DOD MARS – Armed Forces Day Crossband Event

All amateur radio operators are invited to participate in the annual DOD
MARS – Armed Forces Day cross band radio communications event on May 9,
2026.

The Department of Defense will host this year’s Armed Forces Day (AFD)
Crossband Test, scheduled for May 9, 2026. 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
communication 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.

Information can be found at the following link:

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