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1. 7 3 Toe Network 7 4 7 9 Net C alls Amd Radio SUR OO ASR 7 4 PALO Station ET LR 7 4 A en dne edu ip NN m dp rb 7 4 12 isting Check Ins And Traffic rhe eo eade e ous 7 6 7 13 Alternate Net Control Stations essere ener nnne 7 8 7 14 Monitor Stations 1 5 7 8 Cole ARUN E posed oo Dentro MOI b 7 8 7415 Bulletin Message Sessor id teme 7 9 7 17 Closing Nets re PR 7 10 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 TRANSCON Operations Guide TRANSCON Operations Guide By Claude S Baker AFNAVN TRANSCON Manager 7 1 PREREQUISITE TRAINING On the Air Training Operating as an Alternate or Assistant Net Control on the TRANSCON HF Voice Net with an experienced TRANSCON Net Control Station Operator 7 2 DOCUMENTATION Trainees and instructors must have the documentation listed below including all updates 7 2 1 USAF MARS Operating Instructions 7 2 2 USAF MARS National Emergency Communications Plan 7 2 3 USAF MARS National Training Plan 7 39 GOALS AND OBJECTIVES 7 3 1 Net Control Station operators are vital to the successful execution of the USAF MARS mission 7 3 2 USAF MARS is in business to handle messages Whether the messages are priority emergency traffic MARSgrams or routine training traffic our job is to pr
2. Chief Army MARS Computer Assisted Tuning Army Command Information Office CONUS assises ud CONtinental United States ELE Continuous Wave nickname for Morse Code DOD idee Department of Defense DESK e Co dev A Differential Phase Shift Keying ARMY Eastern Area MARS Coordinator ECOM Emergency Communications EOM RU End Of Message EC oos Federal Communications Commission nonet Forward Error Correction FED STD eitis Federal Standard etes iiec Federal Emergency Management Agency cota eme Frequency Shift Keying Golay Teletype Over Radio HP High Frequency Army Information Assurance ISA coi ea es Older standard for computer circuit card interface MARSA toc Military Affiliate Radio System sex Mailbox BBS System MBO Mailbox BBS System NIST Disce eos te Military Standard MESK 16 2 cesses Multi Frequency Shift Keying Multi Mode Controller MARS Message Center System Name of Digital BBS Software NGS mee Net Control Station National Telecommunications and Information Administration 6 34 United States Air Force Mar 2006 Abbreviation Acronym Definition NTS euet ns National Traffic System PACTOR PACket Teletype Over Rad
3. 2 8 2 20 Frequency Monitor Stations 2 0 2 2 Frequency Monitor ieee ala ieee dee 2 0 2 22 High Frequency Net Operations 2 9 2 23 Traffic Distribution uo ere c tib tete iaiia 2 11 2 24 Roll Call Radio Checks ss 2 12 SESSION THREE TRAFFIC NET PROCEDURES 2 25 Directing Traffic ef out ea 2 14 2 26 Net Calls sei datus e 2 14 252 Closings IO Sc Locos odio I it D etd 2 14 2 23 RG LAY TAS eden debt dide dete a 2 14 2 29 Dital Fette 2 14 2 30 FREQUENCY Violations cissie ierst sortis ved vaca cag aude 2 14 2 9 INCE OSTIO Co exo LL E EE 2 14 s 2 15 2 33 NCS Trafic LoS am uide 2 15 2 34 Marking The Log For Traffic Flow seen 2 16 2 399 mt i d 2 16 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training Attachments 1 Net Opening Closing Procedure eeeeeeeeeeeeeeneeennenenn 2 17 2 ING Log SHEEE 1 blank sse evene fep qoa MOIS PCENA 2 18 3 NCS NeCRoll Call Log 2 19 2 iv Session 1 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Traini
4. 1 14 1 2 2 Type OF NBC ated VIR UU LR IRA Qa Et Ms ud 1 14 1 2 3 Drafting Messages 1 14 1 2 4 American Radio Relay League ARRL Number Text 1 14 122 5 Phonetie Alpliabet eripe ide Aes Mae ead doa ena 1 15 1 2 6 Operating Sigp lS deo pres anders 1 15 1 2 7 Punctuation Abbreviations 4 04 4 00 enne entente 1 15 1 2 8 Station Identification e te 1 15 1 2 9 Station Configuration Modification eee 1 16 1 2 10 Mail Address Element e inet teo teure tone dei 1 16 1 2 1T Telephone Procedures 1 16 1 2 12 TRANSCON Net Check In 2 222 0 0 1 nennen nennen 1 16 1 2 13 Use Of Frequency Designators 1 17 132 14 Station Logs yeh acest saa Gia edd qa ie asso secs 1 17 12 15 Off Frequency e ep eser aca ERE RATS 1 17 1 2 16 Group COWES 1 17 1 2 17 USAF MARS Broadcast dero Pineda 1 18 QUK E MS Nets E PETER 1 18 1 2 19 Transmission of Numbers and Spelling ess 1 18 Chapter 3 The Messages 1 3 1 Plan Dress MeSSQBES DUM 1 20 1 3 2 Seryice Messages 1 entera e Rea SERI PARU T 1 22 Attachments 1 1 Overprinted Message Form AF
5. CHAR ly pu m Delta DELL ta M ac qo METRICS EK oh Foxtrot FOCKS trot Golf 5 E HO tell H IN dee a SMUT 05 JEW lee et e tales ax taesvouived nio M KEE lo A qj PONENS LEE ma ETE November 4 4 1 No VEM ber OS car zio Dime KAY beck bbc CHOR FIOITIBO iE a RO mee oh S SEE air ah nmm TANGO TANG oh HH rH YEW nee form o ORE VIC tor MR Whiskey WISS key M ee c EX ray YANG kee rn UTERIS ZOO loo Capitalized portion of pronunciation is to be emphasized Be natural don t force the pronunciation 1 5 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures NUMBER PHONETICS ONE WUN E TAGE ee TREE FOUL epe a ined FOWER Do TET FIVE FIFE n M SICKS ro MC
6. NR 55 ROUTINE 131430Z JAN 00 FROM MAJ AN COLE BOX 372 APO AE 09130 AGA7PM GE TO MRSAN COLE 8 MAIN STREET NEW BOSTON PENNSYLVANIA 33221 TELEPHONE 804 832 7828 GR 17 BREAK ARRIVED SAFE AND WELL PACKAGE AND LETTER RECEIVED ON ARRIVAL HAVE MAILED LONG LETTER LOVE SIGNED AL BREAK REFILED TO AMATEUR SERVICE NR 75 KF4SQ CK 18 GERMANY VIA MARS 1430Z JAN 13 TO MRSAN COLE 8 MAIN STREET NEW BOSTON PENNSYLVANIA 33221 TELEPHONE 804 832 7828 BREAK ARRIVED SAFE AND WELL XRAY PACKAGE AND LETTER RECEIVED ON ARRIVAL XRAY HAVE MAILED LONG LETTER XRAY LOVE BREAK AL END OF MESSAGE FROM MAJ A N COLE BOX 371 APO A E 09130 NOTE Underline words are those used to obtain the group count CK in both messages The FROM line address in the MARS message should follow the signature on re file to amateur service When re filing to the amateur service ARS use of XRAY for periods is optional at discretion of the originating amateur station HQ ARRL publishes a card which is useful for amateur traffic handlers This card may be obtained from HQ ARRL at HAMFESTS at the ARRL booth and from section station ARS coordinators The card is Amateur Message Form FSD 218 585 1 29 ARRL Numbered Messages Group One For Possible Relief Emergency Use ONE Everyone safe here Please don t worry TWO Coming home as soon as possible THREE Am hospital Receiving excellent care and recovering fine FOUR Only slig
7. THIS IS pause AFAZLE PENNSYLVANIA NO TRAFFIC OVER THIS IS pause AFAZZX FLORIDA ONE ROUTINE REGION ONE OVER THIS IS pause AFAZCU TEXAS NO TRAFFIC OVER THIS IS pause AFA LL MISSISSIPPI ONE ROUTINE FOR ROSWELL NEW MEXICO OVER THIS IS pause CALIFORNIA REQUEST INFORMAL WITH AFA CU OVER THIS IS pause AGA2PA FLORIDA NO TRAFFIC OVER THIS IS pause AFA MM OVER 7 12 2 Net Control Station AFA DT now calls the net to inform all stations that their transmissions have been heard and that their traffic if any has been listed Example TRANSCON TRANSCON THIS IS AFA DT ROGER THE FOLLOWING STATIONS AFA LE AFA ZX AFA CU AFA LL AFA PF AGA2PA AFA MM OUT When members initially check into the net they must always identify their traffic status if any 7 12 3 If a member checks in and fails to identify his her state the NCS will request that information by transmitting Member station call sign this is NCS call sign List your state Over Example AFA MM THIS IS AFA DT PLEASE GIVE YOUR STATE OVER AFA MM would then answer THIS IS pause NEW YORK OVER 7 6 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 7 12 4 TRANSCON Operations Guide NCS would respond ROGER AFA MM NEW YORK OUT Note When Military Base Stations check into the TRANSCON HF Voice Net the NCS should get the personal USAF MARS Call Sign of th
8. The group or groups that follows is composed of numbers NOTE The group can also contain letters but will use the proword FIGURES when the first character is a number FROM Address or MARS callsign w state of the originating station GROUPS Followed by the number of groups in a message This can be optional GROUPS NO COUNT The groups in this message have not been counted The addresses immediately following are given for information 5 The group or groups that follow is composed of letters NOTE The group can also contain figures but will use the proword INITIAL s when the first character is a letter I READ BACK Read back text at reading speed I SAY AGAIN Repeat previous transmission or portion as indicated That which follows is verified at your request and is repeated IMMEDVLATPE 5 Precedence of message This is the highest used in MARS 1 7 United States Air Force 1 Mar 2006 MORE TO FOLLOW NUMBER SAY AGAIN teens SERVICE SILENGE SILENCE LIFTED SPEAK SLOWER MARS Training Manual Voice Procedures Additional message traffic will follow Station sequential message number Begin new numbering sequence each month This is the only item that changes on any message En
9. 4 1 5 No FYMON station will be certified unless they are using NTIA compliant equipment and can satisfactorily demonstrate their ability to handle their respective jobs to the satisfaction of the Chief FYMON 4 1 6 FYMON stations act only as advisors to the NCS and will NEVER take any action to close a station 4 2 VOICE NET PROCEDURES The following procedures have been adopted by the AF MARS for all FYMON stations and should be used whenever possible on all voice nets 4 2 1 The Net Control Station will call on the FYMON of record to set the net frequency at the beginning of all voice nets When the FYMON is called upon to set the voice net frequency the FYMON will first give a long count followed by an accurate signal for all stations to tune to There are different methods of transmitting signal standards One often used method is the FATTO Frequency Adjusting Two Tone Oscillator This method utilizes a pair of harmonically related tones that can be tuned by any SSB receiver to achieve the exact frequency that the FYMON is transmitting The details of the FATTO can be found on most MTS nets Other methods us a single tone which can get the receiving station within the required tolerance The FYMON usually sends the signal standard for a period of one minute Other methods are available and can be found on most MTS and FYMON nets in all regions United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Frequency Monitor Procedures 4 2 2
10. 6 18 6 4 Operating Signals oie ee eas des 6 19 6 5 TNG Control SOIDWAEe a ici e tates a ust 6 27 6 6 Soundcard Software dese uita Dai euo Mee di Mosa iesu Du basi e e e uaa reum 6 28 Attachments 6 1 Prosigns Prowords Operating Signals essere 6 18 0 25 MARS Digital Modes ie eee era ree NUI ED Iu ag eos ds 6 20 A6 3 Digital Hardware Connectivity un use eet deren eene an e dere Nea s anne es 6 23 AGA Digital SoftWare 6 26 A6 5 Airmail Setup Guide for MARS Operations 6 29 A6 6 Common Digital Abbreviations Acronyms 6 34 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations Introduction 6 1 Historical Background 6 1 1 Reliability security and speed are the three fundamentals of military communications with reliability ultimately the most important Reliability must never be diminished or sacrificed to meet the conflicting demands of security speed or convenience Modern digital communications provide a means of enhancing both the reliability and speed of communications within MARS 6 1 2 There are some who claim that the first radio communications using Morse code or continuous wave CW were digital communications CW communications were the major method of communications in both the military and the Army Auxiliary Radio System AARS the precu
11. Smith AFN3AT National Digital Net Manager United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations CONTENTS cot Page IPod TOM oer o Cot OU 6 1 6 2 o 12 6 2 6 4 Digital Net Operations oes oec era ee 6 3 My ACTS GA e edo etat eeu robe tue Reed 6 3 6 42 Operations etude uM v tes 6 3 6 5 Mixed Mode Net Operations ete exe ione xa dede 6 8 a2 MM T 6 8 5 2 en cec en ERO d e 6 8 6 6 5 and BBS Mail Box Operations nennen 6 11 0 6 T InftOdUGUOE ios ber opos nete retine taut ee tesi babeo EPI Met amber 6 11 6 6 2 TNC PBBS Mail Box Operations 2 02 0 00 6 11 6 6 3 Keyboard 6 13 6 6 4 TRANSCON Full Service BBS Operations 6 14 6 6 5 Initia BBS USe csetera dis dates 6 16 Tables 6 1 Kantronics KAM Mailbox Commands 4 2 0 200000000000000000000000000000044 6 12 6 2 Winlink Classic Commands 6 15 6 3 PLOSIONS and ProWOFdS deir e atr te
12. UNITED STATES AIR FORCE MILITARY AFFILIATE RADIO SYSTEM TRAINING MANUAL L V Carson AFN2TD AF MARS National Training Director Change 1 15 May 2006 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Contents Section I Voice Operations Training Guide Section II Net Control Training Section III Emergency Communications Plan Section IV Frequency Monitor Guide Section V Phone Patch Network Operation Section VI Digital Operations and Training Guide Section VII TRANSCON Operations Guide Section I Voice Operations Training Guide Compiled by L V Carson AFN2TD National Training Manager Edited by Philip Salley AFF2D Authorized by Headquarters AFCA For Air Force Training Revised 22 October 2005 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures Preface To all MARS members You will find overprinted forms blank forms charts and frequency lists as attachments to this document These are included for your benefit and use throughout your MARS career suggest that you make copies of all of the forms for your use and pass copies to other members who do not have them NOTE Keep the original copies in a folder for later use in making more copies Try to use originals as master for copies since copies tend to get worse as they are copied LISTEN LISTEN LEARN IS GOOD ADVICE On many nets you will pick up useful information but be careful that this information is correc
13. 1 2 11 3 If the telephone number is unlisted or not in the directory mail the message using official mail media only if the message originated at an overseas location Messages that cannot be delivered will be serviced back when all alternate methods have been exhausted Messages that cannot be phoned outside of local calling area or mailed originated in CONUS should be sent to VHF PACKET or other MARS circuits 1 2 11 4 Try the use of Amateur or other means before considering servicing the message back to the originating station Official traffic may be mailed if necessary 1 2 12 TRANSCON Check In After training requirements have been met it is permissible to check in on TRANSCON traffic nets Only technician class or higher license holders are 1 16 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures granted this privilege Stations going to TRANSCON should have regional day and night frequency capability and or be able to pass the traffic for relay to a local MARS member with regional frequency capability Frequencies can be obtained from your SMD RMD See TRANSCON procedures section in this manual 1 2 13 Use Of Frequency Designators Listings of frequencies and their designators can be obtained from your SMD Training Manager or RMD Frequency designators should always be used Actual frequencies are NEVER transmitted on the air Exceptions being air to ground Phone Patch transmissions to the pil
14. 6 4 1 General Digital nets are primarily operated in a broadcast mode so that all net members can copy the information sent Network operations should be conducted using Sound Card or PACTOR using Forward Error Correction FEC mode In the examples that follow the transmitted information is shown in uppercase explanations of procedural signals are shown in lowercase and are enclosed in parentheses 6 4 2 Digital Net Operations MARS digital net operations are basically derived from the USAF MARS Morse code and RTTY net procedures that are no longer used in MARS They are similar to voice net procedures and should be familiar to MARS members One significant difference is that prosigns and the Q and Z procedural signals replace the prowords used in voice nets 6 4 2 1 Q and Z signals A word of caution is in order concerning Q and Z signals as there are many more of these signals than are required for MARS operations with some considered obsolete Others are concerned with highly specialized operations It is suggested that MARS member confine the use of Q and Z signals to those found in Attachment A of this document Recommended additions that may enhance digital network operations should be made through the member s Region level training staff Usage of Q and Z signals may vary between services therefore in the interest of interoperability members should be familiar with those used by both USAF Army and Navy MARS 6 4 2 2 Procedures S
15. During the course of the net the FYMON station may encounter a station that is off frequency The FYMON should then call the NCS and announce AFA XX this is AFA AA frequency monitor OVER The net control station will then say ROGER AFA AA frequency monitor OUT The FYMON will then call the station in question and say AFA BB this is AFA AA frequency monitor Please give a short count OVER The FYMON will then determine if the station is high or low in frequency and make the necessary corrections Sometimes a station may have distortion or other signal problems The procedure will be the same 4 2 3 Sometimes the scheduled FYMON will not be present and another FYMON station may take the place of the scheduled FYMON In these cases the temporary FYMON will automatically relinquish his her position when the FYMON of record checks into the voice net and the FYMON will assume the duties as above If no FY MON checks into the voice net the NCS will continue until net closing It will then be the duty of the NCS to get the off frequency station on frequency 4 2 4 The NCS will have the final authority on all frequency corrections and will use the FYMON only as an advisor If a station fails to get his her station on frequency or eliminate distortion problems the NCS may choose to close that station until he she eliminates the problem 4 2 5 The FYMON may occasionally act as a procedure monitor and give the NCS or other official information th
16. actual or exercise 3 12 2 3 The RVNM or designated representative will send the consolidated SITREPS to the NEC via EMAIL by 1600Z daily during ECOM operations including exercises Info the SEC and REC IAW local ECOM plans See attachment 7 SITREP format 3 12 2 4 TRANSCON Voice and Phone Patch Nets are requested to submit a SITREP only when engaged in ECOM operations support Net managers or designated representatives should submit a SITREP IAW paragraph 3 12 2 using the format in attachment 7 3 12 3 After Action Report AAR An AAR is mandatory for all ECOM exercises and actual operations The AAR provides a significant tool for managers at all levels to use to evaluate MARS operations After action reports not only identify potential limitations but they also provide valuable information on specific portions of an operation that worked well and those that didn t work so well and require improvements See attachment 2 3 12 3 1 Regional and State Emergency Coordinators RECs and SECs will collect and consolidate statistics and the information needed to complete an AAR for each of their jurisdictions Emergency coordinators are responsible for an AAR submission to the NEC following each MARS exercise MARSEX or actual ECOM operation The NEC should receive an AAR from each state and each region involved in the ECOM operations and MARSEX 3 12 3 2 AnAAR should be submitted within 5 working days of termination of the ECOM opera
17. commercial property public facilities fire stations etc Identify location of shelters if applicable E STATUS OF AREA UTILITIES Gas water commercial power sanitation systems operational damaged destroyed needed Not Applicable F STATUS OF COMMERCIAL COMMUNICATION FACILITIES Telephone Radio TV Cellular Phone Operational Damaged Unavailable Not Applicable G SOURCE OF INFORMATION Indicate Source of information if different from Date Time Group of the message Include MARS Call sign name of official and agency radio TV station Call sign or network as applicable H REMARKS Include Comments about expected changes in status of any of the above items such as Power Companies expect power to be out for more than how many hours If applicable include expected time of next report ACTUAL EVENT EEI or MARSEX Same as subject line BT NNNN 3 19 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Attachment 4 EVENT IDENTIFIERS EVENT IDENTIFIER AIR CRASH FALLEN STAR AIRBORNE POISONED GAS POISONED AIR BIOLOGICAL EVENT BAD BUG BOMBING INCIDENT LOUD BANG BRIDGE DAMAGE LOSS MAJOR LOST SUPPORT CHEMICAL SPILL POISONED GROUND CIVIL UNREST RIOT BAD MAGIC COMMUNICATIONS LINK DOWN MAJOR LOST COMM DAMAGING HAIL FALLING ICE EARTH QUAKE
18. will cause you considerable frustration To overcome this obstacle Army has adopted the Routing Indicator RI that drops the leading character or trailing character of the callsign prefix of their assigned callsign for digital operations so that AAA9USA becomes digital routing indicator AA9USA while AEMIUSA becomes AEIUSA Navy Marine has incorporated a similar procedure by dropping an their call so that in digital operation NNNOASA becomes NNOASA United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations 6 4 2 4 Net Opening The Net Control Station NCS opens the net at the scheduled time by transmitting a general net call and a tuning signal This tuning can be the traditional sequence or any other line of about 60 characters The sequence was significance with the old RATT Baudot code where it produced an alternating mark and space sequence but with modern codes and equipment any pattern can be use such as THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG S BACK 01234567890 Example NCS transmits TRR TRR DE AFAZJN ZRF I will send a tuning signal ZRCI Tune your transmitter to the proper frequency THE QUICK BROWN FOX JUMPS OVER THE LAZY DOG S BACK 01234567890 AR Out After one minute during which stations may adjust equipment the NCS invites stations to check into the net by transmitting TRR TRR DE AFAZJN INT ZKE INT ZBO Does any station wish to check into the net
19. AFTER AND ALL BEFORE OVER RESPONSE THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN I SAY AGAIN ALL AFTER AND ALL BEFORE OVER 1 1 5 11 4 REQUEST THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN SAY AGAIN WORD AFTER OVER RESPONSE THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN I SAY AGAIN WORD AFTER pronounce the word spell it phonetically pronounce it again OVER 1 1 5 11 5 REQUEST THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN SAY AGAIN GROUP COUNT OVER RESPONSE THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN I SAY AGAIN GROUP zero seven OVER 1 1 5 11 6 REQUEST THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN SAY AGAIN THE TEXT AT READING SPEED OVER RESPONSE THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN I SAY AGAIN TEXT AT READING SPEED Repeat text at reading speed OVER 1 1 5 11 7 REQUEST THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN SAY AGAIN PHONE FIGURES IN FROM LINE OVER United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures RESPONSE THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN I SAY AGAIN PHONE FIGURES IN FROM LINE PHONE FIGURES OVER 1 1 5 12 How to let the transmitting station know when to continue after all fills have been requested ROGER OVER NOTE Responding with THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN ROGER OVER when all fills have been resolved or when no fills are required is the preferred response Remaining silent if no fills are required is a proper response but for more efficient net operation responding immediately with ROGER OVER is the recommended procedure 1 1 5 13 How To Relay THIS IS PAUSE AFA W J phonetics MAY I REL
20. AII Before ALL BEFORE AR End of transmission OUT AS Wait WAIT B More to Follow MORE TO FOLLOW BT Break this separates the heading from the MSG and the MSG text from BREAK the end of the message C Correct CORRECT DE This transmission 15 from the station whose callsign follows THIS IS Error Eight E S sent sequentially CORRECTION FM The Originator s Designation Follows FROM G 42 entire message transmission 15 Repeated back to the sending READ BACK GR Numeral Group Count The message text contains numeral Groups Used only Group when sending encrypted messages IMI Repeat Used to indicate a word 1s repeated for verification or emphasis I SAY AGAIN INFO Information Addressee s designator s Follow INFO Interrogatory Asking a question This prosing precedes or Z INT No 220747 signal normally to indicate query to the respective signal J Verify with Originator and Repeat VERIFY K Invitation to transmit OVER M MARSGRAM MARSGRAM MSG Message MESSAGE NR Number NUMBER Immediate Precedence IMMEDIATE P Priority Precedence PRIORITY R Receipt Routine Roger ROUTINE ROGER SGD Signed Signature follows T Transmit to designated station s TO Action Addressee s designator s follow TO WA Word After WORD AFTER WB Word Before WORD BEFORE XMT Exempted Addressee s designated stations need not EXAMPT acknowledge receipt A6 1 2 Q and Z signals and Z signals are three letter groups
21. Directors SMDs and State Emergency Coordinators SECs must be proactive in the involvement and coordination of MARS support within the state 3 4 3 Planning should begin with the National Guard Headquarters in each state This should be accomplished with the Joint Forces Headquarters JFHQ J6 function Command Control Communications and Computer C4 Systems Directorate JFHQ typically provides Operational Control OPCON of National Guard resources in each state in support of the state s Office of Emergency Management OEM or Emergency Management Agency EMA requirements MARS must be an integral part of the overall emergency and disaster communications architecture in order to be considered part of the state response plans 3 4 4 Planning should include liaison with Amateur Radio Emergency Service ARES Radio Amateur Civil Emergency Service RACES and the Civil Air Patrol CAP Typically these organizations are already in place and providing the critical on scene communications links to and from the local county and state Emergency Operations Centers 5 3 2 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Coordinated efforts will help define the role of each of the communications services and enable each to focus on its primary role within the state s communications architecture Liaison with ARES and RACES will generally provide direct
22. Elements of Information EEI Reporting 3 12 9 11 MUO SEC des eer epe nee tede a nale haee as Rc 3 14 eant ui ed 3 14 S2 MNEEI c 3 14 321222 Stud LOB 3 15 3 12 3 Aner Action os ebbe nee UR e eee n Ent 3 15 2 13 nti Meu 3 15 T 3 16 3 15 rer 3 16 Attachments Al ECOM Plan Activation Message 3 17 A2 After Acton R E A RS 3 18 Essential Elements of Information eene 3 19 A4 Event Identification aeos eit 3 20 AS Message AR UMN a E lc Pea 3 21 A6 Sample MESSAGE sacos Quse di dde 3 22 A7 Situation Report STEREP 3 23 AS Sample SITREP 3 24 34 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE Air Force Communications Agency Military Affiliate Radio System MARS National Emergency Communications Plan 2006 1 1 March 2006 Reference s USAF MARS Operating Instruction MOI AFI 33 106 Managing High Frequency Radios Land Mobile Radios Cellular Telephones and the Military Affiliate Radio System FEMA Federal Emergency R
23. Monitor Procedures Frequency Monitor Procedures and Requirements 41 GENERAL INFORMATION The term FYMON is an acronym for the term Frequency Monitor 4 1 1 FYMONS are chosen for their unique expertise and ability to utilize specialized equipment It is required that all FYMON stations possess a frequency counter a highly stable NTIA compliant transmitter and some method for reading received frequencies using a spectrum analyzer or other specialized frequency readout 4 1 2 FYMON stations will act in an advisory capacity to the Net Control Station NCS and advise the NCS when a station is off frequency or has some signal aberration that needs correcting The NCS may then request the net FYMON to attempt to correct the problem 4 1 3 All FYMON stations must develop the ability to determine when a station is off frequency by listening to the harmonics or voice color of the transmitting station This is generally done by ear and is an acquired talent Off frequency stations can generally be detected by ear when they exceed plus or minus 20 Hz 4 4 Itis imperative that all FYMON stations use NTIA compliant equipment AII FYMON stations should be tested quarterly to determine their ability to perform their respective tasks The region Chief FYMON will hold nets for this purpose each quarter The required FYMON frequency readout tolerance is plus or minus 5 Hz The required maximum frequency tolerance for all stations is plus or minus 20 Hz
24. New and a box will ask you for the System Name Type in MARS and click OK then OK again and close the application This will create a System MARS ini file Later we will show you how to manually edit this file A6 5 3 4 Open the Airmail software again and type in your MARS call sign when asked by the wizard Click OK A6 5 3 5 To complete you configuration open the Tools folder and then select Options A second window will open where we will select several key settings for your MARS configuration Normally you will only need to do this once unless you have more than one type of TNC connected to your computer The first folder open should show your modem TNC connection Airmail currently has software drivers to support the following model TNCs SCS PTC series II Pro 1226 1278B Kantronics 98 XL Timewave AEA PK 232 PK 900 DSP 1232 DSP 2232 HAL Communications DXP 38 6 29 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations A6 5 3 6 Select from the drop down window the TNC you are currently using A6 5 3 7 Select the COMM Port serial port you are using with the TNC and the appropriate baud rate supported by your TNC The Airmail software will normally preselect the highest baud rate supported by your TNC but you may need to match the baud rate manually to ensure the computer will talk to you TNC Click on Apply each time
25. and digital modes You will first be trained to use the correct radiotelephone procedures required for communications support of military and allied national forces Additional training is available for those members that desire to use digital capabilities You will then be re assigned to the traffic net system in one of several MARS programs This will be your primary assignment but you may participate in as many nets of the Air Force MARS program as you desire excepting special assignment nets The expansion of your own horizons through your association with Air Force MARS and the members of this organization are limited only by your desire and capability Note The minimum age to enter Air Force MARS is seventeen United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures TABLE OF CONTENTS Chapter 1 Introduction I ET Generdlic o em RP ee See EHE EE Ad EE 1 1 1 1 2 MARS Training Program 2202 44 S Qe 1 1 1 1 3 MARS Personnel Action Notification 1 4 1 4 1 4 1 1 1 Phonetic Alphabet 1 5 1 4 1 1 2 Number Phonetics 1 6 1 4 1 1 3 Authorized Prowords eene 1 7 4 15 MARS Prarie tese adeo e Ub mee Me 1 10 Chapter 2 Operations 1 2 1 Radio Operator Circuit Discipline
26. appropriate information for MARS use contained in that publication has been extracted and is incorporated in this guide 1 1 1 3 Conflicts in the procedures contained in this guide and those in an ACP or other Air Force publications may be identified in writing to the Region MARS Director for possible resolution 1 1 1 4 Proposed changes to this guide should be submitted in writing to the Region MARS Director for consideration There will be no deviations from established procedure without approval from the 1 1 2 MARS Training Program Every new member will be assigned to a state or sometimes region level training net The region or state trainer will supply all new trainees with a training guide training will be conducted by state trainers following the procedures contained in this guide Upon satisfactory completion of the training as adjudicated by the Region Training Manager each member will be given a primary assignment to a net or activity according to the needs of the MARS program Six hours participation in the primary assignment will be required for each member and another six for the required 12 hours per quarter can be earned in any authorized open net Completion of Training Certificates will be issued by the Region Training Manager to all trainees that satisfactorily complete their training 1 1 2 1 Present members may request to be assigned to a training net for refresher purposes These members will not be
