[CVRC] Armed Forced Day

[Dick Flanagan]

I just received the following from Jan Welsh NK7N, Nevada Section Manager:

Amateurs Invited to Participate in Armed Forces Day On-Air Event

NEWINGTON, CT, Apr 29, 2002--Amateur Radio operators are invited to take 
part in the 52nd celebration of Armed Forces Day by exchanging contacts 
with Army, Air Force, Navy-Marine Corps and Coast Guard radio stations. 
This year's traditional Armed Forces Day Anniversary and Military/Amateur 
Crossband Communications Test will take place the weekend of May 11-12. 
"These tests give Amateur Radio operators and short-wave listeners an 
opportunity to demonstrate their individual technical skills and receive 
recognition from the Secretary of Defense or the appropriate military 
station for their proven expertise," the chiefs of the Army, Air Force and 
Navy-Marine Corps Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS) said in announcing 
the event.

Armed Forces Day actually falls on May 18, but the office of Secretary of 
Defense Donald Rumsfeld rescheduled the traditional cross-band 
communications test to avoid a conflict with the Dayton Hamvention May 17-19.

During the cross-band test, military stations in the continental US, 
Germany and Hawaii will listen on amateur frequencies in the 80, 40, 20, 15 
and 10-meter bands and transmit on selected MARS frequencies--a mode of 
operation similar to the split operation used by many DXers. Participating 
military stations will announce their listening frequencies. Not all 
stations will be active on all amateur bands.

Starting at 1100 UTC on May 11 (individual stations' operating hours will 
vary), 13 military stations will be on the air on SSB and will exchange QSL 
cards. MARS has requested that contacts be limited to two minutes or less. 
Depending on staffing and propagation, some stations may not be on the air 
during the entire communications test period.

Ten additional stations will transmit the Secretary of Defense's Armed 
Forces Day message at stated intervals via digital modes including PACTOR, 
AMTOR, G-TOR and Clover. Commemorative certificates will be awarded to 
amateurs submitting "as received" hard-copy evidence of successful reception.

A full listing of stations, frequencies, anticipated hours of operation and 
operating instructions is available on the Army MARS 
<http://www.asc.army.mil/MARS/afd/mars_afd.htm> Web site.
--
Dick Flanagan W6OLD OOTC CFII Minden, Nevada
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