Training Session #1

Welcome to the United States Air Force Military Affiliate Radio System. You should have received your copy of the USAF MARS Region 4 Training Guide. These documents contain sufficient information to allow you to operate legally on, the Tactical Frequencies, that are assigned to the USAF MARS service. These documents also give you information and guidelines concerning your activities while operating on these frequencies. Please read and study these documents as we go through the remaining 6 weeks of this course. If you have monitored the activities on any of the MARS nets, you may have found that there are some differences in what these documents say and what you have heard.

Your operating habits should come from these documents, not through local ideas or thoughts. We will be going through this material and also the USAF MARS Operating Directives (MODs) in our studies for the next 6 weeks and hopefully you will learn the correct operating procedures before you are subjected to some of the "old" habits of the long time MARS members. Remember, there is only one correct way to operate on tactical frequencies. These procedures are spelled out for us in these documents and in the MODs. Amateur or HAM radio procedures are not authorized because we are not using Amateur frequencies.

During the weeks ahead, we will not be reading directly from the MODs, but will paraphrase it to you. At no time, will we change the MODs. By the time these sessions are completed, between the questions you ask and the discussions that we have, you will be able to check into the traffic nets and conduct yourself as professionals. After you have completed training, you’ll receive a copy of the MODs from your SMD, or be told where you can download a copy.

Let’s begin. In order for you to check-in to, converse, and check-out of MARS nets correctly, we will start with two of the most used prowords. You will be using them constantly on the nets. Prowords are words that have been adopted by the communication services of all the military activities. They are words that, when used correctly, convey a meaning that is common each time they are used.

The first proword we need to know is "OVER". This proword means that I am finished my remarks and now it is your turn to talk. "How Copy", "Go Ahead", and others you may hear are not included in the MODs and should not be used at any time. The fact that you hear other stations using other remarks is no excuse for you to use them. The second proword that you will be using immediately is "OUT". This proword is to be used when you have completed your remarks, the station you are communicating with has completed its remarks, and there is no more information to be passed. The final station transmitting will use "OUT" which will terminate the contact between the stations. Only one station will use "OUT" and the other station will not make any further transmissions. As soon as the Net Control Station (NCS) hears "OUT", he/she knows that the frequency is clear and that he/she can assign other stations to complete their contacts. The NCS is charged with monitoring the net frequency at all times and has heard both the exchange of information and the proword "OUT". He/she now knows that the contact is complete and can plan the use of the frequency. Also at certain times during the day, there may not be an NCS and by using the word "OUT", other stations monitoring know that the frequency is clear for other contacts.

At this point, we will give you a short synopsis of the complete course. During the remainder of this session, I will be exposing you to basic structure of MARS and how and why it exists. We will be covering part of the operating principles such as I already have with the two basic prowords.

In Session #2, we will continue to discuss the many other prowords, which we will use during our operations on the MARS nets. There are also other rules concerning letter and number pronunciations and the usage of punctuation. Before we get into message traffic handling I will cover rules of spelling words, names, cities, etc.

Session #3, will consist entirely of message handling. This will include the message form, plain dress messages, routing of traffic, and aspects of the job we have volunteered to do.

Session #4 will continue with message handling. Included will be special messages, Classified messages, and the routing, receiving, and transmitting of these messages. When we are finished with sessions 3 and 4, you should be able to receive, deliver, originate, and relay message traffic on any net conducted by any MARS service comfortably and with confidence.

In session #5, we will review everything that we have covered up to then. I will be open to any and all questions or discussions on anything previously presented. Then I will continue with message handling, which will include the refiling of messages between MARS and Amateur radio. It looks and sounds complicated but it really isn't and with a little practice, it will become very simple as long as the rules are followed. If you try to make up your own rules instead of the ones in the MODS, it could become complicated and confusing to yourself and everyone else. Session #5 will be your last opportunity to ask any questions prior to taking the message traffic test and the written test.

Session #6 will consist of your sending me a formal message in plain dress message format, with a specified content. This message will be checked by AFF4T and you will be advised of any problems or your message will be accepted as passing the Radio Telephone Procedures Course.

An AF form 1256 (Completion of Training Certificate) will be prepared and sent to your State MARS Director (SMD). The SMD will forward it to you along with your new assignment in the Region 5 MARS network on an AF form 3661 (MARS Personnel Action Notification).

