01/02/2009 | WB6IYM Another SKN, like another year, come and gone! There was, however, improvement noted over previous years. There seemed to be more station activity and more stations worked than in previous SKN's. At least it seemed so to this operator based on my single band entry for 40-meters.

With 23 stations in the log, we worked a total of 10 states from Pennsylvania to British Columbia to California. 21 QRO contacts and 2 QRP contacts with my brand new MFJ 9340K that I built the day after Christmas.

One of the thrills this event brings is the amount of classic gear and QRP stations you can work in 24 hours. I had stations represented by Manufacturers that long ago closed operations - Hallicrafters, Drake, Collins, Heathkit, and some of the older Ten-Tec series. QRP stations were represented by Heathkit, Ten-Tec, Yaesu, and MFJ (myself included). At one point, I even got an invitation to join an informal QRP group!

I demonstrated to myself that you can use sophisticated gear (IC756proII) or basic gear (MFJ Cub) and still get the job done - even when firmly entrenched at the bottom of the solar cycle! After nearly 38 years in the hobby, it still never fails to amaze me. -- WB6IYM