for vendors setting-up on Friday evening. - Sweep Meet tables are $5.00 at the door and $4.00 over the internet purchased before October 1st.
Ticket and Table Purchases
Both are available at the door, but you can save some cash and guarantee availability by purchasing early over the internet. Use the convenient buttons below.
Sign up for Commercial tables here
You need to be a licensed business
Swap Meet tables are available for personal/non-commercial use at the door for $5.00 per table or discounted to $4.00 using the button below.
Contact Informaton:
Ken Harris WA8LLM
Phone: (304) 679-3470
email: wa8llm@yahoo.com
Field Day 2010
Quite a few members of WCEC and the Amateur Community spent much of their time during the weekend of June 26 and 27 participating in ARRL's Field Day. WCEC set up in a hayfield on the Henderson Farm off Laurel Creek Road.
Field Day is always the fourth full weekend of June, beginning at 1800 UTC Saturday and running through 2059 UTC Sunday. The purpose of field day is to allow over 35,000 amateurs to gather with their clubs, friends or simply by themselves to operate with the idea of collecting as many contacts during the given time period as possible.
Organizations like WCEC who provide emergency communications to their communities use field day as a practice exercise to test their abilities to setup their equipment in emergency-like conditions. WCEC uses this contest each year to practice communications using voice, digital, wired and wireless forms of communication. A great deal of time is spent experimenting with new equipment and ideas to improve setup time and communications reliability.
During field day WC8EC members get a chance to make contacts on frequencies that they normally don’t use and to practice using equipment that they don’t own themselves.
In addition the contest is used to demonstrate to the local community and its elected officials the capabilities of these trained, licensed Amateur Radio Operators who spend hours training for that ultimate disaster when normal communications has failed to function or is over taxed.
The official WC8EC Field Day report is available in adobe pdf format here.
You can read another view of field day by Jeffrey Saulton on News and Sentinel.com entitled “Ham radio operators participate in field day”. Pictures taken during the event can be found on this website, FaceBook, and on CU.newsandsentinel.com.
Sub Menu
Upcoming Activities
- WCEC Business Meeting
7:00 PM, September 6, 2010 at the Lubeck Community Center, Lubeck, WV. - ARES Registration
If you are interested in registering with ARES in the Wood/Washington County area, contact Ken Harris. Blank forms are available in the training section.
Support WCEC
Wood County Emergency Communications is a Non Profit Organization Supported Entirely by Public and Private Donations! Help Support Amateur Radio Emergency Communications in Wood County, West Virginia and the surrounding area.
Make a secure online donations
National Homeland Security Knowledge base
Amateur Radio and Linux
Computer magazine Linux Journal has devoted their January 2010 issue to Amateur Radio. Read about the trend of the technical side of Amateur Radio being explored in areas that one never thought it would.
Major Computer Publication Devotes January 2010 Issue to Amateur Radio
The 2010-2011 ARRL Repeater Directory now available
Choose the traditional Pocket-sized directory or the easy-to-read Desktop Edition...or BOTH! The best directory of frequencies for the thousands of repeaters around the country. An important tool every ham should have! Available in the ARRL Store.
US Amateur Radio Bands
The ARRL has published new Frequency Allocation charts for the
Amateur bands. Available in Color and Black an White, they may be
downloaded and printed from their website. These print nicely on
regular 8½ X 11 Paper.
US Amateur Frequency Chart
Notice: The clock have moved to the Training page.