27. at reading speed over the TRANSCON Voice Net it should not be necessary for stations to individually acknowledge them The station reading the bulletins should ask if anyone needs fills 7 16 3 Example THIS IS sender call sign DOES ANY STATION NEED FILLS OVER The word Fills is an abbreviated way to ask if anyone needs the NCS to fill in what the member did not copy in the transmission Asking only for fills will save time needed for training passing traffic and providing other information on the nets The NCS does not necessarily give the fills The station sending the message or giving the information would give the fills There may be times such as during emergency operations when bulletins must be copied In this case the message will be read at copying speed as with any other traffic message United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 TRANSCON Operations Guide 7 17 CLOSING NETS The NCS will close the net session by transmitting the following 7 17 1 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is NCS Call Sign this session of the TRANSCON Voice Net is closed OUT Example TRANSCON TRANSCON THIS IS AFA CU THIS SESSION OF THE TRANSCON VOICE NET IS CLOSED OUT TRANSCON TRANSCON THIS IS AFA DT THE NET IS CLOSED OUT By ANCS 7 10 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 This document contains one for one page replacements for the 1 Mar 2006 MARS Training Manual that in
28. avoid using the Airmail Address book From the Message Index window select File and then New The Airmail Address window will pop open Click cancel and you will have a clear message screen to begin preparing your message You may now type your message On the first line type the address of the station you wish to send your message to For example ST AFNIEC AFA PC On the second line type the subject line such as EXERCISE EEI or ACTUAL EEI Leave the third line clear and then begin type your message using the standard 16 line format DE AFA XT NR 101 R 172005 JUL 2005 FM AFA XT MD TO AFNIEC ME BT your message text BT NNNN EX Once you have completed the message you are ready to post the message for sending To send your completed message click on the Mailbox Icon and the window will close and your new message will appear in the Message Index with the mailbox icon indicating it is waiting to be sent A6 5 1 AIRMAIL Terminal Window Before you can actually send your traffic you must ensure that your TNC is properly connected and turned on From the Message Index window you have a couple options either press the F6 function button or click on the Terminal Icon to switch to the Terminal window The program will automatically attempt to initialize your TNC and send the appropriate control codes to prepare it for operation for the mode selected You will see a series of commands in the terminal window as these se
29. be announced when and if necessary and may occur at any time See detailed procedures in digital operations which are discussed later in another section of this manual 1 2 19 Transmission Of Numbers And Spelling 1 2 19 1 Transmission of Numerals The proword FIGURE s must precede numerals except in a few special cases such as the date time group and in the group count Numbers are transmitted digit by digit For example 127 is transmitted as FIGURES ONE TWO SEVEN In the case of mixed groups of figures and letters the proword appropriate for the first character of the group will be used For example 608 is transmitted as FIGURES SIX UNIFORM EIGHT whereas A35 would be transmitted as INITIALS ALPHA THREE FIVE NOTE The use of words ZIP or ZIP CODE has been deemed unnecessary in message address transmission In transmitting the address only the proword FIGURES need precede the ZIP code Do not say ZIP FIGURES or ZIP CODE FIGURES NOTE When giving the DTG always precede the group with the PROWORD TIME The proword FIGURES is never used before the DTG figures are said phonetically The month is NOT said phonetically The year figures are said phonetically and given in four digits 1 2 19 2 Spelling Three steps are used for spelling words 1 2 19 2 1 Pronounce the word United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures 1 2 19 2 2 Say I spell then spell the w
30. before moving to the next tab to ensure your changes take effect 6 5 3 8 Proceed to the second tab Settings Fill in your MARS call sign and in the From name just your last name If your TNC is only PACTOR Level I capable you will need to check Use Basic MMCS protocol only under BBS Forwarding Protocol Under Keyboard mode it is recommended that you enter Auto wrap value of 60 Under Messages enter the value 60 as Max characters per Deselect Show Header Panel A6 5 3 9 The Folder file may be left with the default settings A6 5 3 10 Select the AutoAnswer tab Check Accepted Incoming Connects Fill in the Welcome Text as you would prefer One example you may choose is Welcome to the PACTOR Station of YOUR CALL SIGN STATE A6 5 3 11 Select the Routing tab You should check with your local state digital coordinator to determine the appropriate information for this tab A6 5 3 12 Leave the defaults for Fonts as is A6 5 3 13 Select the Modules tab For HF operation leave only the Terminal Window and Show in Taskbar boxes checked A6 5 3 14 Select the final Tab Spelling The settings here are personal but it is recommended that you select the following active Check spelling as you type Ignore words containing numbers Suggest from main dictionaries only Prompt on repeated word Dictionaries American Close the Options window A6 5 3 15 The
31. communications links into the local county and state Emergency Operations Centers EOCs in the affected area 3 5 ASSUMPTIONS 3 5 1 Upon activation of the SHARES SCN Shares Coordination Net and or FEMA NECN National Emergency Coordination Net USAF MARS will immediately activate TRANSCON Voice Nets and ECOM Nets in the area s affected by the emergency disaster that has resulted in the SHARES and FEMA activations TRANSCON will provide support to SHARES FEMA and MARS regional and state ECOM Nets in the affected region s as required 3 5 1 1 If an actual emergency or disaster occurs and MARS has not yet received official notification of the FEMA or SHARES net activations FEMA Liaison and SHARES stations should monitor FEMA and SHARES frequencies and be prepared to provide liaison support 3 5 2 Upon activation of ARMY MARS ECOM Nets USAF MARS will also activate ECOM Nets in the affected areas and TRANSCON Net s and prepare to support the emergency or disaster response NOTE HQ ARMY MARS serves as the primary liaison with JDOMS 3 5 3 Upon activation of USAF MARS regional ECOM Nets TRANSCON Voice will activate its nets or extend its operations to provide liaison between regions and federal agencies and serve as a gateway for ECOM related traffic between MARS regions and other government agencies FEMA SHARE etc responding to and supporting an actual event or exercise 3 5 4 Upon activation of MARS ECOM nets durin
32. establish the correct frequency If a FYMON checks into the net later that FYMON will assume the duties and become the FYMON of record If the FYMON station does not respond at the net beginning the NCS will set the net frequency using a long count 2 22 4 NET OPENING After all administrative activities are complete the net is now ready to begin the business for which it is intended At this time the net is formally open The complete opening and closing checklist is included in later pages 2 22 5 ROLL CALL An orderly roll call procedure is a must to enable the NCS to properly list the traffic and log stations entering the net A general call will be made to the net for any station in the Region with or without traffic using emergency power Next a general call is made to the net for stations with traffic During periods of high traffic volume the NCS will call each state in alphabetical order for their traffic listings When this becomes necessary the Net Manager will notify each NCS of the change in procedures Next roll call will be for stations without traffic This will be done alphabetically by states roll calls will be made twice When conditions are poor it is permissible to make several calls per state and the NCS may have the ANCS FYMON or other station to also make calls as he she deems necessary to ensure that all stations are logged After the roll call for stations without traffic a general call is made for late stations
33. following example AFA TS is the transmitting station sending the traffic and AFB CK is the receiving station AFAZTS transmits AFB CK phonetics THIS IS AFA TS phonetics RADIO CHECK OVER AFB CK transmits THIS IS AFB CK LOUD AND CLEAR whatever conditions are OVER The above procedure establishes that conditions are good traffic quality AFAZTS transmits ROGER MESSAGE NUMBER AFAH TS starts sending the message 1 1 5 9 How to receipt for a message Some examples 1 11 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures THIS IS AFA VJ phonetics ROGER NUMBER ONE FIVE OUT THIS IS AFA VJ phonetics ROGER NUMBER ONE FIVE OVER Note the OVER in above line indicates that there are more messages to follow and that the receiving station is ready to copy the next message 1 1 5 10 How to respond to a call to your station THIS IS AFBZCK OVER Do not pause after THIS IS when your station is called 1 1 5 11 How to obtain a FILL or have information repeated Some examples 1 1 5 11 1 REQUEST THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN SAY AGAIN OVER meaning repeat the last transmission RESPONSE THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN I SAY AGAIN repeat transmission OVER 1 1 5 11 2 REQUEST THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN SAY AGAIN FROM LINE OVER RESPONSE THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN I SAYAGAIN FROM LINE repeat from line OVER 1 1 5 11 3 REQUEST THIS IS YOUR CALLSIGN SAY AGAIN ALL
34. from within a disaster area and requiring Phone Patch capabilities to conduct OFFICIAL ECOM business 3 7 7 1 Phone Patches are made by placing COLLECT calls to the party being called by the Phone Patch Operators This must be briefed and understood by those placing calls from the disaster area 3 7 7 2 The following briefing will be given when initiating Phone Patches SIR MA AM THIS IS A NON SECURE RADIO CIRCUIT PLEASE SAY THE WORD OVER EACH TIME YOU FINISH TALKING USE LAST NAMES ONLY THE USE OF FULL NAMES RANK AND GEOGRAPHICAL LOCATIONS ARE NOT ALLOWED OBSCENE OR PROFANE LANGUAGE IS TRICTLY PROHIBITED DO NOT DISCUSS CLASSIFIED INFORMATION OVER THE AIR ADVISE PERSONNEL IN THE AREA THAT YOU ARE DOING NON SECURE PHONE PATCH AND BACKGROIUND NOISES WILL BE TRANSMITTED OVER THE RADIO DO YOU HAVE ANY QUESTIONS SIR MA AM 3 5 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 3 8 EXECUTION 3 8 1 CONCEPT OF OPERATIONS 3 8 1 1 General The purpose of USAF MARS ECOM operations is to provide primary secondary or alternate communications links with which to expedite the flow of emergency and routine message traffic into and out of a disaster area USAF MARS stations in a state and or region where an emergency situation is imminent or occurring will activate all available communications resources to conduct ECOM operations inc
35. is critical and requires a very frequency stable transceiver on both ends other users have found this to be debatable The spreading of each character over time does lead to some delay in the display of text However its performance has made it the mode of choice for traffic handling in many MARS net A6 2 1 12 B 12 ALE ALE is an acronym for Automatic Link Establishment It can be viewed as a digital HF system rather than a digital mode as it uses several modes It is important to the MARS mission as it is the method of HF digital communications used by several of our served agencies such as DOD SHARES and FEMA A6 2 1 12 1 Until recently this system was only available to MARS member willing to purchase the expensive commercial hardware implementations as there are few ALE devices that have moved to the surplus property inventory It is an implementation of Mil Std 188 141B and FED STD 1045A More information can be found of the NTIA web site http www its bldrdoc gov pub oa rpt hf ale handbook A6 2 1 12 2 Charles Brain G4GUO wrote a computer soundcard implemented version of ALE nicknamed PC ALE that opened this system up to MARS members at relatively low cost Mr Brain released his source code to a MARS development team that is currently 2005 continuing the development and the current software is now nicknamed MARS ALE The ability of the sound card version of ALE to connect with a military hardware was demonstrated during Grecian
36. message passing or training lessons on topics specific to digital communications These lessons can be prepared ahead of time and transmitted from a file just as a bulletin is broadcast The National Training Manager AFN2TD or within a Region the Region Training Manager AFF T have access to basic digital communications lesson plans A typical digital net training session might be transmitted as follows 351 351 DE AFAZVP NET INFORMAL TODAY S TRAINING IS ON THE USED OF THE Z SIGNAL ZEN USE OF ZEN AND ZXX WHEN ZEN IS PLACED BEFORE AN ADDRESSEE IT MEANS THAT THE MESSAGE HAS BEEN SENT TO THAT PARTICULAR INDIVIDUAL BY OTHER MEANS AND FORWARDING OR RELAYING THE MESSAGE TO THAT ADDRESSEE IS NOT REQUIRED AS AN EXAMPLE FOR AN EEI REPORT THERE ARE MULTIPLE ADDRESSEES THE TO LINE CONTAINS THE ACTION ADDRESSEE AND THE INFO LINES CONTAIN ADDITIONAL ADDRESSEES AS THE MESSAGE IS BEING RELAYED THROUGH THE MARS RADIO SYSTEM THERE IS A NEED TO IDENTIFY THE RECEIVING STATION IF THE INDIVIDUAL ADDRESSEE S HAS BEEN TAKEN CARE OF OR IF THE MESSAGE NEEDS TO BE RELAYED TO THEM AS WELL United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations AN EXAMPLE OF THE ADDRESS LINES OF AN ACTUAL INCIDENT EEI DE AFAZVP NR 37 P 141400Z DEC 2005 FM STEINEL AFAZVP KS TO JDOMS ZAAZUSA INFO AGA3C IL AFFZE MO ZEN AFF KS KS ZEN AFNIEC ME BT IN CASES WHERE A LARGE NUMBER OF THE INFO ADDRESSEES HAVE BEEN HANDLED BY OTHER MEANS THE Z
37. next step will allow you to setup the terminal window for the stations you normally connect to A6 5 3 15 1 From the primary AIRMAIL Message Index Window select View and then the Station Index Highlight MARS and click New to add a call sign of a station that you will be connecting to This can be an individual station or a MMCS identifier Click OK A6 5 3 15 2 Now with the call you just entered highlight or click on the station identifier you just added and click on Settings Add the station call sign remember that if it is 6 30 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations a 7 character call sign that you may need to shorten it the appropriate routing indicator For example AAA9USA will be shortened to AA9USA It must match the call sign that the other station software is using to ensure that you can connect to it Also in this window you must check the boxes according to the modes you operate Unless you own one of the SCS TNCs you will probably only check the Pactor box If you know the frequencies that the station normally monitors you can also enter these frequencies in the Frequencies window normally one frequency per line Entering the Latitude Longitude is optional and normally not used for MARS operations A6 5 4 Messaging Addressing Formatting And The Airmail Address Book The simplest and most efficient method for preparing messages for transmission in Airmail is to simply
38. originally developed by AEA and now produced by TimeWave This software handles both the TNC operation and the setting of TNC parameters with menu screens A unique feature gives the user the option of downloading the TNC parameters at the start of each session or installing a battery to preserve the settings in the TNC memory between sessions A6 4 1 4 XPWare A Windows based communications and TNC control software package If has all the functionality required for MARS digital operations with a hardware TNC for both passing traffic and controlling the TNC using point and click mouse operations There are separate versions for each of the common TNCs It is widely used and is suggested for general use by many MARS members The DOS version is no longer supported A6 4 1 5 PCPakratt for Windows A Windows based communications and TNC control software package for the PK 232 series of TNCs It has all the functionality required for MARS digital operations with AEA Timewave PK 232 hardware for passing traffic and for controlling the TNC using point and click mouse operations The configurations for the TNC are stored as a configuration file and the PK 232 hardware is automatically updated when launched A6 4 1 6 Airmail 2000 This is a relatively new client for the defacto MARS standard Winlink MMCS server It has the look and feel of a Windows E mail client for sending and receiving messages It has an additional terminal mode for controlling a TNC tra
39. required to maintain their primary assignment responsibilities but will receive primary time credit for their training on quarterly participation reports 1 1 2 2 trainees assigned to formal state or region training net must make every effort to participate in scheduled training sessions Training must be completed within 60 days after initial assignment excepting extenuating circumstances It is the trainee s responsibility to 1 1 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures notify the Region Training Manager of any circumstances that will prevent participation Failure to complete training within 60 days after initial assignment is cause for termination from the MARS program 1 1 2 3 The material covered in this guide is subject to testing to determine operating proficiency satisfactory grade demonstration of on air proficiency is a prerequisite to the award of the USAF MARS Training Course Completion Certificate The trainer will evaluate proper operating techniques and message handling during net or classroom sessions 1 1 2 3 1 Local classroom training may be conducted in lieu of the on the air training if suitable frequencies are not available or usable The proficiency demonstration will be under simulated on air conditions This type of training will always be under the control of a trainer who is appointed by the appropriate MARS official The instructor will arrange for classroom space whe
40. section is composed of the day time in ZULU the month and the year The Date Time Group is always preceded by the proword followed by the day figures phonetically the time figures phonetically the month spoken as the month and NOT phonetically followed by the year phonetically using all four figures of the year The proword FIGURES is NEVER used before the DTG DTG NEVER changes throughout the path of the message 1 3 1 1 3 The line This section contains the complete name and address of the message originator The phone figures should be included if available If the originator and recipient are MARS members the FROM line may be shortened by using only the name call sign and state 1 3 1 1 4 The TO line This section contains the name address and phone number if available of the intended message recipient It should be as complete as possible 1 3 1 1 5 The GROUP COUNT This section lists the total number of words groups in the message The GROUP COUNT is now optional but when used serves to insure the accuracy of the message A discussion of the composition of a group is discussed elsewhere in this manual 1 3 1 1 6 The TEXT of the message The text is composed of the information intended to be conveyed to the recipient 1 3 1 2 Operator Notes When there is some confusing area of the text or heading it should be included AFTER the message as op
41. software tool for MARS members to use connecting to a MARS Message Center System or MMCS using HF PACTOR or VHF Packet This Attachment does not pretend to be an all encompassing guide but simply provide a step by step method for accomplishing the primary tasks It is recommended that you find a local mentor who has used the software and perhaps developed their own shortcuts on how to perform various tasks A6 5 2 Software Availability Airmail 2000 is a Shareware package available for download from the following website http www airmail2000 com As with any sophisticated software package there is usually more than one way to accomplish a task The following examples work for the author A6 5 3 Dual Use MARS Amateur If you intend to use Airmail for both amateur use and MARS use you should create a directory on your hard drive called MARS Airmail and a separate directory named HAM Airmail A6 5 3 1 Install one copy into each directory This is done to allow separate configurations for each way you may wish to use the software This Attachment will only address setting up your Airmail application for MARS use and creating MARS messages using the Airmail software tool A6 5 3 2 The first time you open the software it will open a wizard to assist you in configuring for your system Click Cancel A6 5 3 3 Open the View tab and Station List To configure for MARS operations highlight the folder and delete it Select
42. teint o dtu 5 4 5 8 Classified Information nnns 5 4 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Phone Patch Procedures PHONE PATCH NETWORK PROCEDURES 5 1 Purpose To establish standardized procedures for MARS phone patch networks 5 2 General Information Procedures for USAF MARS phone patching have become relatively standard over the years All phone patch net operators will be familiar with the procedures outlined in this manual and use them in all phone patch operations MARS phone patch nets are closed nets 5 3 Responsibilities 5 3 USAF MARS USAF MARS is responsible for efficient operation of the MARS phone patch network To accomplish this task it will 5 3 1 1 Initiate AF MARS Form 3661 appointing affiliate phone patch net manager 5 3 1 2 Make frequency assignments 5 3 1 3 Periodically update and distribute copies of the network structure and assigned frequency lists to all users 5 3 2 MARS Phone Patch Special Network Manager SNM The SNM will 5 3 2 1 Coordinate with State MARS Directors SMD and USAF MARS for the assignment of affiliate stations to the phone patch network 5 3 2 2 Ensure stations have the required capabilities prior to assignment to the phone patch net 5 3 2 3 Direct phone patch net operations exercising NCS duties and responsibilities 5 3 2 4 Control the use of assigned phone patch frequencies by designating the primary and secondary frequenc
43. to coordinate MARS ECOM support and handle traffic during exercises emergencies disasters and contingency operations 3 6 3 1 The Region Emergency Coordinator REC will serve as the OPR Office of Primary Responsibility for all ECOM issues in the region under the direction and guidance of the RMD and National ECOM Manager NEC and will coordinate ECOM support as needed within the jurisdiction 3 6 4 The National Emergency Coordinator Manager NEC is the focal point and OPR Office of Primary Responsibility for all USAF MARS ECOM activities including planning exercises contingency operations and actual emergencies disaster support National level guidance is provided as needed to national regional and state level MARS operations 3 6 4 1 The NEC serves as the USAF liaison for Joint MARS operations at the national level coordinates USAF MARS support of joint MARS operations and provides direction and guidance for national regional and state joint ECOM operations as needed 3 6 5 The National Guard JFHQ in each state typically provides primary Operational Control OPCON of National Guard military resources in each state in conjunction with the State Office of Emergency Management or Emergency Management Agency Joint MARS 3 4 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 coordination efforts should include the Command Control Communi
44. with traffic Next a general call is made for late stations without traffic These general calls are also made at least twice When the roll call is complete check with your ANCS and determine if he she needs any fills 2 22 6 NET BUSINESS The order in which traffic is handled 2 22 6 1 IMMEDIATE Top priority traffic and or announcements 2 22 6 2 OFFICIAL HQ broadcasts official traffic HQ bulletins RMD bulletins etc 2 22 6 3 PRIORITY Includes regular priority messages or TRANSCON priority 2 22 6 4 ADMINISTRATIVE DISCUSSIONS Must include one state or region official 2 22 6 5 TRANSCON Routine Must identify if training and what type unless regular traffic 2 22 6 6 ROUTINE OR MORALE Regular traffic 2 22 6 7 ANNOUNCEMENTS except official from HQ or RMD 2 10 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training 2 22 6 8 INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS Not to exceed five minutes 2 22 7 Routine traffic will be handled as follows 2 22 7 1 PRIORITY TRANSCON then ROUTINE TRANSCON Routine TRANSCON will follow administrative discussions TRANSCON traffic MUST be identified as training or regular training TRANSCON messages must be sent to AFF T or his designated stations 2 22 7 2 ADMINISTRATIVE DISCUSSIONS An administrative discussion is defined as a discussion concerning MARS activities of a nature that requires immediate attention not satisfied by normal administrative channels One
45. 006 TRANSCON Operations Guide After all relays are provided the NCS will say THIS IS AFA DT ROGER BY RELAY AFA ES ARIZONA OUT Once stations are acknowledged and checked in to the net they are required to obtain NCS approval and directions to relay traffic contact other stations move to an alternate frequency or close their stations 7 13 ALTERNATE NET CONTROL STATION ANCS Immediately following initial check ins the NCS may assign an ANCS if needed If an ANCS has not been scheduled prior to the net the NCS should appoint an Alternate NCS before any net business is conducted If possible the ANCS should be at a different geographical location than the NCS The ANCS should be prepared to assume control of the net as directed by the NCS or automatically if the NCS is unable to continue due to technical difficulty or propagation conditions The ANCS will remain operational until the net is closed or until released by the Primary Net Control Station 7 14 MONITOR STATIONS MONSTA Some USAF MARS Army MARS and Navy Marine Corps MARS stations regularly monitor the TRANSCON Calling Frequency TVE during the day when TRANS CON Net Sessions are scheduled When the scheduled Net Control Station is not on the air or is not readable and an Alternate Net Control Station has not picked up the Net TRANSCON Monitor Stations may make note of MARS Stations who attempt to check into the net and should contact with those stations The TRANSCON Mo
46. 1 2 4 4 2 Comply with any special preparation instructions outlined in each session Questions will be addressed to the SMD or state trainer during the training session 1 1 2 4 4 3 Coordinate with the state trainer when scheduling conflicts occur Arrangements will be made on an individual basis between the Trainee and state trainer 1 1 2 4 4 4 Complete the final on the air test messages by the Region Training Manager or his her designated assistants 1 3 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures 1 1 3 MARS Personnel Action Notification 1 1 3 1 The AF Form 3661 is an Air Force Form that initiates action in accordance with AFI 33 106 Form 3661 is used to notify a member of initial assignment official appointment transfer termination of MARS membership or other actions AF Form 3661 will be distributed in accordance with current MARS Operating Instructions or policy broadcasts received from HQ AFCA or their designated authority Specifically AF Form 3661 actions include 1 1 3 1 1 MARS membership application approvals 1 1 3 1 2 Primary and secondary assignments 1 1 3 1 3 Region and state appointments 1 1 3 1 4 Net frequency net times and emission specifics 1 1 3 1 5 Net Manager name and address 1 1 3 1 6 Inactive status 1 1 3 1 7 Termination action as indicated below 1 1 3 1 7 1 Expiration of License 1 1 3 1 7 2 Failure to meet minimum participation requiremen
47. 2 22 1 CHECK FOR A NET CONTROL Before starting any HF net it is necessary to make certain that there is not another net on frequency Even though these nets operate on assigned frequencies and at scheduled times there is the possibility that the frequency may be in use The following procedure will be used by the NCS IS THERE A NET CONTROL ON FREQUENCY OVER Make this call twice If there is a response inform the station on frequency that a net using designator is scheduled at this time At this time the other station should relinquish the frequency If it is a Military Emergency Civilian Government Emergency or Emergency Contingency Unit delay starting the net until the frequency is free United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training 2 22 2 STATION TUNE UP PERIOD Because it is not permissible to tune equipment on frequency without the permission of the Net Control Station a one minute period is provided for this purpose 2 22 3 FREQUENCY SETTINGS In order that all stations on the net are on the correct frequency the Frequency Monitor will be afforded the opportunity to set the net frequency It is the responsibility of the Frequency Monitor to correct any station transmitting out of frequency tolerance It is the responsibility of the NCS with the advice of the FYMON to insure that all stations on the net are operating within the correct frequency tolerance If there is no FYMON on the net the NCS will
48. AN AB FM AFA AN DE AFA AN NR 03 R 121806Z DEC 2005 K The receiving station then receipts for the message 6 9 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations DE AFAZYX R NR 03 AR And then issues a link disconnect command 6 5 2 4 Moving Traffic using an FEC Mode The procedure differs slightly from ARQ mode transmission because of synchronization delays A few seconds of idle or null transmissions should precede the sending of the message The process begins with the NCS directing the sending of the traffic AFA AN THIS IS AFA VP SEND 1 ROUTINE TO AFAZY X OUT AFA AN calls AFA YX and asks for a signal report by voice AFAZYX THIS AFAZAN HOW DO YOU READ OVER AFA YX responds by voice THIS IS AFA YX YOUR LOUD AND CLEAR MFSK16 READY OVER At this point AFA AN would initiate an MFSK16 transmission but wait a few seconds or send five spaces and one ENTER key for the receiving station s equipment to establish synchronization After this short delay AFA AN would send the traffic from a text file or transmit buffer DE AFA AN NR 03 1218067 DEC 2005 FM AFA AN Rest of message BT NNNN AFA AN now un keys his transmitter and the receiving station receipts for the message by voice THIS IS AFA YX ROGER NUMBER 03 OUT The NCS then continues the net operation 6 5 2 5 Requesting Fills with an FEC Mode The newer sound card modes such as MT 63 have very robust FEC algorithms and will sel
49. AY OVER The NCS will respond AFA WJ THIS IS AFFZT PLEASE RELAY OVER NOTE The relaying station the relaying station will relay information exactly as it was heard The NCS will ask for further information if needed When the relaying station needs further clarification may request permission form the NCS to call the station in question RELAYS ARE ONLY GIVEN AT THE DIRECTION OF THE NET CONTROL STATION 1 1 5 14 Dual Transmissions Listen for a few seconds before transmitting Let the NCS respond Do not add to the confusion by transmitting prematurely The NCS will usually address the net again which is an invitation to the dualing station s to transmit again using the THIS IS pause sequence 1 1 5 15 How to respond when the FYMON or NCS asks for or gives your station a tuning count THIS IS AFA UH ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE FIVE FOUR THREE TWO ONE OVER United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures CHAPTER 2 OPERATIONS 1 2 1 Radio Operator Circuit Discipline 1 2 1 1 Only authorized transmissions will be made 1 2 1 1 Specifically forbidden practices are 1 2 1 2 Violation of radio silence 1 2 1 2 1 Unauthorized conversation between operators 1 2 1 2 2 Transmissions in a directed net without permission 1 2 1 2 3 Excessive tuning and testing 1 2 1 2 4 Use of other than authorized prosigns and prowords 1 2 1 2 5 Use of operators names addressing them during a directe
50. All net control stations must possess a station with the ability to hear and be heard throughout the region under adverse conditions Another equally important factor is the speaking style of the individual In the interest of time many net controls tend to talk quickly and then find themselves being asked to repeat what they said For many this is a difficult problem to overcome The net control procedures have been designed to permit the communication of the directions precisely and in a short manner The NCS should speak in a slow controlled and moderate tone The sound of control and authority is a paramount attribute each NCS must project 2 18 PROCEDURE INFRACTIONS The control of stations that repeatedly interrupt net operations must be handled diplomatically Methods for notifying stations of their actions will include telephone Email or letter Net procedure monitors will initiate actions accordingly at their discretion or by notification of request for such action from the NCS UNDER NO CIRCUMSTANCE WILL CORRECTIVE ACTION EVER BE GIVEN ON THE AIR 2 19 ROLL CALL RADIO CHECK Roll call radio check will be performed at the discretion of the NCS At no time will a Roll Call Radio check interfere with normal net business The NCS will announce to the net that a roll call radio check follows The NCS will start at the top of the log and call each station in order Any station that does not answer will be called again at the end of the roll call r
