Reminder - Navy Marine Corps MARS to Shut Down end of September

In case you have not heard Navy Marine Corps MARS will soon be no more. From their official website at http://www.navymars.org/

Effective 2359Z 30 Sep 2015 Navy-Marine Corps MARS will be disbanded.
This web site will close down sometime during the day of the 30th.

IMPORTANT MESSAGE FROM Chief MARS:-

R 122030Z MAY 2015
FM CHNAVMARCORMARS WILLIAMSBURG VA
TO ALNAVMARCORMARS
INFO ZEN/CHIEF ARMY MARS FT HUACHUCA AZ
ZEN/CHIEF AIR FORCE MARS SCOTT AFB IL
BT
UNCLAS
SUBJ/TRANSITION OF NAVY MARINE CORPS MARS (MILITARY AUXILIARY RADIO
SYSTEM PROGRAM//
REF/A/PHONECON/NCTAMS LANT/NAVIDFOR/FCC-C10F/STRATCOM/08 MAY 2015//
REF/B/DODI 4650.2/MILITARY AUXILIARY RADIO SYSTEM (MARS)//
REF/C/DODD 3025.18/DEFENSE SUPPORT OF CIVIL AUTHORITIES//
RMKS/1. IAW REF A, NAVAL COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AREA MASTER
STATION ATLANTIC (NCTAMS LANT) INTENDS TO WORK WITH U.S. ARMY MARS
AND U.S. AIR FORCE MARS IN TRANSITIONING THE NAVY MARINE CORPS MARS
(NAVMARCORMARS) PROGRAM BY 30 SEP 2015. THE INTENT OF THE TRANSITION
IS TO BEST ALIGN THE PROGRAM TO SUPPORT NATIONAL MISSION
REQUIREMENTS.
2. EVALUATION OF THE NAVMARCORMARS PROGRAM BY FLEET CYBER COMMAND
(FCC)/COMMANDER 10TH FLEET (C10F), NAVAL INFORMATION DOMINATION
FORCES (NAVIDFOR), AND NCTAMS LANT DETERMINED THAT THERE ARE NO U.S.
NAVY SERVICE UNIQUE REQUIREMENTS.
3. NCTAMS LANT WILL WORK WITH OTHER U.S. NAVY, U.S. ARMY, U.S. AIR
FORCE, U.S. STRATEGIC COMMAND, DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY
REPRESENTATIVES, AND NAVMARCORMARS VOLUNTEERS TO DEVELOP A TRANSITION
PLAN FOR NAVMARCORMARS MEMBERS WHICH MEETS THE REQUIREMENTS OF REF B
AND REF C.
4. CURRENT NAVMARCORMARS INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS AND CLUBS ARE ENCOURAGED
TO BEGIN SUBMISSION OF APPLICATIONS TO U.S. ARMY MARS OR U.S. AIR
FORCE MARS PROGRAMS AS SOON AS POSSIBLE. U.S. ARMY MARS MEMBERSHIP
CAN BE REQUESTED AT
HTTP://WWW.USARMYMARS.ORG/RESOURCES/APPLICATIONS-AND-FORMS AND U.S.
AIR FORCE MARS MEMBERSHIPS INFORMATION CAN BE REQUESTED VIA E-MAIL TO
38CYRS.SCM.MARS@US.AF.MIL.
5. ADDITIONAL GUIDANCE WILL ALSO BE PROVIDED SEPCOR FOR MARS STATIONS
UNDER MILITARY AUSPICES, AGENCY STATIONS, AND INDIVIDUAL MEMBERS WHO
ALSO PARTICIPATE IN THE DHS SHARED RESOURCES (SHARES) HF RADIO
PROGRAM.
6. AT A MINIMUM, FUTURE NOTICES WILL BE PROVIDED VIA CHIEF,
NAVMARCORMARS MESSAGE. OTHER MEDIA WILL BE IDENTIFIED AS PART OF THE
TRANSITION COMMUNICATIONS PLAN.
7. THE U.S. NAVY GREATLY APPRECIATES THE THOUSANDS OF MARS
VOLUNTEERS, PAST AND PRESENT, WHO HAVE BEEN INTEGRAL TO THE SUCCESS
OF MARS. NCTAMS LANT WILL KEEP YOU INFORMED OF TRANSITION EFFORTS AND
REQUESTS YOUR ASSISTANCE TO HELP START THIS NEW CHAPTER IN MARS
OPERATIONS.
8. NCTAMS LANT POC: BO LINDFORS, COMM 757-443-9055, DSN 312-646-9055,
BO.LINDFORS@NAVY.MIL AND CHRIS JENSEN, COMM: 757-443-9063, DSN:
312-646-9063, CHRISTOPHER.J.JENSE1@NAVY.MIL.
9. FCC/C10F POC: MICHAEL KEGLEY, COMM: 301-688-2387,
MICHAEL.KEGLEY@NAVY.MIL.
10. U.S. ARMY MARS POC: PAUL ENGLISH, COMM: 254-947-3141,
PAUL.A.ENGLISH.CIV@MAIL.MIL.
11. U.S. AIR FORCE MARS POC: DAVID STAPCHUK, COMM: 618-229-5964,
DAVID.STAPCHUK.2@US.AF.MIL.
12. INTERNET RELEASE IS AUTHORIZED.//
BT
NNNN

