N0RSE_Stories

Sgt 1962 - 1963

Please note, I had a stroke about 10 years ago and lost some of my memory buttons. I'm still researching and doing so is bringing lots of things back. I got started in MARS when I worked at Kaneohe as a teletype repairman. My shop was near the ham station when Dick Stulz was there. Dick & I became friends and I often stopped in to talk to him. Became fascinated with the program and since I was already a ham, I requested MARS duty. Was sent to Camp Smith in 60-62. Interspersed with being sent back to regular duty, I stayed with MARS as much as possible the rest of my career. When I was at Quantico, I and others were instrumental in getting us to not wear a uniform - we had what we called our civilian uniform - matching Sears pants and shirts with a badge.. I think the clothes were green but not sure. One of the high lights of my time with MARS was being selected to help set up MARS stations on board some of the Apollo and Sky Lab Recovery Ships.

I feel MARS affected my whole life. It was a fascinating time and we all felt we were really doing some good. I made friends through the system who remain my friends today. Some have gone silent key but I still remember many with fondness - Dick Stulz was one of the finest people I have ever met - Wes Wilson was a dear friend as was Bob Rotello and Oscar Shelton - many others. What a time, lots of memories. Thank you for starting this project.

My first MARS station was at Camp Smith in Hawaii (1960-62) with Ben Brooks and "Sam" Spade. DOES ANYONE REMEMBER "PAPPY" ROACH? Dr. Dan, I don't remember you and as I said I'm still recalling. I thought this little bit of info would get you started. Back to top

Mike Keener

Sgt 6/69 - 4/71

I remember the fantastic rhombic farm we had at N0RSE, one running east/west and the other north south. Wow what a signal we had, and one time after we had a big fire we were running phone patch traffic with N0EFB in Vietnam and didn't realize until the sked was over that three legs of the rhombic had burned to the ground and the wire was still in one piece... wow what an antenna...

I still enjoy amateur radio everyday, and think about the ops a lot.

Rich Nickoloff

Sgt 10/65 - 10/66

When I returned from Vietnam in late 1965 (3rd Bn, 9th Mar, 9th MEB, 3rd MarDiv), I served at the Camp Pendleton Navy MARS station W6IAB/N0RSE until my discharge in late 1966. The station served as the "gateway" station to the Pacific–– all MARS radio traffic passed through N0RSE.

Daily networks were conducted during an 11 to 12 hour period. The station's main military nets were conducted with N0ANP (San Diego) and NAV (Washington DC). Phone patches were run whenever the "skip" was in.

Three of us manned the station: Staff Sergeant Gene Rich, Corporal Bill Oxford and myself, a Sergeant (E5). My service number was 2015508.

Prior to service at W6IAB/N0RSE, I had been a Tactical Air Control Party leader and Bill Oxford was on my team. When we returned from Vietnam, Bill, who had an amateur radio license WB6???, requested assignment to the MARS station and I was sent to Mainside Radio. About a month after reporting to our assignments, I received a call from Bill asking if I'd like to work at the station. A couple of years earlier, I had attended the Radio Telephone/Telegraph School in San Diego and was proficient in CW (Morse Code). Bill needed a good CW operator. I accepted the offer to work with him. Just prior to Gene Rich taking charge of the station, a master sergeant held the reins. He arranged for my transfer there at Bill's request.

The station was in a Quonset hut that at one time, I was told, was the base General's quarters. We had all the amenities of home which (as I remember) included a living room, kitchen, sleeping quarters and several other rooms including a bathroom. One wall of the living room sported a display of several hundred QSL cards received from around the world. The sleeping quarters provided a place to stay overnight if necessary. One room was used for electronic equipment repairs. Two other rooms housed the amateur radio equipment. The station was located out beyond the Deluz housing area far from other structures. It was a pleasure to report there for duty each day. It was left up to Bill and me to arrange time off while still meeting the responsibility of conducting the nets scheduled seven days a week. It was great duty.

We had the finest radio equipment of that time: the Collins S-Line. We had two Henry 2K amplifiers we could use to boost our signal. Other equipment included Drake and Swan radio equipment, teletypewriters, voice microphones, a Vibroplex "bug" (telegraph key), some straight keys, and oh yes, something called an "automatic keyer." Our antenna ensemble included two rhombic antennas (one pointed east and the other west) and a six-element Telrex on a rotor. An antenna switch was located in one of the radio rooms that allowed us to switch and reload antennas as needed. Bill provided the brains for our outfit and I, well, I was the appliance operator.

I have two true stories to share with you. One story involves the use of the antennas and the other the use of the "automatic keyer."

I believe it was during the month of October. I established contact with NAV on the radio and was sending them a test (teletype) tape in order for them to zero our signal. Message traffic was to follow. I was using the Telrex antenna, pointing east, when I received a land line from them. I was told my signal was strong but garbled. I told Bill the information I received on the land line. He switched from the Telrex to the east rhombic and loaded the antenna with a "turned-up" Henry 2K. The voice on the other end of the land line said our signal seemed stronger but was still garbled. Bill consulted a binder of past propagation records and figured the skip was changing. He switched us back to the Telrex and rotated it due west. We reloaded the antenna and sent the test tape. We hit NAV right on the head! The voice on the other end said, "I don't know what you did, but you are 5 by 5 and our shack is shaking!" It was the first time any of us had experienced sending "around the world."

I will preface this story by saying a CW operator never sends code faster than he can receive. Now, there was an old WWII Navy radio operator with whom I had established a weekly net to pass traffic to the San Fernando Valley area of California. He did not own a microphone. He was a CW operator who had served on the USS New Jersey when it had three smoke stacks! On the land line, he told us his "handle" was Jackson and he was willing to handle any CW traffic we would send to him. I do not recall his amateur/MARS radio call sign. Well, one day we received an automatic keyer at our station. I played around with it and found I could dial up the speed and still send good code. On my next meet with Jackson, I fired away with the new keyer figuring Jackson would send at the rate we usually exchanged traffic. I'll be damned if he didn't respond at the same rate as my keyer (approx. 30 wpm). Guess what! I couldn't copy at that speed. So, I sent a QRS (send slower). He did– approximately one wpm slower! I sent another QRS. He sent another wpm slower. And we progressed that way until he reached the 15-18 wpm I could copy! A bit later on the land line, he told me he had fun– that we must do that again!

Upon my discharge from active duty, my bride and I visited Jackson in his home in Northridge, CA. He took us out to his radio shack and showed us his pride and joy– an old straight key– that he used in our 30 wpm contact! He also had several "bugs." He also pointed out a picture that graced a wall of the shack. It was of the USS New Jersey on which he served. That day, Jackson encouraged me to get my amateur radio license – told me to maintain my CW skill and keep up the tradition. I never heard from him or saw Jackson again.

After six years in college, my bride and I set up house in Thousand Oaks, CA. I joined the California Highway Patrol and we raised a family. I spent 22 years in the L.A. area, taught at the CHP Academy in Sacramento the next six years, and spent my last two years working in the Gold Run CHP Area. I've just retired. The first thing I did was get my FCC amateur radio license. I run a Ten-Tec Omni VI using a vertical. My call sign is KG6GXS. I use a Schurr Profi-2 key. I don't own a voice mike. Jackson would be proud.

It was a positive experience and a perfect end to a 4 year enlistment.