One of the guidelines in the MODS is that each MARS member be trained and an outline of the training is given in the MODs. The 6 sessions that you are about to receive fulfill this requirement. You are required to be in attendance at all 6 training sessions and to study the written lessons (Training Sessions 1-6) to complete this course. The sessions will be given more than once a week and you may attend either weekly session. Failure to attend all 6 sessions will necessitate attendance at the next training session unless previous arrangements have been made with AFF4T. Remember, these training sessions are given only once each quarter throughout the year.

(QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, DISCUSSION)

MARS HISTORY AND MISSION

The military Affiliate Radio System or Mars as we know it today, has a long history of amateur radio operators’ close relationship in many roles of military communications. In the early days of military communications, the Army Signal Corps was tasked with the development and support of communication systems for all branches of the military. Many of the active duty personnel in the Signal Corps (and other branches of service) were Amateur Radio operators.

The following is a chronological presentation of events that have affected Mars:

06 APRIL 1917. The United States of America entered World War I. 4,000 of the 6,000 licensed radio operators enlisted for military service before the war ended.

11 NOVEMBER 1919. World War I ended.

During 1924, some of the dedicated Amateur radio operators petitioned the Director of Communications-Electronics to establish a voluntary communications support group to operate on the military frequencies as a backup cadre for emergency situations, experimentation, morale and welfare traffic.

01 NOVEMBER 1925. The Secretary of the Army signed an order authorizing the “Army Amateur Radio System (AARS)”. This organization consisted of active duty personnel engaged in communications who also were licensed Amateur radio operators.

01 JUNE 1931. AARS expanded to include the Army Reserves. They continued to operate until the start of World War II.

08 DECEMBER 1941. The United States of America entered World War II, with more than 25,000 Amateur radio operators serving in the Military services before the war ended. Many thousands more were involved in the manufacture, supply, research and development of military equipment.

AARS and all Amateur radio operations were suspended except for the “WARTIME EMERGENCY RADIO SYSTEM (WERS)”. The wartime emergency act that created WERS, allowed military units to operate on the Amateur frequencies, permitting certain Amateur operators who had a security clearance to operate military and some privately owned equipment. This again, was performed by AARS members.

02 SEPTEMBER 1945. World War II ended.

29 MARCH 1946. The FCC issued order 130E allowing Amateur Radio operators to operate 80 meters and above effective 01 APRIL 1946.

01 APRIL 1946. AARS was authorized to resume operations.

26 NOVEMBER 1948. The Secretaries of the Army and the Air Force renamed the AARS to “Military Amateur Radio Service” (MARS), for both services, still limited to active and reserve duty personnel only.

(SR 105-75-1 and AF 102-3).

01 SEPTEMBER 1950. The regulations were modified to allow retired military and civilians with no prior military experience, 21 years or older, to join MARS.

02 SEPTEMBER 1952. The name was changed to: “MILITARY AFFILIATE RADIO SYSTEM” (MARS).

01 SEPTEMBER 1968. The age limit was lowered to 16 years, with parental consent.

17 AUGUST 1962. The Secretary of the Navy approved establishment of the Navy/MC Mars to be implemented 01 JANUARY 1963.

30 NOVEMBER 1968. The Department of Defense issued a directive formalizing the missions for the three services’ Mars programs.

01 JUNE 1985. The Traffic Exchange Network (TEXN) was established by DoD, authorizing certain appointed individual Mars members to enter the nets of all three services to exchange traffic.

01 JUNE 1992. The three Mars Chiefs authorized the shared use of VHF/UHF resources for all Mars members.

(Ref. Air Cast Nr. 20, Item 42).

01 JUNE 1998. The three Mars Chiefs established an interoperability plan whereby Mars members of all three services could operate on each other’s frequencies. (Ref. Air Casts 23/98 and 25/98).

This gives you insight into the history and evolvement of Mars as we know it today.

MISSION

The mission of the Mars program, as established by the Department of Defense:

1. Support world wide emergency communications for the USAF.

2. Provide auxiliary communications for military and civilian officials during periods of emergency.

3. Provide communications support for Base Disaster Response and Deployment Forces.

4. Assist in effecting normal communications under emergency conditions.

5. Handle Morale and Quasi-official traffic for Armed forces and authorized U.S. Government civilian personnel stationed throughout the world.