51. Attachment 5 1 Sample Phone Patch Dialogue United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Phone Patch Procedures USAF MOI Attachment 5 1 Sample Phone Patch Dialogue A typical MARS phone patch dialogue might be as follows AGA DB AIR this is AGA DB I have three patches to list Over AGA DB This is AIR Roger Out Later on AIR AGA DB this is AIR List two phone patches with AFA XX Out AGA DB AFA YZ This is AGA DB Radio check over AFA YZ AGA DB This is AFA YZ Loud and clear ready to copy over AGA DB Patch number one is from Don I spell DELTA OSCAR NOVEMBER Don James I spell JULIETT ALPHA MIKE ECHO SIERRA James going to the state of Kentucky phone figures THREE FIVE SEVEN Hyphen FOUR NINE THREE Hyphen TWO TWO SEVEN EIGHT Patch number two is and so on Over AFA YZ Roger Wait AFA YZ AGA DB This is AFAZYZ I have Dan s brother on the line Have Don initiate over AGA DB Don speaking Hi Robert Have you got the house yet AFA YZ Robert James speaking Hi Don have it soon over And so on AFA YZ AGA DB This is AFA YZ Patch complete Over AFA YZ This is AGA DB Roger Out After the second patch is completed AGA DB AIR this is AGA DB Two patches complete with AFA YZ over This is AIR Roger Out Section VI DIGITAL OPERATIONS AND TRAINING GUIDE March 2006 US Air Force MARS Allen
52. CON Regional State Joint TRANSCON Digital Regional and State Digital Networks etc 6 REMARKS Pertinent information not mentioned above Include a narrative overview of the ECOM operation ACTUAL EVENT or MARSEX BT NNNN 3 17 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Attachment 2 AFTER ACTIONS REPORT PRECEDENCE ROUTINE FM SEC or REC Name Call sign State TO AFNIEC INFO IAW Local Regional Plans BT ACTUAL EVENT or MARSEX SUBJ AFTER ACTIONS REPORT NATURE OF THE EVENT REQUIRING SUPPORT PARTICIPATING STATIONS List Call signs NET CONTROL STATION S List NCS Call signs LOCATION S Event Location DEPLOYED MARS STATION S List Call signs and deployed locations BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF OPERATION Narrative HOW WERE YOU NOTIFIED OF THE EMERGENCY WEATHER CONDITIONS DURING OPERATIONS PROPAGATION CONDITIONS List Time Date Frequency Conditions NUMBER OF MESSAGES PROCESSED NUMBER OF MESSAGES ORIGINATED NUMBER OF EEI MESSAGES PROCESSED PROBLEMS OR ISSUES ENCOUNTERED OBSERVED List problems or issues PROVIDE NARRATIVE DESCRIPTION OF PROBLEMS ISSUES Include positive and negative B RECOMMENDATIONS OR SUGGESTIONS FOR IMPROVEMENTS 3 MEDIA RECOGNITION list media sources attach copies or provide links URLs ACTUAL EVENT or MARSEX BT NNNN pho uoi cU Bgm e 3 18 FOR OFFICIAL USE ON
53. D CONTROL 3 6 1 State Regional and National MARS officials operate under the authority assigned by the Chief USAF MARS or designated authority and in accordance with IAW the USAF MARS Operating Instruction MOI and this plan These officials may task appropriate CONUS regional and or state ECOM support within their jurisdictions as needed based upon reliable knowledge that an emergency or disaster situation or exercise is imminent or has already occurred and when MARS ECOM operations will enhance contingency operations or emergency disaster response and recovery efforts 3 6 2 The State MARS Director SMD is the only state official authorized to commit USAF MARS affiliate resources within their jurisdiction These responsibilities may be designated to the SEC 3 6 2 1 State MARS Director SMD will appoint a State Emergency Coordinator SEC who will serve as the OPR Office of Primary Responsibility for all State Level ECOM issues and operations under the direction and guidance of the SMD and REC 3 6 2 2 More than one SEC may be appointed Each SEC will have responsibility for a specific geographic region SECs will work together to provide ECOM support statewide 3 6 3 The Region MARS Director RMD has overall responsibility for coordination of USAF MARS support by affiliate members within the jurisdiction The RMD or REC may assign Affiliate Stations to serve as liaison to FEMA and or other agencies as required
54. Firebolt 2004 and 2005 A6 2 1 12 3 Because of the requirement for military users of ALE to be registered with their parent service MARS members must obtain permission to operate ALE though their State Director to the corresponding National ALE Coordinator A separate operating guide will be published for approved MARS ALE users 6 22 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations Attachment 6 3 DIGITAL HARDWARE INTERCONNECTION A6 3 1 Digital Operations Digital operations will involve a transceiver computer and interface device It is beyond the scope of this document to treat every combination of equipment The information required to connect these devices can be found in the user manuals of the radio transceiver and the interface devices This Attachment is intended to summarize the advice of experienced MARS digital operators on connecting and adjusting these devices A6 3 2 Terminal Node Controllers TNC and Multimode Controllers MMC A6 3 2 Computer to TNC MMC connections This is usually accomplished with a standard RS 232 serial cable For all known devices a straight though cable and not a so called null modem cable is required The user need only match the pins on the computer port and the TNC or MMC These will be either a 25 pin or 9 pin connectors In the absence of commercially available cables it is a relatively easy matter to fabricate these cables since normally only a three wire c
55. Form 427 sse 1 24 A1 2 Blank AF Form 427 air optas sodes pom sii qs 1 25 AT 3 SHARES Application teta Ba 1 26 Al 4 SHARES Message Form MS 1 27 1 5 Message Form And Sample eere 1 28 1 6 MARS Amateur Re file 1 29 1 7 ARRE Numbered Messages 1 30 1 1 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures CHAPTER 1 INTRODUCTION 1 1 1 General The USAF Military Affiliate Radio System MARS was established in 1948 under the title Military Amateur Radio System and membership was restricted to active and reserve military personnel In 1950 the doors were opened to civilian radio operators and the program title was changed to reflect civilian participation Today most of the over 5 000 Air Force member stations are civilian volunteers who in many cases have had little or no experience in military operating practices One purpose of this guide is to provide the link between the amateur and the military radio operator 1 1 1 1 This MARS Training Guide outlines the operational procedures that will be followed on all USAF MARS voice circuits 1 1 1 2 Allied Communications Publications ACPs contain operating procedures that are used by all military radio operators 125 Voice Procedures are used throughout this training guide The
56. JAN 2005 Section III National ECOM Plan 2006 1 By HARRY L MARSTERS II CMSgt USAF National Emergency Coordinator AFN1EC 1 March 2006 Authorized by Headquarters Air Force MARS For Air Force Training FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Contents fio lc H Page Situation oU csi te e 3 1 3 1 3 3 Supported Organizations and Agencies 3 2 324 PIGDDIHE MIO M 3 2 3 3 JASSUEIIDUODS 3 3 356 Command and Control 3 4 3 7 Tasked Equipment and Networks ertet 3 5 3 8 uio gs ecd 3 6 General A ale Rie et ate 3 6 3 5 2 o DOSE It ae Sepa Sd 3 6 3 6 a n e t aes 3 6 3 9 2 ECOM Alert COdeS iei n ect E e ehe de 3 7 350 3 3 7 07 CHE 3 9 3 10 1 ECOM Net Operations sisi 3 9 3 10 2 State 3 9 3 10 3 Region ECOM Operations ay nos 3 10 3 10 4 National ECOM Operations eene 3 12 3 10 5 Joint Service nee 3 12 3 10 6 Essential
57. K Over The NCS may also ask check ins for a signal report Using QRK Readability 6 4 2 5 Initial Net Check in Stations check into the net as follows DE AFAZQG GA QRU K No traffic I have nothing for you DE AFA BA FL ZBO 1 VA HOSPITAL NE PACTOR I have traffic 1 MARSGRAM for HOSPITAL NE USING PACTOR DE AFAZCZ WI ZBO 1 R AFAZQG MT 63 K I have traffic 1 routine for AFAZQG using MT 63 DE AFAZPQ NEQRUK AFA LB AR QRU INT QSO AFA QG No traffic request informal contact with AFAZQG The NCS acknowledges stations checking into the net TRR TRR DE AFA JN AFAZQG GA AFA BA FL 1M AFA CZ WI IR AFA PQ NE United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations AFA LB QSO AFAZQG INT ZOD Is there any relay of additional stations not heard by NCS K 6 4 2 6 Message handling The NCS directs the passing of traffic in order of precedence AFAZCZ DE AFA JN ZOG AFA QG AR Send your message to AFAZQG Out AFAZQG AFAZQG DE AFAZCZ The receiving station responds indicating he is ready to accept traffic AFAZCZ DE AFAZQG QRK 5 QRV K I am reading you good and ready to copy Over The transmitting station then sends the traffic If a non error correcting or FEC mode is used one or two seconds of idle should be sent to allow the receiving station to achieve synchronization Idle or diddle transmission AFA QG DE AFA CZ NR 12 R 12143Z DEC 2005 FM AFA CZ WI T
58. L STATION The term ANCS is used to identify a station that is prepared at all times to assume control of the net in the event the acting NCS is unable to continue 2 7 ANCS DUTIES 2 7 1 The ANCS will copy along with the NCS and perform all log keeping functions as if he she were controlling the net Preparation to assume NCS duties at any time is the prime responsibility of the ANCS 2 7 2 As soon as traffic is listed ANCS should begin to plan traffic routing and be prepared to furnish this information to the NCS if requested 2 8 SCHEDULING ANCS is not a permanent assignment Alternating between NCS and ANCS is mandatory in order to maintain proficiency and distribute the workload equally United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training NCS ANCS STATION REQUIREMENTS 2 9 TYPE OF EQUIPMENT A necessary requirement for the NCS is a good transceiver or a good transmitter receiver combination The NCS must have the capability to hear and be heard throughout the region This means that the transmitter and receiver must be in good condition and properly aligned In case of a transceiver the transmitter section must track the receiver section That is it must transmit on the exact frequency that the receiver is on In order to be heard an amplifier capable of maximum power output is a necessity All NCS equipment MUST be NTIA compliant 2 10 FREQUENCY STABILITY Since the NCS must maintain the proper frequ
59. LL STATIONS WAIT when this situation occurs and begin again when the confusion abates 2 29 DUAL TRANSMISSIONS There will be many occasions when dual transmissions occur The NCS may not necessarily hear all stations involved When these situations occur and the ANCS or FYMON cannot copy the station any station hearing the dual transmission may advise with THIS IS AFA ZE DUAL TRANSMISSION The NCS will respond with THIS IS AFA XX ROGER OUT and then immediately make a net call to allow the unknown station or stations to respond 2 30 FREQUENCY VIOLATIONS When the FYMON calls the NCS to indicate a frequency violation the following dialog is used THIS IS AFF F FREQUENCY MONITOR OVER The NCS will respond with ROGER AFF F FREQUENCY MONITOR OUT This response by the NCS indicates to the FYMON that he she is clear to call the station in violation and correct his her frequency When the correction is completed the NCS will resume net business 2 31 CLOSING This appears to be an awkward time for some NCS It is not necessary for the NCS to say Any station with net business before we close or We thank everyone for 2 14 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training their participation No comment is required except the normal net closing procedure The following example of net closing procedure will be used THIS IS AFA XX CLOSING THE 51 NET THIS NET WILL MEET AGAIN AT TIME date ti
60. LY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Attachment 3 ESSENTIAL ELEMENTS of INFORMATION EEI PRECEDENCE PRIORITY Actual Reports ROUTINE MARSEX amp Training FM Members Name Call sign State TO AFNIEC ME INFO RGN EC DO NOT INCLUDE EMAILADDRESSES RGN DIR STATE DIR STATE EC INFO copies IAW local and regional ECOM Plans via Email and digital BT SUBJ ACTUAL EVENT EEI or MARSEA9 1 REF APPLICABLE EVENT IDENTIFIER STATE DATE OF EVENT A AREA IMPACTED BY INCIDENT Date and time of the incident specify town city county or state wide area B STATUS OF EMERGENCY MEDICAL FACILITIES Operational Damaged destroyed or Field Facilities needed Not Applicable C STATUS OF LOCAL TRANSPORTATION FACILITIES Indicate which Roads are affected and status open restricted closed damaged destroyed Not Applicable Which Bridges are open restricted damaged destroyed What is local airport and status open restricted destroyed unknown What is the local railroad and status operating restricted destroyed unknown The objective is to provide enough information to disaster relief officials to aid in deciding how to get assistance into the affected area D EXACT LOCATION AND CHARACTERISTICS OF DAMAGE General description of damage or impact of incident or Not Applicable on major structures such as government buildings schools residences
61. Mailbox Operations 6 6 1 Introduction TNC Mailboxes PBBS Personal Bulletin Board Systems PBBS provide a means of sending and receiving MARS messages and bulletins outside of scheduled net time A TNC Mailbox function is part of the firmware within the TNC A BBS system requires both a TNC and a personal computer but provides enhanced capabilities over the simpler TNC Mailbox Personal electronic mailboxes PBBS non disk based mailboxes are not to be used in the USAF MARS Digital System for traffic requiring further radio communications relay This feature 1 only to be used for receiving messages that do not need to go further electronically 6 6 2 TNC PBBS Mailbox Operations This section will use the Kantronics KAM and KPC3 mailbox protocols as examples as they are perhaps the most widely used Both Timewave AEA and TNCs have mailbox modes and the basic command structure is similar for all three Refer to your equipment manual to identify any differences in command syntax Internal mail boxes generally will not forward messages they must be retrieved and relayed manually Some mailboxes can provide limited forwarding but only to a single BBS normally identified as the HOME BBS 6 6 2 1 Connections The user connects to TNC Mailbox using either Packet on VHF or PACTOR ARQ on HF When connected the TNC Mailbox will send a sign on message and issue a command prompt gt which indicates it is now ready to receive comma
62. N SEVEN e EE 1 A RII NINER POO NENNT ES ZEE roh 100 One hundred Wun zero zero 1000 One thousand Wun zero zero zero n Decimal point Day see mal Note 5 number phonetics contain no phrases such as one thousand one hundred thousand etc ALL numbers are given figure by figure phonetically 1 6 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures AUTHORIZED PROWORDS PROWORD EXPLANATION ADDRESS GROUP The group that follows is an address etnies The portion of the message that I have referenced is all that follows as indicated Usually followed by the proword SAY AGAIN ALL BEFORE The portion of the message that I have referenced is all that that proceeds as indicated Usually followed by the proword SAY AGAIN BREAK eec dapi Indicates separation of text from other portions of the message CALL SIGN The group that follows is a call sign CORRECT natos You are correct or what you have transmitted is correct CORRECTION An error has been made in my your transmission Correct transmission follows DISREGARD THIS Disregard this transmission This proword should never be used to cancel a receipted message FIGURES c
63. N SEQUENTIAL MESSAGE NO THIS IS RADIO CHECK OVER Station called phonetics Station calling phonetics Use back MSG NO TIME 2 of form Precedence Month Year for additional Name of originator spell out phonetically MARS Call sign groups INITIALS or FIGURES Number Street name phonetically City State FIGURES PHONE FIGURES HYPHEN HYPHEN Zip code Area Telephone number SLANT BAR Originating station call sign and state country TO Name of addressee phonetically MARS call sign INITIALS or FIGURES Number Street name phonetically City State FIGURES PHONE FIGURES HYPHEN HYPHEN Zip code Area Telephone number GROUPS BREAK OVER optional Number Listen for all requests after ROGER send text No ID required here 05 10 15 20 25 30 BREAK OVER Receiving station must ID here DISPOSITION OF TRAFFIC MAILED PHONED TOR TOD REFILED TO ARS CALL MSG MONTH DAY THIS MESSAGE WAS HANDLED THROUGH THE COURTESY OF MARS YOU MAY REPLY THROUGH STATION ADDRESS UNITED STATES AIR FORCE MILITARY AFFILIATE RADIO SYSTEM MESSAGE THIS MESSAGE WAS HANDLED THROUGH THE COURTESY OF MARS YOU MAY REPLY THROUGH STATION ADDRESS AF Form 427 Sep 1962 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY WHEN FILLED IN Electronic Format SHARES HF RADIO PROGRAM STATION DATA FORM SECURITY PROCEDURES AND
64. NC switch In addition the ACC port usually has a fixed level audio output that is independent of the front panel volume control and a push To Talk PTT presented to this ACC port can mute the microphone input during digital operations Use of the microphone input may require an additional cable if the received audio is not present on a spare pin of the standard microphone connector A6 3 2 5 Transmit Audio Level Adjustment Once the transceiver TNC MMC and computer have been connected the operator needs to make a one time adjustment of the audio level out of the TNC into the transceiver This may require temporary removal of the cover on the TNC to access the level control adjustment Follow the instructions of the TNC 6 23 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations manufacturer for this adjustment Generally this involves placing the system in a digital transmit calibration mode keying the transmitter and adjusting the audio level such that there is little or no Automatic Level Control ALC action indicated by the transceiver s metering circuits Some newer transceivers provide an adjustment of the incoming auxiliary port audio by a front panel menu function Refer to your transceiver user s manual to see if this alternative method is available to you A6 3 3 Sound Card Interfacing In general the transceiver audio output is connected to sound card input and a sound card output is connected to
65. O SP SP te TP typ Sp ty ay to REMARKS TFC LISTED POSN FMON BEACON TRANSCON LIAISON TO NET ANNOUNCEMENTS ETC x EXE x o o x 2 4 lt H 2 lt 4 2 o 4 lt olo Nj MLOG 2 OF 4 SHEET 1 1 25 FRONT 26 50 REAR SHEET 2 51 75 FRONT 76 100 REAR JAN 2005 SHEET 2 DESIGNATION N a 10 cJ r oj o oj Aj e SY tO LOY LOT LO oO co c NINININI NIN REMARKS TFC LISTED POSN FMON BEACON TRANSCON LIAISON TO NET ANNOUNCEMENTS ETC NS a x o NC ERREEN e 2 lt H z lt 2 o o 21 a lt 2 e t LO LO MLOG 3 OF 4 SHEET 1 1 25 FRONT 26 50 REAR SHEET 2 51 75 FRONT 76 100 REAR JAN 2005 SHEET 2 CONTINUED DESIGNATION N a REMARKS TFC LISTED POSN FMON BEACON TRANSCON LIAISON TO NET ANNOUNCEMENTS ETC r gt oo co DD DO x EXE x o o x 2 4 lt H 2 lt 4 2 o 4 lt olo r MLOG 4 OF 4 SHEET 1 1 25 FRONT 26 50 REAR SHEET 2 51 75 FRONT 76 100 REAR
66. O AFA QG GA BT Message text BT NNNN End of message K The receiving station receipts for the message AFA CZ DE AFA QG R NR 12 AR The NCS directs passing of the next piece of traffic AFA LB DE AFA JN ZOG AFA PQ AR AFA LB calls AFA PQ AFA PQ AFA PQ DE AFA LB INT QRK K If the receiving station feels that conditions warrant the use of an ARQ mode he should send AFA LB DE AFA PQ QRK 5 QRV PACTOR ARQ K Lam ready for PACTOR ARQ United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations The sending station initiates an ARQ connect and sends the traffic as soon as his software shows that a link has been made No idle is required in this case as the two stations are already in synch When the message has been passed the sending station issues an ARQ change over command and the traffic receiving station receipts for the message DE AFAZPQ R NR 17 AR and then disconnects the link Since ARQ transmissions are difficult to monitor the sending station informs the NCS that the traffic has been successfully passed by transmitting in the FEC mode of the net DE AFAZLB QRU AR 6 4 2 7 MARS Business or Bulletins The NCS queries the net for official MARS business or bulletins DE AFA JN INT MARS BUSINESS OR BULLETINS Any Chief USAF MARS ECOM or TRANSCON bulletins are normally transmitted to the net using FEC mode 6 4 2 8 Net Training Digital net training can take the form of practice
67. PRIVACY ACT ACTION Add New Station Delete Station Update Statio ERP Data Add ERP PART 1 NCSH 3 3 1 STATION DATA 1 ENTITY 2 STATION LOCATION 3 VOICE CALL SIGN City 4 BBS CALL SIGN State 5 STAR CALL SIGN 6 STATION TELEPHONE 7 ALE ADDRESS CODE Commercial 8 VOICE FREQUENCIES 9 ALE FREQUENCIES 1 3 1 2 2 3 3 4 4 10 STATION HOURS OF OPERATION 1 24 Hours 2 Part Time Duty Hours 3 Call Emergency 11 STATION CAPABILITIES Check All That Apply SSB Voice HF E mail GTOR HF Packet ALE 141b 1045b Phone Patch AMTOR CLOVER PACTOR PACTOR II MODEM 1052 CLOVER 2000 STI STAR MODEM 110b PSK31 MT63 PART SECURITY PROCEDURES AND PRIVACY Information contained in NCSH 3 3 1 SHARES Directory carries a FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY FOUO designation due to the compilation of station data To participate in SHARES a member must comply with the following security procedures for handling FOUO material as specified in NCSH 3 3 1 Chapter 1 para 1 9 1 Theinformation shall not be released in any manner to the public or other personnel who do not have a valid need to know 2 the information shall not be photocopied or electronically reproduced 3 when unattended th
68. R PROMISED BE ACCEPTED BY A STATION OWNER FOR THE SAME REASON NEITHER EVENTUAL DELIVERY NOR ACCURACY OF COPY CAN BE GUARANTEED ANY REPLY MAY BE SISTING OF THE AMATEUR RADIO EMERGENCY CORPS AREC FOR WORK DURING EMERGENCIES FILED WITH THE STATION DELIVERING THIS MESSAGE TO YOU FURTHER INFORMATION ON AND THE NATIONAL TRAFFIC SYSTEM NTS FOR DAILY NATION WIDE MESSAGE HANDLING AMATEUR RADIO MAY BE OBTAINED FROM A R R L HEADQUARTERS 225 MAIN STREET THE TWO DIVISIONS SUPPLEMENT EACH OTMER IN DAILY OPERATION MORE INFORMATION 15 NEWINGTON CONN 06111 AVAILABLE FROM A R R L HEADQUARTERS LITMO U 8 A 18 PROMOTION OF PUBLIC SERVICE COMMUNICATIONS AMONG AMATEUR OPERATORS TO THAT END THE LEAGUE HAS ORGANIZED AN AMATEUR RADIO PUBLIC SERVICE CORPS ARPSC CON l Preamble Number begin with 1 each month or year Precedence R W P or Emergency Handling Instructions optional Station of origin first amateur handler Check number of words groups in text only Place of origin not necessarily location of station of origin Time filed optional with originating station Date must agree with date of time filed coc79 oocp Il Address As complete as possible include ZIP code and telephone number Text Limit to 25 words of less if possible IV Signature For more information on the ARRL message form go to internet site http www arrl org FandES field forms fad218 pdf 1 28 MARS AMATEUR REFILE RECEIVED VIA MARS
69. ROLLING THUNDER FLOOD TALL WATER FOREST GROUND FIRE SCORCHED EARTH GAS LEAK EXPLOSION MAJOR HOT AIR HEAVY WIND OTHER THAN HURRICANE OR TORNADO MIGHTY WINDS HURRICANE HOWLING WIND ICY ROADS BLACK ICE INTERSTATE BLOCKED DAMAGED MAJOR BLOCKED LANE NUCLEAR NUCLEAR GRAYSTONE OIL SPILL WATER DARK WATER POWER OUTAGE MAJOR DARK DAY SEARCH RESCUE SECURE HAVEN SEISMIC SEA WAVE TSUNAMI SHIP WRECK INCIDENT DEEP SEA TERRORIST THREAT HIDDEN SHADOW TORNADO VIOLENT TWISTER TRAIN WRECK DERAILMENT BROKEN TRACKS VOLCANO BRAZEN BRIMSTONE WATER DAM BROKE DAMAGED MAJOR FAST WATER WINTER SNOW STORM WHITE BLANKET COMMUNICATIONS SUPPORT ROLE S IDENTIFERS NATIONAL COMM SYSTEMS NCS SUPPORT TOP COVER JOINT CHIEFS OF STAFF JCS SUPPORT JOINT LIONS NATIONAL DISASTER MEDICAL SYSTEM NDMS SUPPORT MED LINK SHARES SUPPORT COMMON FORTUNE NATIONAL GUARD RESERVES SUPPORT CIVIL COVER FEMA SUPPORT FED LINK 3 20 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Attachment 5 EEI MESSAGE ROUTING EMAIL ADDRESSES NEC AENIEC c AOL COM and HARRY MARSTERS MEBNGR ANG A F MIL DIGITAL ADDRESSES TRANSCON DIGITAL ADDRESSES NEC AFNIEC ct AFAIPZ ME INFO ADDRESSEES SHOULD ONLY BE USED DURING EMAIL TRANSMISSIONS MORE THAN ONE ADDRESSEE LISTED ON DIGITAL MESSAGES REQUIRES SEPARATE MESSAGES TO EACH ADDRESSEE 3 21 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY
70. SIGNAL ZXX CAN BE USED WHICH MEANS THIS MESSAGE HAS BEEN DELIVERED TO ALL INFORMATION ADDRESSEES WHOSE CALLSIGNS FOLLOW THIS OPERATING SIGNAL FOR INSTANCE IF ALL THE INFO STATIONS HAD RECEIVED THE ABOVE EEI VIA E MAIL THEN WE COULD USE ZXX INSTEAD OF PUTTING ZEN BEFORE EACH DE AFA VP NR 37 P 1414007 DEC 2005 FM STEINEL AFA VP KS TO JDOOMS AA USA INFO ZXX AFNIEC ME AGA3C IL AFFZE MO AFFZKS KS BT WHEN USING E MAIL YOU CAN DETERMINE BY THE E MAIL TO LINE AND OR THE CC LINE WHAT ADDRESSEES WERE INCLUDED AND HAVE BEEN SENT THE MESSAGE DIRECTLY IN OTHER WORDS WHEN USING E MAIL A RELAY OF THE MESSAGE IS USUALLY NOT REQUIRED AND THEREFORE THERE IS NO NEED TO USE THE PROSIGN ZEN DOES ANY STATION HAVE COMMENTS OR QUESTIONS K 6 4 2 9 Net Member Informal Comments If time permits once all traffic has been cleared official MARS business concluded and training conducted the NCS may place the net in the informal mode and call each net member to solicit informal comments The net is still a directed net but operated on an informal basis 3S1 3S1 DE AFA VP NET INFORMAL AR AFAZRT DE AFAZVP United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations AFA VP DE AFAZRT GM CONNIE ES NET ENJOYED THE TRAINING WX HERE IS NICE AND SUNNY LOOK FORWARD TO ADMIN NET THIS EVENING K Etc etc 6 4 2 10 Net closing The NCS may make any informal closing remarks and then close the net at th
71. TIME only takes a few keystrokes to create the necessary Participation Reports to accomplish this in a few seconds 7 4 4 For training purposes an Aspirant Net Control Station NCS Operator should serve as Alternate to an experienced NCS Operator until the experienced NCS Operator feels that the Aspirant NCS Operator is ready to assume the duties of a Primary Net Control Station Operator Also the Aspirant NCS Operator should also feel comfortable enough to take on the duties of a Primary Net Control Station Operator 7 4 5 Alternate Net Control Station ANCS Operators should be as far away from their Primary Net Control Station NCS Operators as necessary to maintain Continuous or Near Continuous Communications between them The preferred propagation between the Primary and Alternate Net Control Stations is Good amp Readable to Loud amp Clear however with propagation being what it is currently fades to Weak amp Readable will be adequate 7 5 ALTERNATE NET CONTROL STATION ANCS OR MONITOR STATION REQUIREMENTS 7 5 1 USAF MARS Operators serving strictly as Alternate Net Control Station ANCS Operators or TRANS CON Monitor Station MONSTA Operators will not be required to use MARSTIME for Net Participation Reports however they will be required requested to send E Mail Reports to their Primary Net Control Station NCS Operators for whom they are filling in or to the Deputy TRANSCON Net Manager 7 5 1 1 These E Mail Reports w
72. United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Attachment 6 SAMPLE EEI MESSAGE DE AFA PZ NR 0101 P 2617307 JAN 05 FM JOHN DOE AFA PZ ME TO AFNIEC ME INFO RGN EC RGN DIR STATE DIR STATE EC BT ACTUAL EVENT EEI 1 REF TALL WATER 26 JAN 05 1600Z GREATER PORTLAND AREA B NOT AFFECTED C FLOODING ON MANY SECONDARY ROADS ALL ROADS PASSABLE AT THIS TIME NOT AFFECTED NOT AFFECTED NOT AFFECTED SAME AS ABOVE RAIN EXPECTED FOR SEVERAL HOURS ROADS EXPECTED TO GET WORSE POTENTIAL FOR CLOSING OF MANY SECONDARY ROADS POSSIBLE LATER TODAY ACTUAL EVENT BT NNNN maommg 3 22 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Attachment 7 SITUATION REPORT SITREP NET SITREP Format PRECEDENCE PRIORITY FM NAME CALLSIGN STATE TO AFNIEC ME SMD RMD REC RVNM BT ACTUAL EVENT Include Event ID and State MARSEX SUBJECT SITREP 1 NET OPENING CLOSING TIME NET DESIGNATOR TOTAL STATIONS NUMBER OF EEI REPORTS TOTAL MESSAGES HANDLED REMARKS Provide a brief overview of the MARS mission and communications being provided ACTUAL EVENT Include Event ID and State MARSEX BT NNNN Qv uc 3 23 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY Mar 2006 Attachment 8 SITREP SAMPLE DE AFA JQ NR 023 R 031200Z APR 97 FM HENSLE
73. W the USAF MARS Operating Instruction Air Force Instructions and applicable installation Disaster Preparedness and USAF MARS ECOM Plans 3 12 RECORDS Logs amp Reports 3 12 1 Logs Accurate and complete logs will be maintained by each Net Control Station NCS in order to account for USAF MARS participation in any operation as well as serve as a key source of information for review and analysis of USAF MARS effectiveness Logs should include number of messages transmitted originated amp received and any pertinent information 3 14 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 3 12 2 Situation Report SITREP A SITREP must be submitted daily for each 24 hour 0001Z 2359Z period throughout the entire length of the ECOM operation actual or exercise The SITREP from the previous 24 hour period 0001Z 2359Z will be submitted to the NEC daily no later than NLT 1600Z daily via EMAIL See attachment 7 for format and information required 3 12 2 1 ASITREP will be submitted by each NCS to the Regional Voice Net Manager RVNM or designated representative These should be submitted by each NCS immediately following the ECOM net session 3 12 2 2 ASITREP will be submitted to the RVNM or designated representative for consolidation into a daily report covering the 24 hour period 0001Z 23592 throughout the entire length of the ECOM operation
74. Y AFA JQ SC TO MARS EXERCISE TALLWATER SC 1 031101Z 0317007 APR 97 2S1 23 18 25 MARS Training Manual National ECOM Plan 2006 1 FLOODING DUE TO HEAVY RAINS CREATING MAJOR ROAD CLOSURES AND LIMITING TRANSPORTATION MARS IS PROVIDING EEI REPORTS AND LINKS TO AND FROM THE STATE EOC VIA ARES LIAISON COMBINATION OF VHF PACKET HF VOICE RTTY COMMERCIAL FAX AND EMAIL USED TO SEND ALL MESSAGE TRAFFIC TO REQUIRED DESTINATIONS MARS EXERCISE TALLWATER SC BT NNNN 3 24 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 DEPARTMENT OF THE AIR FORCE Air Force Communications Agency Military Affiliate Radio System MARS RECORD OF CHANGES This page will reflect all changes or amendments posted in this document Change Amendment Entered By Number Authority Date Entered Signature 3 25 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY SECTION IV Frequency Monitor FYMON Procedures MARS Training Manual United States Air Force Frequency Monitor Procedures Mar 2006 CONTENTS f rd 4 1 General Information eee 4 1 4 2 Voice Procedures 00000 0 ee 4 4 3 Digital Procedures 2 4 2 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Frequency
75. ZAN would initiate a PACTOR Connect command with AFAZYX and immediately send the traffic when his software indicates that a link has been established DE AFAZAN NR 03 1218067 DEC 2005 FM AFAZAN MO TO AFAZYX WI BT Message Body BT NNNN There are 5 carriage returns inserted between the final and the four letter end of message indicator NNNN AFA AN now sends a change over command so that the receiving station AFAZY X becomes the sending station AFA YX then receipts for the message DE AFA YX R NR 03 AR AFA Y X then issues a link disconnect command Upon receipt of the link disconnect AFA AN announces by voice THIS IS AFA AN TRAFFIC COMPLETE OUT This last procedure is for the benefit of the NCS and other stations without digital monitoring capabilities to know that this net operation had been completed and the next operation or additional station check ins can proceed 6 5 2 3 Requesting Fills with an ARQ Mode Normally fills are not required with an ARQ mode as errors are corrected automatically by retransmission of bad packets Operator error may cause the first line or two to be lost because receiving station neglected to open a buffer or file for saving the traffic In any case the receiving operator will request fills at the time that the link is turned over to him after transmission of the message DE AFA YX AB FM AFA AN K And issues a changeover command The sending station responds DE AFA
