While 2016 marks my 50th year as a ham radio operator, this was only my fifth SKN with my first SKN being in 2011.  But using old gear and knowing many others are also brings back memories of 1966 when I started as a novice WN9STI at age 13 in Chicago.

I was key down at 0033Z making the first of three 40 meter contacts in California, two of which were with only 1 watt from a Heathkit HW-8.  But I kicked in my Skipper amplifier for a boost to 30 watts to work a station in Northern CA and turned to 20 meters to work Jack WB8FSV in Ohio.  Like the old days, I was delighted to get Jack’s QSL card in the mail and send him one in return.

However I only made these four QSOs in one hour in Zulu time before the actual midnight and January 1st here on the West Coast.   This was because I had to get ready to head out the morning of the 1st to activate a NPOTA and SOTA in the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area.   See my entry for the NPOTA Soapbox for the rest of the story. 

Until SKN 2017, 73 de Scott, Los Angeles