STRAIGHT KEY NIGHT

2011

BILL GERTH, W4RK

Twas the Night of the Straight Keys and all through the house . . . . . . . . . . . . 

My XYL of 50 years, Erika, has faded for the evening.  The obligatory photos of the Christmas tree have been snapped before its taking down tomorrow and storage for another year.  As I entered the ham shack and turned on the rig, the air was filled with the music of CW, not the mechanical perfection of electronic keyers, but the imperfect, human-generated music of the straight keys.  The bands were filled with wonderful sounds of the vintage rigs, some with a bit of chirp, but most with clean clear signals.  Each fist was distinctive and a clear signature of its owner.

I turned off all the lights, leaving only the glow of the rig lights and one very small desk lamp to guide my pencil as I copied on a lined pad.  The shack computer, an essential tool for modern contesting, sat mute and dark, a stranger in this return to a time past.  Even the beloved Logikey and iambic paddles were unplugged and set aside on the operating table.  One last sip of red wine before plugging in the Begali Camelback, my favorite straight key, set the warm tone for the adventure to come.

Who would I work first?  Call CQ or look for another ham spirit searching for a return to the past?  In tuning around 7.050 MHz, looking for a clear spot, I came across a nice fist calling CQ SKN.  I couldn't resist and answered him, still limbering up the fingers and getting the feel again for the Begali Camelback.  And so it went for several hours, a nostalgic walk down memory lane to that time 56 years ago when I proudly called CQ for several days as WN4GFV before getting my first QSO.  Even though I can communicate by e-mail around the world in milliseconds, and with modern HDTV I can count individual blades of grass at Yankee Stadium during a baseball game while I am comfortably seated in my living room, the sheer thrill and wonder of communicating as we did in the mid 50s with just a hunk of wire in the trees, a home built rig, and a straight key can not be equaled by any of the modern wizardry.

Truly, the MAGIC is still there!

I was working N6EV as the New Year arrived here in Jeff City.  What a nice way to see in the New Year with a connection to the distant past through a wonderful hobby that has provided enjoyment and excitement for so many years.  Although I was very tired, I just couldn't leave the shack.  Not up to another QSO, I just sat there in the darkness with the rig still providing the dim light and the soft hiss of background noise.  I finished the last of my glass of wine and thought what a great event SKN is.  The only thing missing was the warm glow of vacuum tubes and the unmistakable aroma of hot capacitor wax.  Maybe next year I'll fix that!  A vintage rig would look nice alongside my FT-5000.  Maybe even my old 6V6 rig that I built from "How To Become A Radio Amateur" with its 5U4G power supply and hand-wound coils could be refurbished.  Now if I can just remember which box it's in!  It is now 0130 CST and also past my bedtime.

Merry Straight Key Night to all and to all a good night!

73,

BILL

W4RK

P.S.   Yes Virginia, there is a Santa Claus, and he leaves us with memories that warm our hearts and enrich our lives!