76. additional MARS MMCS station identifiers The examples below demonstrate this flexibility and include an Air Force MARS BBS Frequency Setup Display 1 List 1 6 32 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations SelectedCAFD2MC AFAZCX AFAZSW AFAZUK File s C Program files Airmail FreqLst0 rtf List Date 2004 10 20 02 29 42 Station Info simply identifies your home station call sign and the grid square it is located in Station Info AFDAMC DMAI A6 5 2 1 3 information shown in the Frequency List shows what items available in the Frequency pull down window Caution the frequency you type in here should reflect the assigned frequency not the dial frequency Here s why during setup you identified in the Airmail Options which TNC you were using and what center frequency you were going to use For example if you are using an SCS TNC you are probably using the 1400 1600 tone pair and the standard 1 5 kHz offset That means you have selected the center frequency of 1500 1 5 kHz offset The reason this is important or not is that if you are using a TNC that can tune your radio such as the SCS PTC II Pro and a radio that supports this feature the TNC will automatically tune your radio for the appropriate offset based on the information you enter here in the Frequency List If you are not using one of the SCS TNCs then you may want to simply use the dial frequency
77. adership will immediately notify 3 9 1 1 Affiliate members by the most expedient method possible depending upon the nature of the pending or current event 3 9 1 2 Army and Navy Marine Corps MARS Points of Contact within the affected state area 3 9 1 3 National ECOM Manager by sending an EMERGENCY CONTINGENCY PLAN ACTIVATION message by EMAIL See attachment 1 3 9 1 4 In the event that neither the SMD nor SEC is available affiliate members will notify the other affiliates in their jurisdiction brief them on the situation and instruct them to monitor the appropriate Net frequencies and wait for further instructions 3 6 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 3 9 1 5 Affiliates will notify the REC and obtain assistance and guidance if needed When contact is made with the SMD or SEC they will assume command and control of the situation and provide appropriate guidance and take appropriate action 3 9 2 ECOM ALERT CONDITION CODES The ECOM CONDITION CODES serve the same function as the Warning Order and Operations Order These are considered authorization to implement the ECOM actions directed by each condition Alert Codes may begin at the level most appropriate for the current situation 3 9 2 1 Any member may initiate an ECOM ALERT Condition in the absence of the SEC SMD or Region officials however attempts to contact these desig
78. adio check Stations that do not answer will not be given credit for that net Should a station call later and indicate that they were on the phone another net etc the benefit of the doubt prevails and the station will be reinstated with no further discussion Roll call radio checks will not be given on one hour nets United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training 2 20 FREQUENCY MONITOR STATIONS The affiliate membership provides the technical support necessary to ensure that MARS net operations are maintained within prescribed frequency tolerance The Frequency Monitor FYMON role is one of advisor to the NCS The final authority on net frequency rests with the NCS 2 21 FREQUENCY MONITOR DUTIES Frequency monitor duties are to maintain proper frequency tolerance and to report any aberrations as may be necessary to the NCS While FYMONS serve only as advisor to the NCS they are tasked with the responsibility to report unresolved frequency tolerance infractions interference and procedure problems NET CONTROL PROCEDURES 2 22 HIGH FREQUENCY NET OPERATIONS The following is a sequence of events a Net Control Station must follow to conduct an affiliate controlled traffic net on Region HF net frequencies Each is defined in succeeding pages CHECK FOR A NET CONTROL FYMON AND ANCS STATION TUNE UP PERIOD FREQUENCY SETTING NET OPENING ROLL CALL TRAFFIC AND NET BUSINESS NET CLOSING
79. ained to provide a gateway for incoming and out going ECOM traffic from the Disaster area 3 10 4 1 1 Stations outside the disaster area should check into TRANSCON voice Nets and be available to help handle traffic 3 10 4 1 2 Identify TRANSCON Digital stations on the Nets and ensure that traffic is routed from voice nets to digital networks whenever possible to expedite ECOM traffic and EEI Report handling and minimize congestion on voice nets 3 10 4 2 TRANSCON DIGITAL networks will be utilized whenever possible to expedite the flow of traffic 3 10 4 2 1 SYSOPS will monitor their networks and ensure that traffic is flowing in a timely manner 3 10 4 3 MANNED Digital nets play a critical role in ECOM and are encouraged especially when dedicated point to point links to and from the disaster area will enhance message handling 3 10 5 Joint Service Operations 3 10 5 1 State area multi state and regional Joint Service ECOM Operations are authorized and strongly encouraged Prior planning coordination and training enables members of all three MARS services to interoperate with one another on each others networks efficiently effectively and accomplish the ECOM mission 3 10 5 1 1 Good working relationships with Army and Navy Marine Corps MARS will allow for smoother transition into ECOM operations when needed Joint use of HF SSB Voice and Digital Multi mode Nets consolidates resources and frees up limited frequencies for Reg
80. ally adjusts transmission speeds among 100 200 and 300 wpm in response to error rates It uses frequency shift keying similar to PACTOR and packet radio It is rarely used and not recommended A6 2 1 7 CLOVER CLOVER 2000 Clover is another proprietary mode and was developed by HAL Communications Corporation It requires special hardware either in the form of an external TNC or a personal computer plug in ISA card Clover is a dynamic ARQ system using four tones phase modulated in several modes that change according to conditions The hardware monitors the error rate and adjusts the mode accordingly Under poor conditions a 62 5 wpm ARQ mode will be employed under excellent conditions transmission speed will increased to the equivalent of 750 baud CLOVER 2000 is a significant upgrade allowing about 4 times faster throughput but a wider bandwidth 2 kHz centered between 500 and 2 500 Hz It is currently not authorized within the MARS network A6 2 1 8 PSK 31 This was the first of the popular sound card modes It was developed by Peter Martinez G3PLX as a keyboard to keyboard digital mode It uses narrow band phase shift keying at a modest data rate of 31 5 baud and a variable length code Maximum typing speed is 50 wpm It is a narrow band mode and the powerful DSP capability of sound 6 21 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations cards makes it possible to copy signals even when they cannot be heard The bas
81. ast mode Each character is sent twice but the transmission of the second character is delayed by three characters to take advantage of the short burst nature of radio static The receiving station compares the two copies of each character If either or both are valid characters that character 1 6 20 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations printed If neither character is valid then an error character is printed Most AMTOR software uses the underscore as the error character The 7 level Murray code supports only the uppercase character set of the Baudot code ARQ speeds are up to 100 wpm while the FEC mode is a fixed 50 wpm 6 2 1 5 PACTOR PACTOR is a proprietary mode developed by Special Communications Systems SCS GMBH from Germany They have developed three Levels or Modes Level I has been licensed by other manufacturers for use with their terminal mode controllers Levels II and III are still proprietary and can only be operated using one of the SCS TNCs such as the SCS Ilex or SCS II Professional Most modern amateur HF TNCs are licensed to transmit PACTOR I At least one Linux based soundcard software package is capable of sending and receiving PACTOR I Several software packages claim PACTOR I receive capability PACTOR combines features of both Packet and AMTOR and supports the ASCII code is used for the characters PACTOR I also uses the 170 or 200 frequency shift keying tone s
82. at can be used to correct the offending station No procedure corrections are to be made on the air Phone Email or letter must make all such corrections to the offending station Minor procedure errors should not be considered for reporting 4 3 DIGITAL NET PROCEDURES Digital nets have essentially the same requirements for FYMON use as the voice nets except some procedures are different The digital nets will have a FYMON station set a tone in the digital format used for all stations to tune to The procedure will vary with different modes 4 3 1 The digital nets will normally open with a tone signal set by the FYMON The FYMON will usually send a short test message for all stations to tune to The FYMON will continue to monitor all stations for frequency aberrations and when found attempt to place them back on the correct frequency Normally certain digital stations that are off frequency will not be able to copy the net and will automatically return to the correct frequency 4 3 2 Packet nets will normally send a beacon signal with identifying callsign when not participating in net activities This beacon can be used to tune to a station A FYMON will periodically check packet stations to insure correct frequency tolerances 4 3 3 BBS stations will be checked by a FYMON periodically when problems occur 4 3 4 Other digital modes will require special consideration to insure frequency accuracy These modes will sometimes require special eq
83. ature A6 3 3 1 2 In 2004 a new type of interface device called the RigExpert was released by the authors of the popular MixW digital sound card software This device includes soundcard hardware and transceiver interface circuitry in a small external package which includes the PTT line It communicates with the host computer using only the new industry standard USB serial interface Informal initial reviews are good A6 3 3 1 3 External soundcards External sound cards are available for personal computers These communicate with the host computer using the USB 2 0 serial interface MARS members converting to external sound cards from older internal sound cards report some performance improvement as the external sound card is isolated from internally generated computer hash However this type of sound card still requires audio isolation and a perhaps a digital PTT line A6 3 4 PTT line or VOX Keying A6 3 4 1 Transmitter Keying Sound card based software needs some method keying the transceiver Perhaps the simplest method is the use of the VOX Voice Operated relay of the transceiver The disadvantage of this method is that it requires the use of a short VOX Delay 6 24 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations which can be annoying if the operator uses VOX for radiotelephone operations The preferred method is to use one of the computer serial ports to key the transceiver through a suitable interfa
84. ave opened digital operations to persons who do not have the skills required for earlier digital radio operations 6 2 Training Air force MARS members need three skills to become an accomplished digital communications operator These skills are 1 knowledge of digital net procedures 2 knowledge of hardware operation and 3 knowledge of software operation Skill 1 is the subject of this document Skills 2 and 3 are beyond the scope of this document They are best acquired through experience by participation in digital training nets and by working with mentors The information required to acquire the hardware and software skills can also be found in the user manuals that come with the hardware and software 6 3 Guide Organization This guide consists of four chapters and a number of amplifying appendices Chapter 2 is covers network operations conducted in a digital mode only Chapter 3 is concerned with mixed mode network operations where basic net operations are conducted using voice but where traffic is passed using digital operations Chapter 4 is concerned with operations involving MARS TRANSCON Message Center Systems BBS and stand alone mail boxes PBBS The appendices cover procedural signals an overview of digital modes in use in MARS digital hardware and interconnection and of digital communications software United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations 6 4 Digital Net Operations Keyboard
85. c area This plan also applies to contingency operations 3 1 2 Situation Management Local and or state emergency management officials augmented by communications support from MARS as needed accomplish the primary response to emergency or disaster events MARS members are not to enter into the management of the emergency except for actions required to employ MARS and to maintain the safety of MARS personnel 3 2 MISSION The USAF MARS mission is to provide radio communications that 3 2 1 Augment Department of Defense DOD emergency and disaster preparedness and response operations by providing primary or back up communications links between DOD organizations and to federal response agencies 3 2 2 Enhance Defense Support to Civilian Authorities DSCA during emergency and disaster response and recovery operations by providing state and local authorities with communications links to DOD and federal response agencies 3 1 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 3 2 3 Provide Essential Elements of Information EEI reports to the National Emergency Coordinator AFNIEC EEI Reports provide critical information regarding emergency and disaster situations that could adversely impact life limb or otherwise impede the Public Safety EEI Reports provide insight into availability and limitations of local infrastructure This informatio
86. cases the BBS system operator SYSOP may have manually completed the registration for his Region operators If you are asked to register after registering in the past it is just an indication of a hard disk crash or change in the BBS system Registration consists in providing your first name city ZIP code and your Home BBS This information will be used to forward any traffic sent to you from out of state to you You can use the callsign of your Region BBS as your Home BBS Just follow the prompts on the screen to enter the registration information One additional point to remember when using any BBS is that it will control the direction sending or receiving of the link 6 6 5 1 Listing and Reading Messages Unlike a simple TNC based mailbox the Winlink or MSYS BBS based system has the ability to remember which messages you list on your prior connects to the system There are a number of ways to list traffic The command LL will list all new traffic posted since your last connect The command LB will list all new bulletins posted since your last connect The command LLB 5 will list the last five bulletins posted without regard to your last connect Thecommand LM will list all traffic held on the BBS that was either sent by you or sent to you The command NTS lists all third party traffic posted since your last connect Reading traffic is done very much like the procedure used with a PBBS The command will cause t
87. cations and Computer C4 Systems Directorate J6 3 7 TASKED EQUIPMENT AND NETWORKS The equipment and networks employed during ECOM operations are determined by the situation and mission requirements 3 7 1 Except for military stations equipment may be either government and privately owned and maintained by individual MARS members 3 7 2 Equipment and networks are made available at no charge in support of the DOD the public interest and safety 3 7 3 Fixed station High Frequency Single Sideband HF SSB radio systems provide beyond line of site non secure voice and digital communications to support ECOM operations 3 7 4 Limited mobile transportable and portable HF SSB systems may be available for deployment within each region Tasking is on a voluntary basis depending upon the available resources The Military or Government is not liable for accidents or deaths during deployment 3 7 5 Limited VHF FM voice and digital resources are available to support local ECOM operations Each state s VHF FM capabilities and infrastructure varies Tasking is on a voluntary basis 3 7 6 TRANSCON Transcontinental voice and digital networks provide CONUS wide communications links and provide a gateway between regional jurisdictions TRANSCON networks also serve as the primary gateways for federal response agencies to enter ECOM traffic into the MARS networks 3 7 7 USAF MARS Phone Patch Nets are available to any and all stations operating
88. ce for the RS 232 RTS or DTR lines Note only the RTS line can be used with ALE as the DTR line is reserved for other transceiver control Most of the digital sound card interfaces discussed above provide a serial interface connector and suitable isolation The disadvantage of this method is that it ties up a serial port or requires that the user purchase and install a USB to serial adaptor for computers without an RS 232 serial port A6 3 4 2 Unintentional Transmitter Keying CAUTIONARY NOTE IT HAS BEEN OBSERVED THAT DURING COMPUTER BOOT UP AND SOUND CARD PROGRAM INITIALIZATION SOME USB TO SERIAL ADAPTORS MAY UNINTENTIONALL Y KEY THE TRANSCEIVER IF THIS IS OBSERVED THE DIGITAL OPERATOR MUST TAKE STEPS TO AVOID KEYING UNINTENTIONALLY This can be as simple as not powering the sound card interface until the computer has booted up and the sound card program has loaded or changing a function switch to another position during the boot up sequence A6 3 4 3 Level Adjustment Level adjustment for digital sound card operations is required for both transmit and receive audio 3 4 3 1 adjustment can be performed at the both the sound card interface device and the software sound card level adjustment panel Experience has shown that both adjustments in conjunction with any fixed attenuation should be used so that the software sliders are normally at their mid range setting Consult the user s manual for the digital software program in us
89. cent traffic 6 6 5 5 Keyboard Users can only see messages addressed TO and FROM themselves BBS stations can see any message in the system Send location message number or number of messages to start the list or list Oldest message Newest message A message sent without routing information Hierarchal Routing may stay at that BBS until the recipient connects to that same station to read it 6 6 5 6 MCSCALL HR Routing indicator of BBS with hierarchal route where the message will automatically be forwarded to For example a complete hierarchal routing indicator might look like this AFA Y X AFA LK KS RGN3 AF USA Hierarchal routing showing State Region miltary service and area MCS Routing Indicator Callsign of Address 6 17 United States Air Force Mar 2006 A6 1 1 Attachment 6 1 Prosigns and Operating Signals MARS Training Manual Digital Operations Prosigns Prosigns are single letters or letter groups that have a specific assigned meaning when used a part of digital net operations They were transferred directly from the older CW prosigns Most prosigns have a corresponding voice proword Table 1 below lists commonly used prosigns and the equivalent proword TABLE 6 3 PROSIGNS and PROWORDS Prosign Meaning Proword AA Unknown Station or After ALL AFTER AB
90. completion of course 1 1 2 4 2 5 Initiate cancellation for any trainee who fails to comply with the provisions outlined in this manual HQ or designated authority will sign and authenticate all such cancellations 1 1 2 4 3 State Trainer or Manager 1 1 2 4 3 1 Send each trainee a copy of the training guide before the first net or classroom meeting 1 1 2 4 3 2 Prepare and conduct training nets or classes in accordance with the operating procedures contained in this guide 1 1 2 4 3 3 Assist the Trainee in becoming a fully qualified MARS member and arrange for on the air proficiency training 1 1 2 4 3 4 Coordinate with the Region Training Manager on training practices Procedural disparities will be identified in writing to the Region MARS Director for evaluation 1 1 2 4 3 5 Forward certification of Trainee proficiency within 7 days after completion to the Region Training Manager 1 1 2 4 3 6 State Trainer or classroom training instructors will send attendance data to the Region Training Manager State trainers will certify Trainee net attendance by message or letter to the Region Training Manager This information should be sent within 24 hours after the end of the session 1 1 2 4 4 MARS Trainee 1 1 2 4 4 1 Review and be familiar with each training lesson before the scheduled training session Advise the trainer if training manual is not received before the first net meeting 1
91. corporates recent Air Force MARS National Emergency Plan process changes for Essential Elements of Information message handling Remove and insert pages of the 1 Mar 2006 MARS Training Manual as outlined below Contents REMOVE m uc uu Replace with Change 1 Page 3 2 dated 1 Mar 20006 iocis emos erit ier Facti piv cda Page 3 2 Dated 15 May 2006 3 6 dated 3 6 Dated 15 May 2006 Page 3 10 dated 1 Mar 20004 ete ie tnb Torte etas Page 3 10 Dated 15 May 2006 Page 3 12 dated 1 Mar 2000 i cietesosets actenus t Her Sn ede e eR Page 3 12 Dated 15 May 2006 Page 3 13 dated 1 Mar 2000 eee iet estere Page 3 13 Dated 15 May 2006 Page 3 14 dated 1 Mar 20006 5 Page 3 14 Dated 15 May 2006 Page 3 19 dated 1 Mar 2006 cm 3 19 Dated 15 May 2006 Page 3 21 dated 1 Mar 2006 i etcetera onu Page 3 21 Dated 15 May 2006 Pape 3 22 dated 1 Mar 2000 4 eite td e doe ride uU AER NER Page 3 22 Dated 15 May 2006
92. d L lt enter gt 6 6 2 4 Reading Messages To read a specific message type the command R where the symbol is the message number in the list shown above After you have received a message addressed to you by the callsign you used to connect with the PBBS remove it from the PBBS by typing the command K 6 12 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations e Sending messages Before sending a message it is suggested that the message be prepared and stored in a file or in your terminal software transmit buffers Start sending a message by typing the command ST lt callsign gt where lt callsign gt is the callsign of the recipient of the message PBBS will then respond with the prompt Subj Type a short one line subject of the message that will appear in the traffic listing Examples are Example 1 NET REPORT Example 2 NET CONTROL ASSIGNMENT Example 3 MARS EXERCISE The PBBS will then respond Msg Start typing the text or send it from the transmitted buffer or file At this point the PBBS is in a single purpose mode it will accept anything your type or send including PBBS commands as message text until it receives either of two END OF MESSAGE EOM indicators These EOM indicators must be typed on a line by themselves and followed by a carriage return or ENTER keys The EOM indicators are EX or lt control gt z Press control shift key while pressing the lette
93. d net 1 2 1 2 6 Transmissions on unauthorized frequencies and beyond authorized tolerances 1 2 1 2 7 Profane indecent or obscene language 1 2 1 2 8 Use of VOX or RIT clarifier 1 2 1 2 9 Transmission of political or pecuniary traffic 1 2 2 Type Of Nets 1 2 2 1 All nets Air Force MARS are directed nets 1 2 2 2 Informal communications are strictly limited to no more than 5 minutes 1 2 2 3 Administrative discussions may exceed the five minute limit but MUST be confined to AF MARS business and include one or two officials 1 2 3 Drafting messages When a message that shouldn t be transmitted via MARS is accepted in error and transmitted via MARS it is the fault of the originating station The originating station operator therefore is the person who must employ guidelines relative to acceptance of messages The text of the message should be brief clear and accurate The text is normally restricted to 50 groups or words Initial death notices will be sent ONLY through the American Red Cross or a local clergyman and not through MARS channels such unauthorized messages must be pulled from the system and forwarded to the Region MARS Director or their designated authority 1 2 4 American Radio Relay League ARRL Numbered Text Message ARRL numbered text messages will be used to reduce the length of message texts when possible These messages will be fully written out showing the actual meaning before the message is delive
94. d of transmission No answer is required or expected NEVER used with the proword OVER End of transmission Reply is expected and required NEVER used with the proword OUT Precedence of message This is second highest used in MARS Request for a read back text of message or entire message at reading speed Retransmit this message to addressees or callsign that follows Message understood Precedence of message This is the lowest used in MARS Repeat all or portions of transmission as indicated Message redirected to originating stations for action as indicated All stations cease transmissions immediately This condition will remain in effect until lifted Normal net conditions reinstated Slow copy speed Followed by callsign of station transmitting Followed by date time group Followed by address to which message is being sent UNKNOWN STATION Unknown station with which communication is desired VERIFY qi oce edet Verify entire message or portion indicated with the originator and send verified version catione nette Pause for a few seconds No return call to the net is necessary 1 8 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures WAIT OU Pause for longer than a few seconds and call upon return to the net NOTE Periods longer than five minutes MUST authorized by the net control station WILCO Yo
95. dence will be processed on a first in first out basis this depends on availability of other net member stations also 5 7 5 3 The initiating station will call the receiving station and conduct a signal check If patch quality exists in both directions the patch will be conducted 5 7 5 4 Completion of the patch will be reported to the NCS 5 7 6 Phone Patch Log Affiliate stations will log all phone patch operations In addition to other MARS logging requirements the phone patch log will contain the following information 5 7 6 1 Station call sign 5 7 6 2 Name of person for whom the patch was performed 5 7 6 3 Phone number called and phone number credit card number of the caller if billing will be to other than the number called 5 7 6 4 Specific information about the patch e g completed refused etc 5 7 6 5 Time date and frequency of the patch 5 7 6 6 Any additional data as determined by the NCS 5 8 Classified Information Discussion of classified information during a MARS phone patch is not authorized MARS operators are not expected to determine the classified nature of phone patch conversations and will not terminate patches when suspected violations occur They should bring the information to the attention of the NCS To preclude occurrences of this nature the initiating and receiving parties will be briefed on the insecurity of USAF MARS phone patch circuits prior to the patch being initiated
96. dom require repetitions for fills AMTOR and PACTOR FEC transmission will on occasion require fills but much less frequently than the Baudot RATT and PSK 31 modes Fills should be requested by voice in a mixed mode net and sent by voice if only one or two groups are needed Otherwise all or part of the message can be sent again For example at the end of the initial transmission the receiving station requests a fill by voice THIS IS AFAZYX SAY AGAIN WORD AFTER BUILD OVER The sending station replies 6 10 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations THIS IS AFAZAN I SAY AGAIN WORD AFTER BUILD IS FIGURES 1 08 OVER The receiving station then receipts for the message THIS IS AFAZYX ROGER NUMBER 03 OUT If major portions of the text are corrupted the receiving station may request a retransmission of all or part of the message As a practical matter retransmission of the entire message may be more expedient rather than wait for the sending station to edit the text for retransmission For example THIS IS AFAZYX SAY AGAIN ALL BEFORE BREAK OVER Here the receiving station is indicating that he needs multiple fills in the header of the message and the send stations responds THIS IS AFAZAN RETRANSMISSION FOLLOWS WAIT The sending station resends all or the message or just the header using the FEC mode The receiving station responds by voice THIS IS AFA YX ROGER NUMBER 03 OUT 6 6 PBBS and BBS
97. e in the text box and in the format identified in attachment 3 3 10 6 4 MARS Members are asked to send EEI Reports if you are aware of any disaster or emergency situation which could adversely impact life limb or otherwise impede the public safety regardless of how minor it may appear 3 10 6 4 1 Reports should include bridges or roads washed out widespread power lines down wind or tornado damage heavy rains flooding heavy snow forest fires etc Include large scale accidents with HAZMAT Hazardous Materials or Chemical spills 3 13 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 3 10 6 4 2 Local fires and traffic accidents that don t affect more than a small portion of the local population probably don t need to be reported Fires engulfing city blocks or neighborhoods and major accidents on highways blocking traffic should be reported 3 10 6 4 3 EEI reports require common sense DO NOT REPORT SEVERE WEATHER WATCHES OR WARNINGS This information is already available to and other agencies However if during the severe weather conditions adversely impact life limb or otherwise impede the public safety report them 3 10 6 4 4 Follow up EEI reports may be sent using the same EEI formats and addresses with updated information These are not normally required but for large scale emergencies or disasters that will requi
98. e Station Operator for Participation Reporting If the operator is an affiliate Once initial check ins have been completed the NCS may ask for additional check ins and or relays For example 7 12 5 TRANSCON TRANSCON THIS IS AFA DT ARE THERE ANY OTHER STATIONS THAT HAVE NOT BEEN RECOGNIZED OR ARE THERE ANY RELAYS FOR STATIONS CHECKING INTO THE NET OVER If a station attempts to check into the net and is not clearly heard or recognized by the NCS the NCS will transmit the most appropriate of the following examples 7 12 6 relay TRANSCON TRANSCON THIS IS AFA DT CONFIRM YOUR CALL SIGN AS AFA ES OVER TRANSCON TRANSCON THIS IS AFA DT UNKNOWN STATION PLEASE SAY AGAIN OVER TRANSCON TRANSCON THIS IS AFA DT STATION WITH CALL SIGN AFA PLEASE SAY AGAIN YOUR CALL OVER TRANSCON TRANSCON THIS IS AFA DT PLEASE REPEAT TWICE YOUR CALL SIGN OVER When the NCS cannot copy hear a station or stations the NCS may ask for a Examples TRANSCON TRANSCON THIS IS AFA DT STATION NOT HEARD MAY I HAVE A RELAY OVER If a station is capable of providing a relay s then the relay station will say for example THIS IS AFA CU RELAY OVER The NCS will reply AFA CU THIS IS AFA DT YOUR RELAY PLEASE OVER The relay station will give the call sign of the station s he heard by saying THIS IS AFA CU I RELAY INTO THE NET AFA ES ARIZONA OVER United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2
99. e at your station for details Pay particular attention to setting the transmit audio level for no ALC action to insure undistorted signals A6 3 4 3 2 Operators who use multiple sound card programs may find that different programs require different audio in out computer settings A record should be made of each program s configuration to allow proper operation during program application changes Alternatively there are utility programs that will store the different audio level configurations making it a simple matter to configure computer audio settings to support each application easily One such freeware product is Quickmix available at www ptpart co uk quickmix 6 25 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations Attachment 6 4 SOFTWARE FOR DIGITAL OPERATIONS 6 41 General Successful digital operations in USAF MARS does not depend solely on the terminal or sound card software itself success depends primarily on the MARS operator s skill in using the hardware and software of choice This Attachment lists the minimum set of skills that needs to be acquired and presents a short review of commonly used terminal and soundcard software The MARS member beginning digital operations is encouraged to acquire a copy of the software in use by most of the other MARS members Help and training in the use of the software will then be readily available A6 4 2 Legacy Issues Most TNCs communicate with the associa
100. e designated time by transmitting 351 351 DE AFAZVP ZKJ2 the net is closed ZKJ1 I am closing station 6 5 Mixed Mode Net Operations Used in conjunction with voice nets 6 5 1 Definition A mixed mode net is one in which normal net operations are conducted using radiotelephone and where some or all traffic is passed using a digital mode Members checking into a mixed mode net with traffic should indicate the preferred mode of digital transmission at that time Members who are capable of receiving digital traffic should be prepared to receive traffic by having their computers and other equipment ready and announcing that they have digital capabilities when checking in 6 5 2 Operations 6 5 2 1 Initial Check in A typical sequence during the net opening might go like this THIS IS AFAZYX WISCONSIN NO TRAFFIC HAVE PACTOR OVER THIS IS AFAZAN MISSOURI 1 ROUTINE AFAZYX PACTOR ARQ OVER In this example AFAZAN lists traffic and indicates that he is prepared to send using the PACTOR ARQ mode 6 5 22 Moving Traffic using an ARQ Mode After acknowledging initial station check ins using voice mode the NCS directs traffic relay AFA AN THIS IS AFAZVP CALL AFA YX AND SEND YOUR 1 ROUTINE OUT responds by voice AFAZYX DE AFAZAN HOW COPY OVER AFAZY X responds by voice THIS IS AFAZYX YOUR GOOD READABLE PACTOR READY OVER United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations At this point AFA
