Straight Key night 2017 -- KD2KEH, Ken Knox, Buffalo, NY

I’m a new Ham – licensed in January 2016. Well, I’m sort of a new ham. I was a Novice Ham in 1972 for a little while.  You remember - one single tube, crystal, home brew transmitter with a Heathkit receiver.  I didn’t upgrade to Tech within a year so I lost my privileges. I didn’t have an Elmer – there was no internet. Those were different times.

I retired in late 2015 and getting my Ham Radio license back was my goal – I achieved that goal. My first SSB phone QSO was April 2016. I did that pretty well but during the terrible propagation in 2016, there were days when I didn’t make any phone QSOs.  I tried, but there was  terrible propagation. Then I tried BPSK-31 and made my first QSO in September 2016. Each time I did something new in this new hobby, there was some amount of anxiety involved.

My goal was to have my first CW contact on ARRL Rookie Round-up on December 18, 2016.  I set that goal in April 2016 when I got my HF rig. I did all the things that Elmers everywhere say to do; I did free CW training on-line and I tried downloading programs… I just wasn’t getting CW.  I did about 15 minutes of CW a day for 6 months, but I was only getting MOST of the letters. I know I did this as a teenager, but teenage minds are different from senior adult minds. I still didn’t know what I didn’t know. Knowing CW was part of it, using CW out on-the-air is something else.

So I paid good money and bought a CW course and adhered to the daily training goals set by the developer. I was 9 days into the 30-day program when Rookie Round-up day came.  I was more than anxious but I made one CW QSO – ONE QSO! And was proud of it. That Ham with whom I had my QSO was quite patient and I got most of the message. It wasn’t pretty but I did it. Goal #1 achieved.  Straight Key Night (SKN) would be a good market for further improved performance.

I continued to study the CW program. I thought I had brain-lock. Some days, 9 words a minute were easy; some days 7 WPM seemed impossible. Cheat sheets didn’t help; I couldn’t look at a cheat sheet fast enough for it to matter. How was I going to do Straight Key Night with a lot of experienced Hams when I couldn’t consistently copy code?

I noted the low pressure nature of the SKN event.  I listened and listened… just like my Elmer said… “Listen, first!” I sent out my CQ… nothing. Again, again… same result. I hunted and pounced; still no responses. CQ, CQ, CQ de KD2KEH QRS pse K. I turned off CW mode to listen and BAM! There was a station there (not there when I started keying) – I guess I walked on someone. I changed frequency… and wanted to change my call-sign for doing that!

Then, several more times, I sent out my CQ and got no response.  I don’t know why but I widened my notch filter and WHAM!! There was a signal right there! (I was one of those QRM stations and didn’t even know it). I had a wide filter setting but not wide enough.

Once I made my first SKN QSO, I was on a roll. There are some very patient, experienced Hams out there so when my QRS went out, those guys really did slow down.  Sometimes I had a solid copy, sometimes I got 75% of the copy but I got the ideas in the message. Goal #2 achieved.

I’m not the fastest to pick up CW, but I made a plan, changed my plan along the way, then totally modified the plan to get to my goal. Perhaps it’s too early to declare success – maybe I’m at 8 words per minute; maybe I’m at 9 WPM. I’m not at my ultimate goal but Straight Key Night reassured me of the good-naturedness of my fellow Hams that can welcome a new Ham to CW. I think I can do this! 73

KD2KEH – Ken Knox, Buffalo, NY used a J-38 key through a Kenwood TS-2000 at 50 Watts on SKN 2017 through a G5RV Jr inverted V with the apex at 30 feet. He made 3 QSOs each of about 30 minutes.