01/03/2007 | WA7CS Straight Key Night is one of my very favorites - has been for years. This SKN was no different. Conditions were not so bad, considering we're rock-bottom in cycle 23. 40 meters was genuinely crowded for the first few hours, and stayed busy all through the night and into the next day. Even 160 was hopping!

This year, I fired up the Drake B-Line twins - keyed with my Johnson-Viking nickel plated spark key. The key was given to me as a Christmas present in 1970 when my call was WN7QJY. In those days this key cost $8.00. Today a similar key is available from Nye for about $50.00.

Every QSO was memorable, however my feeble brain needed a bit of help remembering details for even a few minutes. The photo shows papers flung every which way with notes and scribbles from each SKN QSO. Code speeds were generally slower than I'm used to, and head-copying was sorta tough. After using a WB9LPU Parkwood Paddle all year, I was suffering from both glass arm AND writer's cramp.

K6YVM aboard the SS Red Oak Victory was using the original WWII Mackay radio console. His signal on 3545kc was music to my ears.

W6WMR, Jim, in Petaluma, CA, was operating with both his right and left fists. He reports glass arm in both hands!

"TR" WB6TMY, a former radiotelegraph operator at Coast Station KPH, had a wealth of stories and anecdotes, as well as a front seat view of real radio history.

Bill, K7QBO, was blasting in at a hundred over S-9. Turns out he is only about three miles away. Even after I QRPed to less than 100 mW, he gave me a 599 plus 40 SKN!

SKN is so popular it even brings out the bootleggers. I worked "Bill" claiming to be in Hailey Idaho, and using the bootleg call K7LFR. My log shows I also worked him in February of 2004 from the same QTH and on the same frequency (7.039). Bootlegger Bill really ought to get a real ticket, since he seems to know what he is doing - not a bad fist either!

73

Carl
FISTS 4561
SKCC 1751 -- WA7CS