101. e information shall be stored in a locked container or in a room with sufficient physical access control measures to afford adequate protection to prevent unauthorized access 4 when stored on a computer the information shall be password protected 5 the information shall be disposed of in such a manner as to ensure destruction beyond recognition and reconstruction 6 upon leaving the SHARES program the Project Office shall be notified ofthe date NCSH 3 3 1 is destroyed and 7 the loss compromise suspected compromise or unauthorized disclosure of the information shall be reported to the SHARES Project Office Failure to comply with these security procedures to protect NCSH 3 3 1 information from unauthorized personnel shall result in removal from the SHARES program The information voluntarily provided on this Form 1 is covered by the Privacy Act of 1974 The information is stored on the Master SHARES Data Base and used by Project Office to contact SHARES members Information contained in Part I of this Form 1 is also included in NCSH 3 3 1 SHARES Directory and distributed to SHARES members as FOUO information Failure to provide the information requested on the Form 1 may result in not being allowed to participate in SHARES PART 111 ADMINISTRATIVE DATA STATION POINT OF CONTACT OR ERP ENTITY POINT OF CONTACT Name Address Name Entity STATION POINT OF CONTACT OR ERP Ihave read ENTITY POINT OF CONTACT Iapprove the F
102. e les aopn ZKS Following stations are in the net 2 closing down ZOD Act as relay ZOE Send me your msg for Relay msg to May use email if email ZOF address is incinded ZOG Send your msg to ZOI Wait ZRA Your freq is 1 correct 2 high 3 low Tune your xmtr to 1 proper ZRB Check your freq ZRC beat ZRF Will send tuning signal on present ZUE Affirmative frequency ZUG Negative ZUH Unable to comply This message has been delivered to all ZXX information addressees whose ZYJ This is a SHARES msg designation follow QRK Readability 1 5 QRU I have nothing for you QRV I am ready QRY Your turn is QRZ You are being called by QSA Signal Strength Who is calling QSG Send msgsata time QSL Acknowledge Receipt of Information QSO I can communicate with QSZ Send words twice QTA Cancel my msg NR QTB I do not agree with your Group Count Note Operating signals have interrogatory sense when preceded by Prosign INT 6 19 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations Attachment 6 2 Digital Modes A6 2 1 MARS Digital Modes The Chief USAF MARS has always encouraged members to experiment with new digital modes in order to increase our reliability in carrying out the MARS mission The only constraint on new digital modes imposed by the USAF Frequency Managers is that the emission bandwidth of any MARS digital transmission must not exceed the emission bandwidth of a radiotelephone
103. ed phonetically COMMON PUNCTUATIONS PUNCTUATION WRITTEN AS SYMBOL PHONETICS PERIOD PD pa PAH delta COMMA COM Charlie Oscar Mike COLON CLN f Charlie Lima November OPEN PARENTHESES PAREN pa PAH Alpha Romeo Echo November CLOSE PARENTHESES UNPAREN Uniform November pa PAH Alpha Romeo Echo November QUOTATION MARKS QUOTE Quebec Uniform Oscar Tango November END OF QUOTATION UNQUOTE Uniform November Quebec Uniform Oscar Tango Echo HYPHEN DASH Delta Alpha Sierra Hotel STROKE SLANT BAR SLANT Sierra Lima Alpha November Tango QU ESTION MARK QUERY Quebec Uniform Echo Romeo Yankee 1 2 8 Station Identification The proper identification of stations is extremely important and is required not only by military procedures but by national and international regulations as well The following procedures will always apply when identifying Air Force MARS stations 1 2 8 1 Complete call sign will be used and never abbreviated They will be used at the beginning of ALL transmissions Phonetics will be used initially and spoken letters and figures thereafter It is NOT necessary to use phonetics every time your callsign is given When a new communication begins with the same or another station phonetic callsigns will be given during the initial transmission ONLY as indicated above United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures 1 2 9 Station Configuration Modification It is the affiliate member s r
104. egional nets will provide liaison to the Regional Nets that will serve as a gateway link outside of the affected area 3 10 2 8 Establish Liaison to ARES RACES and CAP if applicable ARES and 3 10 2 9 EEI Reporting is critical to provide the NEC with the status of existing infrastructures in a disaster area MARS Stations in a disaster stricken area should accomplish EEI reporting Every possible effort will be made to draft and send an EEI Report to AFNIEC 3 10 2 9 1 USAF MARS stations aware of any emergency or disaster situations or operating in a disaster area with conditions which could adversely impact life limb or otherwise impede the public safety regardless of how minor it may appear will immediately prepare and send EEI reports to to ensure that the most current information is available in order to make an assessment on what emergency action if any should or needs to be taken and how best to proceed given the information obtained from EEI reports 3 10 2 10 Net Control Stations will maintain accurate logs of all activities on the net 3 10 2 11 Net Control Stations will monitor the availability of all liaison stations and TRANSCON Digital stations to ensure that a gateway to other nets and digital modes exists 3 10 3 Regional ECOM Operations 3 10 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 3 10 3 1 The Pri
105. ence of characters not interrupted by a space is counted as one group Example pronounced without phonetics as scr 211 and spoken phonetically as initials sierra charlie romeo hyphen two one and pronounced again as scr 211 without phonetics 1 2 16 1 4 The group count is written and transmitted in conjunction with the proword GROUPS when used 1 2 16 1 5 The group count that is established by the transmitting originating station is final When the group count does not agree the receiving station should verify the group count and the message by requesting the sender to letter the text This operation requires the sending station to read phonetically the first letter or figure of each group in the text If the group count cannot be resolved an operator s note should be attached to the message noting the difference in the group count United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures 1 2 16 2 Questioning the group count See paragraph 2 16 a 5 above If the number of groups copied does not agree with that of the originator the operator must question and resolve it before receipting for the message For GROUPS SERVICE see page 22 describing service messages 1 2 17 USAF MARS Broadcast The USAF MARS broadcast originates periodically at HQ Scott AFB MARS or their designated authority and is directed to all Military and Affiliate MARS members The broadcast provides ge
106. ency This will be covered in detail later a highly stable frequency is required A Temperature Compensated Crystal Oscillator TCXO or equivalent is considered necessary A reliable frequency counter is also desirable NCS stations MUST have NTIA compliant equipment Redundancy intentional 2 11 ANTENNA SYSTEM A good antenna system is one of the most important items of station equipment A dipole or inverted V that is resonant at the operating frequency and properly erected will greatly improve an otherwise weak transmitted signal and will also improve receive capability Room permitting a resonate horizontal loop will provide a low noise superior gain antenna for region communications Above ground antenna elevation will impact communications range in that lower elevation tends to reduce range and higher antenna elevation tends to increase range often skipping over intermediate stations Experimentation is necessary to find the best arrangement for a given station depending on location within the region A good feed line is one requirement that is sometimes overlooked or taken for granted To get maximum power to the antenna use the best grade of RG8U RG8X or one of the other types of low loss feed line available Be sure to check all cable connections periodically for continuity and shorts It 15 also important to check for moisture in the coax outside connections should be waterproofed 2 12 GEOGRAPHIC LOCATION During low sunsp
107. erator comments It is not considered part of the formal message but serves to avoid any errors by the relaying stations and recipient Operator s notes should never be sent to the final recipient 1 3 1 3 Delivery Messages may be mailed or phoned to the final recipient 1 3 1 4 Message Forms Mailed messages should always be sent on the form AF 427 The overprinted Form 427 should NEVER be used for sending the final message Use only the blank form Always type the message sent to the recipient 1 20 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures 1 3 1 5 Reply Message MARS operators should always solicit answers to messages unless they involve transient service personnel 1 3 1 6 Sample Message A sample of the PLAIN DRESS message is shown below AFA xx this is AFA yy Number 47 ROUTINE or whatever precedence TIME 101820ZOctober2005 FROM John Doe 123 Park Street Mountain Park WV 25508 4762 Phone 304 765 4321 TO Mary Doe 987 Apple Hill Dr Winchester TN 37398 9651 Phone 931 123 4567 GP 12 BT ALL IS WELL HERE I WILL WRITE SOON OR CALL LOVE JOHN BT Operator s notes should include any questionable groups or confusing statements that could not be resolved by the relaying station The appropriate response after the initial break following the Group Count should be OVER The appropriate response following the last break should be your number four se
108. esponse Plan DOD Directive s 4950 1 3 1 SITUATION A disaster condition may result from a catastrophic earthquake significant natural disaster weapons of mass destruction attack or other incident that produces extensive damage and results in large volumes of requests from all levels of government authority for services required to save lives and alleviate human suffering Authorities require accurate and timely information on which to base their decisions and focus their response actions Widespread damage to commercial telecommunications facilities is likely At a time when the need for real time electronically processed information is greatest the capability to produce it may be seriously restricted or nonexistent All surviving telecommunications assets of the various levels of government augmented by extra regional assets will be needed immediately to assure a proper response to the needs of victims of the event 3 1 1 General This ECOM plan serves as a general guide for USAF MARS stations conducting emergency operations during emergency disaster and contingency operations and serves as a basic plan and template from which local plans should be developed This plan used in conjunction with regional and local plans provides guidance for use in the event that a situation exists or is projected which threatens life and or property and or causes a state federal or military official to declare an emergency or disaster for a specific geographi
109. esponsibility to notify the RMD through the SMD of any changes in station configuration FCC amateur license changes address changes etc In all instances outlined below submit two copies to the SMD as soon as possible 1 2 9 1 If the change involves an address change notify your SMD When you receive your updated amateur license send two copies to the SMD 1 2 9 2 Any changes to your amateur license send two copies to the SMD when you receive the updated changed license from the FCC 1 2 10 Mail Address Element When using AFMARS provided postage stamps the return address will be your own address with Official Business typed below as shown in 2 10 1 Address for correspondence to Chief MARS or designated authority is shown in paragraph 2 10 2 1 2 10 1 Joel America AFA3AA 123 Elm St Tonka KS 66010 9877 Official Business 1 2 10 2 HQ AFCA ECFP MARS Or designated Headquarters of AF MARS 203 W LOSEY STREET ROOM 3100 SCOTT AFB IL 62225 5222 1 2 11 Telephone procedures Do not service message because the telephone number is incorrect or not given as part of the addressee s information Make an effort to find the number 1 2 11 1 Use your telephone directory Sometimes looking for the street address will help you find the number 1 2 11 2 Use Directory Assistance Please note that some telephone companies charge for this service The number of free directory assistance calls depends on your local telephone company
110. et 2 16 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training participation reports to the Region Net Manager NCS reports are then consolidated and subsequently submitted to the Region Operation Analysis Manager AFF O The NCS report will include callsign and participation times of each station It will also include a consolidated report on all traffic handled by the NCS for the quarter as a last entry using the pseudo callsign TFC followed by the quarter s traffic total count 3 Attachments 1 Net Opening Closing Procedure 2 NCS Log Sheet 1 blank 3 NCS Net Roll Call Log 2 17 Net 51 Opening and Closing Procedures THIS IS IS THERE NET CONTROL ON FREQUENCY OVER Call twice NCS THIS IS IS THE FYMON MONITORING OVER NCS THIS IS IS THE ALTERNATE NET CONTROL MONITORING OVER NCS FOLLOWING IS A PERIOD FOR ALL STATIONS TO TUNE EQUIPMENT YOU MAY TUNE FOR ONE MINUTE OUT THIS IS THE FOLLOWING PERIOD IS FOR STATIONS TO ADJUST FREQUENCY NCS fymon call sign SET THE NET FREQUENCY OUT 51 THIS IS LOCATED IN FIRST CALL WILL BE FOR STATIONS WITH TRAFFIC SECOND CALL WILL BE FOR STATIONS WITHOUT TRAFFIC STATIONS WITH OR WITHOUT TRAFFIC USING EMERGENCY POWER OVER Call twice STATIONS REGION WITH TRAFFIC OVER MAKE THIS CALL TWICE STATIONS WITHOUT TRAFFIC IN OVER CALL EACH STATE AT LEAST TWICE NOTE Repeat for each state in alphabet
111. et concerned 2 32 2 1 3 DATE The date time month year is logged zulu time only 2 32 2 1 4 TIME NET OPENED zulu 2 32 2 1 5 TIME NET CLOSED zulu 2 32 2 2 NCS TRAFFIC LOGGING 2 32 2 2 1 TIME IN OUT Check in out time of the station 2 32 2 2 2 STATION CALL Callsign of the member station 2 32 2 2 3 STATION LOCATION City and state of station 2 32 2 2 4 LIAISON for FYMON A for ANCS T for TRANSCON The designator for any VHF net is shown as liaison 2 32 2 2 5 TRAFFIC HANDLED Numerical designator for traffic directed to that station 2 32 2 2 6 TRAFFIC LISTED Traffic listed by that station traffic must be listed by city and state 2 33 MARKING THE LOG FOR TRAFFIC FLOW 2 33 1 Each traffic listing will be numbered sequentially beginning with the first listing and ending with the last listing given on the net The traffic listing number will then be noted in the TRAFFIC HANDLED column adjacent to the station that the traffic will be routed through 2 33 2 As each listed piece of traffic is handled the NCS will line out the listing and also the corresponding number in the TRAFFIC HANDLED column 2 33 3 The letter P will indicate PRIORITY traffic The letter A will indicate ADMINISTRATIVE traffic and the letter T to indicate INFORMALS 2 34 QUARTERLY REPORTS Quarterly reports are normally compiled by each NCS using the MARSTIME computer program Each NCS submits their consolidated n
112. et rosters will be transferred to each new NCS Any USAF MARS station may serve as NCS or ANCS and provide whatever assistance is needed 3 10 1 3 The NCS will obtain the current ECOM ALERT Condition from available state or region officials If none of the officials are available use the guidance in this plan and issue an ECOM ALERT CONDITION Ensure that this is passed on to each NCS and ANCS when Net Control stations change 3 10 1 4 The NCS and Alternate NCS will maintain a log of all activities 3 10 1 5 Regional and national MARS officials designated liaison stations SHARES FEMA and TRANSCON and TRANSCON Digital stations will identify themselves during Check in 3 10 1 6 The NCS will obtain the current communications capabilities from stations checking in from the emergency or disaster area These capabilities should include modes of operation HF VHF digital telephone cellular phone fax etc emergency power availability portability or mobility of each station 3 10 1 7 Liaison station s will be assigned to other agency nets FEMA SHARES TRANSCON etc as required NOTE Joint Service Liaison Stations will not be required if a pro active Joint Service MARS program exists and Joint Service stations are on the net frequency 3 10 1 8 Radiotelephone phone patch and Digital modes may be used on any ECOM voice net with approval of the NCS if applicable to the current emergency situation and when in the best interest of
113. expediting the flow of ECOM message traffic 3 10 2 State ECOM Operations 3 9 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 3 10 2 1 States affected by an emergency or disaster will immediately alert all State MARS members and activate State ECOM Nets on assigned frequencies IAW local ECOM Plan 3 10 2 2 Ensure that Army and Navy Marine Corps MARS leadership has also been notified of the situation and implement Joint operations Joint Service operations should be activated immediately and Joint resources should be used to support the emergency disaster or contingency 3 10 2 3 Regional HF Frequencies may be used when state and Joint service frequencies are not available or insufficient to support HF operations Select a frequency that will provide the best propagation coverage to all direct supporting stations stations within the affected area Frequency availability problems should be forwarded to the NEC immediately for action 3 10 2 4 VHF Voice and Digital operations may be conducted as required and IAW local MARS ECOM Plans 3 10 2 5 Establish a gateway into TRANSCON Digital networks for out of region message traffic and EEI reports 3 10 2 6 SMD or SECs will notify the Regional MARS Director RMD or Emergency Coordinator REC and request Regional support for State operations if needed 3 10 2 7 State level Nets operating non r
114. fic to determine readability and if satisfactory will proceed with the traffic 2 26 NET CALLS The NCS will make a net call at least every fifteen minutes An example follows 51 THIS IS AFB AO phonetically OVER This is a signal for stations to enter the net list traffic or request to close The net call will be made at least twice The net call can be made more frequently if traffic conditions permit And when net conditions are poor the ANCS or FYMON also be asked to make a net call 2 27 CLOSING STATIONS The NCS will close a station as in the following example THIS IS REQUEST TO CLOSE OVER The NCS will respond with AFAZPU I HAVE YOU CLOSED It is absolutely improper to say anything else after this statement 2 28 RELAYING The ANCS or FYMON will normally act as a relay for stations that are hard to hear In some cases the ANCS or FYMON may also be unable to hear the station In this case any station may offer to relay An example of the procedure is as follows THIS IS AFA ZV MAY I RELAY OVER The NCS will respond with AFA ZV PLEASE RELAY OUT The proword OUT is used to signal the relaying station that he she may call the weak station to get the complete information needed to conduct the relay if necessary Many stations volunteer relays ONLY relays requested by the NCS may be made When several stations attempt to relay or make corrections it creates confusion The NCS should advise A
115. g actual ECOM operations MINIMIZE will be imposed on TRANSCON digital networks Only mission essential and ECOM related traffic will be passed on the networks until MINIMIZE is lifted by the National ECOM Manager or National Digital Manager 3 5 5 MARS ECOM ALERTS BROADCASTS serve as immediate guidance for supporting ECOM operations These broadcasts may also provide interim changes in this plan or the MARS Operating Instruction MOI as it pertains to ECOM operations and are considered directive in nature Alerts broadcasts will be distributed throughout USAF MARS by all available modes of communications including Digital Voice and EMAIL Alerts and broadcasts will be broadcast on all voice nets Phone Patch nets will use their administrative nets only for this purpose 3 5 6 MARS stations outside affected emergency disaster areas including exercise areas are asked to monitor regional and TRANSCON frequencies and be available to assist relaying traffic and with deliver of traffic whenever possible 3 5 7 MARS Joint Service Operations are directed at all levels of MARS operations MARS will when possible serve as one entity and support ECOM operations as needed 3 3 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Effective use of each other s available resources will be coordinated at the lowest levels of management when possible 3 6 COMMAND AN
116. g action s e Monitor regular and or Primary ECOM Net Frequencies 3 7 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Check into Nets to obtain the latest information Monitor designated Joint Service frequencies and systems for Local or State Wide situations For Region Wide situations Monitor the Primary REGION ECOM Frequencies Activate the Alerting System Ensure that all members are aware of the potential emergency disaster situation Encourage all to check in to regularly scheduled Nets for the latest updates on the potential situation Take preliminary precautions Test emergency power locate essential equipment and supplies review ECOM Plan etc Continue normal MARS operations and REMAIN ALERT Continue preparing for ECOM operations ECOM CONDITION 2 An emergency or disaster situation is anticipated within 24 hours take the following action s Take all actions required to activate all ECOM operations on short notice In addition to actions taken in ECOM Condition 3 Maintain close contact with State and Region Officials for guidance and up to date information STAY ALERT Monitor regular and or ECOM nets for updated information Take appropriate actions to protect family and property Ensure that food and water supplies and other personal items are readily available Establish Regularly Scheduled Broadcasts of updated informa
117. he BBS to send you the message indicated by number in the listing e g R 1246 will result in the BBS sending you message number 1246 The command RM will result in BBS sending you all new traffic addressed to you in a continuous stream without a break between messages However the BBS may pause after a certain number of lines set by the system operator and ask if you wish to continue for the next group lines or continue without a pause or quit reading the message or messages Enter your desired response by sending a single letter as follows Y Send the next group of lines C Send the remainder of the current message and all other pending messages without a pause A Quit reading all messages pending B This pause can be eliminated for your station by sending the BBS command PAGE OFF 6 6 5 2 Sending traffic to an BBS For in state traffic you can use the same procedures for sending traffic to a TNC based mailbox For out of state traffic it is necessary to indicate some routing information so that the MARS traffic system Region and Area and other state gateways will know how to forward your traffic 6 6 5 3 Adding the Routing Indicator of the final BBS after the callsign of the recipient indicates the routing For example the command ST AFNIEC AFA PZ is used to 6 16 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations send traffic such as an exercise EEI to the National Emergency Coordinator In t
118. he Net Over 7 11 7 Ifthis is the First NCS Session of the Day skip to Paragraph 8 otherwise continue with 7a 7 11 7 1 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is YOUR PERSONAL MARS CALL SIGN Stations continuing in the net from the Previous Session please give your Call Sign State and list your traffic Over 7 11 7 2 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is YOUR PERSONAL MARS CALL SIGN Additional Stations to enter the net with or without Traffic please give your Call Sign State and list your traffic Over 7 11 7 3 Go to Paragraph 7 11 9 7 11 8 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is YOUR PERSONAL MARS CALL SIGN Stations to enter the net with or without Traffic please give your Call Sign State and list your traffic OVER 7 11 9 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is YOUR PERSONAL MARS CALL SIGN Are there any relays for stations wishing to check into the Net Over 7 11 10 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is YOUR PERSONAL MARS CALL SIGN No Stations Heard We have No Traffic Listed Out Note The TRANSCON Net Preamble is available as a separate document upon request 7 5 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 TRANSCON Operations Guide 7 12 LISTING CHECK INS AND TRAFFIC 7 2 1 Stations check into the net call in random order by transmitting THIS IS followed by a pause to ensure they are not interfering with another station then transmit their call sign and state list their traffic and then say the proword OVER Example
119. he Net Control Station establishes the level of controlled activity or confusion on a net The tempo of net activities is directly proportional to the precision of the net controls procedures timing in the directing of traffic and ability to communicate under all circumstances 2 15 NET CONTROL PROCEDURES Net Control procedures must be executed with PROMPTNESS PRECISION and CLARITY to ensure all stations being directed as well as those monitoring interpret the instructions exactly the same It is extremely important that all Net Controls use exactly the same methods for the purpose of maintaining system quality control Nothing creates confusion faster than an NCS who continually alters net procedural calls or a net whose control changes methods daily 2 16 DIRECTING TRAFFIC The method of directing traffic determines the efficiency of the net operation Only so much time is available to pass all the listed traffic and time spent doing anything else reduces the net efficiency The NCS along with the ANCS must have at their disposal all the proper tools to quickly identify the routing of traffic As soon as one piece of traffic is complete no time should be wasted in directing the next Preparation and timing are critical to efficiency The only time that should affect net efficiency other than traffic and directing it is the administrative requirements for checking stations in or out or for frequency violations 2 17 COMMUNICATIONS QUALITIES
120. he alphabetical listing of cities and towns 2 14 2 ZIP Code Directory ZIP code directories are available from the US Post Office for a nominal fee Many postmasters will donate last year s directory if you explain what it is to be used for These ZIP directories are also available on the internet www usps gov and CD ROM 2 14 3 Region VHF Directory The Region VHF coordinator maintains the directory for all region VHF nets This list serves to point out the last thread in the network for delivering traffic It is available on request to all SMDs 2 14 4 NCS Log Sheets The standard NCS log sheet must be used by all NCS ANCS Hq USAF MARS does not furnish these forms Each NCS is responsible for furnishing his her own log sheets A master copy suitable for duplication will be furnished by the HF net manager and is also included in this manual as attachment 2 2 14 5 Computer Aids Some members have created an NCS logging routing computer program This will save much time by the NCS if available Also computer search engines can be very useful in locating cities within a state One of the most reasonable cost software packages for such activity is Microsoft Roads and Trips and older editions perfectly suitable for city locations searches are often available for a small price 2 6 Session 2 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training CONTROLLING NET OPERATIONS NET CONTROL T
121. he case ofa MARSGRAM the postal zip code should be used such as ST 10048 AFA PZ If you don t know the destination call then you would address it zip code to zip code such as ST 10048 10048 MARSGRAMSs going to Southwest Asia via the ARMY MARS European Gateway use ST 99123 as the routing indicator 6 6 5 4 The BBS will then prompt for a Subject line that will appear in the message listings For example Subj EXERCISE EEI BROKEN TRACKS KS could be used for an Exercise EEI being sent to AFNIEC from Kansas For a third party MARSGRAM the message must contain information such as city and telephone prefix that will expedite routing and delivery when it is received at the final TRANSCON Station This information allows the SYSOP to direct the MARSGRAM to a station close to or within the toll free calling area for delivery For messages to another MARS member use a short description of the content of the message For Example HF NODE INFO The BBS prompts for the message header and text by transmitting Msg The operator sends the text and terminates with the EX or lt control gt Z EOM indicator and the BBS responds with Message filed Unfortunately Winlink does not receipt for a message with its message number The older MSYS software does this and the operator could make note of this in his message log With Winlink the only way to get this information is to send the command LL and get a two line listing of this most re
122. hift similar to Packet and AMTOR Modulation of PACTOR II signals is based on differential phase shift keying DPSK PACTOR III uses a voice channel of 2 4 khz and with an optimal link is 4 to 5 times faster than PACTOR II mode PACTOR III utilizes up to 6 speed levels and up to 18 tones spaced at 120 Hz Maximum bandwidth is 2 2 kHz and a center frequency of 1 5 kHz In the ARQ mode there is a dynamic adjustment to speed If repeated NAKs are sent by the receiving station the sending station will slow the speed of transmission When several slow speed packets are received without error the sending station will attempt to raise the speed In addition to the basic signaling rates of 100 and 200 wpm additional message speed can be had by using optional Huffman compression The PACTOR FEC mode is similar to the AMTOR FEC mode except the sending operator can specify the number of times that a character is repeated The number of repeats can be increased from the default value of 2 up to a value of 5 This brings about a major increase in broadcast transmission reliability at the price of speed Because of the 200 wpm maximum speed PACTOR transmissions need to use a minimum 200 Hz shifts PACTOR ARQ is the preferred mode used for HF MMCS operations 6 2 1 6 G TOR This is a proprietary mode developed by Kantronics and implemented in their KAM Plus 98 XL series of TNCs It is an acronym for Golay Teletype Over Radio It is a robust ARQ mode that dynamic
123. his is AFA DT Net Control Station Please change to TVF to pass traffic to AFAZLE Out Both AFA ZX and AFA LE change to frequency The two stations check readability on and if favorable AFA ZX passes his traffic to AFA LE After passing the traffic both stations report back to the Net Control Station on the Calling Frequency TVE AFA DT this is AFA LE back on frequency Over AFA DT this is AFA ZX back on frequency Traffic complete Over Net Control Station AFA DT will then acknowledge the two stations back on frequency and that the traffic is complete The Net Control station will also clear the other traffic by sending the appropriate stations to the Traffic Frequency TVF to pass the traffic or instruct them to send the traffic on the Calling Frequency TVE If the traffic load is light or if readability conditions are poor the Net Control Station may have the traffic handled on the Calling Frequency 7 16 BULLETIN MESSAGES 7 16 1 Electronic Mail E Mail and Digital Radio TRANSCON Pactor Net are the preferred modes for distributing TRANSCON Voice amp Digital Bulletins and ECOM Bulletins from the National Net Managers AFN3AT TRANSCON Digital AFNAVN TRANSCON Voice and AFNIEC ECOM Bulletins to the USAF MARS Members However when appropriate these Bulletins are also to be read on TRANSCON HF Voice Frequencies during regularly scheduled TRANSCON Net Sessions 7 16 2 If bulletins are read
