01/02/2007 | W1RO/7 Great SKN!!!! At the opening bell I thought it was Field Day. There were so many signals coming into Las Vegas I thought each tourist brought one with them. It was so crowded it took me 34 minutes to make a contact. The joy of using my Old HW-16 in the crystal control mode was unbelieveable. The transceiver is sitting on top of a WWII CW Operators console from the USS Bunkerhill CV-17. The key mounted in the console is from the USS Mississenwa (A WWII Tanker), it was a Winslow-Electronic J-38. So the neweset thing about the set up was the HW-16 from the 60's or 70's. Later I switched to the IC-706MKIIG for more contacts. It is wired to 3 Straight keys, 3 Vibroplex Bugs and a Knee Key. I only got to use the J-38, the Navy FlameProof and the Nye Master key for SKN. It was a real joy to work CW with some FB operator including the SKCC (Straight Key Century Club) members around the country. ARRL keep up this great event. Jim. ARRL Life Member/SKCC 1379 -- W1RO/7