01/01/2012 | K6HTN

 Spent 7 hrs ragchewing (19 different contacts, a couple as long as 45 min) last night, with time out for a couple of nets.  Then 3 more hrs this morning.  SKN is great fun.  My hand would never have lasted on a straight key & I knew it.  So I used my GHD bug - after 10 hrs, I think we have made peace with each other & my fist is understandable.

  The best QSO's ...   I just turned on the rig at the beginning, a couple of minutes after 0000Z & tuned to the nearest strong stn - turned out to be K6KPH.  Really wanted their card, so got nervous & started making mistakes of course.  Dove into the pile-up & darned if they didn't answer me on the first try!  Hope I didn't come across as a total idiot.   Great, long conversations with NE7D Rock in OR & storm spotter WB0CNK George in Overland Park KS.   Ran into two fellow traffic handlers K6KQV in Cupertino CA & W7IZ in Clatsk OR, both calls I recognize, but not people I've personally talked to before.  When they found out I was a traffic handler, they picked up the speed considerably. -- K6HTN