Michael Brown

PH1 1967 - *

N0LGA

While deployed to the Philippines I volunteered to work at the MARS station.  I helped build part of it and was taught how to operate.  I had a long time interest in electronics/radio and this was a great chance to work in that field.  After returning to the States I found that I had to have a HAM ticket in order to continue the MARS work.  So I got that and kept going. 

One of my best memories is one night when a hurricane was coming through the Jacksonville area.  We were up keeping a watch and found out that the base comm station was not working since their antennas had blown down.  We however with our skinny little wire dipole, operating out of a WW2 wood barracks building that was groaning and creaking with each blast of the wind, and being lucky enough to be located in about the only area of the base that still had electrical power, assumed comm for the base to the Naval District Headquarters in Charleston SC.  The base CO thought it was OK (especially since he didn't have to fund us) while the base Comm Officer was really kind of upset with us for showing up the might powerful and very expensive Comm Station. 

The times that really tried my soul were the nights the guys would come in and talk to their wives and families, then to their girlfriends and express their love to all of them! 

The experience effected me profoundly!!!!  While operating on the Local MARS nets in the North FL area, I became aware of a YL that was also operating on those nets.  Well one thing led to another, I got a chance to meet her at a MARS conference in Pensacola FL, and in Oct 69 I submitted an equipment request through the North Florida area coordinator, to the AL area coordinator, with final approval to be given by the District Director in Charleston, for one complete MARS station, with operator, call sign N0JQV to be transferred to me.  Everyone OK'd the request and it all became final in Dec 1969.  After 33 years, 4 kids, and 2 grandchildren, all is well. 

My wife predates me in MARS.  She and her late father N0JRT were engaged in running phone patches for the winter over parties on Antarctica from 1967 to 1969.    

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Hans J. Miller

Major, USMC

N0YKK

As a SSgt, ran phone patches on board the USS Guadalcanal LPH-7, NNN0CVO and USS Iwo Jima LPH-2 NNN0NXK during two MARG/Mediterranean floats in 1976 & 1978 for deployed Marines & sailors using on-board ham shortwave equipment.  Later, got my own personal MARS call sign NNN0YKK and ran mostly one-way MARS-grams, off and on for several years, for deployed personnel from my home stations in NC and VA. 

FUN!  But now, I think the Internet & instant e-mail kind of put MARS out of the traffic handling business.     Back to Top

Howard Decker

I joined Navy Marine Corps MARS in 1967 when my son was sent to DaNang as a civilian engineer employed by Collins/Rockwell to service Collins equipment and work with the Marines in the use of the equipment.  This allowed me to keep in touch with him. He remained in Viet Nam until the Marines were moved out, and he moved with them.  My son took a leave of absence from his duties just prior to the Tet offensive and sailed with a couple of civilian friends, also on leave.  The Tet offensive halted their vacation.  I was able to contact my son on his boat by amateur radio, and patched his boss through to him a number of times until he found a safe harbor to leave the boat and return to Viet Nam.      Back to Top

Richard McGuire

 Navy-Marine Corps MARS - Aug 1965 - present

 N0ZJX

Joined Navy MARS while a civilian employee at U.S. Naval Avionics Facility in Indianapolis, with amateur call of W9EOI. At the time, I lived in an apartment which wouldn't allow antennas but only had to walk across the street to use the club station at NAFI. Later moved to New Orleans, San Antonio (W5PSQ), suburban Chicago (W9LWF) and Jackson, Michigan (KI8C).

Delivered some interesting messages, including one addressed to the family dog. Also learned to say that I had greetings from Vietnam, since the words "message from Vietnam" led listener to assume the worst.                Back to Top

Edward White

 Navy-Marine Corps MARS

N0IUO

I started after seeing a MARS set up while in High School. Go back to basic teach the operator to operate then teach him electronics and repair. I had a lot of good times learning at Philadelphia Navy yard and Bainbridge MD school when they had courses for the MARS civilians.

Learned a lot how the NAVY system worked, and also how they bend the rules. I was true to the system while I was in it. Plenty of surplus equipment lots of good training courses lots of learning to get old radio equipment up and running.

One night while running a phone patch for a Marine MARS unit someplace in Nam, the bunker that they were set up in took hits near the bunker. The operator and the person on the phone patch ran off leaving the patch up and I and the woman in CONUS could hear the explosions. Scared the hell out of the woman.

25 Year award, worked the Battleship Arizona Award on MARS freq. MARS operator course MCI 25.62, afloat net, Some 4 dist MARSGRAMS articles, NTP8(B)ECCM info early years.

