01/02/2007 | K9VKY Another great SKN has come and gone! As with previous SKN adventures, this one was filled with quality QSOs in lieu of the cookie cutter, hello and good-bye fare so prevalent these days. Meeting some old friends and making some new ones was the order of the day, and the bands seemed heavily populated with others doing the same. Vacuum tube, low power, homebrew, and vintage operations seemed to prevail this year which went well with the 1944 AN/PRC-1 radio set in use here. Though smelling of heated carbon composite, beeswax and mildew, the former OSS spy radio set and its 12 watts soldiered on for the whole SKN without a failure. Life is good!

A tip of the hat to W1AA and W2WSC for their historical nature at the Marconi and Marine Coastal Radio Stations. (W1AA, incidentally, was running a homebrew 6L6 at 2 watts). Tom, W1NSS, brought back a flood of memories with his rhythmic suffix NSS as well. And, finally, Larry, WB0B, sent chills up my spine when he mentioned that his uncle used the very same spy radio set in Belgium during WW2. I kept wondering if there may have been a connection with his uncle and the warm equipment at my finger tips.

Yes, SKN is in the can for this year, but do keep in mind it can be SKN every day. There is nothing to stop the pursuit of quality contacts, and really enjoying those contacts, regardless of whether the keying mode is straight key, bug, or electronic keyer. I'll be out there waiting for you to call, Sparks, and I'll be waiting for the next SKN as well. Cheers! -- K9VKY