01/06/2007 | WA6ARA I had not been able to participate in SKN for a few years but I was going to make this one. It was terrific! I had a great time, with QSOs on both HF and on the Satellites. It was simple, easy going QSOs, with the bands sounding more like 1970 when I was a novice.

In preparation of SKN I build a SKN spider. This allowed me to connect up to 7 keys in parallel. This way I could move from key to key at will. Sometimes I would hold a complete QSO with a single key, other times I would move from key to key during a QSO. That way all of my keys voices were heard.

My most memorable QSO was on 160 with K7XC. For that one I used my old novice key, which had been passed down to me from my father and uncle. Dad had become a Silent Key in 1999 and my uncle in 2006. My uncle had been a ham before WW2 and my father often operated using his call. This last year I had located a QSL card, with my uncle's call and name but my father's handwriting, of a QSO using CW on 160 in 1940 (dad finally was licensed in '65). Probably about the last time the key had been used 160 until this SKN. 67 years was enough!

On HF worked:K7VM, N7MFB, AA7XP, VE7SL, KH6G, K7NPS, NN7RM, K7XC,W7OD, and W0DEW

On VO52 worked WA4SSP, K6YK, K9CIS and WA8SME

On AO7 worked W2RS

OBTW WA8SME, on VO-52, gets my vote for best fist

73
Mike -- WA6ARA