124. ht property damage here Do not be concerned about disaster reports FIVE Am moving to new location Send no further mail or communication Will inform you of new address when relocated SIX Will contact you as soon as possible SEVEN Please reply by Amateur Radio through the amateur delivering this message This is a free public service EIGHT Need additional mobile or portable equipment for immediate emergency use NINE Additional radio operators needed to assist with emergency at this location TEN Please contact Advise to standby and provide further emergency information instructions or assistance ELEVEN Establish Amateur Radio emergency communications with on MHz TWELVE Anxious to hear from you No word in some time Please contact me as soon as possible THIRTEEN Medical emergency situation exits here FOURTEEN Situation here becoming critical Losses and damage from increasing FIFTEEN Please advise your condition and what help is needed SIXTEEN Property damage very severe in this area SEVENTEEN REACT communications services also available Establish REACT communication with on channel EIGHTEEN Please contact me as soon as possible at NINETEEN Request health and welfare report on State name address and telephone number TWENTY Temporarily stranded Will need some assistance Please contact me at TWENTY ONE Search and Rescue assistance is needed by local authorities here Advise availab
125. ic modulation scheme is BPSK without error correction Since the emission bandwidth is on the order of 80 Hz a single voice channel can support more than a dozen simultaneous keyboard to keyboard transmissions This is a major advantage for MARS in times of heavy traffic load A6 2 1 9 QPSK 31 This is an often overlooked extension of PSK 31 with robust FEC A high degree of interleave and Verbiti decoding is used such that there are 32 opportunities to correctly receive any 5 bits in the Varicode stream It is effective under poor propagation conditions A6 2 1 10 MFSK 16 This is a multi tone 16 FEC mode It is loosely based on the old British Piccolo system using relatively narrow tone spacing It has an effective 30 80 wpm data rate and uses about a 316 Hz bandwidth It has proven to be a good weak signal long distance mode The narrow spacing and narrow bandwidth require accurate tuning and frequency stable transmitters A6 2 1 11 MT 63 This mode uses 64 tones and spreads the transmission of any single character over frequency and time It is reported that the sophisticated FEC scheme used can recover from up to 25 percent obliteration of a character The emission bandwidth is either 500 1000 or 2000 Hz and is user selectable Initial settings for MT 63 are typically Bandwidth 1000 Hz Non Inverted Long Interleave This is generally the default for most software packages designed for this mode of operation Some sources state that tuning
126. ical order within the region THIS COMPLETES ROLL BY STATES ARE THERE ANY LATE STATIONS WITH TRAFFIC OVER CALL AT LEAST TWICE REGION STATIONS TO ENTER THE NET OVER CALL TWICE ANCS DO YOU NEED ANY FILLS OVER 51 THIS IS NET CONTROL THE FYMON IS THE ALTERNATE NET CONTROL IS NCS FYMON ANCS ALL STATIONS WAIT OUT BEGIN DIRECTING ANY TRAFFIC MAKE NET CALLS AT LEAST ONCE EVERY 15 MINUTES as 51 THIS IS OVER Closing Procedure 51 THIS IS CLOSING THE 51 NET THIS NET WILL MEET AGAIN AT TIME The Date Time Group will be given as indicated earlier in this guide with the year said phonetically in four digits NCS TRAFFIC LOG Page Pages NCS Net Designator Freq Mon ANCS Time Opened Time Net Closed Date Credit Until TIME Traffic IN OUT Station Call Station Location Liaison Handled Traffic Listed Y dO L 901N 001 94 SZ LS 2 LABHS HV3H 09 92 9 1 1 133HS 006 NOOSNVHL NOOV38 NOINJ NSOd 091511 241 SMHVWAY IVNOSIS ONISO 19 ALVLS NOILVOOT1 NOISTIVO NI WIL NIVOV LAAN 2 Q3S019 LAN AO9N3noaud NOILVNSIS3Q 1 L33HS du3g8NWnN 901 LAN N3dO LAN SHEET 1 CONTINUED DESIGNATION N a oj wj e tT WO OF N 0 Of AN WO OF BI COL CO COO MO CO MH C
127. ications support plan HQ Army MARS and the USAF NEC also provide the information to a variety of DOD operations centers when applicable 3 10 63 EEI Reports should be submitted to AFNIEC using the most expedient manner possible and as soon as possible once the information is received regarding an emergency or disaster event The information provided in EEI reports may be critical to the assessment of the infrastructure and the potential need for DSCA At a time when the need for Real Time electronically processed information is greatest the capability to produce it may be seriously restricted or non existent EEI S will be needed immediately to help ensure that a proper response is available 3 10 6 3 1 Every MARS member must be proficient in generating EEI Reports 3 10 6 3 2 EEI reports must be sent as soon as possible during or immediately after an emergency or disaster occurs 3 10 6 3 3 All actual EEI reports non exercise should be sent directly to 3 10 6 3 3 1 Check the latest ECOM broadcasts for updates to the reporting addresses 3 10 6 3 3 2 Send all actual and exercise EEI reports to the NEC AFNZEC by EMAIL to the addresses listed on attachment 5 3 10 6 3 3 3 The NEC will forward actual EEIs to various DOD EOCs and JOCs Joint Operations Centers when applicable 3 10 6 3 4 Reports must be submitted using the format in attachment 3 DO NOT SEND EEI REPORTS AS EMAIL ATTACHMENTS Paste them into your email softwar
128. ies 5 3 2 5 Ensure proper operating procedures circuit discipline and system integrity are maintained 5 3 2 6 Maintain records of affiliate station participation and report this time quarterly to their respective MARS ROAM 5 3 3 Phone Patch Network Station A phone patch network station will 5 3 3 Maintain contact with the NCS during their station s operating times 5 3 3 2 Participate in network operations as required 5 3 3 3 Conduct all communications IAW current directives 5 3 3 4 Comply with instructions issued by the NCS 5 1 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Phone Patch Procedures 5 4 Assignments MARS phone patch networks is a closed net with the exception of those affiliates assigned on AF MARS Form 3661 The phone patch net is open to all military MARS stations Affiliate assignment to this network will be made by the SNM in response to an affiliate s phone patch net application from their SMD For affiliates meting net prerequisites the member s SMD then coordinate the member s acceptance to the net with the phone patch SNM The member or the SNM may terminate net membership for cause Failure to participate is cause for net membership termination 5 5 Station Requirements There are special requirements that each affiliate station must meet prior to being assigned to a phone patch network Specifically these stations will 5 5 1 Becapable of operating on assigned network frequencie
129. ility TWENTY TWO Need accurate information on the extent and type of conditions now existing at your location Please furnish this information and reply without delay TWENTY THREE Report at once the accessibility and best way to reach your location TWENTY FOUR Evacuation of residents from this area urgently needed Advise plans for help Can be used all holidays 1 30 TWENTY FIVE Furnish as soon as possible the weather conditions at your location TWENTY SIX Help and care for evacuation of sick and injured from this location needed at once Emergency priority messages originating from official sources must carry the signature of the originating official Group Two Routine Messages FORTY SIX Greetings on your birthday and best wishes for many more to come FIFTY Greetings by Amateur Radio FIFTY ONE Greetings by Amateur Radio This message is sent as a free public service by ham radio operators at Am having a wonderful time FIFTY TWO Really enjoyed being with you Looking forward to getting together again FIFTY THREE Received your Its appreciated many thanks FIFTY FOUR Many thanks for your good wishes FIFTY FIVE Good news is always welcome Very delighted to hear about yours FIFTY SIX Congratulations on your most worthy and deserved achievement FIFTY SEVEN Wish we could be together FIFTY EIGHT Have a wonderful time Let us know when you return FIFTY NINE Congratulations on the new a
130. ill include the Station Call Sign State Inclusive Times Total Participation Time along with the Date and NCS Session Times 7 5 1 2 The Primary Net Control Station NCS Operator or Deputy TRANSCON Net Manager will then be responsible for including these Participation Times with his her own Monthly Report to the Net Manager and Deputy Net Manager 7 2 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 TRANSCON Operations Guide 7 5 2 Army MARS and or Navy Marine Corps MARS Operators who serve as Alternate Net Control Station ANCS Operators and who lose contact with the Primary Net Control Station during a particular NCS Net Session will be requested to send the same information to the Primary Net Control Station as indicated in Paragraph 1 a above 7 6 NET CONTROL STATION DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES 7 6 1 Open and close nets on the correct frequency at the scheduled times 7 6 2 Direct network activities in accordance with published USAF MARS operational requirements 7 6 3 Initiate and terminate radio silence as required 7 6 4 Limit transmissions to essential length 7 6 5 Expeditiously clear all traffic in the net 7 6 6 Resolve disputes incident to traffic handling and net procedures 7 6 7 Correct procedural discrepancies 7 6 8 As necessary identify stations with email capability and directing actual incident EEI reports to these stations for immediate relay to the National ECOM Manager and or the Directo
131. ink takes advantage of Microsoft Windows environment and will operate Pactor I II or III 6 6 4 3 BBS Advantages The BBS computer provides nonvolatile storage of messages on the computer hard drive When properly configured a deleted message may be retained in the hard disk archives It can forward messages on a regular schedule to other systems using forwarding tables that can provide alternate routing in the event of distant BBS outage or lack of propagation Table 6 2 is a list of Winlink commands You will notice that this is just an expanded list of the commands used with a PBBS However the user familiar with just a smaller list of simple PBBS commands will still be able to use the BBS effectively 6 14 United States Air Force Mar 2006 MARS Training Manual Digital Operations Table 6 2 Winlink Classic Commands CMD ALIAS FUNCTION A ABORT Stop Sending B BYE Log off from Winlink CANCEL Delete my message number D DELETE Delete my message number E EXPERT Expert Mode ON OFF H HELP Read the Main Help file K KILL Delete my message number I INFO Read the Information File for this mode L LIST List all my Private and NTS messages LM List all my Private and NTS messages LB List new Bulletins since last inquire LB List Bulletins starting with Bul LLB loc List last Bulletins filed beginning at loc LL List
132. io juo ep CE EN Phase Shift Keying j ea RI EE Push To Talk Radio TeleType Routing Indicator EI TA S sec e Qt Radio TeleTYpe BUS eM E Special Communications Systems SELCADD Selective Call Associated with AMTOR SHARES cnet SHAred RESources Tucson Amateur Packet Radio eei Terminal Node Controller aueh te totis Very High Frequency Voice Operated Relay MUXNIC Army Western Area MARS Coordinator MARS Training Manual Digital Operations It must be remembered that all USAF MARS nets voice and digital are DIRECTED nets and must have an NCS in attendance during the net session Automated digital nets excepted 6 35 Section VII National HF Voice TRANSCON Operations Guide 1 March 2006 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 TRANSCON Operations Guide CONTENTS Prerequitsite 7 1 T 2 Documentation n e 7 1 7 3 Goals and Objectives S E Ea 7 1 7 4 Net Control Station aha p E 7 2 7 5 Alternate Net Control Station ANCS Or Monitor Station Requirements 7 2 7 6 Net Control Station Duties And Responsibilities eese 7 3 7 7 Net Sessions Times And Frequencies
133. ion or Area wide operations Combined VHF resources will enhance local Joint operations 3 10 5 2 Any MARS station from any service or federal agency station will be recognized and allowed access to USAF MARS Nets during ECOM Operations USAF MARS stations will provide assistance and guidance to stations from other services and agencies when they check in to USAF Nets 3 10 6 Essential Elements of Information EET Reporting 3 10 6 1 Essential Elements of Information EEI reports are critical reports provided to the National Emergency Coordinator AFNIEC which provide insight into availability and limitations of local infrastructure during and immediately following an emergency or disaster event These situations are reported because there is a potential that the event has or could adversely impact life limb or otherwise impede the Public Safety EEI Reporting is an ongoing mission supported by MARS 3 12 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 3 10 6 1 1 JDOMS is engaged in gathering packaging and presenting information to the Army executive agent for Defense Support to Civilian Authorities and Department of Defense DOD leadership 3 10 6 2 This information may also be forwarded to appropriate local county and state emergency management and emergency response agencies if included as part of the local and state agency s commun
134. ld establish liaison with the FEMA NECN National Emergency Coordination Net as directed Only stations in the affected disaster area and surrounding region s should check into the FEMA NECN other liaison stations should monitor and be prepared to assist with message relays and traffic handling as needed Liaison stations provide the MARS gateway to FEMA networks 3 10 3 5 1 The MARS Regional NCS will identify FEMA NECN liaison stations when calling the net Liaison to FEMA NECN should be maintained throughout the duration of the ECOM operation 3 10 3 5 2 Liaison stations should utilize the FEMA frequency that best supports propagation from your area to FEMA FEMA NCS locations and assigned frequencies are identified in their activation messages 3 10 3 6 Identify TRANSCON Digital stations on the Nets and ensure that traffic is routed from voice nets to digital networks whenever possible to expedite ECOM traffic and EEI Report handling and minimize congestion on voice nets 3 10 3 7 Establish liaison to Joint Service Coordination Nets as required Frequency designators are typically provided in alert messages if available TRANSCON may also be used for this purpose during large scale ECOM missions 3 11 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual Change 1 15 May 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 10 4 National ECOM Operations 3 10 4 1 TRANSCON Voice Nets will be activated and maint
135. luding radio voice and digital modes wire less and wire based communication assets and assets belonging to other MARS Services IAW ECOM plans MARS emergency operations can simultaneously support several agencies and several phases of the MARS mission MARS emergency operations will continue until terminated at the request of user agencies or determined to be no longer required by MARS officials 3 8 1 2 Purpose The primary purpose is to provide communications support to local state and federal emergency disaster response by providing communications links between local state federal response agencies and DOD resources 3 8 1 2 1 The secondary purpose is to provide communications links to send infrastructure status reports from a disaster area via AFNIEC to the Joint Director of Military Support JDOMS using the Essential Elements of Information EEI reporting program 3 8 1 2 2 The third purpose is to provide communications links to provide morale health and welfare H amp W communications support into and out or a disaster areas During disaster support addresses may not meet the specific MARS message formatting requirements for addresses and phone numbers MARS station handling this type of traffic will make every effort to deliver H amp W traffic and deliver it to its destination 3 9 ALERTING 3 9 1 Notification Upon notification of a potential or current emergency disaster event within a jurisdiction state and regional le
136. mary emphasis on Region wide Operations will be for the purpose of supporting local state or area operations in effected areas 3 10 3 2 Atthe direction of the Chief National ECOM Manager Regional MARS Director designated representative REC RVNM or any other region official a HF Radio voice Command and Control C2 Net will be established on the primary or alternate Regional Nets for the purposes of 3 10 3 2 1 Coordinating emergency disaster communications support for State MARS ECOM operations 3 10 3 2 2 Providing local and State MARS ECOM Operations with GATEWAYS Links into agencies such as FEMA SHARES and other federal and military agencies supporting emergency disaster and contingency operations 3 10 3 2 3 Frequencies will be determined by the geographical area involved type of support time of day and propagation conditions 3 10 3 3 Establish liaison to TRANSCON Voice Net s to ensure that incoming and out going traffic has an outlet beyond the region and into FEMA SHARES and other federal agencies networks 3 10 3 4 Establish liaison with SHARES Coordination Net SCN if SHARES is activated Registered SHARES should provide the liaison and gateway between SHARES and MARS Regional TRANSCON nets SHARES frequencies are published in the National Communications System Handbook 3 3 1 normally published in SHARES Readiness Notice 3 10 3 5 Regions where an emergency or disaster has occurred or is imminent shou
137. me month year OUT AII times in zulu The date and time will be said numeral by numeral phonetically The month will not be said phonetically The entire four numerals of the year will be said phonetically numeral by numeral The proword TIME must precede the DTG HAND OFF FREQUENCY When the traffic load exceeds the amount that can normally be passed in a two hour period the NCS should request the use of an alternate or hand off frequency The following guidelines will be used in conjunction with hand off frequencies Most regions have a single handoff frequency If other frequencies are needed as hand off frequencies the NCS may send the FYMON to the TRANSCON net and request the temporary use of one of their frequencies When you decide that you are going to need a hand off frequency ask the FYMON of record to check the conditions on the hand off and report back to you accordingly If the hand off frequency is usable it is necessary to send a FYMON or the ANCS to establish the frequency Next direct the station holding the traffic to go to the hand off frequency Next you direct the stations that are to receive the traffic to go to the designated hand off frequency and direct which traffic they are to receive Remind them to return to the primary net frequency when they have completed traffic Do not send more than five stations to receive traffic to the hand off frequency at any one time As each station returns to the primary net direc
138. ment to any particular package Following the table you will find short descriptions identifying specific features of each software package 6 26 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations Table A6 6 TNC Control Software Title Systems Type Author Source Hyperterm Most TNCS OS Commercial Microsoft Integral to Windows OS MFJCom MFJ 1278 Commercial MFJ Enterprises MFJ Enterprise PACTERM AEA Timewave Kantronics Commericial Creative Services Amateur vender or Software CSS Website XPWare Most TNCs Commercial KF7XP XPWare Website Airmail2000 Most TNCS Shareware Airmail Website Hostmaster Kantronics Kantronics PCPakratt for AEA Timewave Commercial Timewave Windows TelPac Most TNCs Shareware Winlink Web Site PacLink Most TNCs Shareware Winlink Web Site 4 1 1 Hyperterm This is a standard terminal software package included with the Windows Operating Systems and found under Accessories It treats your TNC similar to a telephone modem and performs the required functions for communicating with a TNC but requires that the operator be familiar with the native TNC commands A6 4 1 2 MFEJcom A simple DOS based terminal program for communicating with any TNC It has an advantage over Hyperterm by not being cluttered with dial up capabilities It also can extract and save TNC settings A6 4 1 3 PacTerm Software developed for communicating with 232 TNC MMC
139. mple SECOND REQUEST REFERENCE YOUR ROUTINE 022017Z JAN 1993 1 3 2 4 Action Of Originating Station s 1 3 2 4 1 originating station will ascertain from the originating party what action to take on the message which cannot be delivered Usually the originating party will request that the message be canceled The final action on the part of the originating station is to send another service message to the final receiving station to cancel the message and file it Sometimes this message will include the operating Q signal QTA which means to cancel the message Originating and receiving stations should annotate their file copies accordingly 1 3 2 4 2 All messages may be mailed at the member s expense if the member so desires No military stamps are to be used for messages that originate in the CONUS There are currently no stamps furnished by the military When they again become available members will be notified 1 3 2 4 3 The other type message AF MARS will be concerned with is the EEI Essential Elements of Information message This type message will be covered in detail later in the manual 7 Attachments AF Form 427 Work Sheet Overprinted AF Form 427 SHARES Form 1 SHARES Form 2 ARRL Message Form And Sample MARS Amateur Re File Message ARRL Numbered Messages SLO 1 23 DO NOT MAIL WORK COPY UNITED STATES AIR FORCE MILITARY AFFILIATE RADIO SYSTEM MESSAGE MONTHLY STATIO
140. n where and if possible 1 1 2 4 Responsibilities 1 1 2 4 1 Region Training Manager RTM 1 1 2 4 1 1 Coordinate with the State MARS Director and appropriate state trainers in establishing required training nets 1 1 2 4 1 2 Assist state trainers and conduct state trainer nets if necessary Coordinate with appropriate State MARS Director 1 1 2 4 1 3 Provide standardized training materials and training net rosters to instructors 1 1 2 4 1 4 Maintain attendance records of trainees Forward names of students who fail to meet proficiency requirements to the appropriate SMD 1 1 2 4 1 5 Monitor training net activities and provide assistance as required 1 1 2 4 1 6 Conduct end of course examinations of trainee within three days after certification of proficiency has been received from the training instructor Grade each trainee and forward results to the trainer and SMD 1 1 2 4 2 State MARS Director SMD 1 1 2 4 2 1 Coordinate with the Region Training Manager to identify training requirements 1 1 2 4 2 2 Assign MARS Trainees on AF Form 3661 to a training net or class within seven days after receipt of approved Military Affiliate Radio System membership application 1 1 2 4 2 3 Maintain a list of state MARS Trainees enrolled in training 1 2 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures 1 1 2 4 2 4 Assign member graduates to the operational voice or digital networks after
141. n any AF MARS net 7 8 2 A Net Control Station is a station in a radio net designated to control traffic and be responsible for circuit discipline within a given net and will be available continously thoughout the net 7 8 3 Only MARS business is to be conducted on MARS nets Our primary business is message handling and that takes precedence over all other activities 7 8 4 Full call signs for both the net control station and net members are to be spoken phonetically on initial calls Abbreviated call signs are not authorized 7 8 5 Addressing net members by name after contact is established using full call signs is not authorized 7 9 NET CALLS AND RADIO CHECKS 7 9 1 Net Control Stations should make a Net Call for Additional Stations to check into the TRANSCON Voice Net at least every Ten Minutes 7 9 2 Net Control Stations should make Roll Call Radio Checks every thirty minutes during their Net Sessions 7 9 3 Alternate NCS Operators may also make Net Calls at the direction of the Primary Net Control Station and or assist in the Roll Call Radio Checks 7 9 4 By Prior Agreement with the Primary Net Control Station Operator regularly scheduled Alternate Net Control Station Operators may also make periodic Net Calls for Net Control 7 10 STATION LOGS 7 10 1 AIL MARS stations are required to keep a station log 7 10 2 Itis particularly important for NCS operators to keep complete and accurate station logs so that mo
142. n should be forwarded to appropriate local county and state emergency management and emergency response agencies if included as part of the local and state communications support plan 3 3 SUPPORTED ORGANIZATIONS AND AGENCIES Department of Defense U S Northern Command USNORTHCOM Joint Director Of Military Support JDOMS National Communications System NCS Shared HF Resources SHARES Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA National Guard Local and State Emergency Management Agencies Other organizations and agencies as directed 3 4 PLANNING Disaster and emergency response begins at the local levels MARS ECOM planning must begin within each state State level planning and organization provides state emergency planners with known resources which when tasked can provide primary or secondary communications links to Military and federal response agencies and organizations 3 4 1 All three MARS services must plan for a coordinated joint MARS response and be prepared to serve as a single supplier of emergency communications Locally the three services should develop a joint response plan and combine resources to maximize resources manpower equipment networks and frequencies and capabilities Emergency planners should see MARS as one organization Army Navy Marine Corps and USAF must work as partners 3 4 2 Joint planning should include support to National Guard and active duty military installations each state State MARS
143. nated authorities shall be made prior to and after a member initiates the Alert Condition The member initiating the Alert Condition is also responsible for ensuring that the telephone Alerting system and ECOM Nets are activated 3 9 2 2 When broadcasting Alert Conditions ensure that the geographical areas that are or may be affected are identified 3 9 2 3 Unless an emergency or disaster situation is local and requires no outside support ECOM Alerts are applicable to the entire region Actions taken by stations outside the emergency or disaster affected area may vary depending upon the support required 3 9 3 ECOM Conditions ECOM CONDITION 5 Normal Day to Day Communications Operations Broadcast ECOM CONDITION 5 to notify Stations to resume normal operations when ALERT CONDITIONS are no longer required ECOM CONDITION 4 Conditions exist that may develop into potential emergency disaster situations over the next few days NOTE This is primarily used for potentially severe weather ALERTS issued by the National Weather Service and should be used any time severe weather is predicted take the following action s e Stay Alert to News and Weather reports for potential problems Be prepared to change ECOM Conditions to higher Readiness levels Check in to regular State Area and Region Nets for current information ECOM CONDITION 3 An emergency or disaster situation is expected to develop within 48 hours take the followin
144. nding for your station At that point the software will send and receive any pending traffic and automatically disconnect when all traffic has been passed A6 5 1 5 At this point you may shut down the Terminal window and then go back to the Message Index window to read any of the new traffic that was downloaded It will be highlighted with a bright red New flag and your sent traffic will now reflect a Green Check Mark to show it has been transmitted A6 5 2 Advanced Airmail Topics As you become more familiar with the program you may decide to edit the MARS System MARS INI file The file should be edited with an ASCII text editor such as Notepad It will automate a couple functions used in the Terminal Window A6 5 2 1 The first section of the INI file is called the Frequency Setup and allows you to select the stations that will appear in the second tool bar window across the top of the screen You should already be familiar with the Green Light Yellow Light Red Light features the automatic Handshake and manual Keyboard buttons on the top left After you have created and stored a SYSTEM MARS INI file you will have a couple different options to choose from A6 5 2 1 1 You already had the option to choose a station from a window pull down what station you wanted to connect to in the MARS INI file your regular MARS MMCS connections will be there to select from A6 5 2 1 2 line titled Selected allows you to add
145. nds It is important that the user read the screen and respond to the prompts These devices are fairly 6 11 United States Air Force 1 Mar 2006 MARS Training Manual Digital Operations bullet proof and will respond to most operator errors with a humorous digital request for repetition gt or INVALID COMMAND 6 6 2 2 Mailbox PBBS Commands Table 6 1 is a list of Kantronics PBBS commands A full list can be obtained at any time by typing H lt enter gt in response to the command prompt Table 6 1 Kantronics KAM Mailbox Commands Command Function PBBS WILL DISCONNECT J heard CALLSIGNS WITH DAYSTAMP J S hort HEARD CALLSIGNS ONLY J L ong CALLSIGNS WITH DAYSTAMP AND VIAS L x E LIST MESSAGES x THRU y YOU CAN READ L lt gt call LIST MESSAGES FROM OR TO CALL LB LIST BULLETINS LC cat LIST CATEGORIES LL n LIST LAST n MESSAGES LM ine LIST UNREAD MESSAGES ADDRESSED TO YOU LO 4 LISTING ORDER LT LIST TRAFFIC LTn DISPLAY LOCATION TEXT n 1 4 K ill n DELETE MESSAGE NUMBER n KM ine DELETE ALL READ MESSAGES ADDDRESSED TO YOU R ead N DISPLAY MESSAGE NUMBER n RHn DISPLAY MESSAGE n WITH HEADERS RM ine READ ALL MESSAGES ADDRESSED TO YOU S end call SEND MESSAGE TO callsign S B P T call SEND BULLETIN PRIVATE or TRAFFIC 6 6 2 3 Listing and receiving messages To obtain a list of the messages stored on the PBBS type the comman
146. ned operation that Region 2 has had the distinction of having for many years The Net Control Training guide has retained all of the most important features created by Mr Johnson Only certain administrative corrections have been implemented to accommodate the many changes in the AF MARS program Edited and updated by Vic Carson AFF2C AFN2TD Sept 2005 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training INTRODUCTION In accordance with USAF MARS Operating Directives all AF MARS nets are directed nets This means that these nets are under the control of a central figure that we call the NET CONTROL STATION NCS The NCS is responsible for the overall net operation He she maintains the assigned net frequency controls the proper traffic flow and provides for the most efficient use of the net time available The Net Control Training Program provides the basis for the development of an effective Net Control Station This program is divided into four parts Three of these parts are on the air sessions of approximately one hour each These sessions are strictly instructional The fourth part is the on the air certification Each trainee is given the opportunity to be Net Control under the supervision of an instructor Certifications will usually but not always require two or more sessions The instructor will critique each session NCS training is the responsibility of the Region HF Voice Net Manager 2 ii Uni
147. neral information instructions and new policy to all member stations which is official until expiration date or superseded by another broadcast or official declaration broadcast will also be read on all 251 voice nets and on digital nets SMDs and net managers are responsible for having the broadcast read on state and administrative nets They may set policy and should be kept on file for future reference NOTE ECOM broadcasts and RMD Bulletins will also be issued as necessary 1 2 18 Digital Nets Daily nets on both AMTOR FEC mode and MFSK mode are held at 1000 and 1900 ES D T on net as propagation dictates The net begins on MFSK for the first hour plus or minus and then switches to AMTOR FEC MT 63 PACTOR II and RTTY if necessary for the second hour Stations check in from other Regions in the CONUS These nets are classified as TRANSCON and are open to all MARS services Frequencies used are for mornings and for evenings The TDA frequency is used as an alternate nets are attended nets and are all called the TRR net Transcontinental Radio Relay The attending NCS will respond to any digital mode operated on the frequencies indicated If any member does not have the MFSK or whatever is being used at the time the NCS may respond to voice USB to resolve any problems Members interested in digital BBS operation should contact AFFZK Changes in these schedules frequencies and modes will
