ANNUAL ARMED FORCES DAY CROSSBAND TEST (07-08 May 2021) The Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD) Cross-Band Test, scheduled for May 7-8, 2021. 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 only an exercise scenario, designed to include hobbyist and government radio operators alike. The AFD Cross-Band 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 081500Z - 082359Z 5,330.5 14,438.5 18,211.0 AAC / BARROW ARMY RESERVE CENTER, KY (USB + RTTY) 081300Z - 082300Z 5,346.5 6,968.5 13,963.5 AAN / U.S. NORTHERN COMMAND, CO 081300Z - 082300Z 6,970.5 14,550.5 AAU / HQ US ARMY GARRISON FORT KNOX, KY (USB + RTTY) 081400Z - 081900Z 5,371.5 7,645.0 14,512.5 18,293.0 20,920.0 ABH / SCHOFIELD BARRACKS, HI 081500Z - 082359Z 5,357.0 14,438.5 18,272.0 20,997.0 ADB / CAMP FOSTER, OKINAWA 081500Z - 082359Z 14,487.0 20,994 AAM3D / DISA CYBERSPACE OPERATIONS DIRECTORATE, FT MEADE, MD 071300z – 082100z 5,403.5 7,421.5 13,993.5 18,254.0 ABM4B / HSC, HHBN, 82ND ABN DIV, FORT BRAGG, NC 081100Z - 082300Z 5,371.5 7,431.5 13,910.5 18,281.5 WAR / PENTAGON WASHINGTON, DC (USB + CW + RTTY) 081200Z - 082359Z 4,018 5,357.0 13,963.5 18,211.0 24,760.0 AIR / ANDREWS AFB 081200Z - 082359Z 4,517.0 7,305.0 15,807.0 20,740.0 AFM4NPD / NAVAL SUPPORT ACTIVITY MID-SOUTH MILLINTON, TN 081200Z - 080300Z 4,802.0 7,375.5 15,712.0 AGA2SY / HANCOCK FIELD, NY 081200Z - 082359Z 4,575.0 7,540.0 13,993.0 AGA5SC / SCOTT AFB, IL 081600Z - 082300Z 4,017.0 5,186.0 7,305.0 AGA5SC / TRAVIS AFB, CA 081600Z - 080100Z 4,017.0 7,329.0 13,996.0 14,411.0 MARSRADIO / 081400Z –090100Z 4,557.0 7,460.0 (LSB) 14,606.0 MARSCOMM / 081400Z – 090100Z 4,448.5 6,994.0 (LSB) 14,877.0 NEPM / USS IOWA BB 61 LOS ANGELES, CA (USB + CW) 081450Z - 082359Z 6,903.5 14,463.5 18,293.0 NIIW / USS MIDWAY CV-41 SAN DIEGO, CA (USB) 071800Z - 082359Z 4,013.5 5,371.5 7,493.5 14,383.5 18,293.0 NWVC / LST-325 EVANSVILLE, IN (USB + CW) 081200Z - 090400Z 4,007.0 6,913.0 9988.5 13,974.0 NSS / US NAVAL ACADEMY ANNAPOLIS, MD (USB + CW) 081200Z - 090400Z 4,038.5 5,330.5 7,533.5 9,447.0 14,487.0 17,545.0 NAF/ NEWPORT NAVAL RADIO STATION MUSEUM NEWPORT, RI (USB + CW) 081200Z - 090200Z 4,013.5 7,542.0 14,383.5 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: http://www.n2ckh.com/MARS_ALE_FORUM/MSDMT.html For those who wish to document their contacts with a QSL card, go to http://www.usarmymars.org/events and complete the request form.
Are SHARES stations permitted to make contact on the MARS (non ham radio) frequencies listed. I have my old ax.25 Navy Mars call assigned as my SHARES call sign.
Thanks for the reminder Peter. Would you know if they establish any hierarchy or NTS system this year? I know in 2019 they was some trouble with different regions bumping into each other, and a few big power stations dominating the frequencies.
Questions. I initially thought that the AFD Test was a 24 hours continuous operation, starting at about 0800Z May 7th and ending the next day May 8th at about 0900Z. Well, that turned out to not be true. I found few military stations operating on Friday, May 7th. But quite a bit of operation on Saturday, May 8th. Then about 0200 Z on Saturday they all seemed to disappear. Am I to understand that this was a 48-hour operation? Am I missing something in my understanding of the hours of the operation? Also, I did not hear or see any DXCluster spots from supposed big stations AIR or WAR? I did manage to work the military stations that I could hear. I never did hear the AFD Message From The Secretary of Defense. I heard one military operator 0n 7540 khz state that he was going to send the AFD message on RTTY. But I never heard or saw anything. This sounds to me like this was not a well-run operation. Although station NSS at Annapolis MD was easy to hear and work. 73 de Chuck W3ON
My understanding was that it was basically a 24 +/- hour event. I think they do the best they can, but the 60m Interop (3-10 Apr) and AFD (7-8 May) are usually pretty chaotic and the published information is incomplete at best (I suspect by design). Most of the AFD activity was just outside the amateur bands - some stations were broadcasting on 60m. Stations were easily heard from New England, but frankly without a multi-band panadapter - I'm not sure where you would even begin "hunting-n-pecking". It is just about all volunteer, so like I said - on the organization side I think they're doing what the resources will realistically allow.
Hi Jim. Thanks for your insight. I kinda thought that might be the case. I did a lot of hunt n peck, during the event. I also somewhat watched the dx clusters, where there were some cluster spots. I posted quite a few when I heard them. Locally one of the local club email groups had some information posted as far as spots. I suspect that there were not that many locally operating the event. Anyway, it was fun to some extent. That operate at NSS in Anapolis was very friendly to me and others as he worked the piles. Take Care 73 de Chuck W3ON
So there you are: a green suit grunt who operates military HF gear all day every day. Then along comes your commanding officer who wants you to give up some of your valuable (to you) weekend time to talk to a bunch of amateurs (in both senses of the word). How long would you stay at the station when there's beer to be drank, wives and kids to take out, stuff like that? Not to mention poor conditions, which make it even less inviting... Back when I operated US Army MARS, I probably would have done the cross band test and enjoyed it, but I was not signal corps, just an artillery man in between assignments...