US Navy MARS ALE Network Stations

Navy-Marine Corps MARS-ALE Licensed Stations as of September 15, 2010 from a publicly available source.

NNN0AAF NNN0AAG NNN0ABP NNN0ABR NNN0ACJ NNN0AGU NNN0AHC NNN0AHE NNN0ANE NNN0AQP NNN0AUB NNN0AUH NNN0AYU

NNN0BAD NNN0BCI NNN0BCZ NNN0BFG NNN0BIO NNN0BMV NNN0BOK NNN0BQD NNN0BQG NNN0BVN NNN0BXS NNN0BZI

NNN0EAA NNN0EAF NNN0EBC NNN0EDX NNN0EFL NNN0EHG NNN0EJK NNN0EJT NNN0EOZ NNN0EPR NNN0EPY NNN0EVQ NNN0EVT NNN0EVV NNN0EXB NNN0EXY NNN0EYD NNN0EYF

NNN0FAH NNN0FAI NNN0FBK NNN0FCC NNN0FER NNN0FGN NNN0FHA NNN0FJK NNN0FLT NNN0FNO NNN0FRQ NNN0FTL NNN0FUE NNN0FUL NNN0FVM NNN0FVQ

NNN0GGD NNN0GMO

NNN0HBO NNN0HBX NNN0HCR NNN0HCZ NNN0HHO NNN0HJE NNN0HKD NNN0HMK NNN0HPA NNN0HPU NNN0HQO NNN0HQV NNN0HSI NNN0HSP NNN0HYV

NNN0IKX NNN0IOF NNN0ITA NNN0IWU

NNN0JFC NNN0JGV NNN0JHR NNN0JKI

NNN0KAJ NNN0KBP NNN0KCS NNN0KGB NNN0KSE NNN0KTJ NNN0KTK NNN0KTM NNN0KUG NNN0KUL

NNN0LDA NNN0LEO NNN0LNC

NNN0OAA NNN0OJC NNN0OJW NNN0OPY NNN0OSN

NNN0PBO NNN0PCD NNN0PCL NNN0PHC NNN0PMS NNN0PNF NNN0PXJ

NNN0QAW NNN0QRH

NNN0RRF NNN0RSS

NNN0SDL NNN0SIM NNN0SKZ NNN0SPM NNN0SYM

NNN0TAK NNN0TET NNN0TFH NNN0TIC NNN0TJC NNN0TJE NNN0TKR NNN0TOA NNN0TPR NNN0TSO NNN0TZK

NNNOUMD

NNN0VJM NNN0VJN NNN0VNV

NNN0WKC NNN0WNA NNN0WPT

NNN0XDI NNN0XIZ NNN0XOP

NNN0YAX NNN0YEM NNN0YJW NNN0YXP

NNN0ZIJ NNN0ZLS NNN0ZTT NNN0ZVR NNN0ZWR

NMCM MDS to WL2K Transition Plan

Found this interesting message below on the Navy MARS website and it should be useful intel for those of us who monitor this service's WL2K HF digital network.

