I heard a couple of guys in Ky the other day talking about different MARS
services dying out and maybe combining them all into one. Anyone know
anything about this and is MARS really dying out?


Rayburn

http://www.churchofsatan.com/

"Rayburn" wrote in message
...
I heard a couple of guys in Ky the other day talking about different MARS
services dying out and maybe combining them all into one. Anyone know
anything about this and is MARS really dying out?


I know they've shut down most of the MARS stations here in Korea.

Brenda Ann wrote:


"Rayburn" wrote in message
...
I heard a couple of guys in Ky the other day talking about different MARS
services dying out and maybe combining them all into one. Anyone know
anything about this and is MARS really dying out?


I know they've shut down most of the MARS stations here in Korea.

Military comms are done with satellites nowadays for the most part. On
top of that I suspect awareness of shortwave and of amateur radio is
very low among the typical military recruit pool.

"running dogg" wrote in message
...
Brenda Ann wrote:


"Rayburn" wrote in message
...
I heard a couple of guys in Ky the other day talking about different
MARS
services dying out and maybe combining them all into one. Anyone know
anything about this and is MARS really dying out?


I know they've shut down most of the MARS stations here in Korea.

Military comms are done with satellites nowadays for the most part. On
top of that I suspect awareness of shortwave and of amateur radio is
very low among the typical military recruit pool.


For the most part, MARS was an interconnect between overseas military and
the stateside amateur community, for the specific purpose of relaying
messages from military personnel to folks back home. The need for it,
especially here in Korea, has been supplanted by cheap cell phones and 4
cents a minute phone cards for calling the states. It's cheaper for me to
call stateside on my cell phone here than it is for you to call from state
to state.

Brenda Ann wrote:


"running dogg" wrote in message
...
Brenda Ann wrote:


"Rayburn" wrote in message
...
I heard a couple of guys in Ky the other day talking about different
MARS
services dying out and maybe combining them all into one. Anyone know
anything about this and is MARS really dying out?


I know they've shut down most of the MARS stations here in Korea.

Military comms are done with satellites nowadays for the most part. On
top of that I suspect awareness of shortwave and of amateur radio is
very low among the typical military recruit pool.


For the most part, MARS was an interconnect between overseas military and
the stateside amateur community, for the specific purpose of relaying
messages from military personnel to folks back home. The need for it,
especially here in Korea, has been supplanted by cheap cell phones and 4
cents a minute phone cards for calling the states. It's cheaper for me to
call stateside on my cell phone here than it is for you to call from state
to state.

Hell, troops doing battle in Iraq have access to email. In fact, they
have better email access than phone access. I suppose that in a
peacetime situation that the need for shortwave is nil. Troops of
earlier wars who had to send paper letters that took months to arrive-if
they arrived at all-or had to line up at the comms center to send
messages over SW would be extremely envious of today's warriors.

Army MARS is very much alive in the USA and is going well. The purpose
of MARS is not just to conduct phone patch communications. I have been a
Army MARS radio operator for over five (5) years now. It's a great
outfit.


Roger 507

In article ,
wrote:
Army MARS is very much alive in the USA and is going well. The purpose
of MARS is not just to conduct phone patch communications. I have been a
Army MARS radio operator for over five (5) years now. It's a great
outfit.
What is the purpose of MARS these days?
--

jhhaynes at earthlink dot net

HF (shortwave) radio always works. It will work when all other
communications systems fail. I think that explains the purpose of Army
MARS. My radios and generators are ready for the next big event.


Roger 507

In article ,
wrote:

HF (shortwave) radio always works. It will work when all other
communications systems fail. I think that explains the purpose of Army
MARS. My radios and generators are ready for the next big event.

When we get back to solar maximum and start having satellite problems HF
will work better during the daytime than it does now.

--
Telamon
Ventura, California

Rayburn wrote:
I heard a couple of guys in Ky the other day talking about different MARS
services dying out and maybe combining them all into one. Anyone know
anything about this and is MARS really dying out?


Rayburn

http://www.churchofsatan.com/

Yes, it has been on the gradual decline for maybe 2 decades replaced by
newer technology. A family member is over in Iraq and we get regular
emails that I assume come via satellite. Those MARS operators provided
a needed and useful service for a long time and should be thanked.