6. Provide auxiliary support for Space missions.

7. Create interest and furnish training for members in military communications procedures.

8. Provide a reserve of trained radio communications personnel for military duty, when needed.

9. Conduct an appropriate Amateur Radio program as part of the annual celebration of Armed Forces Day.

And now, down through this history we come to you, who have volunteered your time and equipment to USAF MARS and you have volunteered to become an expert in military communications. One of the first things that has occurred is that the application you completed and submitted to your State MARS Director (SMD) has caused your Region MARS Director (RMD) to issue you a unique call sign. This call sign is issued to you and is your responsibility. It identifies you to every MARS operator throughout all of the MARS services as being a licensed USAF MARS member. Along with this license comes some responsibility.

Whenever you use this call sign on the air, you must use it all. That is, there are no abbreviated calls in USAF MARS. The entire call sign must be used. If you were issued the call sign of AFT4XX, you must use AFT4XX each time to identify your station. Also this call sign is your only identification to be used on USAF MARS nets. Your Name or Amateur call sign will never be used for identification on USAF MARS frequencies. Remember, you are operating on USAF Tactical Frequencies, be it a State Administrative Net, a Traffic Net, a Clinic Net or any other net held on MARS frequencies.

These tactical frequencies are of interest to numerous services, some not friendly. There are all types of stations set up to monitor all transmissions made in the radio spectrum, and some are particularly interested in happenings which effect our military readiness. One of the interests is the dial frequency designators, which would be used in the event of military activity. You will notice in the Region 4 Training Guide that almost all of our frequencies have a designator, such as this net. This designator will be the sole identification used. Never use the dial frequency and especially do not use the designator and dial frequency together. Also, do not use the frequency designator of the frequency that you are operating on. Remember that we are constantly being monitored and it is our responsibility to conform to the guidelines in the MODs and, in that small way, contribute to this nation's security.

Your first formal use of this new call sign will be when you check into nets operated in Region 4, including this training net. The AF Form 3661, that you received from your SMD assigned you to a specific net, at a set time, and on a specified frequency. When you check into the net, you have specific requirements to meet. There normally will be a NCS in charge of the net and they will periodically identify their station in the following manner: "4S1, this is AFA4??. Stations to enter the net? OVER". Your reply would be: "This is AFT4??, (Your State). , no traffic", (or "with traffic" if you have traffic) "OVER". That, and only that. You have given the NCS all the information he/she needs to log you into the net, and if there is traffic waiting for Your State, you may be called to determine your city location and if you can handle the traffic or if you have traffic, get your traffic listing.

We will be modifying this procedure during these training nets because this is not a traffic net. I will require only your call sign in phonetics and your location during roll calls on this net.

There is always the possibility that you are late for a net roll call and you would like to check into an existing net. In this case the procedure would be as follows: " this is AFT4XX, your state, no traffic, OVER". You must always direct your transmissions to another station or to the net, i.e. "4S1" this is ..... . To merely come on a frequency and give your call sign, conveys no information and is the equivalent to calling CQ, which is forbidden on USAF Tactical frequencies. Also remember, that each transmission made by or from your station must contain your full call sign. You are welcome to check into all of the established voice nets operating in Region 4 and to monitor the traffic being passed, etc. Some of the other nets operating in Region 4 that may be of interest to you are a Technical Net, a MTS Net, State Administrative Nets, and the Region 4 Administrative Net, which meets on Saturday Mornings. This net is for the dissemination of information within Region 4 by the Region Mars Director (RMD). These nets are all open to you.

When you check into a net, you are expected to remain on that net until you either, request to close your station or until the net closes. If you must remove yourself from the net, call the NCS and request to be closed, either for the remainder of the net or for a specific amount of time. It is common courtesy to advise the NCS that you must close. In the event that traffic comes in for your area, it would save the NCS time by not having to call you if they show you already closed. Roll call/radio checks allow the NCS to know what stations are still on frequency and available for traffic and it also gives the NCS an opportunity to check the radio propagation existing throughout the region.

The NCS calls each station in turn as follows: "AFT4XX this is AFA4XX roll call/radio check, OVER". Your reply would be, "This is AFT4XX, you are good readable", (or "weak readable", or "weak with interference", or whatever report is appropriate) "OVER". It will never be "5 by 9", or "20 over 9", or any of the other expressions used on the Amateur bands. Only a factual determination of the NCS' signal to you and your signal to them is all that is required.

