Straight Key Night - without the key?

[N8YX]

When New Year's Eve roll around each year, one of ham radio's most time-honored traditions once again takes the spotlight: Straight Key Night. A leisurely rag chew with old friends and new, courtesy of the trust hand pump or a variant thereof. A fun time is had by all...

...except for those who cannot stand to work CW. For reasons that are uniquely their own, many people dislike using the mode.

What can replace it?

Could a similar 'phone gathering be orchestrated? A 12/31-PSK-31 round table? Echolinking to one centralized repeater, so all the revelers with HTs who are out and about can enjoy the fun...?

[KG4CGC]

Interesting idea.

[KC2UGV]

If you try EchoLink, you'll get lambasted like the WorldWide DX Link guy...

[KJ3N]

...except for those who cannot stand to work CW. For reasons that are uniquely their own, many people dislike using the mode.

That would be me

[kb2vxa]

Your post would serve a much better purpose stirring up a CW forever hornet's nest "over there". Oh and BTW, you'd have to be a real dork taking an HT to a New Year's Eve celebration. Make that a separate thread, I'm sure it would be met with approval raising the lulz factor over HERE.

[WØTKX]

There's a few of us that have had a chance to say "hey" on SSB, but it's been a struggle all too often. Digital works, but like CW, there are nuances missed. There's a lot to be said for good 'ol voice Ragchews.

I certainly would welcome any mode. A few of us have SKCC numbers (1068 here) so we could maybe get a QRS ragchew thing going.

I have recently put an FT-857D back into the car, with a RigBlaster P&P and a laptop. Just need to figure out a decent mobile (maybe straight) key. I'm able to "beat the primitive drum" by using the Fancy Yaesu Microphone Method. Which is just kind of wrong, ya know?

I have a cheap but serviceable Ameco key around here somewhere. :chin:

[NQ6U]

I think that in deference to a number of Islanders, rather than have a Straight Key Night we should have a Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender Key Night.

[W5RB]

I think that in deference to a number of Islanders, rather than have a Straight Key Night we should have a Lesbian-Gay-Bisexual-Transgender Key Night.

It's hard to figure sometimes , but we may have ONE member that can cover ALL that .

[ki4itv]

Mom said, "It's no mistake that transgender is the last word in that particular acronym."

[W3WN]

Ahem. Getting back to our regularly scheduled thread, already diverted in tangent...

If you're going to run phone on SKN, for those who aren't code aficionados, no problem.

But stay in the spirit of SKN.

The whole point is to use an old fashioned key... no paddles, no electronic keyers, and I believe the original intent was no bugs, though I may be wrong on that.

So... a phone version should mean AM. Double sideband full carrier Amplitude Modulated phone. No reduced or suppresed carriers, no single sideband, no FM, no digital voice or VoIP.

IMHO. Of course, I could be wrong.