Mars Frequencies

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Mars Frequencies

jay gutknecht
Is there any modification to be done to operate the army mars frequencies?
 
Jay
KC9EUH
FP 750
FISTS 5344
k-2  SN 1431
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Re: Mars Frequencies

Thom LaCosta
On Fri, 23 Jul 2004, jay gutknecht wrote:

> Is there any modification to be done to operate the army mars frequencies?

Might help folks answer your question of you listed the frequencies....It's
been years since I was in Army MARS, but unlike AirForce, I kinda remember
they were real close to the band edges.

Wonder what official position MARS has taken on BPL?

Thom

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Re: Mars Frequencies

Thom LaCosta
In reply to this post by jay gutknecht
On Fri, 23 Jul 2004, jay gutknecht wrote:

> Is there any modification to be done to operate the army mars frequencies?

Finally, after 8 months, Army MARS responds:

"If your Elecraft K2 transceiver frequency coverage can be opened up to transmit
and receiver on ALL HF frequencies from 2 - 30 MHz, you will be able to join
Army MARS."

So much for being a volunteer.

73,Thom-k3hrn
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Re: Mars Frequencies

Rich Ardolino
In reply to this post by jay gutknecht
Thom & Jay,

I know the feeling. Over 2 years ago I was interested in joining Army MARS.....so I Googled their web site, read the info and, as per their instructions on the web site, I requested they send me an application for membership.......I'm still waiting. I wasn't even asking about using my K2 (which I want to keep in qrp version......I was willing to get a Yaecomwood for MARS use.

Rich   K2CPE
K2 #1102

-------------- Original message --------------

> On Fri, 23 Jul 2004, jay gutknecht wrote:
>
> > Is there any modification to be done to operate the army mars frequencies?
>
> Finally, after 8 months, Army MARS responds:
>
> "If your Elecraft K2 transceiver frequency coverage can be opened up to transmit
> and receiver on ALL HF frequencies from 2 - 30 MHz, you will be able to join
> Army MARS."
>
> So much for being a volunteer.
>
> 73,Thom-k3hrn
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Re: Mars Frequencies

Thom LaCosta
On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 [hidden email] wrote:

> Thom & Jay,
>
> I know the feeling. Over 2 years ago I was interested in joining Army MARS.....so I Googled their web site, read the info and, as per their instructions on the web site, I requested they send me an application for membership.......I'm still waiting. I wasn't even asking about using my K2 (which I want to keep in qrp version......I was willing to get a Yaecomwood for MARS use.

Oh NAVY MARS was a lot of help.....their comment was that a QRP rig would simply
not work, and that I should avoid kits, since NAVY MARS was moving towards
digital communications.

And so, I await to hear from Air Force MARS.....


73,Thom-k3hrn
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Re: Mars Frequencies

Fernando Quinones
In reply to this post by Thom LaCosta
Hello.

I'm a member of Navy Mars. We usually operate a tad outside the Ham
Bands on 80M and 40M.

Here is an invitation for Navy Mars. Check our url <http://www.navymars.org>
Replies are prompt and they are always looking for qualified candidates.

I'd be more than happy to answer any queries.

take care

Thom R. Lacosta wrote:

> On Fri, 23 Jul 2004, jay gutknecht wrote:
>
>> Is there any modification to be done to operate the army mars
>> frequencies?
>
>
> Finally, after 8 months, Army MARS responds:
>
> "If your Elecraft K2 transceiver frequency coverage can be opened up
> to transmit and receiver on ALL HF frequencies from 2 - 30 MHz, you
> will be able to join Army MARS."
>
> So much for being a volunteer.


--

73
Fernando N2FQ/NNNØJYM
San Jose, CA
<http://pages.sbcglobal.net/n2fq>


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Re: Mars Frequencies

Mike Morrow-3
In reply to this post by jay gutknecht
[hidden email] wrote:

>...I wasn't even asking about using my K2 (which
> I want to keep in qrp version......I was willing to get
> a Yaecomwood for MARS use.