RR NOALL
DE NNN0ASA 030
R 311600Z MAR 2008
FM CHNAVMARCORMARS WASHINGTON DC
TO ALNAVMARCORMARSTA
INFO ZEN/CHIEF AIR FORCE MARS SCOTT AFB IL
ZEN/CHIEF ARM MARS FT HUACHUCA AZ
BT
UNCLAS
SUBJ: CHNAVMARCORMARS BCST 04-08 - MDS TO WL2K TRANSITION PLAN
A. NNN0ASA VA 191500Z MAR 2008 (INFO BCST 13-08)
1. HERE IS THE ROUTING SCHEME OUTLINED IN REF A THAT ALLOWS TRAFFIC TO BE SENT TO ANY STATE, ALL STATES IN A REGION OR AREA, AND ALL STATES IN NAVMARCORMARS.

NNN0AL - ALNAVMARCORMARS (ALL STATES IN ALL AREAS LISTED BELOW)
- NNN1N - NORTHEAST AREA (ALL STATES IN REGIONS 1, 2 AND 3)
- NNN1R - REGION 1 (ALL STATES IN REGION 1)
NNN1AV - NNE, NNN1AX - SNE, NNN1CY - ICELAND
- NNN2R - REGION 2 (ALL STATES IN REGION 2)
NNN2BG - NJ, NNN2BJ - NNY, NNN2BK - SNY
- NNN3R - REGION 3 (ALL STATES IN REGION 3)
NNN3AW - MDE, NNN3CB - VA, NNN3CD - WV, NNN3CP - PA
- NNN5C - CENTRAL AREA (ALL STATES IN REGIONS 4 AND 5)
- NNN4R - REGION 4 (ALL STATES IN REGION 4)
NNN4AA - AL, NNN4AL - FL, NNN4AM - GA, NNN4AT - KY
NNN4BA - MS, NNN4BL - NC, NNN4BS - SC, NNN4BU - TN,
NNN4CG - CU, NNN4CR - PR
- NNN5R - REGION 5 (ALL STATES IN REGION 5)
NNN5AP - IL, NNN5AQ - IN, NNN5AY - MI, NNN5AZ - MN
NNN5BN - OH, NNN5CE - WI
- NNN6S - SOUTH AREA (ALL STATES IN REGIONS 6 AND 7)
- NNN6R - REGION 6 (ALL STATES IN REGION 6)
NNN6AD - AR, NNN6AU - LA, NNN6BI - NMW, NNN6BO - OK
NNN6BW - ETX, NNN6BY - STX, NNN6CZ - CZ
- NNN7R - REGION 7 (ALL STATES IN REGION 7)
NNN7AR - IA, NNN7BB - MO, NNN7BD - NEK
- NNN9P - PACIFIC AREA (ALL STATES IN REGIONS 8, 9 AND 10)
- NNN8R - REGION 8 (ALL STATES IN REGION 8)
NNN8AG - CWY, NNN8BC - MT, NNN8BT - SND, NNN8BZ - UT
- NNN9R - REGION 9 (ALL STATES IN REGION 9)
NNN9AC - AZ, NNN9AE - NCA, NNN9AF - SCA, NNN9AN - HI
NNN9BE - NV, NNN9CJ - JA, NNN9CM - GU, NNN9CO - OA
- NNN0R - REGION 10 (ALL STATES IN REGION 10)
NNN0AB - AK, NNN0AO - ID, NNN0BP - OR, NNN0CC - WA

