And you probably never will see or hear any MARS ops handling routine message traffic in these cases unless specifically directed. Our mission has changed a bit.


Please do not let the door slap you in the posterior on your way out! unlicensed posters are not taken seriously anyway.

Will you be missed for very long (or at all)? To get an idea of how long we will think about your departure fill a glass of water and insert your finger. Now pull it out and see how long it takes for the hole to fill with water. We will mourn your departure for approximately 1/1000th of the time period. Sayonara!

73 de w8nsi/nnn0uzw jim

From the tone of your message, I would hazard a guess that you were once a member of one of the 3 MARS branches???

The MARS programs are leaner. We do not have the equipment programs anymore. NAVY MARS Does still have phone patch nets. Because of the easy access to email, health and welfare traffic has gone away.
But I have heard the same sour grapes you express about the hams in ECOMM because of the internet and cell phones and all sorts of things... WRONG! When all the modern methods fail the hams are there. And guess what, MARS members are also hams. DOD has recognized this. MARS is no longer Military Affiliated Radio Service but Military AUXILIARY Radio Service. There is a difference.

73 de w8nsi/nnn0uzw jim

Most important of all though... how many have bought a hex beam from any of the current available sources? Traffie, DX Engineering, K4KIO, NA4RR, etc.

I hear QRM from lots of mockingbirds. Lets go down the list of responders and see what they use.

Is there anyone here who has bought the currently lowest priced hex beam at less than $400? What is your review of the product?

Another possibility to experiment with: because you are using a toroid for coupling, try moving the gap with the capacitor down next to the toroid. Since the high voltage point of the loop is opposite side this should eliminate need for high voltage capacitor.

What you have pictured in your image is simply using the bottom copper tube as a poor impedance transformation to an end fed 1/4 wave with no radials if I interpret the drawing correctly. It may improve if you add 4 drooping 20 inch radials attached at the top of the bottom tube where they meet at the PVC.

73 de w8nsi/nnn0uzw jim

Technically, the frequencies are not classified but the information is on a need to know basis... and the chiefs of the three MARS services have deemed the general public as not having a need to know. You are free to tune around and listen as you find the nets. Generally, there are nets in the 2.0 to 3.5 mhz and 4 to 6.9 mhz ranges plus some specialty nets on higher frequencies (above 7.4 mhz) favoring longer distances due to their propagation characteristics. The need to know comes-in concerning the specific frequencies and days-of-week/times of nets. Persistence on your part will pay off if you happen to be monitoring the correct frequency when the net is called. Nets are voice and digital, including mt63, Olivia, and sometimes other sound card modes or tnc modes.

Isn't it interesting how a simple question of restoring a radio to factory condition descends into a peeing match over legalities of usage off the ham bands? Some people like to hijack a discussion to show how erudite and learned they are (NOT).    

A quick look through posts following the question shows that this topic has drifted to another hemisphere from the original question.

Short answer to original question: It is completely normal for a radio to cover a few khz above and below the bands, not a defect. Once you removed the mod, you now have a stock radio.

It is a false positive. I use Sunbelt Software's VIPRE anti-spy/anti-virus and EasyPAL scans CLEAN!

I also have a KAM All Mode and the original 104 page users manual.

What type computer are you trying to hook it up to? The old 1987 KAM All Mode dates back to the Commodore VIC-20 and C-64 days and the interface must be set correctly on the KAM circuit board. If it was used on one of these old computers, you will probably have to make a change of jumper option on the board inside the unit.

With the circuit board removed from the housing:
and the back of the board facing you, back panel left to right, 12v power jack, db9 connector, din connector, db25 connector (the serial port).

Behind the db25 connector, looking toward the front from the connector, there are 4 ICs in a line. Between them is an option jumper labeled TTL and RS232. An old computer like the Commodores VIC20 and C64 need that jumper to be in the TTL position. Newer computers must have it in the RS232 position.

Quoting from the manual:
"Since there are so many computers on the market now, it is impossible to provide interfacing information on all of them."

Then they give info for the PCjr, TRS Color Computer, and TRS model 100. Wow, trip down memory lane...

If your computer has a standard serial port then a regular serial cord should work between the computer and KAM.

What terminal program are you using?

In the terminal program you have 4 variables to set:
Baud Rate: 300 to 9600
Parity; none
Data Bits: 8
Stop Bits: 1

I always used the highest baud rate that my computer and terminal program would allow (9600).

With the terminal program loaded and options set, boot the KAM, you should see garble until the unit matches the baud rate you set in the terminal program options. Then you wlll see "PRESS * TO SET BAUD RATE". Quickly hit the * to select it. That should get you started.

All the rest of the KAM settings are way beyond the scope of this forum.

ps: For others following along, there is NO lithium button cell or any other type on the circuit board that I can see. The ROM chip (U22) has a white sticker on it with printing "KAM 2 84" and a marker written letter "R".

I just googled it and am up on the site.

It appears that this software is specificly designed for use with a whole list of cb radios, plus 2 Icom rigs.

It appears that there is a tailored version for each cb radio. The idea behind this is ok though. If the source fr this were available it would be fun to play with.

Check this out: http://malzev.tripod.com/radiodoc/software.htm

 

What is the link URL that you are trying?

I would like to see if the same happens to me.

73 de w8nsi jim

Actually there are radios that do not have "out of band" modifications for MARS but work on 60 meters. My Tentec jupiter is an example. I assume that if needed I could probably get the firmware update to use it on MARS frequencies.

I used to be in Navy MARS about 25 years ago. Are MARSgrams and message handling still done on the voice nets?  I was digging through some papers here and found that I have a pad of the old MARSgram forms. Brought back memories... ages ago I was NNN0ZUH.

73 de w8nsi jim

I was posting and replying to messages just now and suddenly it is gone again....

I think that Fred would do well to find a new hosting service.

Dont feel like the lone stranger, dude!

Thousands of us enter and thousands of us never get picked on those drawings.

Crooked or straight, 99% of us will never win 'em, so why cry about it?

I am in my call area.

73 de w8nsi jim