I know that the narrowband VHF-FM part of the specs is coming to Army MARS, for certain.  The HF stability issue will hit us all, sooner or later.  Timetables depend on the service, but the sooner we prepare for it, the less of a problem it will be.

Plus, I believe that it is simply good practice.  Modern digital modes are more successful with a stable radio.  I have been buying TCXOs for my rigs since the beginning for that reason...

john W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

It is not up to the MARS leadership.  It is a Federal mandate - not optional.  We operate on Federal frequencies, we are required to abide by their rules.

Like it or not, it is a requirement.  We have seen this coming for a long time...

john W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

http://www.fema.gov/nims/mutual_aid.shtm

If you examine the "Emergency Management Resources" document, you will find some commo resources have been defined for the 911 folks and Civil Air Patrol.  I have not come across any FEMA-approved definitions for amateur radio yet.

73,
john W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

I have been purchasing some commercial LMR radios made by Icom of late.  Being a MARS operator, the NTIA requirements for narrow-band FM communications are looming on the horizon.  And I was tired of "modding" amateur radios and getting less than stellar performance with channels more than a few MHz out of the 2-meter band.  The IC-121 mobile and IC-F33GT portable radios have proven well-built, easy to program and rugged.  The F121 also has an accessory cable which makes connection to TNCs, patches or a repeater controller childs play.

I have purchased from a number of vendors over the past year, but Action Communications in Arizona (http://www.actioncommunications.com/) stands out as one of the best.  Super fast delivery and a convenient website for order placement.  

Thumbs up to Action!

73, john W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

MARS operates on military frequencies which are not regulated by the FCC.  There are regulated via the NTIA (Dept of Commerce), down to the Joint Spectrum Center (DoD) and the individual service's spectrum management office.

Issues such as frequency accuracy and stability are handled by these organizations.

73,
john W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

These guys will sell you the programming unit, etc.:

http://www.ameradio.com/product/5271/description.html

73, john
W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

Below is the standard format for After-Action Reports in Army MARS.  The first format is used by individual MARS members, the second is used by State Directors to roll-up information to HQ.

a. Format for individual member After Action Report.

    DE…….  NR...  (MARS Station Call Sign & Message Number)
    R........Z ... ..   (Date Time Group when message initiated)
    FM ……..  /...  .. (Member Name /Call sign State
    TO ……… (State Director Name/ Call sign  State)
    INFO (Discretion of State Director)
    BT
    ACTUAL INCIDENT (or MARS EXERCISE)
    SUBJECT:  AFTER ACTION REPORT (Incident Identifier)
 .  STATION: (Participating Station Call Sign and State)
    2.  OPERATOR(S):  (Number of operators at Club, and Military Stations only)
    3.  LOCATION:  (If deployed, where were you?)
    4.  EMERGENCY POWER USED:  (Indicate Y or N, if emergency power was
used or tested, identify what type of power used [battery, generator, solar, etc])
    5.  BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION: (Tell us what you did and what situation that you responded to. Include times and dates of activities)
    6.  HOW AND WHEN NOTIFIED OF EMERGENCY:  (Tell us when you were notified of the emergency and how you received the information, [telephone, pager, news broadcast])
    7.  WEATHER DURING OPERATION: (This is particularly important during weather related emergencies)
    8.  RADIO PROPAGATION CONDITIONS:  (List date/frequency/condition)
    9.  NUMBER OF MESSAGES PROCESSED: (How many messages did you handle/process during the emergency or exercise)
    10.  NUMBER OF MESSAGES ORIGINATED: (How many messages did you originate from your station?)
    11.  PROBLEMS OR ISSUES ENCOUNTERED OR OBSERVED:  (List significant problems or issues.  List each in separate paragraphs for clarity.
    12.  WHAT WORKED WELL: (Identify the positive aspects of your operation including lessons learned.)
    ACTUAL INCIDENT (or MARS EXERCISE)
    BT


    NNNN

   b.  Format for State/Region After Action Report.