148. new Messages since your last inquiry LL loc List last messages filed beginning at loc LM List all my PRIVATE and NTS messages LN List all my unread messages LR List users in last 24 hours LT List all NTS messages in the system LY List this station s usage statistic L gt CALL LTO List all messages addressed to CALL L lt CALL LFM List all messges from CALL CALL List all messages addressed CALL NTS List all pending NTS messages PAGE Page Mode ON OFF Show current mode w o R READ Read a specific message number WITHOUT headers RC Read all my pending messages without your confirmation RH Read a specific message number WITH routing headers RM Read all my unread messages WITHOUT headers SP CALL Send a PRIVATE message to CALL May stay at this SP Send a PRIVATE message to CALL at MMCSCALL 4 SB TOPIC Send a BULLETIN to TOPIC SB TOPIC DESTN Send a Bulletin to TOPIC at DESTINATION ST Send a NTS message TIME Show daily MMCS usage limit and time left T TALK Alert the Sysop V VERSION Ask for the current WinLink software version x Send the next group of lines Note You may still read a Deleted message until the next message purge cycle but you must remember its message number 6 15 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations 6 6 5 Initial BBS Use When a MARS operator connects with a BBS for the first time he may be asked to register In some
149. ng REGION NCS TRAINING 2 1 REQUIREMENTS TO BE GOOD NCS 2 1 1 The first requirement of a good Net Control Station is to be able to hear and to be heard You must have a good transmitter receiver plus an amplifier with a well engineered antenna NCS equipment MUST be NTIA compliant 2 2 The second requirement is an operator with excellent USAF MARS procedures who understands the use of correct procedures and prowords and has a desire to be a good NCS 2 1 3 We assume that you have already been trained as a MARS operator and we will not try to teach you operator procedures We will thoroughly cover Net Control procedures however 2 2 NCS SELECTION AND ASSIGNMENT 2 2 1 Prospective NCS candidates are assigned to NCS training by their respective State MARS Directors on an AF Form 3661 2 2 2 Atthe completion of training and certification the NCS will be assigned whenever possible to a net of his her choice 2 2 3 It is hoped that we will soon have a minimum of two NCS assigned to each net The extra NCS will be called the ANCS for alternate net control station There is no difference between the NCS and the ANCS as both stations will alternate each week as NCS NET CONTROL STATIONS 2 3 RELATIONSHIPS 2 3 In every net operation certain stations perform functions that are keys to an efficient operation The operation must be looked at in terms of foreground and background operation Foreground operations include th
150. ng the charges i e collect Occasionally the calling party may request billing to a third party or credit card While these are allowed operators are cautioned to maintain an accurate log A log will assist in answering any questions that may arise about payment of long distance charges Often a third party US Sprint MCI etc will prepay for phone patches during selected holiday periods The SNM will provide necessary information for this service to his her net members Telephone access info from the SNM must be treated as close hold non releasable information since illegal or unauthorized use of it could result in the loss of this free service The bottom line is While USAF MARS provides free morale and welfare calls this free service refers to the part of the call that is transmitted over the radio At no time will the cost of a morale and welfare phone non transmitted call be charged to MARS or to the government 5 7 2 Called Party Instructions Instruction on phone patch procedures is usually required before the patch can be initiated The called party will be advised in the use of the proword OVER and the unclassified status Unless specified by the SNM or NCS operators should brief the calling and called parties that the circuit is not secure and not to discuss items of a highly personal or classified nature They should be told that only one person can talk at a time and that the phone patch will be limited in
151. nitor Stations will then record the stations checking in along with their inclusive participation times and send EMAIL Reports to the TRANSCON National HF Voice Net Manager and Deputy Net Manager for inclusion in their Monthly Participation Reports 7 15 CLEARING TRAFFIC 7 15 1 All TRANSCON National HF Voice Nets are established as formal directed nets Informal contacts between net members can be listed when checking in or at any time during the net Informal contacts are not allowed during the formal traffic handling portion of the net Informal contacts will be handled only after all traffic and training is completed Contacts whether formal or informal are limited to MARS matters and are limited to five minutes 7 15 2 When all check ins have been acknowledged and traffic listed the NCS operator will commence to clear traffic in order of precedence and time of listing Traffic is cleared in the following order 7 15 3 Priority P such as Actual Event EEI Reports or other Priority or Higher Precedence Messages Routine R such as Exercise EEI Reports and Morale amp Welfare MARS GRAM Messages Example AFA ZX this is AFA DT call AFAZLE for Radio Check OUT 7 8 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 TRANSCON Operations Guide After AFA ZX gets a favorable Readability Check from AFA LE Net Control AFA DT will send the two stations to the Traffic Frequency as follows AFA ZX t
152. nsceiver 6 27 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations frequency control and connecting with Winlink It is freely distributed and may be a good choice the new digital operator A6 4 2 Signs Many of the vendors that require registration for their software that is tied to your amateur callsign will also incorporate your MARS call sign into the configuration file provided This allows you to use the software for both amateur and MARS operations A6 4 3 Note for Macintosh computer users There is no currently available commercial TNC control software for the Macintosh platform AEA no longer in business produced a series of programs called MacRatt that were designed to control the 232 TNC Members may be able to obtain this software from private sources A6 4 4 Sample of Soundcard Software Table D 2 and descriptions identifies a number of software packages that are currently in use within the MARS program This list is not all inclusive and does not imply an endorsement to any particular package There are many sound card programs to choose from Each member should select the one best suited for his her finances and use Following the table you will find short descriptions identifying specific features of each Table 6 7 Sound Card Software Title Type Author Source MixW Shareware License Fee UT2UZ MixW Web Site Digipan Freeware KH6TY DigiPan Web Site Hamscope Sha
153. nthly Net Participation Reports can be submitted to the Net Manager and Deputy Net Manager 7 11 ESTABLISHING A NET SESSION 7 11 1 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is Your Personal MARS Call Sign Is there a Frequency Monitor Present Over If a FYMON is present have the FYMON set the frequency and continue United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 TRANSCON Operations Guide 7 11 2 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is Your Personal MARS Call Sign located in or near the closest Metropolitan Area Your State A Thirty Second Clear Period Follows for Transmitter Adjustmen OUT Please Tune to my count ONE TWO TREE FOUR FIFE SIX SEVEN EIGHT NINER ZERO OUT 7 11 3 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is Your Personal MARS Call Sign Net Control Station for the insert the inclusive times 1300 1 500Z 1500 1 700Z 1500 1 800Z 1 700 1900Z 1700 21 00Z 1800 21007 1900 2100Z 2100 23007 etc Session of the TRANSCON HF Voice Net This is a Directed Net and Stations will not transmit unless otherwise directed by the Net Control Station or his Alternate Stations Wait Out 7 11 4 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is YOUR PERSONAL MARS CALL SIGN Are there any Stations with PRIORITY Traffic Over 7 11 5 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is YOUR PERSONAL MARS CALL SIGN Are there any Stations operating on EMERGENCY Power Over 7 11 6 TRANSCON TRANSCON this is YOUR PERSONAL MARS CALL SIGN Are there any Mobile Stations to enter t
154. o identify the message as a service message by inserting the proword SERVICE after the proword GROUPS An alternate method is to insert the group count after the proword GROUPS and insert the word SERVICE as the first group of the text Groups are not counted in service messages except when clarification is needed Reference your priority routine TIME date time group of the original message from line name only and the reason for non delivery A request for disposition may also be included Some reasons for non delivery are No such address Addressee unknown No phone number available Unlisted phone number 1 22 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures 1 3 2 2 Sample Actual text of a service message might be as follows REFERENCE YOUR ROUTINE TIME 022017Z JAN 1993 FROM GEORGE MARTIN TO JOHN SMITH UNLISTED PHONE NUMBER PLEASE ADVISE 1 3 2 3 Follow Up The SERVICE message should have the DTG and message number of your originating service message The DTG of the serviced message will never change If the original message appears to be of some importance you might send a second service message if no reply is received within a reasonable time The heading of the second service message except for a new message number and DTG as indicated above is the same as the original service message Indicate at the beginning of the text that this is the second service message sent Exa
155. ocess messages as expeditiously as possible 7 3 3 USAF MARS Net Control Station Operators must be able to 7 3 3 1 Serve as a model for MARS members to emulate in all aspects of MARS operations 7 3 3 2 Open and close nets 7 3 3 3 Direct traffic flow 7 3 3 4 Take a Minimum of One Two Hour NCS Session per Week 7 3 4 In order to successfully complete this Net Control Station training the trainee must demonstrate on the air ability to 7 3 4 1 Open a net on time and on frequency 7 3 4 2 Acknowledge check ins and list traffic 7 1 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 TRANSCON Operations Guide 7 3 4 3 Process all traffic listed on the net 7 3 4 4 Conduct other net business 7 3 4 5 Close the net 7 4 NET CONTROL STATION NCS REQUIREMENTS 7 4 1 Aspirant Net Control Station NCS Operators must be willing to serve and commit the time and effort to run a two hour Net Control Session 7 4 2 Aspirant NCS Operators must have a Personal Computer and an E Mail Account capable of sending and receiving attachments 7 4 3 New Net Control Station Operators must acquire and learn how to use the MARSTIME program for reporting Station Participation Times Our NCS roster and participation has increased to the point that we have to use it for reporting The Net Manager and Deputy Net Manager do not have the time to continue typing in the participation times manually for Net Control Stations Using MARS
156. ome of the radio teletype RATT procedures were developed to overcome the limitations of the old mechanical teleprinters including the continuous paper output of these machines Some of these can be dropped here in the 21st century without sacrificing reliability and with some increase in speed Specifically sending of double carriage returns CR prior to sending a linefeed LF and sending extra LF characters is neither required nor can it easily be done with modern keyboards Current on air experience tells us that beginning each transmission with five spaces and one ENTER key allows the software to synchronize better with the transmitted signal Military record communications text continues to be transmitted in upper case characters only and until there is a change to that procedure USAF MARS message text will continue to be formatted accordingly 6 4 2 3 Use of a 7 character MARS callsign Most terminal node controllers TNCs will not allow you to use an Army or Navy Marine Corps 7 character MARS callsign such as AAAOUSA Unfortunately some software will permit entry of a seven character callsign but the actual callsign is truncated into the software stored text buffer as six characters so AAA3USA may becomes AAA3US Most TNC manufacturers use a data element field that is designed to only accept a properly configured amateur radio callsign For example trying to connect to the Army Western Area Gateway using their full voice callsign AAA9USA
157. onnection is required and DB 9 25 shells are readily available A6 3 2 2 RS 232 Legacy problem The computer industry has unilaterally declared the RS 232 serial interface to be a legacy obsolete device and is not included as a standard input output port on many new computers especially laptops or notebook type computers As of mid 2005 there 1 only one TNC available with USB port connectivity SCS PTC USB however several companies have announced upcoming products based on USB connectivity If your computer does not have a serial output port then either a USB to Serial adapter or a serial interface card must be installed in your computer Caution not all USB to Serial cards may work with your specific system Save your receipt in the event you need to try a different cable or interface card A6 3 2 3 Transceiver to TNC MMC receive These cables must either be built by the user or purchased from a third party source In 2005 both MFJ Enterprises and Buxcom began offering pre wired cables to interconnect all current TNCs to most transceivers These are recommended especially if your transceiver uses the difficult to homebrew 13 pin DIN plug to connect to the MMC A6 3 2 4 TNC MMC to Transceiver transmit The TNC MMC can be connected either to the microphone connector or to the rear panel auxiliary accessory ACC port of the transceiver The use of the ACC port is recommended as it eliminates the need to swap cables or use a microphone T
158. ord phonetically 1 2 19 2 3 Pronounce the word again 1 2 19 3 Say the word SMITH then I SPELL SIERRA MIKE INDIA TANGO HOTEL then say SMITH again 1 2 19 4 Always spell names addresses and any unusual words Try to anticipate problem words and words which can be easily confused with others When spelling a word remember to give the receiving station time to catch up to that part of your traffic It won t help very much if you are spelling a word at the end of a sentence while the receiving station is writing the first part of the sentence 1 2 19 5 Occasionally spell a simple word out to allow the receiving station time to catch up in case the receiving station is copying behind United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures CHAPTER 3 THE MESSAGE 1 3 1 Plain Dress Message The basic Health and Welfare message used in the MARS circuits is designated as the plain dress message 1 3 1 1 Message Structure This message is composed of six major sections These sections are listed below with some explanation 1 3 1 1 1 Message number and PRECEDANCE message number is the number assigned to the message by the originator of the message The message number is the ONLY item that changes as the message is relayed through the system Stations relaying the message will assign his her message number to the message The PRECEDANCE will never change 1 3 1 1 2 Date Time Group This
159. orm 1 and understand the procedures contained in Part II of this Form 1 request Signature Date Signature Date FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY SHARES FORM 1 WHEN FILLED IN i SHARES HF RADIO PROGRAM MESSAGE FORM THIS IS CALLED STATION CALLSIGN ZULU MONTH AGENCY TO NAME AGENCY MESSAGE CONTAINS PARAGRAPHS MESSAGE FOLLOWS PARA 1 THIS IS A SHARES EXERCISE MESSAGE PARA 2 END OF MESSAGE OVER OPERATOR NOTES CALLING STATION CALLSIGN FOR MESSAGE RECEIVED FOR MESSAGE TRANSMITTED REMARKS TIME TIME TIME MESSAGE RECEIVED TIME MESSAGE TRANSMITTED FROM TO CALLSIGN CALLSIGN FREQUENCY FREQUENCY NAME NAME OPERATOR OPERATOR SHARES FORM 2 REV 02 99 THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE RADIOGRAM VIA AMATEUR RADIO NUMBER PRECEDENCE STATION OF ORIGIN PLACE OF ORIGIN THIS RADIO MESSAGE WAS RECEIVED AT AMATEUR STATION PHONE OWNER STREET ADDRESS CITY AND STATE TELEPHONE NUMBER SENDER S ADDRESS AND PHONE NUMBER FOR REFERENCE THE NATIONAL MEMBERSHIP SOCIETY OF LICENSED RADIO AMATEURS AND THE PUBLISHER OF OST MAGAZINE ONE ITS FUNCTIONS THIS MESSAGE WAS HANDLED FREE OF CHARGE BY A LICENSED AMATEUR RADIO OPERATOR THE AMERICAN RADIO RELAY LEAGUE INC 15 WHOSE ADDRESS IS SHOWN IN THE BOX AT RIGHT ABOVE AS SUCH MESSAGES ARE HANDLED SOLELY FOR THE PLEASURE OF OPERATING NO COMPENSATION DIRECT OR INDIRECT PAIO O
160. orrection for Packet radio FEC enhances the reception of broadcast traffic by automatically correcting errors Similarly capable sophisticated proprietary modes such as G TOR and CLOVER also appeared at this time 6 1 7 The development of digital radio modes leveled off during the 1980 s while home computer technology continued to grow In the decade of the 90 s some amateur operators realized that the peripheral sound cards in home computers were powerful devices containing a digital to analog converter an analog to digital converter and a sophisticated digital signal processor Fortunately the computer code to control these sound cards was in the open and the sound card digital mode revolution began PSK31 developed by Peter Martinez G3PL X was the first of these modes to achieve popularity This was followed by many new modes such as QPSK 31 MFSK 16 and MT63 In addition older modes such at RATT ASCII and AMTOR were implemented in sound cards This eliminated the need for expensive modulators demodulators modems and TNCs except for PACTOR transmission because of licensing issues As of mid 2005 amateur and MARS operators must have a dedicated TNC MMC in order to transmit and receive PACTOR some of the sound card programs include a receive only PACTOR level I capability 6 1 8 As we enter the 21st century systems such as Winlink 2000 are providing a seamless interconnection between digital radio and the Internet These developments h
161. ose participants that are directly involved with net activity They are responsible for the real time operations occurring at that moment The foreground components of a net are Net Control Station Alternate Net Control Station Net Participants 2 3 2 Background operations are those functions relating to the administrative support and quality control of the present moment operation They are ever present and serve to ensure control and support is provided to enable the foreground to function efficiently The background components of a net are Frequency Monitor Net Manager United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training 2 4 NCS AUTHORITY present purpose of the Net Control Station is to direct all net operations and activities The Net Control Station has the absolute authority on net operations at the moment His her directive is the final decision on immediate net activity Itis very important that all Net Control Stations and participating members respect this authority 2 5 NCS DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES The following is a list of activities for which the Net Control Stations are held responsible 2 5 1 Opening nets at prescribed times 2 5 2 Maintaining the net frequency 2 5 3 Directing participant activities 2 5 4 Direct traffic flow 2 5 5 Reporting infractions 2 5 6 Reporting interference 2 5 7 Maintain and report net time 2 5 8 Submit reports as required 2 6 ALTERNATE NET CONTRO
162. ot activity antenna engineering is especially critical A station that is located near the center of the Region can have a definite advantage in communication with a properly engineered antenna system with a relatively high radiation angle Depending on propagation a station at the region fringe could be experience spotty communication continuity across the region Ideally the NCS and ANCS should not both be central or near the region fringe in order to minimize communication voids under poor propagation or high static conditions Excessive traffic relays can cause long slow nets 2 13 OPERATING POSITION The operating position must afford sufficiently clear space to operate efficiently without distraction or clutter Sufficient room for administrative activities will prevent a good deal of fatigue The NCS must be constantly utilizing the net log maps ZIP code directory and traffic routing guides of this material consumes space and must be at fingertip reach 2 14 NCS AIDS To efficiently route traffic the NCS should acquire the following aids United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training 2 14 1 Maps Of Each State Rand McNally publishes a road atlas of the United States that has proven highly effective in locating Region traffic destinations The maps for each state in this region should be tabbed and marked for quick access Also extending the XY grid lines on each map helps aid in locating a point when using t
163. ot concerned 1 2 14 Station Logs Station logs are available through the AF MARS program contact your SMD However each affiliate MARS operator may use the amateur log form he she presently in use in his her station Most operators prefer the amateur log form It is suggested that MARS operations be recorded on a separate log form These forms must be retained for one year 1 2 15 Off Frequency Operation USAF MARS operating procedures require very accurate frequency operation If the NCS or FYMON calls your station informing you of off frequency operation a count will be given for tuning purposes Respond with THIS IS your call sign ONE TWO THREE FOUR FIVE FIVE FOUR THREE TWO ONE OVER Comments such as How now etc are incorrect and are not authorized The counting procedure outlined above gives the NCS or FYMON an adequate amount of your transmission to listen to and check to determine if you are within the established frequency tolerance Allowed tolerance is now plus or minus 20 Hz 1 2 16 Group Counts 1 2 16 1 Establishing A Group Count Optional Assigning an accurate group count can not be over emphasized It is one of the primary means to determine if the message has been correctly received 1 2 16 1 1 Count text groups only between each break in the message 1 2 16 1 2 Punctuation prowords comma colon period etc and abbreviations COMM CLN PD etc are counted as groups 1 2 16 1 3 A sequ
164. party of this type discussion must be a USAF MARS Official Region MARS Official or a State MARS Director This can of course include the NCS on duty 2 22 7 3 ROUTINE REGION Interstate region traffic 2 22 7 4 ANNOUNCEMENTS Region non official announcements etc 2 22 7 5 INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS An informal discussion is a discussion concerning MARS activities and not necessarily including any MARS official These discussions can include any subject relating to MARS activities and must not exceed a period of more than five minutes If stations exceed this limit the following procedure will be executed NCS between transmissions ALL STATIONS WAIT THIS IS call sign NET CONTROL The NCS will then make a NET CALL After the NET CALL is complete and if there is no more business brought before the net the NCS may allow the informal to continue for no more than five minutes 2 23 TRAFFIC DISTRIBUTION 2 23 1 Traffic will be directed to the station nearest the traffic destination if there is only one station checked into the net from the state of destination that station will handle the traffic Traffic should never be redirected to another station within a state without the NCS permission 2 23 2 There will be times when a station in a state other than the state of destination will be closer than the station directed to take the traffic Do not direct the traffic to that station unless the station in the neighboring state offer
165. r 7 Upon receipt of the EOM indicator the MBO will respond MESSAGE SAVED Do not use the shorthand command 5 lt callsign gt as it is interpreted in different ways by different MBOs In the case of the Kantronics PBBS it is processed as SP Sent Private command and only the sender the recipient or the PBBS system operator can read the message In other systems it is processed as ST Send Traffic command and can be read and relayed by all the BBS users ST is the preferred command for most traffic in the MARS network 6 6 3 Keyboard Short Cuts As the MARS operator gains experience with BBS operations he may wish to use the following short cut commands LM List Mine list all traffic addressed to me RM Read Mine will read all traffic addressed to the messages will be sent continuously and without a pause between messages 6 13 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations KM Kill Mine will kill all messages addressed to me This command should be used with caution as you may have not read all of your messages and then you will not be able to recall them 6 6 4 TRANSCON FULL SERVICE BBS Operations 6 6 4 1 General Winlink and MSYS are the two programs being used at this time for full service scanning and fixed frequency TRANSCON BBS systems 6 6 4 2 The older MSYS DOS based software is no longer supported by its author but is still being used Winl
166. r Radio modification of the international X 25 protocol for land line packet switching known as AX 25 protocol The message is broken into packets which contain an address header the data and a checksum The receiving packet station computes the checksum of the received packet and compares it to the checksum sent by the transmitting station If they agree the packet is acknowledged ACK to the sending station who then sends the next packet Otherwise the receiving station sends a negative acknowledgment NAK and the sending packet station re sends the packet until an acknowledgment is received This mode requires a high signal to noise ratios for a good throughput It works well over a VHF FM channel at a signaling rate of 1200 or even 9600 baud Speeds of 300 baud can be used on an HF channel but experience over the last 20 years in MARS suggests that this mode be used only when none of the more robust HF modes are available 6 2 1 4 AMTOR Amateur Teletype Over Radio This is the amateur radio implementation of the commercial SITOR mode by G3PLX It uses a 7 level Murray code and actually has two modes Mode A or ARQ Automatic Repeat request uses a short three character burst Errors can be detected at the individual character level This is a connected mode in which the sending station transmits the bursts and receiving station sends or short burst in between sending bursts Mode B or FEC Forward Error Correction is a broadc
167. r of Military Support DOMS 7 6 9 Maintain a complete and accurate station log 7 6 10 Submit Net Participation Reports to the Net Manager and Deputy Net Manager by E Mail 7 7 SESSION TIMES AND FREQUENCIES 7 7 1 The TRANSCON voice net operating hours are from 1300Z through 2300Z Monday through Friday and 1700Z through 2100Z on Saturday and Sunday net control station sessions are all two hour sessions except on Thursdays there is a four hour session 1700 21002 and on Fridays there are two three hour sessions 1500 1800Z 1800 21002 7 7 2 Extended Hours after 23007 and before 13007 are an needed basis during emergency situations such as the Hurricane Season 7 7 3 TRANSCON Net Sessions start at one minute past the hour and end at 59 minutes past the hour for the specific Net Control Session For Example the 1300 1 500Z Session begins at 1 301Z and ends at 14597 the 2100 2300Z Session begins at 21017 and ends at 22597 etc 7 7 4 TRANSCON Voice Nets are used for traffic emergencies and exercises 7 7 5 TRANSCON HF Voice Net Frequencies are shown in the USAF MARS 7 3 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 TRANSCON Operations Guide Frequency Listing that is available from your State MARS Director 7 8 NETWORK OPERATIONS 7 8 1 All TRANSCON Nets will be operated as directed nets under the control of a Net Control Station NCS There will no free nets or free time o
168. re lengthy response and recovery operations they may be needed to update AFNIEC especially when information from normal channels is limited 3 11 LOGISTICS 3 11 1 USAF MARS affiliates will normally operate from their home stations unless situations require deploying to specific operating locations Most USAF MARS stations are not deployable AF MARS stations will never be mandated to deploy Deployment is strictly voluntary and the Military or Government is not liable for injuries or deaths that may occur 3 11 2 USAF MARS affiliates should be equipped and prepared to deploy on a voluntary basis from their normal operating locations and establish communications links and systems required to support organizations and agencies involved in emergency disaster operations if they choose to do so The USAF assumes no responsibility for any injury or death incurred if a station deploys 3 11 3 USAF MARS affiliate stations should be capable of operating on emergency power 3 11 4 Commercial power sources should be used whenever possible in order to conserve batteries and other emergency power sources 3 11 5 USAF MARS affiliates should be capable of integrating their equipment systems and operating procedures with other DOD and Emergency Management and Military agencies This can only be accomplished by participation in Joint Service Exercises 3 11 6 USAF MARS Military Auxiliary Stations and Base Support Teams BST will operate IA
169. red to the addressee The prefix ARL followed by a number denotes an ARRL numbered text message Identifying numbers denoting ARRL texts described in USAF MOD will be transmitted as words spelled out rather than figures For example ARL fifteen or ARL thirty one are sent as ALFA ROMEO LIMA FIFTEEN I SPELL FOXTROT INDIA FOXTROT TANGO ECHO ECHO FIFTEEN OR ALFA ROMEO LIMA 1 14 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures THIRTY I SPELL TANGO HOTEL INDIA ROMEO TANGO YANKEE THIRTY ONE I SPELL OSCAR NOVEMBER ECHO ONE 1 2 5 Phonetic Alphabet When it is necessary to identify any letter of the alphabet the International Telecommunications Union UTC phonetic alphabet will be used Phonetics should not be used when the actual word might be more readily understood example FIGURES two six degrees West might be better than FIGURES two six delta echo golf romeo echo echo sierra INITIALS whisky echo sierra tango 1 2 6 Operating Signals Operating signals Q and Z are not ordinarily used in the MARS circuits They may be used in some digital modes when necessary for brevity and clarification 1 2 7 Punctuation Abbreviations Punctuation abbreviations must not be confused with operating signals In order to assure accuracy written punctuation will be used where it is deemed necessary When used the punctuation will be included in the group count and always be pronounc
170. respective jurisdictions 3 16 1 This plan in its entirety will not be placed on public websites Frequency designators and frequency lists will be removed before posting on public websites Contact the NEC for copies to be posted on websites HARRY L MARSTERS II CMSgt USAF National Emergency Coordinator AFN1EC 9 Attachments ECOM Plan Activation Message After Actions Report Format Essential Elements of Information Format Essential Elements of Information Event Identifiers Essential Elements of Information Routing EMAIL and DIGITAL Addresses Sample Essential Elements of Information Message SITREP sample SITREP Record of Changes 3 16 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 Attachment 1 ECOM PLAN ACTIVATION MESSAGE PRECEDENCE IMMEDIATE FROM YOUR CALLSIGN amp STATE TO AFNIEC ME INFO REC RMD BT ACTUAL EVENT or MARSEX SUBJECT ECOM PLAN ACTIVATION MESSAGE 1 SITUATION Nature of the emergency 2 REQUESTER Name and Title of requester of USAF MARS support 3 LOCATION Affected location or area 4 APPRAISAL Severity of the emergency Estimate of communications needs and circuits to be established 5 COMMUNICATIONS Identify the level of communications support required anticipated Identify the Nets tasked to support this ECOM operation activated include TRANS
171. reware Hamscope Website MARS ALE Shareware G4GUO MARS Dev Team A6 4 4 1 MixW This is a well supported general soundcard software package It supports most soundcard modes including PSK 31 QPSK 31 MFSK 16 MFSK 31 and MT63 Its Slow Scan TV SSTV has an auxiliary function by which the soundcard can be calibrated to an accuracy of 0 1 Hz by tuning to WWV in the SSTV mode It is well worth the 50 shareware price A6 4 4 2 MARS ALE This software package was originally developed by Mr Charles Brain G4GUO as PC ALE to provide ALE functionality in software In conforms to MIL33 STD 188 141A and FED STD 1045A Development was suspended as the author went on to other interests However in 2002 MARS operators began experimenting with PCALE as a means of communicating with military HF stations In 2004 the author turned development of PC ALE to the Army MARS Region 2 ALE team This team continues to develop and expand the program under the title MARS ALE A6 4 4 3 Notes for Macintosh computer users There are at least two programs for non TNC soundcard operation 1 Multimode by Black Cat Systems Commercial http www blackcatsystems com software multimode html 2 CocoaModem by W7AY Freeware http homepage mac com chen 6 28 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Digital Operations Attachment A 6 5 Airmail 2000 Set up Guide for MARS Operations A6 5 1 General Airmail 2000 is a very versatile
