01/05/2008 | N2KZ 6pm Monday night: Driving home from work trying to strategize how to squeeze in SKN into the next 24 hours. 7pm: Contest begins and I'm having dinner. 8pm: Dinner over. Family starts to watch movie together. (Very impolite to leave.) 1015 pm: Tuck kids into bed and fall fast asleep. Last thoughts: 'I have to get up early and squeeze some SKN time in! Why do I have to work tomorrow?' 4am: Bolt out of bed and run down to the shack. Heathkit HW-16 on and ready. 80 meters is dead, let's go to 40! Aaah. The sweet music of slow and easy straight keying is heard up and down the band. Lots of RTTY around 7030 and 7040 kcs. I call CQ. Finally, an answer! Barely copying K4IBZ in Florida. It's a start! N4BOT in South Carolina follows. Time is running short. W1AWB heard on 80m with only 15 minutes to go before work. Great QSO! A wonderful way to start a new year. Many thanks, ARRL! See you next year! 73 de N2KZ Karl Zuk -- N2KZ