2. THIS WILL REQUIRE A PHASED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN TO SHIFT FROM THE MARS DATA SYSTEM TO WINLINK 2000 AS FOLLOWS:
A. EACH STATE DIRECTOR REPORT TO THEIR REGION DIRECTOR WHEN READY TO SHIFT FROM THE MDS TO WL2K.
B. EACH REGION DIRECTOR REPORT TO THEIR AREA DIRECTOR WHEN ALL STATES IN THEIR REGION HAVE REPORTED READY TO SHIFT FROM THE MDS TO WL2K.
C. EACH AREA DIRECTOR REPORT TO NNN0ASA WHEN ALL REGIONS IN THEIR AREA HAVE REPORTED READY TO SHIFT FROM THE MDS TO WL2K. SEND INFO COPY TO NNN0PPC.
D. ONCE ALL AREAS REPORT READY, NNN0ASA WILL SET A DATE TO OFFICIALLY SHIFT FROM USING THE MDS FOR ALL OFFICIAL TRAFFIC TO USING WL2K.
3. THERE ARE STILL HURDLES TO OVERCOME:
A. THE MOST SIGNIFICANT BEING THAT OF HOW TO SEND EXERCISE EEI TRAFFIC. I WILL BE WORKING WITH NNN0ASZ, NNN0AST AND NNN0PPC TO DEVELOP AN EASY TO USE METHOD FOR DELIVERING EXERCISE EEI TRAFFIC.
B. HOW TO SEND TRAFFIC TO STAFF CALL SIGNS.
C. HOW TO DELIVER TRAFFIC TO STATIONS HOLDING MORE THAN ONE STAFF CALL SIGN.
4. IF YOU HAVE OTHER SITUATIONS NOT ADDRESSED ABOVE, PLEASE FORWARD THEM TO NNN0ASA, INFO NNN0PPC, VIA YOUR CHAIN OF COMMAND.
5. MARS: TOGETHER WE CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING.
BT
NNNN

Status of US Navy/Marine Corps MARS

There has been a lot of conjecture about the current status of the US Navy/Marine Corps MARS program based on previous statements regarding their future after October 1, 2009, and the defunding by their parent command (see my story on this blog posted May 22 at http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2009/05/nnwc-proposes-to-disestablish-navy-mc.html).

Here is the latest based on a message sent to the membership posted to the service website at http://www.navymars.org/

DE NNN0ASA 064
R 011300Z OCT 2009
FM CHNAVMARCORMARS WILLIAMSBURG VA
TO ALNAVMARCORMARS
INFO ZEN/CHIEF ARMY MARS FT HUACHUCA AZ
ZEN/CHIEF AIR FORCE MARS SCOTT AFB IL
BT
UNCLAS
SUBJ: CHNAVMARCORMARS BCST 05-09 - AREA DIRECTORS
A. NTP 8(D) DRAFT, CHAPTER 2

1. PER DIRECTION FROM COMMANDER, NAVAL NETWORK WARFARE COMMAND, THE AREA DIRECTOR BILLETS WERE DELETED AND THE AREA DIRECTOR'S STATIONS (NAV1, NAV3, NAV4 AND NAV5) WERE DEACTIVATED AS OF 30 SEP 2009.

2. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, THE CURRENT DEPUTY DIRECTORS WILL ASSUME THE CALL SIGN OF THE AREA DIRECTOR AS FOLLOWS:

NNN0ASE AZ - PACIFIC AREA (NNN0FUL AZ)
NNN0ASF NEK - SOUTH AREA (NNN0AVT NEK)
NNN0ASG MI - CENTRRAL AREA (NNN0EPY MI)
NNN0ASI PA - NORTHEAST AREA (NNN0FBK PA)

3. A NEW VERSION OF NTP 8 WILL NOT BE READY FOR A WHILE. THEREFORE, IN ADDITION TO THE DUTIES OF THE CURRENTLY DEFINED DEPUTY DIRECTOR, THE VOLUNTEER AREA DIRECTORS NAMED ABOVE WILL BE ASKED TO FULFILL THE FOLLOWING SECTIONS OF PARAGRAPH 222 OF REF A: B., D., E., F., H. AND K.

4. IN PARAGRAPH 223 OF REF A, CHANGE THE DESCRIPTION FOR THE ONE TO READ:
QUOTE ONE: ASSISTANT DIRECTOR UNQUOTE

THE DUTIES OF THE ASSISTANT DIRECTOR WILL BE TO ASSUME THE DUTIES OF THE AREA DIRECTOR AS DEFINED IN PARAGRAPH 3 ABOVE WHEN THE VOLUNTEER AREA DIRECTOR IS NOT ABLE TO FULFILL HIS/HER DUTIES. IT IS RECOMMENDED THAT ASSISTANT AREA DIRECTORS BE APPOINTED AS SOON AS POSSIBLE TO ENSURE CONTINUITY.

5. PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL AREA MEMBERSHIP RECORDS ARE NOW HELD AT NAVMARCORMARS HQ. STATE DIRECTORS SHOULD CORRESPOND DIRECTLY TO AND FROM NNN0ASA VA ON MEMBERSHIP MATTERS, KEEPING THEIR AREA-THIRTEEN INFORMED SO THE AREA ROSTERS CAN BE MAINTAINED. 2093/1S AND OTHER MEMBERSHIP RECORDS/LETTERS CAN BE SENT TO NNN0ASA BY THE FOLLOWING
MEANS:

A. SCANNED AND SENT BY E-MAIL TO NNN0ASA(AT)NAVYMARS.ORG AS A PDF ATTACHMNENT. TO MINIMIZE FILE SIZE DOCUMENTS SHOULD BE SCANNED IN BLACK AND WHITE WITH A MINIMUM RESOLUTION OF 300 DOTS PER INCH. IF YOU DO NOT HAVE ADOBE ACROBAT, THERE IS A FREEWARE PROBRAM AVAILABLE THAT WILL ALLOW YOU TO PRINT ANY SCANNED OR WORD PROCESSING DOCUMENT TO A PDF FILE. THE PROGRAM IS CALLED 'PDFCREATOR' AND CAN BE FOUND BY A GOOGLE SEARCH FOR THE NAME.

B. FAX TO HQ ON (757) 887-4971

C. MAIL THE PREFERRED METHOD IS SCANNED AND SENT AS A PDF FILE AS IT IS FASTER.

6. KEEP A COPY OF THIS BROADCAST WITH NTP 8(D) DRAFT UNTIL SUCH TIME AS A NEW NTP 8 IS ISSUED.

7. MARS: TOGETHER WE CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING.
BT
NNNN

In an earlier message the Chief of USN/MC MARS wrote:

DE NNN0ASA 065
R 091100Z OCT 2009
FM NNN0ASA VA
TO NNN0ALL
BT
UNCLAS
SUBJ: CHNAVMARCORMARS INFO BCST 37-09
1. DEPUTY CHIEF NAVMARCORMARS: ON TUESDAY, 13 OCT 09, LT BILLY COONS WILL DETACH AS DEPUTY CHIEF, NAVMARCORMARS. LT COONS IS TRANSFERRING TO NAVAL AIR STATION JOINT RESERVE BASE WILLOW GROVE PA WHERE HE WILL BE ASSIGNED AS THE ELECTRONICS MATERIAL OFFICER. LT COONS HAS MANAGED TO KEEP ME STRAIGHT SINCE JANUARY 2008 AND WILL BE SORELY MISSED. WE CERTAINLY WISH HIM THE TRADITIONAL 'FAIR WINDS AND FOLLOWING SEAS.'
THIS COMPLETES THE UNMANNING OF ALL THE MILITARY BILLETS ASSIGNED TO NAVMARCORMARS. WE HAVE OUR WORK CUT OUT FOR US.

The Navy MARS service continues to function, but without any paid players running it. Only time will tell the final outcome in this continuing saga of the Navy/Marine Corps MARS service.

Navy/Marine Corps Status Update

Back on May 22, 2009, I broke the news to the radio hobby on this blog that the Navy was working on sunsetting the Navy/Marine Corps MARS program. See my original article on this subject at http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2009/05/nnwc-proposes-to-disestablish-navy-mc.html

While it appears the program isn't quite dead yet, unfortunately, they have managed to put it on life support. To you folks at HQ, time to let the patient die with some dignity. All the MARS programs have long outlived their usefulness to the military services. Quit wasting the taxpayers money, and while your at it take that useless cousin SHARES with you on the way out the door.

Here is the latest update from the Chief of Navy/Marine Corps MARS as of July 15.