172. rrival Hope mother and child are well SIXTY Wishing you the best of everything on SIXTY ONE Wishing you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year SIXTY TWO Greetings and best wishes to you for a pleasant holiday season SIXTY THREE Victory or defeat our best wishes are with you Hope you win SIXTY FOUR Arrived safely at SIXTY FIVE Arriving on Please arrange to meet me there SIXTY SIX DX QSLs are on hand for you at the QSL Bureau Send self addressed envelopes SIXTY SEVEN Your message number undeliverable because of Please advise SIXTY EIGHT Sorry to hear you are ill Best wishes for a speedy recovery SIXTY NINE Welcome to the We are glad to have you with us and hope you will enjoy the fun and fellowship of the organization Section Net Control NCS Training Manual United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training USAF MARS NET CONTROL TRAINING FOREWORD by Guice W Johnson The Region 2 NCS program was developed with the cooperation and input of several members The lack of Net Control procedures was highly noticeable Each night each NCS used a different net procedure This not only was unprofessional but confusing to the net members There had to be a better way Therefore a NCS training program was implemented EDITOR S NOTE Without the dedication and expertise of members like Mr Guice Johnson our entire net structure would not be the superbly fine tu
173. rsor to MARS up to World War II CW communications provided a nominal 25 words per minute wpm speed High speed nets operated up to 40 wpm reliability was determined by operator fatigue 6 1 3 During WWII radio teletype digital communications using the 5 level Baudot code identified as in military terms and later RTTY in the amateur world came into common use This new mode provided 60 and 100 wpm communications speed but did not provide for any error detection or correction Operators learned to correct for garble when the Letters shift or Numbers shift character was missed during transmission Experienced operators could correct single character errors from context and knowledge of single bit errors The use of punched paper tape prior to transmission offered an opportunity to correct typing errors and enhance reliability in message relay 6 1 4 By 1950 the academic engineers had developed communications theory to the point that error correction and detection methods were theoretically possible but were not yet practical An early attempt to put the new theories into practice was the British Piccolo system that used multiple tones and required a bank of mechanically resonant vibrating reeds in the receiver 6 1 5 The development of the microprocessor made the modern amateur digital communications systems technically possible the relaxation of FCC rules that inhibited the use of other than Baudot code in the amateur bands ga
174. s 5 5 2 Have RF output power and antennas capable of phone patch operations Normally a one kilowatt amplifier and a directional antenna are required Mini beams do not qualify 5 5 3 Anon the air phone patch test is required that must result in a quality voice signal with no distortion or hum 5 5 4 Be willing to dedicate time in excess of the minimum MARS activity requirement 5 6 Phone Patch Procedures 5 6 1 General Phone patch network operating hours and frequencies are established with coordination approval through USAF MARS and FHA Changes to times or frequencies will be disseminated through the MARS broadcast and by notifying the affected net Phone patch nets use frequencies that propagate on an international scale Consequently MARS operations on these frequencies must be conducted in a highly professional manner so USAF MARS is reflected upon favorably Because of the long distance nature of the frequencies assigned to the phone patch net communications between stations will vary depending upon the time of day month year and station location Therefore it is not always possible for all stateside stations to be in direct contact with one another Frequent use of relays will be required to coordinate traffic passing on phone patch nets Networks will not change between assigned frequencies for the sole purpose of enhancing contact among stateside stations but will choose the frequency best suited for overseas phone patch opera
175. s and definitely indicates acceptance 2 23 3 Do not show favoritism to any one station or state Direct traffic in an equitable manner Do not unload any one station holding traffic while ignoring another A reasonable number of messages to be directed at any one time are two or three depending on conditions 2 24 ROLL CALL RADIO CHECK Performing a roll call radio check seems to confuse some stations NCS will announce to the net 51 THIS IS ROLL CALL RADIO 2 11 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training CHECK FOLLOWS The NCS will then call each station in turn starting at the top of the log An example follows AFA XX THIS IS OVER You do not need to repeat ROLL CALL RADIO CHECK as this has already been announced The station called will respond THIS IS HAVE YOU LOUD AND CLEAR or whatever the signal is OVER The NCS will respond with I HAVE YOU LOUD AND CLEAR or whatever the signal is OUT No roll calls will be made on one hour nets 2 12 Session 3 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training TRAFFIC NET PROCEDURES 2 25 DIRECTING TRAFFIC The following is a typical example of the procedures that must be followed by the NCS when directing net activities phonetically THIS IS phonetically SEND ONE ROUTINE MEMPHIS TENNESSEE TO AFA RN phonetically OUT The sending station will then call the station receiving the traf
176. signal If a new mode is developed and it meets the 2 8 kHz emission bandwidth limitation Permission to use a new mode in MARS operations can be obtained by submitting a request up the chain of command Usually a test team will be designated to determine the pros and cons of a new system before it is fully accepted into the program The following paragraphs are a brief description of each of digital modes currently in use in USAF MARS along with a summary of their advantages and disadvantages A6 2 1 1 RTTY or Radio Teletype This is the original radio teletype mode using the 5 level Baudot code It is transmitted using either Frequency Shift Keying FSK or Audio Frequency Shift Keying AFSK modulation with a mark space frequency of 2125 2295 Hz and 170 Hz shift The five level code limits this mode to 32 characters but the use of Letters Figures shift allows 61 characters This limits text to uppercase characters numerals and a few punctuation marks There is no error detection or error correction with this mode A6 2 1 2 ASCII The American Standard Code of Information Interchange ASCII is the 8 level code use to represent characters in modern computer It can support the full set of upper and lowercase characters If only 7 of the 8 bits are used for information the 8th bit can be use as a parity bit which can use for error detection However few digital software packages use this feature A6 2 1 3 Packet Radio This mode uses an Amateu
177. state roll call It is NOT necessary to say that you have no traffic That is understood 1 1 5 2 How to check in with traffic all examples shown are after the state roll call has been completed 1 1 5 2 1 THIS IS pause AFBZCK phonetics WINCHESTER TENNESSEE ONE ROUTINE MONTGOMERY ALABAMA TRANSCON AGENT OVER 1 1 5 2 2 THIS IS pause AFF T phonetics ATLANTA GEORGIA ONE ADMINISTRATIVE DISCUSSION WITH AFA PM phonetics OVER 1 1 5 2 3 THIS IS pause AFA MM phonetics ATLANTA GEORGIA ONE INFORMAL WITH AFF T phonetics OVER 1 1 5 2 4 THIS IS Pause AFA UM phonetics CLEVELAND TENNESSEE ONE ROUTINE TRANSCON ONE ROUTINE MIAMI FLORIDA LIAISON NET 2TNF1 BEACON STATION REQUEST TO CLOSE AT 0100 ZULU OVER NOTE The response of NO TRAFFIC is not used when checking into AF MARS NETS An informal or administrative MARS discussion is traffic For example to say THIS IS PAUSE AFF TN phonetics CLEVELAND TENNESSEE NO TRAFFIC ONE INFORMAL WITH AFA JK phonetics OVER is not correct An informal discussion is traffic therefore the expression NO TRAFFIC should not be used 1 1 5 3 How to request to close when already checked into the net THIS IS pause AFA WD phonetics REQUEST TO CLOSE OVER 1 1 5 4 How to request a temporary close THIS IS pause AFA WD phonetics REQUEST TO CLOSE FOR FIGURES WUN ZERO MINUTES OVER United States Air Force MARS Training Man
178. t When in doubt ask someone like your State MARS Director SMD or a region official Remember we are all here to assist you in any way we can There is no such thing as a dumb question The only dumb question is one that is not asked FROM YOUR DIRECTOR AND TRAINING MANAGER United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures AIR FORCE MARS To All new members calls You have been accepted into an elite organization that is tasked with providing emergency communications support for the United States Air Force and all Government Agencies which include the Federal Emergency Management Agency FEMA the Shared Resources SHARES HF radio program and all other agencies of the Department of Defense and U S Government The opportunities offered by MARS for you to serve in public service support are limited only by your willingness to participate in the many programs that make this a unique organization Examples of some of the services offered by MARS follow 1 Dispatch of health morale and welfare traffic to and from military service personnel world wide 2 Disaster communications support for federal state and civilian governmental agencies and other disaster relief organizations when requested 3 Engineering and technical support in all systems to continue state of the art readiness status 4 Management training in local military base support positions Air Force MARS utilizes both voice
179. t another station to go to the hand off for designated traffic When all traffic is complete on the primary net frequency you should send someone down to the hand off and get all stations to return to the primary INFORMAL DISCUSSIONS ARE NOT PERMITTED ON HAND OFF FREQUENCIES 2 32 NCS TRAFFIC LOGS 2 32 1 Every NCS ANCS is responsible for keeping an accurate log recording the net s activities Affiliate members are sensitive to receiving proper credit for their MARS activity and expect accounting measures to be efficient NCS ANCS must use the same log keeping methods to assure time is reported accurately and the information is available for analysis purposes Log sheets from the NCS ANCS will be made available to the Net Manager upon request The net manager will send the NCS condensed report to the Operations Analysis Manager AFF 0 each quarter 2 15 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training 2 32 2 The following is a description of the prescribed method to be used for traffic logs Attached is a sample log sheet is included to be used for duplication Other forms may be used but the information listed below MUST be included on the log 2 32 2 1 HEADING INFORMATION 2 32 2 1 1 NET CONTROL FYMON ALTERNATE NET CONTROL The call signs of these stations assigned to the net are listed They will also list any traffic they may have at their check in time 2 32 2 1 2 NET DESIGNATOR For the traffic n
180. ted States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 NCS Training CONTENTS Page Int Od Ctlon 1 ii Contents e eive o OR evs a i iii Attachments uc e e ID A a AAi iv SESSION ONE INTRODUCTION 2 1 Requirements Of A Good NCS eue Ge ae 2 3 2 2 Selection And Assignment cccesccccsscecsscecssccecessccsesscceenceeeeaees 2 3 2 3 Relationships isis ure D HN REINES IUD SER RES aUe en ceu Rae va 2 3 2 4 UTOR EY dii 2 4 2 5 NCS Duties And Responsibilities ico ioter Rer olere qe 2 4 2 6 Alternate Net Control Stations esee eene 2 4 2h ANCS TIMES 2 4 ee OC NT IR EE 2 4 2 0 Qf Eq ipment 2 5 25105 Prequency 2 5 2 11 Antenna Systems 2 5 2 12 Geographical Location e Se 2 5 2 13 2 5 2 14 NCS 2 5 SESSION TWO CONTROLLING NET OPERATIONS 2 15 Controlled Net Operations 2 8 2 16 Directing Traffic ise Deme toe deve i OR t e 2 8 2 17 Communications 04000 2 0 6 0000000000 2 8 2 15 Pro ed re Infractions c i i aen 2 8 2 19 Roll Call Radio Check stares
181. ted personal computer using an RS 232 serial interface About the 2000 time frame many new personal computers were being sold without the RS 232 serial ports Many manufacturers and operating system developers have dropped support for the RS 232 serial port in favor of the USB or FireWire serial protocols to communicate with external peripheral devices A quick fix for this problem when upgrading to a new computer is to purchase a USB to Serial adapter which creates a virtual COM port in the computer However older software or operating systems may not recognize or be able to use this virtual COM port In this case the MARS member will probably have to upgrade his terminal software to match the upgraded computer and operating system A6 4 3 Requisite Digital Skills The MARS operator through training mentoring and practice needs to acquire the following skills in the use of the digital software of choice as a minimum for successful digital operation Establishing a Packet or ARQ connect Perform ARQ change over and disconnect Perform FEC transmit receive control Load a text file message into a transmit buffer Senda message from a file or buffer Save a received message to a file or buffer Save a receive buffer to a file 6 4 1 TNC or MMC Terminal Software The following Table identifies a number of software packages that are currently in use within the MARS program This list is not all inclusive and does not imply an endorse
182. that have a specific meaning when used as procedural signals The Q signals were developed by early Morse operators Z signals were developed later by military operators Z signals are sometimes modified by the addition of a single numeral after the three letter group Q and Z signals should 6 18 United States Air Force Mar 2006 MARS Training Manual Digital Operations be used sparingly Sometimes it is more efficient and less confusing to type a directive in plain text rather than use a rare Z signal For example an NCS can put a net into freemode by sending 6 1 2 1 DE AFA CZ THE NET IS INFORMAL AR or by sending DE AFAZCZ ZUG ZKD AR ZUG Negative ZKD Obtain permission before transmitting Table 2 contains a list of common Q and Z Signals It is recommended that only those signals listed in Table 2 be used on MARS nets You may not use some of those listed but remember under interoperability you may be handling traffic from another service that does TABLE A6 4 ABBREVIATED LIST OF OPERATING SIGNALS Signal Meaning Signal Meaning ZAX You are causing interference ZBO I have traffic ZDE Message undelivered ZEN Message copy sent by other ZEU Exercise drill msg ZFG This msg is an exact duplicate of ZGN Nothing heard ZKA I am net control msg previously sent ZKB Obtain permission before transmitting ZKD Take net control ZKE I am checking into the net ZKJ C
183. that you normally use for your particular TNC That is your choice As you can see by the example below we have chosen to select the dial frequencies used for the 1 5 kHz offset for the SCS PTC IIe TNC Frequency List designators AFD3MC TPA TPE TPK AFD4MC TPB AFA LK RH AFA HW TPK AFA JS TPF A6 5 2 2 This final section includes some final personal information The call sign is self explanatory and should be the one you are using for your home station The Answerback is basically the PROSIGN DE THIS IS followed again by your call sign Settings Call sign AFA NN Answerback DE AFAZNN Selcall N A Modes PACTOR PACKET Protocol Level 1 Monitoring Enabled 1 6 33 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations Attachment 6 6 Common Digital Abbreviations Acronyms Abbreviation Acronym Definition AARS Army Auxiliary Radio System PCP AR Allied Communications Protocol Automatic Level Control AMT OR Amateur Teletype Over Radio ANCS ith Alternate Net Control Station ARO ethos Automatic Repeat reQuest ARRE due cete te American Radio Relay League 22 Amateur radio version of X 25 packet radio protocol PIE E Automatic Link Establishment ASCIL a sociis American Standard Code for Information Interchange BBS Bulletin Board System Mars Broadcast
184. the transceiver audio input There are audio level considerations that must be addressed In addition it is best to use some form of audio isolation between the sound card and transceiver A sound card may have only two inputs a microphone input and an earphone speaker output Some sound cards have line level inputs and outputs if available the use of these ports is recommended In most cases especially when using microphone inputs on both the transceiver and sound card some form of audio attenuation is required If this attenuation is not provided by an interface device then a simple 40 dB pad consisting of a 100 k ohm and 1 k ohm resistive divider will provide the necessary attenuation and allow the sound card controls to function at mid range A6 3 3 1 Interface devices A6 3 3 1 1 Interface devices for sound card digital modes are offered by a number of manufacturers including West Mountain Radio RigBlaster NoMic Buxcom Rascal and MFJ Enterprises MFJ 1273 1275 1279 Additionally many of the TNC manufacturers are including soundcard interfacing as part of their Multi Mode these devices perform as specified The new digital operator is encouraged to consult experienced MARS operators in their state for more information This is a personal decision and Army MARS cannot make any recommendations as to one manufacturer over another One can also build an interface from parts using designs published in the amateur radio liter
185. time They should also be instructed not to discuss geographical locations 5 7 3 Proword And Abbreviation Usage Only prowords and abbreviations authorized for USAF MARS may be used Those developed in other services systems e g Citizens Band Amateur Radio Relay League ARRL etc and modes such as CW RTTY are not authorized When approved prowords do not exist to express an action function plain English will be used e g answer is acceptable while DNA is not 5 7 4 Time Limit Morale phone patches are normally limited to five minutes Operators may extend this time limit depending on circuit traffic load and or importance of the call Responsibility for enforcing the time limit rests with the initiating station There is no time limit imposed for official calls 5 7 5 Phone Patch Protocol A phone patch usually follows the sequence given below Slight deviations may occur depending on the specific circumstances of the patch 5 7 5 The initiating station will list the patch with the NCS Several patches may be listed at one time to expedite operations 5 7 5 2 When it is the initiating station s turn the NCS will advise the initiator to conduct their patch es with the other station United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Phone Patch Procedures NOTE The NCS will process phone patch traffic on a basis of precedence i e Immediate Priority Routine Messages of the same prece
186. tion or MARSEX and sent to the NEC via EMAIL Send an INFO copy to the RMD and SMD 3 12 3 3 Reports should be submitted in message format IAW attachment 2 3 13 SAFETY 3 13 1 All possible precautions will be taken to prevent accidents or injuries to all MARS affiliates and other persons The Military or Government assumes no liability 3 13 2 Antenna systems and equipment will be installed in such a manner as to minimize physical electrical and RF radiation safety hazards 3 15 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 3 13 3 Safety is the Number One Priority for all MARS Members 3 14 SECURITY 3 14 1 OPSEC During ECOM operations all communications should be on a need to know basis The items listed below are considered Critical Information CI and should be treated as FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY FOUO Units agencies participating in the mission Dates and times of the mission Systems tasked Call signs and frequencies associated with users Security weaknesses Physical security at deployed sites Any VIP itineraries Capabilities of Communications Equipment Operations schedules e After Actions Reports and lessons learned 3 15 DISTRIBUTION 3 15 1 The NEC will distribute this plan to MARS leadership and to HQ USAF MARS via EMAIL distribution 3 16 RMDs and SMDs will ensure this is distributed to all MARS stations within their
187. tion regarding the potential emergency disaster situation ECOM CONDITION 1 An emergency or disaster is imminent take the following action s Suspend all normal operations Activate All ECOM Networks NETS and ECOM Plan s Take final actions to protect family and property Check in to ECOM Nets and monitor Guard closely For Local and Statewide situations check into appropriate Joint Service NETS and be prepared to help as needed ECOM CONDITION 0 ZERO An Emergency or Disaster situation exists take the following action s 3 8 FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY United States Air Force FOR OFFICIAL USE ONLY MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 National ECOM Plan 2006 1 e Same actions as ECOM Condition 1 e Ensure that all available ECOM Nets and systems are in full operation e Provide ECOM assistance to Local and State and Federal Emergency management Agencies as needed 3 10 TASK S Establish and maintain the following communications capabilities as required by the situation 3 10 1 ECOM Net Operations 3 10 1 1 The Net Control Station NCS will activate ECOM Nets and assign an Alternate NCS ANCS to assist with activities Nets will be directed and strict Net procedure will be followed during ECOM operations 3 10 1 2 In the absence of an officially designated or assigned NCS any affiliate member may activate an ECOM Net 3 10 1 2 1 An official NCS may assume control of the net when available AII information and n
188. tions 5 6 2 Checking Into and Out of Nets IAW standard USAF MARS operating procedures checking into or out of a net will be accomplished only when the circuit is free of traffic being passed Use of the proword BREAK is not authorized The station checking in out will call NCS If the NCS does not respond stations already checked into the net will relay the request at the next possible time 5 6 3 Traffic Distribution To the greatest extent possible phone patches will be rotated among stations that are operating on the net Maximum participation by all net members is desired to enhance training and their ability to respond in times of emergency To this end all stations should have equal access in handling the available traffic United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Phone Patch Procedures 5 6 4 Participation Reporting Phone patch net participation will be reported quarterly It is each net member s responsibility to make sure his or her participation time is received by the SNM before the end of the quarter The net manager will consolidate these reports and send them to the respective ROAM Using MARS messages is encouraged to meet the participation reporting requirement 5 7 MARS Phone Patch Procedures The USAF MARS operator on each end of the circuit is responsible for proper operation of the phone patch Specific procedures are as follows 5 7 Calling Methods Most phone patches are made by reversi
189. ts 1 1 3 1 7 3 Failure to report change of address or other information on file 1 1 3 1 7 4 Failure to reply to official correspondence 1 1 3 1 7 5 Resignation 1 1 3 1 7 6 Death 1 1 3 2 Terminated members are required to return AF MARS license and ID to their respective SMD They are also responsible for returning or transferring all equipment that was requisitioned through the MARS program 1 1 3 3 terminations for cause are authenticated and signed by Headquarters AFCA or their designated authority 1 1 3 4 Forms 3661 are NOT used to upgrade or renew MARS licenses notify change of address transfers or any other action that is not specifically indicated for this form The form used for information not suitable for the AF Form 3661 is designated as the MARS Application Form and must be used accordingly 1 1 3 5 All personnel action forms will be distributed to all officials concerned with the action indicated 1 1 3 5 1 The prescribed originating official MUST sign all AF Froms 3661 1 1 4 Voice Procedures MARS voice procedures require the use of the standard International Phonetic Alphabet number enunciation and standard prowords as follows United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures Phonetic Alphabet c Alpha MY AL fa pico qa Dea x c raids BRA vo o o Sac m
190. ttings are sent to the TNC Once properly initialized you will see the Green Connect button 6 31 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations A6 5 1 1 Make sure the correct mode is selected by clicking on the handshake icon for automatic sending and receiving any traffic for your station or the keyboard icon for advanced functions such as reading bulletins 6 5 1 2 Along the top you will see two small windows The first will be a space to select the station call sign of the station you wish to connect with The drop down arrow will allow you to select any of the station call signs that you added earlier during the setup The second drop down window will allow you to see the frequencies used by the selected station Some TNCs with Computer Assisted Tuning CAT control will actually tune your radio to the selected frequency You are now ready to connect A6 5 1 3 As you move your cursor across the Green Light connect button you will notice it change to the Yellow caution or Yield sign to remind you listen for a clear frequency before transmitting If you do not connect with a few seconds click on the Red Stop Sign Within a few seconds your station will send a disconnect command and transmit your call sign 6 5 1 4 If you are using the Handshake mode once connected you station will send or traffic count to the other station You will also receive for any traffic pe
191. ual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures NOTE If the closure is to be longer than 15 minutes close and then reenter the net later Check in as outlined in paragraph 1 5 1 2 or 1 5 1 4 above When requesting a specific closing time it is not necessary to call the NCS when that time arrives and request to close again If you remain past the requested closing time advise the Net Control Station NCS so that you will get credit for the time actually on the net 1 1 5 5 How to return to net after a temporary close THIS IS pause AFA WD phonetics BACK ON FREQUENCY OVER 1 1 5 6 How to request a radio check phonetics THIS IS phonetics RADIO CHECK OVER 1 1 5 7 How to respond to a radio check some examples THIS IS AFA GV phonetics LOUD AND CLEAR OVER THIS IS AFA GV phonetics GOOD READABLE OVER THIS IS WEAK READABLE OVER THIS IS phonetics WEAK READABLE OVER THIS IS AFA GV phonetics WEAK READABLE WITH HEAVY STATIC OVER THIS IS AFA GV phonetics WEAK UNREADABLE OVER How a Station is instructed to send traffic by the NCS AFA TS phonetics THIS IS AFFZT SEND ONE ROUTINE WINCHESTER TENNESSEE ONE ROUTINE MANCHESTER TENNESSEE TO AFB CK phonetics OUT 1 1 5 8 How to respond when traffic is directed to your station 1 1 5 8 1 As the receiving station do not transmit until the sending station invites you to do so In the
192. uipment and will not be covered here More detailed information on frequency adjustment for these modes will be covered in another section of this manual United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Frequency Monitor Procedures 4 3 5 Every attempt should be made by the Chief FYMON to have a FYMON present on all digital nets Section V PHONE PATCH MANUAL OPERATIONS AND PROCEDURES John B McGee 2 National Phone Patch Manager 1 March 2006 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Phone Patch Procedures Contents ey a ace eat Purpose oe ele ares ct 5 1 5 2 General 5 1 5 3 5 5 3 1 USAF MARS 5 3 2 MARS Phone Patch Special Network Manager SNM 5 3 3 Phone Patch Network Stations 5 4 Assignments 5 5 Station Require merits 5 2 5 5 1 Frequency Coverage 5 52 Output Power 5 5 3 Expected Participation 5 6 Phone Patch Procedures eese 5 2 5 6 1 General 5 6 2 Checking Into and Out Of Nets 5 6 3 Traffic Distribution 5 6 4 Participation Reporting 5 7 MARS Phone Patch 5 3 5 7 1 Calling Methods 5 7 2 Called Party Instructions 5 7 3 Proword And Abbreviation Usage 5 7 4 Time Limit 5 7 5 Phone Patch Protocol 5 7 6 Phone Patch Log ictor indie
193. ur signal received it understand and I will comply Since the meaning of is included in that of WILCO the two prowords are NEVER used together WORD AFTER The word of the message to which I have reference is that which follows WORD BEFORE The word of the message to which I have reference is that which proceeds WORD TWICE Transmit each word twice and spell phonetically if necessary Often used during difficult periods of communications due to weather or EME interference 1 9 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual 1 Mar 2006 Voice Procedures 1 1 5 Calling Responding On MARS Traffic Nets Whenever the pause PAUSE is indicated in the following examples unkey the microphone and listen for three or four seconds to ascertain if another station is transmitting This procedure is used to reduce the chance of two or more stations transmitting at the same time 1 1 5 1 How to check in without traffic 1 1 5 1 1 Atnet call or after state call 1 1 5 1 2 THIS IS pause AFA FB phonetics ATLANTA GEORGIA OVER 1 1 5 1 3 During state by state roll call 1 1 5 1 4 THIS IS pause AFA FB phonetics ATLANTA OVER NOTE It is not necessary to give the state when the NCS is calling for check ins by state Use paragraph 1 5 1 2 when checking in after the state by state roll call is completed Use paragraph 1 5 1 4 when checking in on the state by
194. ve amateurs the go ahead to explore these exciting new possibilities Radio teletype demodulators that were used to drive mechanical teleprinters were now connected instead to the new home computers of the 1980 s This was followed by the development of packet radio when radio amateurs in Canada developed a system for transmitting data over radio known as the Vancouver protocol When USA amateurs were permitted to use other than the Baudot code over the air a group known as Tucson Amateur Packet Radio TAPR developed an enhancement of the Vancouver protocol using the international x 25 protocol developed for landline packet switching naming it AX 25 With this development error correcting digital transmission was made available to amateur operators and MARS members 6 1 6 Packet radio required a hardware device know as a Terminal Node Controller TNC or Data Controllers to interface the radio and the user s computer Digital signal processing was carried out in the TNC and soon other digital modes were added to the capability of these 6 1 United States Air Force MARS Training Manual Mar 2006 Digital Operations As new modes such as AMTOR and PACTOR were introduced some manufacturers called their units Multi Mode Controller MMC The generic nickname of TNC is still the most commonly used acronym to describe these interface units AMTOR and PACTOR introduced Forward Error Correction FEC and Automatic Repeat Request ARQ error c
195. ven If more messages to follow the response should be ROGER your number four seven OVER Each relaying station should assign his her message number to each message relayed These numbers should commence at the beginning of each month and end at the end of each month relayed messages should be kept on file for one year 1 21 United States Air Force 1 Mar 2006 1 3 2 Service Messages MARS Training Manual Voice Procedures The most common reason for a service message is when a MARSgram cannot be delivered MARS does not guarantee delivery of any message When a MARSgram cannot be delivered the receiving station must so advise the station that originated the message 1 3 2 1 Required Elements For A Service Message are Precedence Date Time Group From To Groups Text Same as the original message being serviced Always the same and stays with the message until delivered Your complete name street address city state the phonetically said punctuation slant bar your MARS call sign and state If the message is from another MARS member going to another MARS member only the callsign and state need be given Give complete name and address and phone number if available If the message is from another MARS member going to another MARS member only the callsign and state need be given Always send this type message to the originator The preferred method is t

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