Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club – Since 1948 – Winchester, Virginia 

  73rd Annual BERRYVILLE HAMFEST and ARRL Virginia State Convention were great!
Update and pictures. See you next year August 3!

W4RKC Shenandoah Valley Amateur Radio Club Winchester, Virginia

DOD MARS Armed Forces Cross Band Test – May 11, 2024

Apr 12, 2024

The United States Department of Defense is set to host the Armed Forces Day Crossband Test on May 11, 2024. This event, a longstanding tradition of over 50 years, invites all licensed amateur radio operators to participate. The exercise involves testing two-way communications between military and amateur radio stations, specifically tailored to enhance technical skills and interoperability without affecting any other public or private communications. During the test, military stations will use certain military frequencies and monitor designated amateur radio frequencies, all communicated in ZULU time and mainly using the Upper Side Band mode. The frequencies selected for this exercise are carefully chosen to ensure they do not interfere with other communications.

Find more information and frequencies here:

https://www.dodmars.org/mars-comex-information-website/armed-forces-day

ARRL Advocacy Win: FCC Approves Request for Pearl Harbor Day Crossband Operations

Dec 5, 2023

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® sought a waiver on behalf of the activators, and the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) has granted it. The waiver allows amateur radio operators to participate in a special event commemorating the 82nd annual National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day.

 

The Battleship Iowa Amateur Radio Association (BIARA), with authority from the US Navy and Southwest Marine Corps Spectrum Office, will honor the sailors and ships previously homeported in San Pedro, California, who were attacked on December 7, 1941. There will be special crossband activations of NEPM, Battleship Iowa’s original call sign, on December 6, 7, 8, and 9, 2023.

 

Using the call sign NEPM, the club will transmit on assigned military frequencies and listen for calls from the amateur radio community on their adjacent bands. NEPM will transmit on 14.375, 18.170, and/or 21.856 MHz on J3E/USB and/or A1A/CW. The club operator will tell participating hams where BIARA will be listening, which will be 10 KHz below the top of each adjacent band when working J3E/USB, or 10 KHz above the bottom of each adjacent band when working A1A/CW. Amateur participants are reminded not to transmit on the NEPM military frequencies. Operations on all 4 days are expected to be from 0700 to 1600 PST (1500 to 2400 UTC).

 

The FCC stated the grant of the waiver meets the second prong of the waiver standard in section 1.925(b)(3)(ii) in that the event presents a unique opportunity for the amateur and military communities to practice communication skills under the guidance of military officials, which may be useful in the future and serves the public interest.

 

In addition to the skills gained by amateur operators participating in the test, National Pearl Harbor Remembrance Day has historical significance. It emphasizes the importance of reliable communications and the need to be vigilant in national defense. 

 

If amateur radio operators who wish to participate are licensed in a country outside the US, BIARA advises to check the terms and conditions that govern their respective licenses.

 

QSL procedures can be found at https://biara.org. 

For specific questions before the operation, email w6hb@biara.org.

Saturday May 13 – Annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test

Apr 26, 2023

Cross Posted from ARRL.org

The US Department of Defense (DoD) will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test on May 13, 2023. This annual event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators and will not impact any public or private communications. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this event.

The AFD Crossband Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise scenario.

Military stations will transmit on selected frequencies and will announce the specific ARS frequencies monitored. All of the times are Zulu (Z), and all frequencies are Upper Side Band (USB) unless otherwise noted. The frequencies used for the test will not stray outside the confines of the exercise.

A complete list of frequencies, time periods, QSL cards, and other information can be found at DoD MARS – Armed Forces Day.

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If you currently do not have a HF [High-Frequency] Radio, you can use a SDR [Software Defined Radio] based on the web to listen. http://websdr.org/

Annual Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Exercise Set for May 14

May 13, 2022

Reposted from ARRL.org 

The US Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Cross-Band Test on Saturday, May 14. While Armed Forces Day is May 21, the AFD cross-band military-amateur radio event traditionally takes place 1 week earlier to avoid any conflict with the Dayton Hamvention®. The event is open to all radio amateurs.

The AFD Cross-Band Test is two-way communications exercise between military and amateur radio stations, as authorized under FCC Part 97 rules (47 CFR § 97.111), and Department of Defense Instruction 4650.02 which establishes the Military Auxiliary Radio System (MARS). During the exercise, radio amateurs listen for stations on military operating frequencies and transmit on frequencies in adjacent amateur bands.