Q and Z signals are not to be used on the MARS voice nets. During voice operations, we do not say "QSL" after receiving traffic. Instead, we use the proword, "ROGER". Along these same lines, we would describe a fading signal as a "fading signal" as opposed to "QSB", and interference as "interference" instead of "QRM". Try to keep in mind that we are not operating on Amateur frequencies but on USAF Tactical frequencies.

While speaking of frequencies, all USAF MARS frequencies are a single specified frequency and not an open band of frequencies where you could operate anywhere in that band. USAF MARS frequencies are specified in the MODs and must be maintained within specific tolerances. It is the responsibility of the NCS to maintain all stations on their net within the specified tolerance, and it is each station's responsibility to tune to the NCS’ frequency, regardless of whether you believe they are on the specified frequency. Each region has stations called FYMON and also Beacon stations. They establish and maintain the frequency within the specified tolerances. It is the NCS’ responsibility to insure all stations are on the correct frequency. An NCS may request a FYMON or Beacon for assistance in bringing stations on frequency.

All clock times utilized in military communications are known by several names: Greenwich Mean Time; Universal Coordinated Time; and Zulu Time. These are terms you should know. USAF MARS uses Zulu Time, abbreviated "Z", and is based on Universal Coordinated Time. USAF MARS also uses the 24 hour clock. By utilizing this time standard, the time of day throughout the world is exactly the same. When it is 1800Z in Denver, CO., it is also 1800Z in Tokyo, London and New York. To determine local time from Zulu time, you need to know the lines of longitude between where you are and Greenwich, England. The time changes 15 degrees for each time zone. As an example, to determine what time it is in Texas, Central Standard Time (CST), it is necessary to subtract 6 hours from Zulu. Conversely, local to Zulu requires adding 6 hours. In other words, 8 AM, (0800 Hrs central Standard Time, would be 1400 Hrs Zulu. 6 PM Central Standard Time would be 2400Z. 2400Z is important because it is the time from which all net and communication days start and end. This is called RADAY. Remember, when we go to Daylight Savings time, the factor to add or subtract is changed to 5 hours. To further confuse everyone, the day/date advances with Zulu time. As an example, the 1st day of the month at 7 PM CST would be the 2nd day of the month at 0100Z. In another example, let's say this net convened at 1900 Hrs (8PM) CST on Thursday, it is 0200Z on Friday.

As we get into the message forms and message handling, we will use Zulu time again, because each message that comes into or goes out of the MARS system must have a date-time-group denoted in Zulu time.

Before next week's net, it is recommended that all stations read and study Attachment #2 to the Region 4 Training Guide. This is the phonetic alphabet, which is utilized throughout the world in communications. Whether an aircraft at New Delhi, India or a Navy submarine in the South Atlantic, the phonetic alphabet is the only one used. These words and their pronunciations will be used throughout your activities in MARS and will become second nature and automatic with use, in a very short time. In fact, you will find yourself using them when you did not intend to. As an example, in normal conversation over the telephone, someone asks the spelling of your name and you give it in phonetics. Even though the person at the other end may not know the phonetic alphabet, they will understand.

At the bottom of Attachment #2, you’ll see the approved pronunciation of numbers. Study these also, as numbers are used in different areas of all messages, i.e. addresses. These pronunciations represent many years of communication experience and have been proven to be the best way to pass information through the difficult conditions, which we’ll experience on the radio frequencies.

All this probably seems confusing to you. But, as you get your feet wet in MARS, it will become simple to exchange information if everyone follows the same rules and procedures. Due to a personal desire or a lack of knowledge of rules and procedures, the information that is being passed could be erroneous, which is worse than if no information were passed at all. The Military Communications System was developed from the days of the horse and rider, through the flag, the helio, and smoke signal days, to the present sophisticated system. Even though we do not have access to military satellite communications, we are a vital link in the communications chain and we will, in the event of an emergency, have to perform to the highest of standards. The systems are here and working. It is only necessary to become familiar and comfortable to what may seem as a strange and unfamiliar method of passing traffic. It will prove itself as you gain experience.

(QUESTIONS, COMMENTS, DISCUSSIONS)

End Session #1.