FORT DIX, N.J. - If five soldiers within the Virginia Army National Guard's 1173rd Transportation Company pull off their plan, relatives of soldiers in the company will be able to send e-mail telegrams to their loved ones that will reach them even when they're in the field.

"We wanted to be able to build a communications bridge between the soldiers and the family at no cost to the soldier," said Staff Sgt. Jim Holdeman of Bluemont. He is leading the effort to make the 1173rd a gateway for scrambled ham radio communication in Iraq. Holdeman and his cohorts are participating in the MARS - Military Affiliate Radio System - program, which uses ham radio to get messages and even phone calls to military personnel in other countries. The 1173rd's participation is possible because the company is lucky enough to have several ham radio enthusiasts within its ranks.

"There ain't none of us that hasn't fooled around with radios for a good amount of time," said Sgt. Gary Owens, 39, of Figsboro.

Some of the men involved spent about $1,000 on the equipment they're taking to Iraq. They emphasize that they also received donations from individuals and companies for the project.

Holdeman said if their plan works, the 1173rd will have the most powerful MARS setup among all U.S. forces in Iraq. "We're trying to break history here," he said.

MARS is sponsored by the Department of Defense. There are three MARS programs - Army, Air Force and Navy-Marine Corps - which grew out of the Army Amateur Radio System, created in 1925. Combined, they boast more than 5,000 amateur radio operators, according to the Army MARS Web site.

Holdeman said his group hopes to have the project running 30 days after the company is stationed in Iraq. "It's all spare time," he said. "Our mission comes first."

MARS telegrams are sent by filling out a form on the Virginia MARS Web site, which ham radio operators will transmit.

Ideally, the 1173rd's system will also be able to handle phone calls. According to Holdeman, there's one down side to a MARS telephone call: Each time you finish speaking, "you have to say, 'over.'"

On the Net:

U.S. Army MARS: asc.army.mil/mars/default.html

U.S. Army Virginia MARS: army.vamars.org/

U.S. Air Force MARS: public.afca.af.mil/

U.S. Navy/Marine Corps MARS: navymars.org/