DE NNN0ASA 051
R 151300Z JUL 2009
FM CHNAVMARCORMARS WILLIAMSBURG VA
TO ALNAVMARCORMARS
INFO ZEN/CHIEF ARMY MARS FT HUACHUCA AZ
ZEN/CHIEF AIR FORCE MARS SCOTT AFB IL
BT
UNCLAS
SUBJ: CHNAVMARCORMARS BCST 04-09
A. CHNAVMARCORMARS WILLIAMSBURG VA 162200Z MAY 2009
B. DOD INSTRUCTION 4650.02 (PROPOSED) NOTAL

1. THIS BROADCAST UPDATES REF A.

2. THE NEGOTIATIONS ON REF B ARE STILL IN PROGRESS. WE DO NOT KNOW HOW MUCH LONGER THIS WILL TAKE.

3. I HAVE RECEIVED THE FOLLOWING DIRECTION FROM COMMANDER, NAVAL NETWORK WARFARE COMMAND (NNWC) VIA COMMANDER, NAVAL COMPUTER AND TELECOMMUNICATIONS AREA MASTER STATION ATLANTIC (NCTAMS LANT):

QUOTE
THE MARS PROGRAM WILL REMAIN INTACT FOR THE NEXT FISCAL YEAR, HOWEVER, IT WILL BE COMPRISED OF ONLY ONE GS POSITION (YOURS). THE MARS MISSION WILL REMAIN ALIGNED UNDER NCTAMS LANT. ALL MILITARY BILLETS AND THE CIVILIAN POSITION WERE ZEROED OUT IN FY2010 AND BEYOND, THE MILITARY POSTIONS WILL NOT BE REINSTATED.
UNQUOTE

4. IN COMPLIANCE WITH THE ABOVE DIRECTION:

A. AREA DIRECTORS WILL TRANSFER ALL MEMBERSHIP RECORDS TO HQ NOT LATER THAN 31 AUG 2009. WHEN RECORDS HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED, STATE DIRECTORS WILL SEND ALL MEMBERSHIP RELATED MATTERS DIRECTLY TO CHNAVMARCORMARS VICE THE AREA DIRECTOR. (NORTHEAST AND SOUTH AREA RECORDS HAVE ALREADY BEEN TRANSFERRED TO HQ.)

B. AREA DIRECTORS WILL CLOSE DOWN THEIR OFFICES AND TURN IN ALL EQUIPMENT TO DRMO NOT LATER THAN 30 SEP 2009. (SEPARATE GUIDANCE WILL BE PROVIDED TO CENTRAL AND PACIFIC AREA DIRECTORS.)

C. NONE OF THE EQUIPMENT AT THE AREA DIRECTORS STATIONS WILL BE TRANSFERRED TO ANY MEMBERS UNLESS SPECIFICALLY APPROVED BY NNN0ASA. THE EQUIPMENT MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO OTHER OFFICIAL NAVY ORGANIZATIONS (LIKE MWR OR SPECIAL SERVICES) TO HELP EQUIP OR START UP MILITARY RECREATION STATIONS. THESE TRANSFERS WILL BE APPROVED BY HQ ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS. ANY REMAINING EQUIPMENT WILL BE TURNED IN TO DRMOS.

5. THESE CHANGES AND THE PENDING ISSUANCE OF REF B WILL REQUIRE A COMPLETE RE-WRITE OF NTP 8(D) (DRAFT). IN THE INTERIM, WHEN THE AREA DIRECTORS ARE TRANSFERRED, THE DEPUTY AREA DIRECTORS WILL ADMINISTER AREA STAFFS TO SUPPORT THE REGIONS AND STATES IN THEIR AREA. THEY WILL TAKE OVER RESPONSIBILITY FOR COMPILING QUARTERLY ACTIVITY SUMMARIES AND FREQUENCY USAGE REPORTS.

6. MARS: TOGETHER WE CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING

BT
NNNN

NAVMARCORMARS Status

I first revealed on this blog, that the Navy was thinking of disestablishing the Navy-Marine Corps MARS radio service. See my post of May 22, 2009 at
http://mt-milcom.blogspot.com/2009/05/nnwc-proposes-to-disestablish-navy-mc.html



Now this official update from the Chief, Navy-Marine Corps MARS:

CHNAVMARCORMARS INFO BCST 20-091.

