[SMCARA] USNS APACHE

[Clarke, Tom AIR4.0P NATOPS]

All righty! Good for him!

MARS is pretty much out of the "morale" business, i.e., we don't send MARSGRAMS anymore. Also MARS tends to discourage email, preferring to keep the HF backup network viable. Everything is concentrated on emergency Comm backup to the national command authority and our only traffic is admin and occasional practice EEI messages (essential elements of information) hoping to provide early reporting of disasters, damage, weather, civil unrest, etc. The theory is that MARS/Hams can react quickly to provide some simple, initial responder type Comm support, while waiting for the infrastructure to provide more robust and long term comms. Seems to be a good niche.  The teletype/packet based message system has gone over to a version of the ham program WINLINK, so most of the ops have dropped out.  If we get 2 checkins to our nightly net, it is a crowd! There was some talk last year about combining Army, AF and USN/MC MARS into a DOD MARS, but no action so far.  

The boys in blue (USAF) saw the handwriting on the wall and restructured their program to provide phonepatch service to aircraft.  Most of the admin phonepatches (like "Reach 817 estimating Dover at 2130Z, requesting 45K fuel and crew transport for 12" type of thing along with weather update requests, etc).  The volunteer MARS ops have autovon (DSN) to their homes to support the service.  If you ever get a chance to listen to your HF radio, 13927.0 is their prime spot.  All this used to be handled by the USAF HF Global Network (Andrews, Scott, McClellan, Lajes Airways, etc), but they seem just to handle operational and EAM stuff now.

Short of flashing light or semaphore from the beach, I suspect snail mail is the only option (unless they tie up to the pier during their stay)!

73 Tom

"It does not take a majority to prevail...but rather an irate, timeless minority, keen on setting brushfires of freedom in the minds of men."

Samuel Adams (1722-1803)


-----Original Message-----
From: smcara-bounces at mailman.qth.net [mailto:smcara-bounces at mailman.qth.net] On Behalf Of Grant Graessle
Sent: Wednesday, July 21, 2010 7:03 PM
To: smcara at mailman.qth.net
Subject: [SMCARA] USNS APACHE

Hey all!
My son is beginning to develop early ship recognition skills.  He was the
first to notice that the USNS APACHE is off NRC Solomons.  

Two questions:
1) Does anybody know what she is doing there?
2) Do any of you MARS operators have an e-mail POC for the ship?  Arthur
draw a picture and he would like to forward it on to the crew!  I have the
USPS APO address. I would like to e-mail it while they are here on site.  

THX
KE4RTJ (Grant)

Gonna lay done my sword and shield, down by the river side. Ain't gonna
study War no more.
American folk hymn. 


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