Even there, you'd have to select the Yaecomwood rig carefully.

FWIW, the K2 does *not* come near meeting the NTIA frequency stability specs to which, say, the Civil Air Patrol (CAP) has committed, and to which MARS no doubt will eventually.  See the CAP's official HF equipment compliance list at:

https://ntc.cap.af.mil/comm/equipment/hf_equipment.cfm

The info on this web site is interesting.  Many Japanese amateur rigs meet NTIS specs if they have a TXCO reference oscillator (usually an expensive option) installed.  Even my 12 year old TS-50S!  But some rigs, like even most late model Yaesu gear, do not.

The K2 is quoted as having a 3 ppm frequency stability spec, but the NTIA limit is 0.67 ppm.  Also, CAP and many USAF MARS frequencies are near the K2 IF frequency.

The most common MARS/CAP rigs of 35 years ago, the Heathkit HW-18 and Collins KWM-2A (AN/FRC-93) also fail current specs by wide margin.

Thom wrote:

>Oh NAVY MARS was a lot of help.....their comment was that a
>QRP rig would simply not work, and that I should avoid kits,

IMHO, they have a good point.  The main thrust of current MARS activity is training for emergency communications.  Even if operation is planned using battery power, a 100-watt HF rig is essential unless one is mainly interested in casual "no-never-mind-if-it-doesn't-work" emergency communications.

>since NAVY MARS was moving towards digital communications.

That's the NTIA compliance spec coming down the pike!

>And so, I await to hear from Air Force MARS...

USAF MARS frequencies, unlike those of Army or USN/USMC MARS, will generally be well outside the ham bands.  Can the K2 function at a typical USAF MARS frequency of 4832 kHz?

Keep in mind that MARS or CAP or USCG Auxillary operation is not intended to be an extension of ham radio.  In fact, conducting MARS/CAP/USCG AUX business on ham bands is equivalent to conducting a business activity on the ham bands, and is forbidden by the FCC.  Many of our hobby rigs, for all their merits for ham operations, don't cut it for use outside the ham bands.

I was a member of Navy/Marine Corps MARS from 1968 to 1981 (N0LTD), and Army MARS (AAT6UI) from 1981 to 1986.  During the Vietnam war we handled a lot of serviceman voice and written traffic, as well as recruit depot notifications.  That sort of traffic is all pretty much a thing of the past, so the emergency communications game is about all that's left now.

There's a lot of good people on the MARS circuits.  However, I decided not to re-affiliate with any MARS system after the use of Morse in any capacity, even on training nets and in MARS repeater IDs, was **banned** in the 1990s.

73,
Mike / KK5F
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Re: Mars Frequencies

NR5A
In reply to this post by Thom LaCosta
Thats interesting about the Navy, I had just the opposite happen. They had
no problem with me being QRP. The reason I was interested in the Navy was
they have a lot of digital type operations. The area director or whatever
they are called even called me on the telephone and talked about an hour
about it. Guess it all depends on what area you are in. My health kinda went
to pot shortly after that and I did not join.

Jerry - NR5A
----- Original Message -----
From: "Thom R. Lacosta" <[hidden email]>
To: <[hidden email]>
Cc: <[hidden email]>; "jay gutknecht" <[hidden email]>
Sent: Tuesday, March 29, 2005 8:27 AM
Subject: Re: [Elecraft] Mars Frequencies


> On Tue, 29 Mar 2005 [hidden email] wrote:
>
> > Thom & Jay,
> >
> > I know the feeling. Over 2 years ago I was interested in joining Army
MARS.....so I Googled their web site, read the info and, as per their
instructions on the web site, I requested they send me an application for
membership.......I'm still waiting. I wasn't even asking about using my K2
(which I want to keep in qrp version......I was willing to get a Yaecomwood
for MARS use.
>
> Oh NAVY MARS was a lot of help.....their comment was that a QRP rig would
simply

