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Author Topic: ATTRACTING YOUNGER MARS MEMBERS  (Read 22143 times)

KB9ZB

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ATTRACTING YOUNGER MARS MEMBERS
« Reply #15 on: January 09, 2004, 09:31:15 AM »

While i agree that youg members are needed and ther might be some wingle room in the 14-18 year group, i think you missed the boat on the " code issue'
You may not be aware that no one in the marine services nor federal services use code at all.  as of 2002 there is not one swervice that requires the code except the amateur service.
i would not mind having a few frequencies set aside for " the old folk" to go and play with the code.
the big question in my mind is who are we suppoted to teach the code to?
ron
nnn0vag
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WA4MJF

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« Reply #16 on: January 09, 2004, 09:41:09 AM »

Urban legend about the code.

What is true, is that there aren't
individual schools for the services
anymore.

All three services send the code students
to Fort Huachuca, AZ. for code training.

Code is still used in the special ops
and military intelligence (sri for the
oxymoron) intercept ops.

If anyone tells you the services don't
use code anymore tell them they're full
of bull!

I get tired of s
otherwise smart persons saying this.

73 de Ronnie


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K3WVU

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ATTRACTING YOUNGER MARS MEMBERS
« Reply #17 on: January 09, 2004, 11:46:21 AM »

I think the point with the code is that it's a totally inefficient way to send traffic.  Faster digital modes are being employed, such as Baudot, AMTOR, PACTOR, ALE, and MT63.  The latter is very, very good for getting traffic through bad conditions.  Code lends itself very well to 'low tech' applications and has it's place, but it's rapidly become a 'niche' mode.

73

Dwight NNN0TPR/NNN0ASI EIGHT
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N3ZKP

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ATTRACTING YOUNGER MARS MEMBERS
« Reply #18 on: January 09, 2004, 11:53:21 AM »

Ronnie:

When did Fort Huachuca become the all-service CW school? My son (Now a CTR1(AW),USN)did his CW training at Ft. Devons, MA. Of course that was eight years ago. :)

He's now at Command, Naval Security Group at Ft. Meade. Makes it nice - for the next three years he 20 minutes from him mother and me.

Lon
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WA4MJF

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« Reply #19 on: January 09, 2004, 11:59:37 AM »

Yes, it is niche mode, Special Ops and MI.

In fact, if you go to www.MorseX.com and
go to Nye Viking the first key that comes up
is the current issue leg iron (although it is nylon strap now) the KY-320 Ranger Key.  It is current
issue and can be had for $119.95 plus shipping.
Never said the governement got cheap stuff  :-)


To answer the other question, there was an article in
the Army Times early in 2003 and I got the idea
that it had been at Huachuca for a while prior
to the article.  It was to address the myth
that code not used in the military any more.
So does the above referrenced web page.  

73 de Ronnie

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K4FAU

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ATTRACTING YOUNGER MARS MEMBERS
« Reply #20 on: January 11, 2004, 10:19:51 PM »

Hi - K4FAU is not my callsign -- just using my friends computer while home on leave in Florida--

I am a graduate of the US Army Morse Code Interceptor course at Ft Huachuca. There was Army, navy, and AF and Marines in my class. We studied morse in order to listen mainly thrid world countries that still use it. The Coast Guard stopped sending there folks there since distress signals are no longer sent via morse from anywhere...

We learn to receive and not transmit. The graduating speed is 26 wpm and we start learning code the first day of the 14 week class...

It use to be taught at Ft Devens MA but they closed Ft Devens down about 8 years ago. Now the Army teaches everyone. Also -- the fallacy is that SP OPS uses code... they do use a special code machine but not anything like you have ever seen or heard.. it compresses the code and bursts it...

anyway -- the reason that I wrote is that I just got back from being deployed and I will tell you -- no one used the MARS station that was set up at all -- and why not -- well the MWR folks had free phones for us to use, the signal guys had voice over IP for us to use, and we could rent cell phones for 10 cents a minute to call the states from the local folks ... so why anyone want to stand in a hot vn and have to say the words OVER sentence after sentence?

