01/02/2007 | K1Y/4 AND K4VD This SKN was special for me because it was the first time working as a Straight Key Century Club member. I've spent the last year as an SKCC member getting plenty of practice on the air and meeting many fine CQ operators. When SKN finally arrived, it was as if the bands just lit up with music.

I spent my last QSO of 2006 and first of 2007 with Carol K4SAR and Jim W1PID, a special treat because Carol and Jim are also SKCC members. I ran Special Event Station K1Y/4 celebrating the first anniversary of SKCC for the first four hours where contacts were plentiful but fairly short.

After handing over K1Y and going back to K4VD things settled into a nice flow of ragchew QSOs. I met up with a few old buddies I've not heard from in a while, Marion WK4X, Greg WB2PPQ, Walt YV1/W5ALT and Bill W4DFP just to name a few. I also met plenty of new friends and not surprisingly a bunch of SKCC members having a blast during SKN.

Jim W3SAL got my vote for best fist. He says he is not on the air much anymore but he is a Navy-trained CW operator and it showed through. Jim's handkey sending was like music. My best and final QSO of SKN 2007 was with John W2ESX. John was running Drake C twins into a homebrew vertical. We swapped between straight keys and bugs and had fun talking about some key history. I asked John what bug he was using. He had no idea, just that he has had it for 60 years. It is all about CW.

My thanks to the Straight Key Century Club, FISTS and the numerous QRP clubs out there for keeping CW traditions alive. 2006 was truly the year of CW for me and 2007 promises to be even better. -- K4VD