[Elecraft] SKN.

[WILLIS COOKE]

For everyone's information, the Straight Key Century Club has Straight Key Night every day and night 24 hours per day and 7 days per week all year.  Some of us are Ludites Never get enough Straight Key and Bug operation.  We even have some that like and use side swipers.  Read about us  and our activities at  SKCCgroup.com and join us if you like what you see, we are free and will not ask for money.  If you are new to CW and would like to get better, we will QRS for you and welcome you!
Willis 'Cookie' Cooke,SKCC #4077S K5EWJ & Trustee N5BPS
 

      From: Gary Smith <Gary at ka1j.com>
 To: Elecraft at mailman.qth.net 
 Sent: Saturday, January 2, 2016 9:28 AM
 Subject: Re: [Elecraft] SKN.
   
Though you did get the info you asked and that SKN is over, this info 
may be moot but it's a worthy read. SKN is not a contest though it 
can be looked at that way. Here is the official website and it 
explains it well.

http://www.arrl.org/straight-key-night

On the personal side, I enjoy SKN for several reasons but one main 
reason; it allows me to experience ham radio the way it was before 
digital everything took over our operating stations. Back when people 
made more than a "contest style" 599 TU & back to CQing for their 
next fly by contact. During SKN, people send their station 
information, rig, antenna, key, their name and QTH and the RST is 
real rather than cookie cutter 599 regardless of signal.

It's refreshing to ignore the electronic log that already gives you 
their name & QTH the second you enter their call, and listen to them 
send their town, a comma and then their state. It takes me back to 
the days of my paper log where it was a challenge to remember 
someone's name when you hear their familiar call, where if you wanted 
to know where someone lived to send a QSL, you needed to the look it 
up in the US and international editions of the US Call Book. 
Sometimes DX would send their mailing address and it was a test of 
copy skills to get the unusual street names and town names correctly 
over the QRN & QSB. But when you did it that way, those QSL cards 
meant so much more. As a poor student in Nursing School, I remember 
hand drawing my first QSL cards, artfully, because I couldn't afford 
to pay someone to make them, paper was cheap and pens were plentiful. 
Those original KA1DQG cards were a joy to make and surely were 
appreciated by the recipients. SKN reminds me of those days.

It was a time of more honesty in RST and comments as to poor tone and 
others trying to help you without the eternal LID or UP being always 
sent. QRM is worse today but there always was QRM, even Maxim called 
it Rotten QRM and had his Wouf Hong at the ready to do battle. But I 
wax nostalgic; SKN is a time to experience older times when I think 
Ham Radio was more fun and personal when it comes to the QSO itself. 

You hear some on hand keys today, I suspect the speed demons bypass 
them like the tortoise and the Hare but those with the hand keys are 
still living the joy that made Ham Radio great and a contact more of 
a joy than another minimalist Q in the log. I have my Begali 
Sculpture and use it daily but sometimes I bring out the old Navy 
Key, just because of respect for the old days. 

This SKN I used my K3 at around 40 watts with my father's Navy key he 
brought back from Pearl Harbor when he was there in the 40's. Some of 
the contacts I made were using their tube gear. It's fun to ragchew 
about their old radio that they just dusted off. Truth be told, the 
most fun QSO's I've had in the last year were those SKN QSOs because 
you have to invest your effort to the copy and the conversation is 
much more active and personal, it's Ham Radio today as it was then. 
Consider it an annual Brigadoon of Ham Radio, you just don't have to 
wait 100 years to enjoy it again.

Try to fit it in if you can, next year.

73,
Gary
KA1J 


> I've seen several references to Straight Key Nite being tonight. Guys, I thought SKN was Jan 1st. On the east coast, it's still Dec 31st. SKN should be tomorrow nite. Right?
> 
> Sent from my iPhone
> ...nr4c. bill
>

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