It is interesting that SKN should come up right now, although SKN 2006 is approaching...I've been cleaning out the shack and going through old issues of QST...I came across December, 1975, the last "small" QST, measuring 6 !/2 inches by 9 1/2 inches...On page 95 in "Operating Events", they mention SKN and the rules...The event was 6 hours long and started at 0100 hours Zulu on December 31....It specifically said "Rules require the use of a straight key"...No amount of revisionist thinking can convince me that a bug is a straight key, and I own a left-handed Lightning Bug myself...I don't operate SKN anymore, but it always used to "bug" me when I heard someone call CQ SKN with a bug...They did not slow down to my speed because they couldn't !!...The idea behind SKN was to send ARRL one's operating results and the name and call of the best fist heard...IMHO, only a straight key can produce a true fist signature, bugs and keyers cannot because they are too automatic and are eith er partially of fully devoid of the human element...I know this is going to fall on me like a ton of bricks, but that's life, isn't it?...Maybe I'll dust off the J-38 on New Year's eve...The K2 is ready, I don't know whether I am or not...
Anybody interested in acquiring some old issues of QST, starting around 1962?...<G>...Don't all yell at once... Jerry, wa2dkg _______________________________________________ Elecraft mailing list Post to: Elecraft@mailman.qth.net You must be a subscriber to post to the list. Subscriber Info (Addr. Change, sub, unsub etc.): http://mailman.qth.net/mailman/listinfo/elecraft Help: http://mailman.qth.net/subscribers.htm Elecraft web page: http://www.elecraft.com
