[Elecraft] 2-30 MHz Transmit? MARS

[Mike Morrow]

> ...Military Amateur Radio System...
> ...Military Affiliate Radio System...
> ...Military Auxiliary Radio System...

MARS has stood for *all three* of the above proposed phrases since its creation after WWII for the Army and (later) Air Force as a formal organization of military and amateur stations operating on military frequencies to handle written and phone patch traffic for military servicemen.  Because an amateur license was used only as an individual's technical qualification for membership while MARS conducted none of its business on amateur frequencies, AMATEUR was changed to AFFILIATE shortly thereafter.  The Navy/Marine Corps finally created its own MARS in the early 1960s.  Throughout the first 25 years of MARS's existence the primary task was to serve the serviceman as one of the limited means he had to communicate rapidly with his family.  That mission was last carried out to any great extent during the Vietnam war.  MARS has had to create an Emergency Communications mission to justify its existence since.  About a decade ago, for reasons best understood by builders of bureaucracies, AFFILIATE was changed to AUXILIARY.  MARS HF gear as yet does not need to meet NTIA specs.

Once "CAP" was often cited along with MARS...the Civil Air Patrol operates HF/VHF nets similar to MARS, on Air Force frequencies.  But about a decade ago CAP required communications equipment to meet NTIA specs...something no ham gear is going to meet.

With respect to the issue of a manufacturer artficially limiting the transmit frequency coverage of its equipment to ham bands only, I find such an attitude paternalistic and condescending.  It plainly conveys the attitude that the customer is too stupid to avoid improper or illegal operation of the equipment.  There should be a menu item that allows either full or ham-band-only coverage.  That is all.  I have over several decades found full band transmit coverage to be routinely useful for test signal generation in addition to MARS work.

The manufacturer should not presume to become enforcer of regulations.

Mike / KK5F