> not work, and that I should avoid kits, since NAVY MARS was moving towards
> digital communications.
>
> And so, I await to hear from Air Force MARS.....
>
>
> 73,Thom-k3hrn
> www.zerobeat.net Home of QRP Web Ring, Drakelist home page,
> Free Classified Ads for amateur radio, QRP IRC channel
> Elecraft Owners Database
> www.tlchost.net/              Web Hosting as low as 3.49/month
> _______________________________________________
> Elecraft mailing list
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> Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.):
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>
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> Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
>
>


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Re: Mars Frequencies

k6dgw
In reply to this post by Thom LaCosta
Never been a personal MARS member, but I was OIC at AI8AB (Bien Hoa AB,
RVN) for part of 1966.  MARS was a pretty big deal then since it was
really the only means for troops to get any sort of personal
communications and messages home, there being no Internet, cell phones,
satellites, and the like, and mail took 4-6 weeks.  The Chief of AF Mars
managed to scrounge an incredible amount of equipment for us including
KWM-2A's, R-390's, Model 28's, and a 3KW TX we used for a full duplex
RTTY circuit to AK1AIR in Anchorage about 16 hrs a day.

With other base MARS stations, we used frequencies far removed from the
ham bands, but for the phone patches run by the West Coast hams, the
frequencies were only a few Kc above or below the ham bands.

MARS probably isn't very high on the DoD's "to-do" list these days, and
the response may depend on the degree of local activity.  I know some
units are quite active and others are fairly dormant.  

Just tried (dummy load!) and my K2 produces power outside the 20M band.
I did not know it would.

73,

Fred K6DGW
Auburn CA CM98lw

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Re: Mars Frequencies

Stuart Rohre
In reply to this post by Thom LaCosta
MARS has no better email than anyone else.  The request for application
could have fallen in the bit bucket and not gotten to MARS; or they might
have been short staffed as they often are at HQ.  MARS is pretty far down
the staffing priorities when it comes to the management of the program by
the military.  Always has been, even pre Vietnam war, when I was in MARS.

It is true, they have given up CW nets, and are moving toward digital forms
of communication.  It is also true the MARS fellows in volunteer
administration are probably pretty ignorant of the true value of QRP
especially with digital modulation.   A lot of them are ex service types
used to a kw or BC 610.  I personally would not ask them if I could use such
and such a rig.   After all, all they request is that you have a rig that
can meet their assigned modes and nets.  You can choose a configuration that
you believe meets the requirement.  If you can't make the nets, then you
find something that can.  For the present, they still have SSB, but they
also are involved in packet or other digital modes.  A kit rig could operate
with packet TNCs, and of course you could use an amplifier if needed.  The
best way to improve your station value to MARS is to have very good
antennas.  Now, at one time, there was talk of needing automatic link
establishment commercial transceivers, but that is pretty high dollar for an
all volunteer group.  Hopefully, that nonsense has gone away.

Since MARS is often a point to point service, that should be easily done.
Fixed wire beams, parasitic vertical arrays, rotatable beams, etc.,  are all
ways to satisfy their reliability requirement.  You will need an outdoor
antenna, and perhaps space for several antennas for the various nets.

The Fourth U. S. Army MARS Command Station used one beam and an assortment
of wire antennas to work the world with 100 watts.   For awhile, we did
enjoy the old Signal Corps hill location, with its fixed Rhombics, but had
to move to a more typical ham station location later.

-Stuart
K5KVH



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Re: Mars Frequencies

Thom LaCosta
In reply to this post by Fernando Quinones
On Tue, 29 Mar 2005, n2fq wrote:

> Hello.
>
> I'm a member of Navy Mars. We usually operate a tad outside the Ham Bands on
> 80M and 40M.
>
> Here is an invitation for Navy Mars. Check our url <http://www.navymars.org>
> Replies are prompt and they are always looking for qualified candidates.
>
> I'd be more than happy to answer any queries.

Apparently the Maryland Director doesn't understand that...he's the one that
told me the K2 wouldn;t work.

Thom

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