ARRL  The National Association for Amateur Radio® has promoted the participation of military and amateur radio stations in the AFD event for more than 50 years. In the August 1950 issue of ARRL’s membership journal, QST, it was noted that “232 persons made perfect copy of the ‘Greeting to Amateurs’ broadcast at 25 w.p.m. over 13 military frequencies and have received a Certificate of Merit signed by the Secretary of Defense, the Honorable Louis Johnson.”

There are 24 military stations registered across the United States, including Alaska and Hawaii, that will be participating in the 2022 event. Several of those stations will be using the 60-meter interoperative channels during this exercise. All operations will be on a not-to-interfere basis, in case there are real-world missions being supported during the event timeframe.

An AFD Secretary of Defense message will also be sent in CW and RTTY, and an AFD message will also be transmitted utilizing the Military Standard (MIL-STD) serial PSK waveform (M110), followed by MIL-STD Wide Shift FSK (850 Hz RTTY), as described in MIL-STD 188-110A/B.

A detailed list of modes and frequencies for military/government stations taking part in the Armed Forces Day Cross-Band Test and information on the AFD message is available at www.dodmars.org. In the upper right corner is a dropdown with all the information.

Complete the request form to obtain a QSL card at www.usarmymars.org/armed-forces-day-qsl-card-request.

From DODMars.org PDF Version of the information below.

Frequencies: 

ANNUAL ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST (14 May 2022)

The Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Crossband Test, scheduled for May 14, 2022. This annual event is open to all licensed amateur radio operators and will not impact any public or private communications. For more than 50 years, military and amateur stations have taken part in this event, which is an interoperability exercise between hobbyist and government radio stations.

The AFD Crossband Test is a unique opportunity to test two-way communications between military communicators and radio stations in the Amateur Radio Service (ARS), as authorized in 47 CFR 97.111. These tests provide opportunities and challenges for radio operators to demonstrate individual technical skills in a tightly controlled exercise scenario that does not impact any public or private communications. Military stations will transmit on selected military frequencies and will announce the specific ARS frequencies monitored. All times are ZULU (Z), and all frequencies are Upper Side Band (USB) unless otherwise noted. The frequencies used for the test will not impact any public or private communications and will not stray outside the
confines of the exercise.

The following stations will be making two-way radiotelephone contacts with stations in the ARS between the time periods listed on the frequencies listed in Kilohertz below.

AAZ / FT HUACHUCA, AZ
1500Z – 2359Z 5,330.5 kHz USB 14,579.0 kHz USB 18,211.0 kHz USB

AAC / BARROW ARMY RESERVE CENTER, KY (USB + RTTY)
1100Z – 2259Z 5,346.5 kHz USB 6,968.5 kHz USB 13,963.5 kHz USB

AAN / U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND, CO
1300Z – 1800Z 5,357.0 kHz USB 6,970.5 kHz USB 14,550.5 kHz USB

AAU / HQ US ARMY GARRISON FORT KNOX, KY (USB + RTTY)
1400Z – 1800Z 5,346.5 kHz US 7,493.5 kHz USB 14,441.5 kHz USB 18,281.5 kHz USB

ABH / SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI
1900Z – 0200Z 14,512.5 kHz USB 18,254.0 kHz USB 20,997.0 kHz USB

ADB / CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA
1500Z – 2400Z 14,487.0 kHz USB 20,994.0 kHz USB

AGA0WJ / NAS WHIDBEY ISLAND, WA
1500Z – 2400Z 5,346.5 kHz USB 6,897.5 kHz USB 13,538.5 kHz USB

AFM4NPD / NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY MID-SOUTH, MILLINGTON, TN
1200Z – 2000Z 4,575.0 kHz USB 7,540.0 kHz USB 15,807.0 kHz USB 20,740.0 kHz UBS

AAM3D / DISA CYBERSPACE OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE, FT MEADE, MD
1300Z – 2000Z 5,403.5 kHz USB 13,509.0 kHz USB 18,272.5 kHz USB

WAR / PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC (USB + CW + RTTY)
1200Z – 2400Z 5,357.0 kHz USB 7,357.0 kHz USB 13,910.5 kHz USB 20,920.0 kHz USB

