Carl S Peterson, AQ2 1971 - 1972 

I had gotten tired of standing 2-4 hour watches out on the flightline in the cold, wet winter nights and my roommate MG Daris suggested I stand duty at the MARS station.  It was longer but lots warmer and drier.  I would listen to I believe it was the 34-94 repeater in Jacksonville and listen when skip would come in  from Key West causing interference to the repeater but fun to experience it.  I think we were the most powerful station in the 6th Naval Dist. with 1Kw+ into a huge antenna with 16+ db gain.  It was good experience to run as net control when we were the only ones that could be heard due to thunder and lightning interference. 

I got my amateur radio license after I got out of the service.  It has kept me tinkering in electronics ever since but college a new job with lots of overtime, marriage and baby have taken time away. The experience of traffic handling and phone-patching with Gitmo gave me the confidence to tackle ham radio.

Custodian of N0NIU was AT1 R. W. Lewis (VA-174 TAD to AIMD); His call sign was K4DAF but now uses AA4PB.  I remember N0NIM in Pensacola who was the CW net control for the 6th Naval District.  We also communicated with N0MCL in North Carolina, a Marine base; Cherry Point maybe. (editor - Camp Lejeune) I also remember a young lady going to college either Gainesville or Tallahassee with an old radio that tended to drift; that was understandable on a student's budget.

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