TROPIC LIGHTNING NEWS                           April 13, 1970

Hello Mom, Over
       Mobile Radio Helps Outposts
By PFC RICK CONNELL

BEARCAT - G.I.s in the Fire Brigade who have something to say are saying it and saying it to people who will listen, thanks to the Military Affiliate Radio System (MARS).  The MARS Station at the 2nd Brigade’s base camp in Bearcat is the only one of its kind in the 25th Infantry Division because it is mobile.

According to Sergeant James Hahne of Virginia, Minnesota, the NCO in charge, the response to the MARS station in Bearcat has been very good.

“We’re handling about 15 to 20 calls a day,” he said.  “I especially like to see the men from the field use the station whenever they get into Bearcat.”

The MARS station, located in the Fire Brigade’s Headquarter’s Company area, is open from 0700 until 1200 hours for stateside calls.

Each call, limited to three minutes, is handled much like a collect call back in the World.  The MARS station contacts a United States military installation in the States which makes the final connection via the public telephone system.

The cost of the call depends on the distance of the military installation from the home of the person being called.  Hahne added that the connection usually takes anywhere from five minutes to an hour to complete.

“Our connections have been very good lately,” Hahne said, “but it all depends on seasonal and atmospheric conditions.”

The major difference between a MARS call and a regular phone call is that the MARS call is a one-way system.  This means that only one person on the line can talk at a time.  Therefore at the end of each response the caller must say “Over” to let the operator know when to turn on the other party’s transmitter.

However, Hahne says that there is usually no trouble with this procedure because both the caller and the person being called are briefed before the final connection is made.

Hahne noted that most problems with the MARS system are caused by the person making the call.

“In the excitement of talking to someone back in the World, a lot of guys forget what they want to say,” he said.  “I try to encourage people to think about what they want to say before they call, even to take a few notes.  Three minutes isn’t a very long time when you’re talking to someone back in the World”.

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