   DE…….  NR...  (MARS Station Call Sign & Message Number)
   R........Z ... ..       (Date Time Group when message initiated)
   FM ……..  /...  .. (Member Name /Call sign State
   TO ………         (Appropriate Area Coordinator Name/ Call sign  State)
   INFO (Discretion of State Director)
   BT
       ACTUAL INCIDENT (or MARS EXERCISE)
   SUBJECT:  (STATE or REGION) AFTER ACTION REPORT
   1.  PARTICIPATING STATIONS: (How many total stations participated?)
   2.  OPERATORS: (How many operators were involved in Club and/or Military Station operations?)
   3.  LOCATION:  (Location of deployed state members)
   4.  EMERGENCY POWER USAGE: (Types and numbers of emergency power usage)
   BATTERY: (Number of stations on battery)
   GENERATOR: (Number of stations on generator)
   5.  OPERATIONS:
   A.  BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF OPERATIONS: (Include Times and Dates)
   B.  AGENCIES SUPPORTED:  (Identify the agencies supported)
   C.  IF THIS WAS AN EXERCISE, IDENTIFY GOALS AND OBJECTIVES: (Identify
         specific goals and objectives of the exercise.
   6.  HOW AND WHEN WERE YOU NOTIFIED OF THE EMERGENCY
   A.  HOW AND WHEN DID YOU NOTIFY THE STATE OR REGION MEMBERSHIP
   OF THE EMERGENCY?
   B.  HOW AND WHEN DID YOU PROVIDE EMERGENCY OPERATIONS UPDATES TO STATE OR REGION MEMBERSHIPS?
   7.  WEATHER:  (Summarize weather conditions during state emergency operation)
   8.  RADIO PROPAGATION: (Summarize reported radio propagation conditions, if more than one frequency was used, identify and characterize each frequency.)
   9.  WIRE BASED COMMUNICATIONS USE: (Summarize use of e-mail, fax, computer links via telephone, etc.)
   10.  TOTAL NUMBER OF MESSAGES PROCESSED IN STATE OPERATIONS: (Total number of messages processed in State operations from individual and gateway reports)
   11.  TOTAL NUMBER OF MESSAGES ORIGINATED IN STATE OPERATIONS: (Total number of messages originated in State operations from individual reports)
   12.  PROBLEMS/ISSUES/SUCCESSES ENCOUNTERED OR OBSERVED:  (List significant problems, issues and successes in separate paragraphs for clarity.  This should include summarized comments provided from individual reports.)
   ACTUAL INCIDENT (or MARS EXERCISE)
      BT   

Actually, an awful lot of folks have 6M and 2M SSB and have forgotten or never used it.  Think of how many Icom 706 owners, and folks with similar small HF/VHF/UHF radios, are out there - yet many of them have never attached an antenna to the VHF/UHF port and switched to VHF SSB operation.  

73,
john
W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

PLEASE stop spreading these rumors.  They are not true. In fact, NETCOM just funded a new suite of equipment for some of the OCONUS Gateway stations.

It is true that the European gateway may be going down, but MARS members spreading all the BS they hear just make the MARS management's job that much harder.  Writing letters to Congressmen - members don't realize how much time it takes out of a MARS Chief's day to deal with them.  It is usually unproductive too.

73,
john
AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

Ouch.  Well, the (potential) good news relates to new operators.  It is nice to see some folks participate for the first time.  IF they realized from the experience that some training on their part would be beneficial, then it has a positive side.

On the other hand, all parties concerned should be submitting after-action reports which are accurately rolled-up and distributed to all concerned (i.e., not a whitewash, but a balanced view).  If this does not happen, the entire exercise is a waste of time, IMHO...

73,
john
W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

Your first clue comes when you click on the "Complaint Dept" link on his website!  If that is his attitude, I certainly wouldn't consider doing business with him.

Sorry about your problem.  If you paid him via postal money order or shipped via the mails, consider contacting the local Postal Inspector.

73,
john

Welcome aboard, John!

de John, AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC

You are right, MARSgrams are a secondary mission these days.  Very few of them these days, as the advent of Internet access in the field has largely supplanted MARSgrams.  We still do some phone patch, on occasion.

The focus has been emergency communications for a number of years, primarily to support Federal customers.  Some states MARS programs have signed MOUs with their National Guard to provide direct support - I negotiated one last year while I was Delaware's Army MARS Director.  Army MARS received a national MOU with the US Army Reserve Command (USARC) a few weeks ago which allows the formation of Army MARS support teams for Army Reserve units.  I have been seconded to the 311th Theatre Signal Command (Reserve) and the 261st Signal Brigade (DE Army Guard) for the past year working on a variety of Signal issues.  In previous years, I have performed various radio projects for other Federal agencies such as the Department of State.

In this year's Grecian Firebolt exercise, the Army's largest comm exercise, the HF and SINCGARS Net Control Station equipment and the majority of the operators are being provided by Army MARS, with some Air Force MARS members also participating in the deployment.

Other MOUs are in the making over the next six months or so.  It is an exciting time if you are motivated, have good operating and technical skills and get hooked up with a customer agency.  Like many things in life, it is a matter of making the commitment.

Give me a shout if you have any specific questions.

73,
john
AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC
Army MARS Automation Coordinator
Emergency Ops Officer, Eastern Area

And we need another forum because this one is so busy?

:-)

john
W3JKS/AAT3BF/AAM3O/AAA9AC