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Rodney Hogg

Navy-Marine Corps MARS 

N0XRS

First started in Navy-Marine Corps MARS in early 1965.  Was assigned N0XRS call; sign. Took and completed Navy Electronic Communications course via correspondence style study. Was very helpful in my later change in work to electronic service work.

Handled many phone patches from south Pacific islands and California for military personnel and used to relay traffic for Navy recruits and Marine Corps recruits to families.

Enjoyed Navy MARS a lot, but when got into business for myself, I was unable to met net requirements and was asked to resign.  Being located in the far western part of Kansas, there was not a lot of activity for me, but I enjoyed being a Net control station and passing traffic.

I have a Certificate acknowledging 25 years of service with Navy- Marine Corps MARS.

With the regimen of net activity, I learned formal traffic handling and with the experience of the correspondence courses offered, I gained some valuable training.

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John Kuivinen

Navy-Marine Corps MARS

 1969 - 1974

N0KFH

I was approached by some other members that they needed military traffic handled.  Used to take written messages from our Gateway stations via a military AM repeater in LA via RTTY.  Used some surplus Model 15 page printer and 19 typing perforator..

Helped Bill Edwards with his high powered SSB station and made an audio AGC amplifier and phone patch controller so that he could more easily get the transmit side to keep at a constant level. Always was more of a technical geek than an operator.  I have a rotary dial telephone patch in a home made box. We used it for the phone patches out of Bill Edwards house for a while until I built him a better unit with AGC amplifiers. This has a rotary dial for dialing the phone with some AT&T switches that were used to transfer the calls from RX to TX when they said "OVER".

Visited San Diego several times and the Atlas Radio factory in Oceanside, CA. I lived in Los Angeles then. Picked up surplus equipment from the Navy from "Terry" but I can't remember his last name. Got the RTTY gear there and then passed on when I got a job that entailed a lot of traveling and had to quit.

Ran into some "hate mail" as time progressed.  Seemed like some people wanted to blame me for handling traffic. Like I was part of the "problem" not just a techno-geek (college student) trying to help the ground pounders over there.

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Donald Sanders

Navy-Marine Corps MARS  1962 - 1969

N0POV

I got into MARS to handle phone patches from vessels and land bases back into the USA.  I handled many from South Pole, Asia and Europe.

I especially enjoyed the connections to let the families know all was well and of the newborns that arrived.

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Arthur Lawson

Navy-Marine Corps MARS

1960 - PRESENT

N0SFP

I wrote a letter to Washington in an effort to get Navy MARS started. They replied they were considering it.  I joined Air Force mars at the start.  When Navy Mars came to Tennessee, I joined them.  I was the first Navy MARS member in the Sixth Naval District.

I am an associate member. I am presently not able to be on the nets because of health related problems.

It was always a pleasure to tell a mother her son is ok.

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James Sanford

Navy-Marine Corps MARS

 1981 - Present

N0HDF

I got into MARS after running phone patches on the ham bands from my first ship. Toward the end of the first cruise, we got a MARS call and then started using MARS instead -- less QRM.  After that first sea tour, I got my own call, and participated in FL. Then in VA, I had a station suitable for working the afloat net; often ran 8 hours of phone patches each night. During my XO tour, which included DESERT SHIELD/DESERT STORM, we had a station on our ship, and used it intensely -- until the war started.. We even got telephone technical assistance from Kenwood in adjusting the bias after replacing the final transistors in our rig.

Then I just spent too much time away and had to go to inactive status. I'm retired now, and in a new QTH. Don't yet have suitable antennas, but I will.

My MARS experience affected me in many ways. As the operator, I spoke with my wife almost every night; we became close friends with the operator near our house who ran most of our patches.

I saw marriages saved, deaths dealt with, births celebrated -- all very rewarding.

I'll NEVER forget an event shortly after Hurricane Hugo went through Charleston, SC. For some reason, I managed to get the only phone line into Charleston; the operator knew what I was doing and camped on the line so all I had to do was flash her, and we'd keep the line. Ran 15 or 20 patches for several ships, until propagation died.  I'll never forget the woman, who'd just lost EVERYTHING, except the kids and dog. House, furniture, everything was gone. S he was incredibly optimistic and upbeat, and her primary concern was that her husband not get hurt on that ship. "Where do we get these people?" Very rewarding, certainly made it all worthwhile.

As the proliferation of satellite phones has rendered much of MARS irrelevant, I'm glad to see the focus shifting toward emergency communications. This is an area where we can continue to make a difference. A trained, disciplined cadre of experienced and versatile operators with their own equipment is irreplaceable.

