The AM Forum

Tonight is straight key night.  Click below.

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From http://www.arrl.org/contests/rules/2005/skn.html

Let's journey back to years gone by when an aspiring young amateur was being coaxed by his Elmer to "go ahead, put your hand on the key and try sending a few letters." As the youngster gathered his courage, he gets the feel of the key. "You don't literally have to 'pound' brass to send code" the Elmer admonishes after the death grip the kid has on the keyer nearly forces it through the desktop. "Relax, take it easy. You know the letters in your mind. Now, let your fist transfer the characters to the key."

With a little practice the kid is finally ready to try a QSO on the air, under the watchful tutelage of the faithful Elmer. With a "cheat sheet" in hand -- the text of what the young operator will send carefully written out -- the painfully slow first letters -- "C" "Q" are transmitted. The side tone of the radio mesmerizes the new operator as he realizes "WOW... I just sent my first CQ...." And the kid was hooked...

We tap the code out in our licensing classes as we learn "dits and dahs." While sitting in traffic, we translate the words on billboards or the letters on license plates into Morse. The short and long sounds become easy to distinguish at slower speeds, with some practice. As we gain some confidence in our skill to copy, we speed up. And the music of the key becomes our anthem. We tune across the bottom 50 KHz or so of any of our HF bands. Like the rhythmic cadence of drums in the distance, the almost ominous sound of a weak CW signal beckons those that love "the code".

In this era of digital communication, keyboarding, FM and electronic keys, once a year many excellent operators bring the past to the present and participate in the annual ARRL Straight Key Night. The object of this friendly event is to enjoy some good, old fashioned QSO fun, using straight keys. The emphasis is on rag-chewing rather than fast contest-type exchanges. SKN 2005 begins at 7:00 p.m. EST December 31 and runs for 24 hours through 7:00 p.m. EST January 1 (0000 --2400 UTC January 1, 2005).

In many circles SKN has been expanded to encompass vintage radio equipment as well. Reminiscing about their early days in our hobby, many operators use SKN as the "excuse" to refurbish their old Viking, Heathkit, or Scout. You will hear as many vintage radios on the air during SKN as you will variety of keys. And you will hear signals generated using old-fashioned bugs, a variation of the straight key. SKN is the time amateur radio recalls the past, transporting it to the present.

When participating in SKN 2005, instead of sending RST before sending the signal report send the letters SKN, to indicate your participation, and to clue in passers-by who may be listening that SKN is going strong. After SKN, send the Contest Branch a list of stations worked, plus your vote for the best fist you heard (it doesn't have to be one you worked). Also, include your vote for the most interesting QSO you had or monitored.

Don't forget to post your comments and interesting photographs from your SKN adventure to the ARRL Contest Online Soapbox at www.arrl.org/contests/soapbox Entries should be emailed to the Contest Branch at StraightKey@arrl.org or may be sent via regular mail to SKN, ARRL, 225 Main St, Newington, CT 06111. The Soapbox becomes an on-line album of stores and photographs to share with others.

Entries for SKN 2005 must be received by January 31, 2005. Votes for 'Best Fist' and "Most Interesting QSO" will be tabulated and included in the April 2005 issue of QST. If you have questions about SKN, please visit the Contest Branch Web Page at http://www.arrl.org/contests or contact contests@arrl.org

Last year we had 227 entries submitted for SKN -- the most ever for Straight Key Night. Why not dust off the key, clean the contacts and light up the ether with the beautiful melody of hand-created CW? Sweeter music is hard to find.

Thanks for sharing that Bruce.  It brought back memories.

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I can't claim credit for it, it came from the League website.
I neglected to give mention of that.

You might be interested to know that yesterday Larry and I managed to get W2UJR's TX fired up and on H/M Night.
See my posting in this section for details, photos on my site, URL given in posting.

73 and best for the New Year,
Scrouge W1UJR

I guess tonight would be a good night to fire up the HW-16. That hasn't been on the air for a while. Now if I can only find someone to send slow enough until the characters have punched all the cobwebs out of my head.....

Today was trash day so I was up at 7:00 my eyes still hurt from last night.
The house reaks the smell of the onions I used to make a batch of sauce
for tonight.
Might be red stuff and fight to make it to 12:00 for me

How about 'Straight Mic Night'? Break out those D-104s!

I was just on 3710 pounding my straight key, with my Kenwood TS-850 driving my Heath SB-200 @ 700 watts carrier out.  Very convenient for cw.  I worked a guy in Baltimore who was running a Knight kit @ 30 watts.  He gave me 599, but he put me to shame.  So I have now fired up one of my mighty ELMACS at 40 watts out paired up with my 75A-2.  I don't feel so ashamed now.  CUL.

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Hey Bruce, W1UJR

Great on Dick's 160 M rig.  Sorry I missed it last night, but we'll have to make a sked on 160 so I can work you with it.  I'll used the same station I used the last time I worked Dick:  BC-610E and 51J-3.

Do you or anybody else happen to know if there is any preferred freq tonite to operate SKN?  I heard a few guys talking about 3700ish.  The high speed boys operate down lower, but around 3700 one gets tangled up with the VEs on phone--yes, including AM.

CUL,
H

Having friends over this evening to ring in the New Year, but I'll see if I can sneak in a contact or two. I'll definitely be on tomorrow, mostly on 40 meters. I'll be using the Millen, since I use it so rarely on CW, instead of my replica 1929 TNT. Of course I will be using the very elegant Vibroplex straight key, the best straight key I've ever owned!  I think this will be my first SKN participation in almost 20 years. I look forward to working you guys. As for frequencies, look for me around 3540-3570 kHz, 7040-7065 kHz, and (if the Millen behaves) 14040-14065 kHz.

I've been pounding on my Lionel J-38 (yes, Lionel), and rag chewing on cw.  I'm not used to that any more.  Reminded me of 51 years ago YESTERDAY, when I made my first cw contact as a novice.  I worked KN2ISR.  I wonder what ever happened to him.  Anyhow, I was getting 599s with the mighty Elmac on 80 and 40.  The old 40 meter extended double zepp must be workin'.  It was kinda fun, but now I'm tired.  It's easier to pound on the D-104  ;D

Reminds me of a song.

http://www.amwindow.org/misc/av/dxlogbook.mp3

Heard The famous 1929 self rectifing Hartley.  Very east to locate on the band !

BUUUUZZ  BUZ BUZ      BUZ       BUZ BUUUZZ  BUUUZZ            BUZ BUZ   BUUUZZ  BUUUZZ BUUUZZ             BUUUZZ  BUUUZZ   


I tried that trick a couple of years ago and got a QSL card from an OO in N. Carolina.

I did not even try to fight that one!

Lot of GOOD cw heard no paper was needed to copy. Just closed my eyes and listened. :)

straight something else night

Joe said:
You should have replied and congratulated him for such an astute observation. :D

Didn't go full throttle for SKN, so I ended up making only seven QSOs. Four of those were on 20 meters as the Millen decided to behave itself on that band. My last contact was the only one I had on 80 meters, made in the last eight minutes of the event. The station was W9VC running a homebrew rig cranking out a mighty 1 watt! Pretty brave considering all the QRN and QRM on the band at that time. Lots of fun, and nice to give the Millen a break from AM and run it on CW for a change.  ;)