NAVMARCORMARS STATUS: OPNAV AND DOD HAVE YET TO RESOLVE WHETHER THE NAVY WILL BE ALLOWED TO 'SUNSET' THE MARS MISSION. I UNDERSTAND THAT SOME MEMBERS OF OTHER MARS SERVICES ARE MISINTERPRETING THE WORDS OF THEIR RESPECTIVE MARS CHIEFS AND ARE PRESSURING OUR MEMBERS TO JOIN THEIR SERVICE. THIS IS TOTALLY OUT OF LINE AND SHOULD NOT BE OCCURING. IF, I REPEAT IF, DOD ALLOWS NAVY TO TERMINATE NAVMARCORMARS, WE WILL ADDRESS THIS IN AN OFFICIAL MANNER. OTHERWISE CONTINUE NAVMARCORMARS OPERATIONS AS NORMAL.

NNWC Proposes to Disestablish the Navy-MC MARS Program

I have been one of the biggest critics of the three DoD MARS services in recent years. My advice in MT editorials back in the day was to combine the three MARS services or die. After a high level GAO investigation of the Army MARS program, it was determined that they needed to make changes or else. On paper the Army MARS did what they needed to do to stay alive, but the bottom line is this -- MARS is still is a relict of the Cold War and they aren't really fulfilling their basic missions. Morph them into other things but other things are also competing for the same HS bucks.

I still contend that in the current operational environment there is no real mission that they (MARS) has that warrants supporting three separate MARS services and their waste and abuse of precious radio spectrum frequencies. If I hear one more MARS net taking about their latest ailments or how the tomato plants in their gardens are doing, blood will shoot out my eyeballs. For you fools on these nets who love to ragchew, leave that for the ham bands, not on HF government freqs. You have a job to do and discussing your latest aches and pains is not one of them.

So thanks to NNWC, we finally have some sanity is being exhibited by one of the military services. Of course, the real sad truth is this is all a result of the current administration and their DoD budget cutting axe that has really caused this issue. As a friend of mine says, "hope you are happy with the choices you made last November because elections do have consequences."

My suggestion to the remaining two MARS services -- combine or risk the same end as the Navy-MC MARS program.

Now, if I could only get the Feds to take a look at the biggest waste of the taxpayer dollar in the HF radio spectrum -- the SHARES HF radio program -- then I will really be a happy camper.

DE NNN0ASA 040
R 162200Z MAY 2009
FM CHNAVMARCORMARS WILLIAMSBURG VA
TO ALNAVMARCORMARS
INFO ZEN/CHIEF ARMY MARS FT HUACHUCA AZ
ZEN/CHIEF AIR FORCE MARS SCOTT AFB IL
BT

UNCLAS

SUBJ: CHNAVMARCORMARS BCST 03-09
A. DOD DIRECTIVE 4650.2 DTD 26 JAN 1998
B. DOD INSTRUCTION 4650.02 (PROPOSED) NOTAL

1. COMMANDER, NAVAL NETWORK WARFARE COMMAND (NNWC) HAS DECIDED TO 'SUNSET' THE MARS MISSION WITHIN NAVY AS OF 30 SEP 2009. NNWC HAS REQUESTED ALL MILITARY BILLETS AND MY CIVILIAN POSITION BE DELETED AND UNFUNDED AFTER THAT DATE. OPNAV HAS NOT YET APPROVED THIS REQUEST.

2. ALL THREE MARS SERVICES HAVE OPERATED UNDER THE MANDATE OF REF A, WHICH IS STILL VALID. REF B IS A PROPOSED UPDATE TO REF A AND IS IN THE PROCESS OF BEING COORDINATED BETWEEN DOD AND THE THREE SERVICES. REF B INCREASES THE SERVICES REQUIREMENT TO SUPPORT THE MARS PROGRAMS WITHIN THEIR SERVICE. ARMY AND AIR FORCE HAVE AGREED TO THE CHANGES BUT NAVY (OPNAV) HAS ASKED TO BE LET OUT OF THIS REQUIREMENT. THIS NEGOTIATION IS STILL IN PROCESS AND WE DO NOT KNOW WHEN IT WILL BE
RESOLVED.