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Dana-Renee Lee

Navy-Marine Corps MARS

N0TRE

Had several Mars friends in Springfield IL and they got me interested.  Started in MARS as a Novice class licensee and upgraded to Tech.  Ran a multi-frequency simultaneous transmit/receive station utilizing RTTY and SSB.  For a while I was a Transcon station for message relay via RTTY with multiple transmit/receive simultaneous RTTY capability. Used 50 gal garbage cans to hold perforated tape as it came in direct from SE Asia for relay to other Naval district in CONUS. Resigned from service when I got into a disagreement with the Chief Petty Officer running the 9th Naval District program at that time. Felt it was better to leave than raise my blood pressure as it was costing me money and time and I did not need the additional stress. Plus it left more time to fish and relax!

Was fun until the management wanted to make it another job and not show consideration for the hard work of the members under his care. The guy forgot we were not Navy personnel yet he wanted to treat us as such! Out of 24 hours I spent probably 10 hours a day working traffic via RTTY using personal equipment. One December I passed over 1000 messages through my station and loved every minute of doing it. I do not remember how many long distance phone calls I provided during my service but it was a bunch.

I have no regrets but sure do wish for the good old days to return and we know that will never happen.

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Eugene Oleson

Captain, CHC, USN (Ret) NNN0FMF

N0FMF

My first contact with MARS was as the EMO (Electronics Material Officer) for a Coast Guard Cutter in the mid 1960's. I was a CWO2 (Electronics) and sponsored several hams in the crew in establishing a MARS station on board the USCGC CHINCOTEAGUE  (WHEC-374).

A few years later, I left the Coast Guard to attend college and seminary in order to qualify for the Navy Chaplain Corps.  While serving a church near Seattle, two of my parishioners were hams and leaned on me to take up amateur radio.  Upon entry into the Navy in 1976, my first assignment was 1st Bn 4th Marines 3d Marine Division at Camp Hansen Okinawa. My room was half a block from NNN0MOH and I used the facilities extensively and met a number of Marine MARS Ops. Sgt. Christie  was the NCOIC at N0MOH during the year I was in and out of Camp Hansen.

A couple of assignments later in 1980, I was a "plank owner" of a new ship, USS Yellowstone (AD-41) and set up new MARS station NNN0CRL. On one occasion the ship lost all power while in the North Atlantic. The CO called me and asked if the MARS station was capable of establishing emergency communications by battery power and relay the plight of the ship to Navy officials. We rigged the station and maintained a standby mode to cry help, but fortunately the engineers were able to re-light the boilers and get this monster ship underway.

While serving at NSA New Orleans, LA in 1982-1985, I became a member of NMC MARS with the personal call NNN0WKZ. The station had a MARS station that myself and RM1 Chirhart, USCG, ran. Heavy flooding in New Orleans knocked out all communications circuits which were exclusively telephone lines between New Orleans and the outside world. I was asked to place a phone patch for the Chief of Naval Reserve, an Admiral whose name I cannot remember, and the Naval Reserve people in Washington DC. He was patched through an MARS station guarding one of the forces afloat frequencies and explained the problem to his staff in Washington. Shortly thereafter, I was asked what I needed to put the MARS station in first class condition. I submitted a very healthy budget for new Drake transceivers, Alpha amplifiers and KLM antennas. It received full funding.

Other duty stations that I used MARS facilities and/or was active in MARS region nets were MCAGCC Twenty-nine Palms CA (1985-1988) and in Hawaii while on board the USS Coronado AGF-11 (NNN0CRL) 1988-1991. In Hawaii (1991-1994) I participated in the MARS region as the training officer. RMC Dodge was the director for the region during part of that time. He controlled all issuing of MARS personal callsigns for some reason. I asked for NNN0FMF as I was at that time the chaplain for Fleet Marine Force, Pacific, at Camp H.M. Smith. In 1994 I transferred to NAS Lemoore CA where I was involved in region nets until the civilian MARS component became too obnoxious and I left Navy-Marine Corps MARS (1995).

I retired from the US Navy on 1 July 1996 and although I'm an active amateur radio participant I do not belong to NMC MARS. I am a volunteer at the National Museum of Naval Aviation in Pensacola FL working as a library researcher and tour guide. In addition, I do the audio mixing for live radio broadcasts for the church I attend.

I met and enjoyed many excellent people over the ten years I was involved in MARS. Unfortunately, a few civilian bad apples with nothing to do but nitpick and drink made it unbearable.

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LCDR USNR

NNN0GGA

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Max Cornell

Dave Naatz

N0PDI

I got into Navy Mars for about a year around 1969 as a civilian ham radio operator. I was really into handling traffic and phone patches during that era. I really do not recall much about it or calls worked except I did mostly SSB nets above 4mhz and there were others in southern Minnesota ... it's just been too many years ago.