Maintenance window scheduled to begin at February 14th 2200 est. until 0400 est. February 15th

(e.g. yourname@email.com)

Forgot Password?

    Defense Visual Information Distribution Service Logo

    Opening the lines of communication

    Opening the lines of communication

    Photo By Spc. Anthony Zane | Spc. David Mayfield, satellite communications operator and maintainer, Company A, 62nd...... read more read more

    COB ADDER, Iraq – Communication is key to the success of any mission. In a deployed environment, where the Internet is not readily available and necessary technological equipment is not as close as the nearest computer store, setting up the lines for communication is vital.

    Members of Company A, 62nd Expeditionary Signal Battalion, from Fort Hood, Texas, are the communication gurus responsible for the installation and maintenance of mission-essential equipment that enables units to communicate efficiently on Contingency Operating Base Adder.

    "Basically, we install and maintain the tactical signal equipment that provides Internet connection that enables units to communicate properly," said Spc. Morgan Smith, network systems operator and maintainer, 62nd ESB, and a native of Rosamond, Calif.

    “There’s a lot going on right now,” said Smith. “Bases are closing down and people are changing locations. There’s a lot of planning and a lot of changes. Everybody has to adapt to them, and our team has been doing a great job adapting to everything that’s going on around us. They’ve been working hard to meet the expectations of the units they are setting up communication for,” he added.

    Installing cables is one of the first tasks the 62nd ESB undertakes in order to prepare communications for units on COB Adder.

    “It would be easier to just take the cables and run them across roads, but we have to have the foresight to realize that they might be damaged that way,” said Spc. David Mayfield, satellite communications operator and maintainer, 62nd ESB, from Troy, Mo. “So we have to take the measures to protect them, and burying them is one of the most effective methods of doing that.”

    Burying the cables has a dual purpose, according to Mayfield.

    “Even though the cables have rubber around them, they do emit some frequencies, and that can create interference with other cables,” said Mayfield. “Burying them not only protects them; it also shields them.”

    The tactical signal equipment on either end of the cables is also at risk to environmental hazards that can affect its proper functioning.

    “Two of the most destructive forces to electronic equipment are dust and cooling,” said Mayfield. “We have a lot of both here. Some measures are taken, but there’s only so much we can do.”

    In an unforgiving desert environment known for its high temperatures and sand storms, keeping equipment clean and cool enough to run properly is a big part of the maintenance portion for the 62nd ESB. In addition, they must constantly monitor their electronic connections.

    “Once we’re up and running, the biggest thing is monitoring,” said Mayfield.

    When something goes wrong with a connection, the 62nd ESB can find out what is wrong through monitoring the connections and taking the steps to find out if the problem is an equipment problem or user error.

    “And that’s where you can actually start to see the importance of our job here,” said Mayfield. “Units can’t do their job if they don’t have communications.”

    According to Sgt. Jon Masropian, network systems operator and maintainer with the 62nd ESB, from Rancho Cucamonga, Calif., the foundation for keeping the communication lines operating smoothly for the units they service on COB Adder is teamwork.

    “I have dependable troops,” said Masropian. “They’re quick at learning, and they know how to work together and run the equipment.”

    It is the team’s work ethics and their ability to work efficiently that has allowed them “to be part of the Army’s last communication group before moving out of Iraq,” said Masropian.

    As the reposture of the U.S. presence in Iraq continues, the members of the 62nd ESB work diligently to keep the lines of communication up and running to the end.

    NEWS INFO

    Date Taken: 09.29.2011
    Date Posted: 09.29.2011 02:57
    Story ID: 77740
    Location: TALLIL, IQ

    Web Views: 182
    Downloads: 0

    PUBLIC DOMAIN