[Fists] MARS and CW

[nancy at tir.com]

In case anyone hasn't seen this yet, I thought I would post it...

R 292200Z MAY 2008

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 06-08

A. DRAFT RADIOTELEGRAPH PROCEDURES

1. WHEN I ASSUMED THE CHIEF, NAVMARCORMARS POSITION IN NOVEMBER,

1997, WE WERE MORE THAN A YEAR INTO THE DOD MANDATED BAN ON CW ON

MARS FREQUENCIES.

   A. SINCE THAT TIME THE FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION HAS, IN

STEPS, ELIMINATED THE MORSE CODE REQUIREMENT FOR AN AMATEUR LICENSE.

ALL EMERGENCY COMMUNICATORS KNOW THAT WHEN VOICE AND OTHER DIGITAL

MODES SLOW TO A CRAWL OR BECOME UNUSABLE, CW CAN STILL BE USED.

   B. I REMEMBER THE NORTHEAST ICE STORM SHORTLY AFTER I BECAME CHIEF

AND THE UNNECESSARILY LENGTHY EFFORT BY ALL OF SOUTHERN NEW ENGLAND

TO RECEIVE ONE VOICE EEI FROM A NORTHERN NEW ENGLAND MEMBER WHOSE

ANTENNA WAS COVERED IN ICE AND LYING ON THE GROUND. IT TOOK OVER AN

HOUR WHEN CW COULD HAVE HANDLED IT IN A FEW MINUTES.

   C. AS MORE AND MORE OF OUR MEMBERS ENTER MARS WITH NO MORSE CODE

EXPERIENCE, I AM AFRAID THAT WE WILL SOON LOSE THAT SKILL SET IF WE

DON'T DO SOMETHING.

2. IN VIEW OF THE ABOVE AND EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY, AREA AND REGION

DIRECTORS ARE AUTHORIZED TO ESTABLISH CW TRAINING AND TRAFFIC NETS IN

THEIR RESPECTIVE AREAS AND REGIONS. ALL STATE DIRECTORS ARE STRONGLY

ENCOURAGED TO BEGIN CONDUCTING TRAINING IN CW ON THEIR TRAFFIC AND

TRAINING NETS.

3. SINCE THE RADIOTELEGRAPH PROCEDURES WERE ELIMINATED BEFORE TEH

PUBLICATION OF NTP 8(C), REF A WILL BE POSTED UNDER THE DOCUMENTS TAB

ON THE NATIONAL WEB PAGE SOON. USE THESE DRAFT PROCEDURES UNTIL A

FINAL TRI-SERVICE MARS PROCEDURE FOR RADIOTELEGRAPH IS DEVELOPED AND

PROMULGATED.

4. MARS: TOGETHER WE CAN ACHIEVE ANYTHING.

BT