I wrote a paper addressing this and related topics that was last updated about a year ago now that can be had at:
http://www.n2ckh.com/MARS_ALE_FORUM/MARS-ALE_Radio_Control_The-Road-Ahead.pdfThe most physical stress on the HF transceiver at present in MARS operation is 2G ALE scanning if there is no way to bypass those pesky PA spectral purity filter selection relays found in most greater than 50w transceivers during ALE scanning. The next most stress is in heat dissipation during PSK data modem (and in the near future MELPe Digital Voice) transmissions using any MIL-STD Serial Tone modem waveform, which in the future will include 3G ALE.
There are current radios in use that I see having a future moving forward to include with 3G ALE and even 3kHz bandwidth 4G ALE. I do not see MARS being assigned the required FAUs for more than 3kHz 4G ALE outside of perhaps back channel forwarding between server stations. Thus wide band radios will not be required by all. At present there is only one make of Amateur transceiver that can do wide band but only out to 20kHz whereas MIL-STD WBHF has been out to 24kHz for years and is now out to 48kHz with MIL-STD-188-11D Appendix D and MIL-STD-188-141D.
The thing that MARS members cannot go and spend their hard earned money on beyond 2G ALE and basic MIL-STD data modem use is COTS radios that provide things like MELPe and 3G ALE as its not fully interoperable with all manufacturers of such equipment, especially not with Harris, the standard to which MARS needs to achieve a level of interoperability. Thus MARS must continue to develop MARS tools for use with MARS members radio equipment to achieve that required level of interoperabilty.
Please read the .pdf file before asking qUestions or making any comments.
/s/ Steve, N2CKH