I was a ham operator prior to USMC entry in 1958 - W8BCP. Was transferred to 3rd MAW MCAS El Toro in 1960 and assigned to the Naval Supply Depot, computer operations. After a year or so, I was contacted by the Sgt in charge of W6FCS as he found out I had a ham radio license (one of the few stationed at El Toro) and asked me to change duty assignments, to help with the operation and maintenance of W6FCS.  I transferred to the station duties.  From then on it was a 12 hr day running phone patches for overseas USMC personal.  We had schedules with these stations which we had to maintain.  A typical day would start out in the morning and I would point the beam toward Okinawa, either West, or North, over the pole, depending on conditions.  The overseas USMC ham radio operator would give me a list of phone numbers in the states that we would be calling.  Then I would call the stateside telephone operator and give them the list of numbers, and she would queue them, for when the overseas p! arty was ready in the Ham Station.  We limited the calls to 3 minutes, but most ran over the time limit.  The schedule called for 1 hour with each USMC station, then on to the next.  Thus it went thru all of the schedules.  The 12 hr day was a problem in that after my 12 hrs schedule, many, many stations thru-out the world got on frequency asking for help. Most I turned down, some I ran phone patches for.  One for a missionary operating a portable station in South America, who wanted to talk to relative in Santa Ana CA. Dialed the Santa Ana phone # and told her she had a call but the quality wasn't too good.  Patched her in, and couldn't understand but a few words from S. America, but the Santa Ana contact understood all, with much thanks to the station. Because we just didn't have a enough to do, I ran phone patches after the scheduled USMC station, for the scientists in Kwajalein back to their families in New Mexico.  The station (W6FCS) was not considered a MARS station during my  tour of duty -  we did not operate on MARS frequencies.

I was 18 yrs old at the time. I was never exposed to the type of equipment that W6FCS was using. I also didn't know anything about phone patches, as all of my previous experiences were on code (CW).  I thank the SGT who got me the assignment.  It was very hard work but very satisfying. All of the phone patches we ran for the USMC were "private" except for us who had to monitor the conversations.  I didn't realize the family problems between USMC overseas and their families back home.  Many Officers and enlisted that were stationed at El Toro had patches from their former girlfriends in Okinawa.  Some would take the call, others told me to tell their girlfriends that they had been transferred someplace else.  I listened and had to cut off many calls for inappropriate language over the airwaves.  Many I just had to keep under my belt.  The calls from wives left behind to USMC Okinawa were the hardest for me to do.  I knew the family needed money, and when the calls downgraded to swearing I had to cut them off as the FCC in Santa Ana always monitored the station.  I wanted to help, but couldn't get involved.

When I left the station in 1962, I had to disconnect and cover up all the gear as the aircraft tower where the station was, was being painted and upgraded. The picture shows the upgrade shortly after I left the USMC. The 75S1 receiver has been embedded in a "console like" environment. Before the upgrade, the ham gear was just setting on the surface of the half moon table. 2 Collins KWS1 transmitters, 75a4 and 75s1 receivers, signal shifter exciter, teletype punch for a couple of teletype machines driven by BC610 transmitter. All of this into the Telrex Xmas Tree beam for 10, 15, and 20 meters on top of the aircraft tower. The elements of the beam were so big, that you could slide yourself along them to adjust the SWR. The SGT that was in charge when I got there, sent me up to adjust the elements - heh heh. Then we put up a separate tower w/tri-band beam along side of the aircraft tower. This allowed us to operate on 2 bands at the same time. Then the SGT got transferred and left me in charge of the station.  

While at the El Toro MARS station, we experimented with afloat MARS operations in 1977 with a NOAA ship that went to the South Pole for a freeze over expedition.