Well, much thanks to NNN0OOR for the info. I received my MARS authorization yesterday.

John NNN0FBB-T

Norcal was one thing. AmQRP seems to have ended up to be an ego trip for the "Leadership Team." It is now June 2004, and members are still waiting for the Winter 2003 issue of the QRP Homebrewer.

I was an early member, but when I dared to suggest that perhaps they were expanding faster than they could handle, I was "invited" to leave.

Save your $20.00, take $2.00 and buy a cup of coffee, and use the other $18.00 for a membership to QRP-ARCI.

Thanks for the response(s). I'll give it a while and see what I hear. Also OK on the Regions. Just remember NJ being in Region 1 on Army and AF Mars, so will get used to being in 2. Makes sense.

Thanksw again,

John w2AGN

Just curious. I started off in MARS back in 1960 as AA3HLU. Went inactive when I went off to College. I was commissioned in the USAF in 1966, and had the first MARS station in Iceland (AJ0BB) in 1968.

I was again active in MARS after I moved to NJ back in 1986, (Army MARS AAR2YA) but around 1993 or so, I got too busy with the job. I retired a couple years ago.

Anyway, I liked the idea of MARS emphasis on Emergency Communications these days, so I decided to join up again. I thought NAVMARCORPS MARS would be a goo0d choice, so I went to the web page, downloaded the applications, and sent them (in duplicate) with 2 copies of my Ham License to the address in Virginia. I have looked and looked and can't find an address for a State MARS director in NJ. I sent an email to the address in the web page, and got a message from the District Director, saying he would advise the State MARS director. Still have never heard from him.

Just wondered, is there a NAVMARCORPS MARS in NJ? I notice other Districts even have web pages, but not District 1 (including NJ).

Just wondering if Navy MARS is alive and well in NJ?

Nope.

The impedance "bump" is negligable. The "pocket protector" crowd could work it out quickly, but it would cause a loss on any HF band less than 1 db. However, if it is not hard to change, as you say, the 450 ohm stuff is more physically rugged.

It is getting increasingly frustrating, trying to at least limit SPAM.
For example, for those of you members of QCWA, in the Summer newsletter,
it shows the QCWA BoD voted in October to SELL the member's database to a

bulk email outfit! I contacted the GM and President, as I have been a
Life Member for 20+ years. Sure enough, it was true, but they cancelled
the plan...not because of concern for member's privacy, but because it
turned out "they didn't need the money." Needless to say I told them to
expunge my records and cancel my membership. Probably useless, but it's
bad enough having spammers gathering our data with robots, but having a
trusted organization SELLING it was too much.

Been reading the mail on the HF AM thread. I have been enjoying it for a bit now, with a Ranger/RME6900 and a G-76 AM Rig.

Would sure like to see more VHF AM activity. I have a G-50 going now, and have been trying to stir up some activity. No Es openings yet here.

Be looking for activity on 50.4 all summer. Also a bit later, hope to have 144.4 AM going.