SB SPCL @ ARL $ARLX003
ARLX003 Annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test to Be Conducted 
May 10

ZCZC AX03
QST de W1AW  
Special Bulletin 3  ARLX003
From ARRL Headquarters  
Newington CT  May 7, 2008
To all radio amateurs 

SB SPCL ARL ARLX003
ARLX003 Annual Armed Forces Day Crossband Test to Be Conducted 
May 10

The Army, Air Force, Navy, Marine Corps and Coast Guard are
co-sponsoring the annual Military/Amateur Radio Crossband
Communications Test in celebration of the 58th anniversary of Armed
Forces Day (AFD). Although the actual Armed Forces Day is celebrated
on the third Saturday in May -- May 17 in 2008 -- the AFD
Military/Amateur Crossband Communications Test will be conducted on
May 10 to prevent conflict with the Dayton Hamvention, scheduled
for May 16-18.

The annual celebration features traditional military to amateur
crossband communications SSB voice tests and copying the Secretary
of Defense message via digital modes. These tests give Amateur Radio
operators and short wave listeners an opportunity to demonstrate
their individual technical skills and to receive recognition from
the Secretary of Defense and/or the appropriate military radio
station for their proven expertise. QSL cards will be provided to
those stations making contact with the military stations. Special
commemorative certificates will be awarded to anyone who receives
and copies the digital Armed Forces Day message from the Secretary
of Defense.

Military-to-Amateur crossband operations will take place on the
dates and time in UTC on the frequencies listed for each station on
the Army MARS Web site.  Voice contacts will include operations in
single sideband voice (SSB). Some stations, depending on propagation
and manning, may not operate the entire period. Participating
military stations will transmit on selected Military MARS
frequencies and listen for Amateur Radio stations in the Amateur
bands. The military station operator will announce the specific
amateur band frequency being monitored. Duration of each voice
contact should be limited to 1-2 minutes.

The schedules and frequencies of participating military stations are
published on the Army MARS Web site,
http://www.netcom.army.mil/MARS, with the exception of the following
changes and additions:

STATION: AAZ (HQ Army MARS Gateway, Fort Huachuca, Arizona) 
Frequency   Mode        Date/Time 
6988.0 kHz  RTTY        11 May 0110Z 
            PACTOR FEC  11 May 0130Z 
            MT63        11 May 0220Z 
            PSK-31      11 May 0250Z 

14402.0 kHz RTTY        11 May 0110Z 
            PACTOR FEC  11 May 0130Z 
            MT63        11 May 0220Z
            PSK-31      11 May 0250Z

STATION: WAR (Pentagon ARC/MARS Station, Arlington, Virginia)
Frequency   Mode       Date/Time 
6988.0 kHz  RTTY       10 May 1700Z 
            RTTY       10 May 2300Z 
            MT63       10 May 1715Z 
            MT63       10 May 2315Z 

14440.0 kHz PACTOR FEC 10 May 1730Z 
            PACTOR FEC 10 May 2330Z 
            Olivia     10 May 1745Z 
            Olivia     10 May 2345Z

Stations copying the Secretary of Defense message transmitted from
AAZ/WAR should send their entries to Armed Forces Day Celebration,
Commander NETCOM/9th ASC, Attn: NETC-OPE-MA (MARS) (31), Fort
Huachuca, AZ 85613-5000.
NNNN
/EX