3. AS A CONSEQUENCE OF NNWC DECISION TO 'SUNSET' THE MARS MISSION, I AM FORCED TO INITIATE ACTION TO CLOSE DOWN NAVY-MARINE CORPS OPERATIONS AND FACILITIES BY 30 SEP 2009. ACCORDINGLY:

A. AREA DIRECTORS WILL TRANSFER ALL MEMBERSHIP RECORDS TO HQ NLT THAN 31 JUL 2009. WHEN RECORDS HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED, STATE DIRECTORS WILL SEND ALL MEMBERSHIP RELATED MATTERS DIRECTLY TO CHNAVMARCORMARS VICE THE AREA DIRECTOR.

B. AREA DIRECTORS WILL CLOSE DOWN THEIR OFFICES AND TURN IN ALL EQUIPMENT TO DRMO NOT LATER THAN 30 SEP 2009.

C. NONE OF THE EQUIPMENT AT THE AREA DIRECTORS STATIONS WILL BE ALLOWED TO BE TRANSFERRED TO ANY MEMBERS. THE EQUIPMENT MAY BE TRANSFERRED TO OTHER OFFICIAL NAVY ORGANIZATIONS (LIKE MWR OR SPECIAL SERVICES) TO HELP EQUIP OR START UP MILITARY RECREATION STATIONS. THESE TRANSFERS WILL BE APPROVED BY HQ ON A CASE-BY-CASE BASIS.

4. IF NAVY'S REQUEST TO BE DELETED FROM REF B IS NOT APPROVED, THERE WILL BE A NAVY-MARINE CORPS MARS PROGRAM BUT IT WILL NOT HAVE AREA DIRECTORS (THEY WILL HAVE BEEN TRANSFERRED). ALL MEMBERSHIP CORRESPONDENCE WILL BE HANDLED BETWEEN THE STATE DIRECTOR AND CHIEF, NAVMARCORMARS DIRECTLY. AREA DEPUTY DIRECTOR AND AREA STAFF POSITIONS WILL BE RETAINED TO COORDINATE FREQUENCY MATTERS, TRAINING, ETC.. ALL OPERATIONAL MATTERS WILL BE HANDLED BY STATE AND REGION DIRECTORS.

5. I WILL INFORM YOU AS SOON AS I FIND OUT THE FINAL RESOLUTION OF NAVY'S REQUEST TO 'SUNSET' NAVY-MARINE CORPS MARS.

BT
NNNN

I will have further updates as they are available

STS-116 to launch Naval Academy Satellites

If STS-116 launches in December, it will carry two experimental satellites into orbit built by students at the US Naval Academy.

RAFT is a US Naval Academy Aerospace student project currently manifested on Space Shuttle Mission STS-116. It is designed to give students real hands on experience in satellite engineering, design and operations. The USNA RAFT hopes to accomplish the following objectives:

The education of Midhsipmen in Aerospace Engineering See their RAFT WEB page.

Development of our ability to design/construct CUBESAT/Picosat type spacecraft

Provide a 217 MHz transmitter/receiver for Navy Space Surveillance System (NSSS) Radar Fence experiments.

Provide TDMA packet, and FDMA Multiuser PSK-31 transponders for experiments in the Amateur Satellite Service.

Provide voice/data experiments in support of the Navy/MarineCorp MARS programs and the Naval Academy's boats.

As usual there is the usual MARS frequency disclaimer on the main webpage stating that the MARS frequencies are sensitive and will not be published. But also as usual digging around the website and its links revealed the following:

RAFT1 Satellite
Downlink 145.825 MHz, 2 watts 20 kHz bandwidth FM with both AX.25 packet and PSK-31 signals
Uplinks
28.122 MHz linear PSK-31
216.980 MHz NSSS transponder (Radar fence)

RAFT1 Satellite Operating Modes:
Telemetry Mode, Packet Transponder Mode, PSK-31 Transponder Mode, Packet/Voice transponder, and the XP217 radar fence mode.

MARScom Satellite
148.975 MHz Uplink
27.9635 (27.962) MHz SSB downlink
123.100 MHz SAR AM Monitor

MARScom Satellite Operating Modes:
Telemetry Mode, Packet Transponder Mode, Voice Relay Mode, and SAR Monitor Mode.

What is amazing to me is that the brain thrust in MARS actually thought they could keep the frequencies of an orbiting satellite secret? Even DoD can't pull that one off. Bottom line, I will have more on these two cubesat birds as we approach the STS-116 mission launch.