01/02/2009 | K8KZB This was my first Straight Key Night and it was also my first time using a straight key. My wife and I decided in the fall that we wanted to get our code speed back up and that we wanted to start using cw more. Our new years resolution for ham radio for 2009 is get our code speed up and make at least three cw qso's per week.

Back to SKN 2009, Anyway I spent the early part of the day getting my wife's straight key set up for my Drake TR-4C. After the key was set up, I listened around on 7.055 and copied a qso from a couple of SKCC members. So I looked up SKCC on the internet and sent in a request for a number. I still had about an hour before SKN started and had to go upstairs to help my wife get ready for our new years card party. My son was going to fill in for me around 00:30 utc so that I could get a qso in.

The card party started and I felt like the minutes dragged on waiting for the time to make my QSO. Dylan came over and I ran down the stairs to my shack where I already had the Drake warmed up. My hand shaked as I sent out my CQ and got ready to copy, then through the noise I heard K8KZB K8KZB de K8MEG K8MEG K. I answered back K8MEG de K8KZB first time on Straight Key, all the while I was thinking to myself this call sounds familiar. Well during our QSO I found that my first SKN QSO was to a member of our local radio club. Rich is an avid CW operator and he really helped me get over being nervous. We had a wonderfull chat.

After the QSO I went up stairs to tell everyone all about how my 40m QSO was to a club member no more than 20 miles away and they could not beleive that out of all the people on the air I found a good friend from our club to talk to.

I look forward to the first of each and every month.....

73,
Jeff K8KZB (SKCC #5053) -- K8KZB