K4YZ wrote:

Secondly, check with a REAL MARS civilian volunteer.
You will find out that the military GIVES them radio
goodies. No need to "buy."

BBBWWWWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH AHAHAHA
! ! ! !! ! ! ! !

MARS allows participants who have ALREADY met certain
PARTICIPATION goals to draw equiment from surplus stock!

As of my most recent participation in the MARS program, that equipment
was loaned, not given. It was issued on a hand receipt.

In other words, you operate YOUR gear on MARS assignments BEFORE
you EVER get to "go shopping"... ! ! ! !

And MARS "issues" of surplus radios dwindled to less than a
trickle YEARS AGO! ! ! !

I knew some fellow in the Shreveport/Bossier City, Louisiana area who
were already long time MARS participants in the late 1960's. Some of
them had items like R-390 receivers, VHF FM gear and the like. None of
them had any transmitting equipment provided by MARS. There was not
much in the way of equipment available from AF MARS at that time.
Nobody with with only a year or two of participation was eligible to
receive any equipment at all. I did snag some lengths of really, really
old coaxial cable. My AF MARS activities were done with equipment I
bought and paid for myself.

I'll chalk this up as something else which Leonard Anderson knows little
about.

Dave K8MN