Not stirring stuff up just saying that MARS had its day -- now the technology just makes it hard to understand why nyone needs to use it...

thx

Sam (Ft Hood TX)
KC5LMF

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WA4MJF

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ATTRACTING YOUNGER MARS MEMBERS
« Reply #21 on: January 11, 2004, 10:37:11 PM »

As late as 1995, when I retired as
a Plans Officer in DCSIM, USASOC,
the 3rd SF Gp (ABN) was using code.
They worked with some of those
3rd world countires in their AO and
that is what they used.  Kinda like the
rest of the Army doesn't use horses
(well, except the 3rd Inf Regt and the 1st
Cav Div demonstration team), but the 5th
SF Gp (ABN) used them in the 'Stan 'cause that is
what the locals used.
When in "Rome"....


3rd Gp also use MARS quite extensively
with their back pack HF sets because
a lotta places  they go don't have all
the nice things that the conventional
forces have at their disposal.

I've run patches from 3rd Gp to their
families at Bragg.  Their MARS station
was a 20 watt SSB station with a dipole
on the roof of their building.

73 de Ronnie
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N3ZKP

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ATTRACTING YOUNGER MARS MEMBERS
« Reply #22 on: January 12, 2004, 12:35:45 PM »

Sam:

The passing of MARSgrams is no longer the primary mission of any of the MARS branches and hasn't been for several years.

The primary mission now is emergency communications support for the DoD, state and local governments, and served agencies.

True, there are other means available to deployed troops to contact home, but MARSgrams are still used in some circumstances.

MARS is very much alive and still needed for it's other missions. With all due respect, before consigning us to the dungeons of antiquity, get a little more information. :)

Lon NNN0OOR
MDE Navy-Marine Corps MARS
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K3WVU

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« Reply #23 on: January 12, 2004, 05:52:44 PM »

Lon,

Good reply.  I do think K4FAU's comment highlighted a big problem with MARS.  We aren't doing a good job of educating folks about our primary mission.  Most people still see us as the people who ran phone patches and otherwise passed morale and welfare traffic.  We need to use every method at our disposal to change that perception of what we are here for.
This forum is a good toll, for starters.

73

Dwight NNN0TPR/NNN0ASI EIGHT
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N3ZKP

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« Reply #24 on: January 12, 2004, 06:10:23 PM »

Dwight,

BTW, the article "real chiefs" that you used in the last issue of the "Bridge" and credited to John, he got from me and used in a previous issue. I got it from the Nat'l web page. :)

Lon NNN0OOR
MDE Navy-Marine Corps MARS
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K3WVU

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« Reply #25 on: January 12, 2004, 09:20:26 PM »

whoops!

Dwight NNN0TPR/NNN0ASI EIGHT
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WA4MJF

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« Reply #26 on: January 13, 2004, 03:17:06 PM »

USAF MARS runs more patches for AMC than
GHFS runs.  I have both frequencies on
and almost all are MARS run.

Of course, the AF MARS advantage is they
have DSN lines and the Army won't put them
in for our patch stations.
Does the Navy?

73 de Ronnie
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N3ZKP

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« Reply #27 on: January 13, 2004, 06:01:41 PM »

Ronnie:

I'm not aware of any DSN lines being available to individual MARS stations, although the Afloat Net folks may have access to them. I don't know.

Lon
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KB9ZB

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« Reply #28 on: January 15, 2004, 12:38:10 AM »

I can only speak for Navy MARS, but we have had a great success with it and I can state that every time we get an application request it is on the fast track, in less than 3 days you will have everything you need.
I know that Am not sure what problems your having with MAS and the web sites, I can only speak the army MARS site has had some issues and that they are ware of them and working to correct them. I can also state that every request is a priority for us bar none.

ron
nnn0vag WI
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KB9ZB

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« Reply #29 on: January 15, 2004, 12:48:56 AM »

Barry I know that this has hit a soft spot for you, but please don't yell. (All caps is shouting or yelling)
Now onto the topic, yes we need new young members and we need them in a bad way. The way to get them is from the young ham ranks and from the testing sessions, we also need to consider our roll and mission. The balance between the mission and the members requires some delicate and deliberate moves. We need to consider what we get with what we might lose. This is the dilemma, how do we get the youth with sacrificing our mission.  I am not so sure that going back to 14 will help us out with our mission, it will help our ranks and in the future some of them will help our mission, the time difference between the two however may be to great to provide us with any long term relief.
In short if they can do the job I love em, if they tie my hands then it becomes a problem. We need a balance and 18 seems to be that balance point.
Just my sense of things

ron
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