Well, I’m done with another Straight Key Night (SKN). I hate to say it that way, but using a straight really does do a number on my wrist. So, while I enjoy operating SKN, I’m glad it only happens once a year.
This year, I used a Bunnel #9 key, like the one in the photo. It’s an interesting key because the contacts are in the back and the arm comes up to make contact. At first, it sounded kind of scratchy, but an application of contact cleaner fixed it right up.
The first station that I worked was W1HNJ, the club station of the WHNJ Amateur Radio Association. The station is in a “museum at CHATHAMRADIO/WCC, Chatham, Massachusetts. The museum is housed in the former WCC operating building, under the auspices of the Chatham Marconi Maritime Center. At its peak, WCC was the largest ship-to-shore coastal station in the United States, a legend among mariners plying the seven seas.” It was very cool to make contact with them.
I made two contacts last night and three this afternoon. That’s enough for me. I’ve just disconnected the key and returned it to its place of honor on my shelf. Just wait ’til next year, though.
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