Kamaksan ASA (Det. M)
Kamaksan ASA is one of the forty-two camps north of Seoul authorized Hardship Duty Pay of $150 per month as of 01 January 2001. The Hardship Duty Pay is paid to troops who are permanently assigned to areas where it is authorized or who serve 30 consecutive days of temporary duty in those areas. Several factors are considered in determining whether a location qualified for the pay: climate, physical and social isolation, sanitation, disease, medical facilities, housing, food, recreational and community facilities, political violence, harassment and crime. The extra pay provides meaningful financial recognition to troops assigned in areas where living conditions are substantially below US standards.
The massive mountain Kamaksan (Hill 355 "Little Gibralter") is immediately south of the Imjin River. Mt. Kamaksan is one of the five most famous mountains in Kyeonggi-do Province, along with Mt.Songaksan in Gaesong, Mt.Hwaaksan in Gapyeong, Mt.Gwanaksan in Gwacheon, and Mt.Unaksan in Pocheon. As it is located just 4km away from the DMZ, Mt.Songaksan in Gaesong North Korea can be seen from the summit of Mt.Gamaksan(675m). Because of its proximity to the Demilitarized Zone, this area had been closed to the public until recently. Although the visiting restrictions have been lifted today, accommodation facilities are not available at all, and cooking in this area is strictly prohibited. Those visitors who struggle to climb the mountain trail are duly rewarded for their efforts, since there are spectacular sights around these mountains, the scenic valley through which Solmacheon Stream runs, and the beautiful Ungye Fall (also known as Piryong Fall). Nearby is Beomryunsa Temple, which dates far back to the Shilla Dynasty and was rebuilt in 1970. There is also the Bittul Tombstone(also called Seolinguibi), which leans to one side.
The FASTBACK system that was replaced in Korea is reflective of the typical legacy mw systems used by the US Army to support worldwide long haul communication requirements. The FASTBACK system (seven individual links) provided a secure reliable means of transmitting bulk data collected along the Demilitarized Zone to command groups located in the southern part of the country. The equipment (i.e., radios and multiplexers) supporting the FASTBACK system had been in operation for over fifteen years, utilizing technology that was over twenty years old. The FASTBACK system consisted of an AN/FRC-162 radio and AN/FCC-97 multiplexer. In the late 1990s it was replaced by a high speed (155 Mbps) SONET digital microwave radio that utilize the digital data multiplexer (DDM)-2000 OC3 multiplexer. The Digital Microwave Upgrade DMU Phase I is a good example of what occurs when the link bandwidth is increased (8 DS1s to 84 DS1s (three 45 Mbps DS3)) with high speed SONET digital microwave and interface requirements to existing older, low speed mw technology. The Yongsan to Madison, Osan to Madison, and Camp Humphreys to Madison FASTBACK links were replaced during Phase I with the Harris MegaStar 2000 SONET radio. The remaining FASTBACK mw links between Madison and Kamaksan, Kangwhado, and Songnam, and Kamaksan and Yawolsan, were replaced during DMU Phase III. In conjunction with the DMU, the digital patch and access systems (DPAS) at Yongsan, Osan, and Camp Humphreys were upgraded to support up to three DS3s each.