AIR / ANDREWS AFB
1200Z – 2359Z 4,517.0 kHz USB 7,305.0 kHz USB 15,807.0 kHz USB 20,740.0 kHz USB

AGA2SY / HANCOCK FIELD, NY
1200Z – 2359Z 4,575.0 kHz USB 7,540.0 kHz USB 13,993.0 kHz USB

AGA5SC / SCOTT AFB, IL
1600Z – 2300Z 7,305.0 kHz U 7,915.0 kHz USB 14,832.0 kHz USB 27,736.0 kHz USB

AGA5TR / TRAVIS AFB, CA
1600Z – 2359MARSZ 4,017.0 kHz USB 7,329.0 kHz USB 13,996.0 kHz USB 14,411.0 kHz USB

MARSRADIO /
1400Z –0100Z 4,557.0 kHz USB 7,460.0 kHz USB 14,606.0 kHz USB

MARSCOMM /
1400Z – 0100Z 4,448.5 kHz USB 6,994.5.0 kHz USB 14,877.0 kHz USB

NWKJ / USS YORKTOWN PATRIOTS POINT, SC
1300Z – 2200Z 4,027.0 kHz USB 7,360.0 kHz USB 14,438.5 kHz USB

NEPM / USS IOWA BB 61 LOS ANGELES, CA (USB + CW)
1400Z – 2359Z 4,018.0 kHz USB 5,371.5 kHz USB 7,360.0 kHz USB 13,506.5 kHz USB
18,639 kHz USB 20,518.5 kHz USB

NIIW / USS MIDWAY CV-41 SAN DIEGO, CA (USB + CW + RTTY)
0000Z – 0600Z & 1401Z -2359Z 4,003.5 kHz USB 5,403.5 kHz USB 7,357.0 kHz USB
14,383.5 kHz USB 18,293.0 kHz USB

NWVC / LST-325 EVANSVILLE, IN (USB + CW)
1200Z – 0300Z 3,325.0 kHz USB 6,913.0 kHz USB 9,988.5 kHz USB 13,974.0 kHz USB

NSS / US NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAPOLIS, MD (USB + CW)
1300Z – 0200Z 4,038.5 kHz USB 5,330.5 kHz USB 7,533.5 kHz USB 9,947.0 kHz USB 14,487.0 kHz USB

NAF / NEWPORT NAVAL RADIO STATION MUSEUM NEWPORT, RI (USB + CW)
1300Z – 2300Z 7,498.5 kHz USB 14,463.5 kHz USB

NMC1/ US COAST GUARD BASE ALAMEDA, CA
1700Z – 2359Z 7,351.5 kHz USB 14,459.5 kHz USB

SCHOOLHOUSE/ SAVANNAH CYBER TRAINING CENTER SAVANNAH, GA
1200Z – 1900Z 5,371.5 kHz USB 7,431.5 kHz USB 13,528.5 kHz USB

An AFD message will be transmitted utilizing the Military Standard (MIL-STD) Serial PSK waveform

(M110) followed by MIL-STD Wide Shift FSK (850 Hz RTTY) as described in MIL-STD 188-110A/B.

Technical information regarding these waveforms is provided at:
https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1pYDj7kQbm-QAyY4RPtx0dOXKohjaEjq9?usp=sharing

The AFD Sec Def Message will also be sent in Continuous Wave (CW) mode and Radio Teletype (RRTY) at 1400Z and 2000Z on the frequency designated below.

AAZ: MILSTD110 14,579.0 kHz USB
AAU: MILSTD110 14,441.5 kHz USB
AAC: MILSTD110/RTTY 13,963.5 kHz USB
AGA0WJ: MILSTD110 13,538.5 kHz USB
ADB: MILSTD110 20,994.0 kHz USB
WAR: MILSTD110/RTTY/CW 13,910.5 kHz USB
AAM3D: MILSTD110 13,509.0 kHz USB
NEPM: RTTY 13,506.5 kHz USB
NWVC: CW 13,974.0 kHz USB
NIIW: MILSTD110/RTTY/CW 14,383.5 kHz USB

For those who wish to document their contacts with a QSL card, go to https://www.usarmymars.org/events and
complete the request form.