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Author Topic: Seeking to communicate with someone who has knowledge of MASRS modifications ?  (Read 36016 times)

N3VUO

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Greetings to all, Can the HT Icom--92--AD and Icom--282o H be modified for MARS frequencies ? This is for future reference. Thank you and 73's Charlie,n3vuo   
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K6LCS

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    • Clint's Stuff

Neither radio is legal to use in the MARS. Your commander will give you a list of approved radios.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS
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Clint Bradford, K6LCS
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K6LCS

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    • Clint's Stuff

>> ... The so-called NTIA-compliant requirement has never been enforced ...

OK - So it is the law ... but it is chosen to be broken in your individual case.

And I know of many MARS units that DO enforce the rules.

I stand corrected ... I guess.

Just a side note - It has been my experience that about 99.999995% of those asking about "MARS mods" have no clue what "MARS" is.

Clint Bradford, K6LCS
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Clint Bradford, K6LCS
AMSAT Ambassador, ARRL Affiliated Club Coordinator
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KB6HOH

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Clint K6LCS,

           I am a former Army MARS Member and State Director from 1985 up til the end of 1999. Can you please tell me where you get your information regarding what Radio are Authorized. I still have friends in MARS and I have never heard or was informed by Army MARS in itself regarding only so called Radios being approved. As long as the Radio is FCC type accepted or the Radio was built specifically for the Military as in the Harris Radios. If this is true then many of the Radio's in todays markets are Illegal. So please show me a Military Directive on this matter. Also Radio's that can be modified for Transmit on the 60meter will generally also cover the MARS Freqs or any freq for that matter. It is up to the individual users to make sure that they are operating with in compliance of their License. Also are you a Member of any of the 3 MARS Services and if so what Branch?

                          73 de Steve KB6HOH
                          Formerly AAA9CN/AAV9EB
                          Northern California Army MARS State Director
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WA8NVW

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CLINT -

Steve's comments also apply to the Navy MARS program.  The NTIA certification requirement applies when radios are purchased using Federal funding, such as for a state or local EMA facility.  The personal stations of individual MARS members are not restricted to only radios on the NTIA list or those with a JF number.
 
Karl WA8NVW
NNN0VBH / NNN0ASG Seven 
Central Area Asst Director - VHF Operations
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KB6HOH

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Karl,

       Tnx for the Feed back but Clint has his mind already locked and does not want to hear any feed back. Already had a Email QSO with him and not very positive. I did tho check out the NTIA Website regarding all this. If members were forced into this then all the MARS programs will loose out. I am still trying to justify to myself about rejoining.
The only reason I got licensed back in 1985 was to give back to that, for which I used and in support of my fellow Brothers and Sisters who put their lives on the line everyday so that I/We can enjoy the freedoms and this Hobby of ours!

                           73 de Steve KB6HOH
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N1EN

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It's a shame that there is so much bad information online.

For whatever it's worth:

  • The actual NTIA standards are published at http://www.ntia.doc.gov/files/ntia/publications/5_5_11.pdf
  • If you compare those standards to published radio specifications, and compare the results of that exercise to the CAP list, you would begin to wonder if the CAP might have been overly conservative in their evaluations, or if they weren't able to evaluate several popular current rigs.  (Under the "everything is disapproved unless it is explicitly approved" principle, unevaluated rigs would not be approved.)
  • NTIA specs place the burden of compliance on the agency, not the individual operator.  Current and potential future MARS members should have no fear of agents in NTIA jackets knocking down the door to their shacks.
  • Navy MARS has minimum specifications for members' radios published in an appendix to NTP8(D).  Those standards appear to follow NTIA specs.  Most base and mobile rigs should meet them according to published specs.  Many HTs would not.
  • I assume that Army and Air Force MARS have similar standards as Navy MARS, but I haven't seen any current documentation publicly available online to support my assumption.
  • If MARS members were expected to comply with the CAP list, word would have come down the chain of command, and it would be visible from publicly available MARS broadcasts.  Aside from some chatter in 2008 which seemed to suggest that AF MARS was about to follow the path the CAP was blazing...that hasn't happened.

The bottom-line is that MARS could not exist if members were required to go out and buy commercial or marine transceivers, as the CAP has effectively done.  The feds seem to have an interest in preserving MARS, as evidenced by the upgrade to Auxiliary status, and the continuation of Navy MARS.   

The biggest realistic challenge for MARS would seem to be the same as for the emergency/public service aspect of amateur radio as a whole -- how to continue to provide service given the demographic shift among hams to older, less active operators, or given the skepticism of professional agencies towards amateurs in general.
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NG4F

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all you have to do is go to one of those cb sites like mods dk to find out. those cb sites are all over the net.
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AA4HA

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Here is a reference list of what is approved for HF;

https://ntc.cap.af.mil/comm/equipment/hf_summary.cfm
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Ms. Tisha Hayes, AA4HA
Lookout Mountain, Alabama

KB2CRK

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    • Travco forum

That List is for the Civil Air Patrol, not MARS. There is a difference in the services. There is a statement on this discussion on the navy mars site from Chief Navy MARS.
Amateur Equipment  is fine on HF. VHF does have to be Narrow band compliant
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some people are like slinky's. not really good for anything but still bring a smile to your face when you push them down a flight of stairs.

KB9ZB

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Navy-Marine Corps MARS VHF systems are the only NITA spec equipment thus far enforced. Almost all Amateur radio equipment meets the requirements for use on HF.  Many MARS repeaters are still wide band, all new installations are narrowband. NTP8 (D) has the latest information, but does not say much about VHF systems. The only note is narrow band equipment is to be utilized. Existing systems will migrate to narrow band on a schedule TBA by Chief Mars.
I have a MARS VHF repeater running on narrowband in Wisconsin. The equipment I have was wide/narrow band selectable, so I chose to use it in narrowband mode. The repeater in Great Lakes Il. Is still wideband,. Hope this helps some on the confusion
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LA9XNA

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Greetings to all, Can the HT Icom--92--AD and Icom--282o H be modified for MARS frequencies ? This is for future reference. Thank you and 73's Charlie,n3vuo   
Bouth radios can be "freebanded" check at mods.dk or similar sites
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