MARS IS:
The Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) is an
organization of Federal Communications Commission (FCC) licensed
Amateur Radio Operators who are interested in military
communications and electronics. The three MARS organizations are
sponsored by commands in the three services -- Army, Air Force, and
Navy. MARS provides a potential reserve of trained radio
communications personnel to provide auxiliary communications for
military, civil, and/or disaster officials during periods of
emergency and provides Department of Defense sponsored emergency
communications on a local, national, and international basis as an
adjunct to normal communications. MARS provides a volunteer manned
communications system for handling MARS administrative traffic,
morale and quasi-official record and voice communications traffic
for U. S. Armed Forces and authorized U. S. government civilian
personnel stationed throughout the world. Finally, it offers
training designed to stimulate interest in military communications
and electronics career fields.
Army MARS is sponsored by the United States Army
Signal Command (USASC) and is considered to be an integral part of
that command structure. Army MARS is dedicated to the mission of
emergency support and the mission of health and welfare
communications support for military personnel and their loved ones.
MARS is "Offical"
The Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) is an official
Department of Defense and Department of the Army sponsored
communications system. Therefore it has officle status, is
assigned missions and functions, and is authorized the use of
assigned military radio frequencies.
Army MARS is Directed and managed by the Department of
the Army through the United States Army Signal Command (USASC) and
is a world-wide organization. It is comprised fo both military and
civilian personnel. In fact, the majority are civilian volunteers.
Each volunteer Army MARS member is required to hold a valid Amateur
Radio License from the Federal Communications Commiission (FCC).
These volunteers are under no service obligation, but must meet a
12-hour per calendar quarter minimum participation requirement. A
volunteer may resign from Army MARS at any time without difficulty
or prejudice by simply submitting a written resignation.
What are Army MARS Frequencies?
Frequencies used in the Army MARS program are those
assigned by the Joint Frequency Panel fron U.S. government
frequencies allotted to the military services. Frequencies are
assigned to MARS throught the High Frequency (HF) spectrum and
selected frequencies in the VHF band. Because Amateur Radio
equipment is limited to operation in the Amateur bands, minor
modifications are needed to work the MARS frequencies. Many MARS
frequencies lie close to the Amateur bands but never inside the
Amateur frequencies.
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