DAREN of WV News May 10, 2009 (.878)
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.
There's not much to report this week. I've been busy with so many projects that I don't know which one to work on first. Friday we had to set up a couple of our 24 by 40 canopies at one of the county parks for a fund raiser for the Humane Society. After we got the canopies put up we went to the Civil Air Patrol building to attend an Advanced Skywarn Spotters class. Then on Saturday it was back to the park to take the canopies back down. To do it right it takes about five people to put the canopies up and take them down and the winds that we had didn't help. Since I'm the ARRL Section Emergency Coordinator I've been putting together my SEC Report for the ARRL which needed to be in to them by today. Also I've been putting together the material for the Amateur Radio Technician Class Cram Course that's going to be held on May 30th here in Wood County. I got a message from Randy Thomas, K8KHW, wondering if I got lost somewhere since he hasn't been able to catch on the repeater or on packet. We want to get together and discuss what capabilities he now has available on packet.
I've been without reliable Internet service for over a week now and I have some things that need to be done over the Internet. The only Internet service that I can get here in the boondocks is either Dial-up or Satellite and Satellite is out of my price range. The one thing about Dial-up service is it either works or it doesn't. You can't call the telephone company and complain about. If you report that you can't use your computer for Internet, they will ask you if you are able to call out, or receive noise free voice telephone calls. If you tell them yes, they will tell you that are what you're paying for, and that you're not paying for data service, I know, I worked there for 35 years. Most of the time I have to go to my daughter, KC8DJJ's, house to use her service. I didn't have the Internet until about five years ago, now I don't know how I got along without it.
I don't have much else to write about, so if any one has something they would like to say just let me know, and we'll put in the DAREN News. Maybe next week the news will be more informative.
There were 69 check-ins to this week's State Wide DAREN Net. Paul Derosky, K8GLA, needs only one more check-in to make 550. Barry Wagoner, N8WG, needs only one more check-in to make 200. There were two new check-ins to the net this week and they were Steven Meade, WV8SM, from West Union, and Jerry Sturm, KC8SIG, from Kerens. I want to welcome both Steve and Jerry to the DAREN system and hope they participate as often as possible