Each year The W7OS Doc Clifford J Spike Antique Radio Museum of the Radio Club of Tacoma hosts a Straight Key Night New Years Eve Celebration for club members at the W7DK Clubhouse.  The Antique Radio Museum sets up old rigs for CW operators to make some SKN QSOs.

Old ‘Ham Set’ rigs used at W7OS:  Collins 75A4 + Eldico SSB100;  Hammarlund HQ120X + Globe Chief + Heath VF-1;  Heath DX-60 + HG-10 VFO + BC-348;  Collins R-388 + Globe Champion 300A.   11 of 20 QSOs were made using the R-388 + Globe Champ because the operator liked the fact that the power output was 180 watts versus 40 to 60 watts from the other rigs. 

 20 QSOs were made, 11 states worked:  WA, OR, CA, AZ, ND, NJ, MD, PA, MN, CT, FL, VE3 and XE by these Radio Club hams:  KR7W, N7OMS, WB4SPB, AD7AV, KG7HWU, K7MO, KD7SV (first CW QSO), KF7PXB.

 Copy from the QSO sheets that stood out:

 QSO with K6LQ:  “I HAVE TO QRT AS LOBSTER IS DONE”
Most interesting copy:  QSO with K2FW:  "AS SOON AS I HEARD UR SIGNAL I HAD TO CALL TO FIND OUT WHAT XMITTER IT WAS"

 While operating on 20M on Jan 1, the W7OS SKN operator had QSOs with two old EICO transmitter users in a row (VE3PYG and K2FW).  Both were relatively chatty and attracted to the sound of W7OS’s Globe Champion transmitter.  

 47 club members attended the event for pot-luck desserts, Pizza, and the always popular SK BINGO- numbers called using Straight Key and Code Practice Oscillator.  There was also a Straight Key and Code Practice Oscillator Judging Contest.

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