01/02/2008 | WD6DBM SKN keeps getting better and better! 40M was crowded late into the night and I had 16 wonderful QSOs lasting from 20 minutes to 1.5 hours. It was wonderful to hear the warble and drift of other boat anchors on the air, and after I had my HW-16 on for a number of hours the smell of hot vacuum tubes filled the shack and brought me back to my novice days back in 1972 (with a different HW-16).

I heard many great fists on the air this year with many interesting QSOs as I struggled to use a bug for the first time. Besides my stock HW-16 on 40 meters I had my Ten-Tec Scout on 20 meters when 40 wasn't open. I used a 1959 Vibroplex Champion with Vari-speed and my trusty 1967 Speed-X straight key bought for $3.50 brand new with money I had earned myself back then at age 12. Both the HW-16 and the Scout have full QSK and IT WAS GREAT! Why don't more modern rigs have relayless QSK?

I'm looking forward to next year, and to finish restoring my HW-16s to turn those T8 reports into T9. Thank you to all the ops who put up with my choppy sending on the Vibroplex, and thank you all for the fabulous QSOs. CW RULES! -- WD6DBM