About a half dozen years ago, I was incensed over the use of PacTor modems being an apparently mandated item with respect to digital traffic on the MARS network. No, I was not a MARS member, but a former MARS member.
Two things disturbed me greatly: The first, the fact that it meant that to participate, civilian members would have to have purchased SCS modems, the only ones available that could receive PacTors 2 or 3. At a cost of just over $1,000 each! Sure, PacTor 1 could be handled with sound card modems since it was open source, but it was relatively slow.
The other, that it forced MARS members to purchase hardware from a single, offshore source. The only way to be capable of sending and receiving MARS digital traffic.
So, I wrote to the Deputy Secretary of Defense at the time, highlighting these two points. And, I emphasized that I did not think it right for DOD to have to buy modems for volunteers, nor be restricted to a single source for such an item. Especially since it was designed for PacTor use, not a lot of other popular modes like STANAG, Clover or Olivia.
From reading various public reports, DOD subsequently ordered the cessation of its use for perhaps the above reasons. Someone within MARS circles, however, saw fit to restore permission for MARS only.
Somewhat strange, frankly, since the mission of MARS is no longer to pass health and welfare messages to and from deployed forces as it once was and in view of recent interconnection concerns.
Since that time, other events have prompted DOD to remove physical Internet connections from radios and modems that are used to handle at least Army MARS content. Apparently, out of concern that viruses, worms and such could invade a computer and transfer content unknowingly from the user to a foreign source. According to what I’ve read, content these days can be quite sensitive and even classified. Routing such traffic through distant, non-MARS, non-military PMBO mailboxes connected to the Internet would also be of concern, since they too could be invaded and capture content in the process of translation and forwarding on the Internet.
While I am sorry that my earlier complaint may have disparaged those who had already invested in expensive proprietary protocol modem boxes, I complained for what I thought were some very good reasons. And still do, as a taxpayer. If the single source were to have been compromised, think of those consequences. Or, if the price of the hardware were to be increased to an even higher cost? Just as it now has in order to send and receive PacTor 4, at a price of over $2,000 for each new modem and the older ones aren't compatible. Having the flexibility to use a multiplicity of digital modes, including those trusted and used directly by our military in their communications equipment is of ever increasing importance in light of cyber security concerns. Today’s MARS needs the digital mode capability to communicate with the military and its membership has that capability.
Lee
W6EM
Ex-AAT9GN