[CTSARA] Would you like to talk to MARS?

[Jonathan Solomon]

No mods needed!  Annual Military/Amateur Radio Crossband
Communications Test is May 12. QSO with military stations in voice or
digital modes!

>From the ARRL website:
http://www.arrl.org/news/annual-armed-forces-day-crossband-test-scheduled-for-may-12

The Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are
co-sponsoring the annual Military/Amateur Radio Crossband
Communications Test in celebration of the 62nd anniversary of Armed
Forces Day (AFD). Although the actual Armed Forces Day is celebrated
on the third Saturday in May -- May 19 in 2012 -- the AFD
Military/Amateur Crossband Communications Test will be conducted on
May 12 to prevent conflict with the Dayton Hamvention®, scheduled for
May 18-20.

The annual celebration features traditional military-to-amateur
crossband communications SSB voice and Morse code tests. These tests
give Amateur Radio operators and short wave listeners an opportunity
to demonstrate their individual technical skills and to receive
recognition from the appropriate military radio station for their
proven expertise. QSL cards will be provided to those stations making
contact with the military stations.

Military-to-amateur crossband operations will take place on the dates
and time in UTC on the frequencies listed for each station. Voice
contacts will include operations in single sideband voice (SSB). Some
stations, depending on propagation and staffing, may not operate the
entire period. Participating military stations will transmit on
selected military MARS frequencies and listen for Amateur Radio
stations in the amateur bands. The military station operator will
announce the specific amateur band frequency being monitored. Duration
of each voice contact should be limited to 1-2 minutes. The Secretary
of Defense message will be transmitted via digital modes, including
RTTY, PACTOR, AMTOR, PSK-31, MFSK and MT63 from certain stations.

Click here for the schedules and frequencies of participating military
stations, including the stations that will be transmitting the message
from the Secretary of Defense. Instructions on how to copy and submit
the message are also included.