!!!Attention to All Members!!!
When submitting award applications, please ensure your callsign, the word "Application", and the award being submitted:
e.g. Subject line: "K3EW Tribune X35 application". We are trying to reduce our spam and increase the spam filter success rate.
Thanks!
The Straight Key Century Club is the most active group of mechanical-key Morse code radiotelegraph operators in the world. Founded in January 2006, we have thousands of members around the globe.
Here's how it works:
-- Apply for free membership. (Open to licensed amateur radio operators only.)
-- Make HF radio contacts using any of the three early original types of manual telegraph keys: Straight Key, Bug and Cootie.
-- Gain on-air experience in sending and receiving by swapping numbers with other members; enter Club sponsored sprints, contests and special events; rag chew; earn activity & achievement awards; access our online resources, newsletter, forums and chat.
Please see the description of mechanical key types and participation guidelines here.
To receive an SKCC number, click on the Join SKCC link at left. If you are helping someone who wants to join but doesn't use email, you can download a snail-mail application here.
The March 2025 Newsletter Has Been Posted!
Please take some time to check it out. It can be found here.
73,
Ted — K8AQM/VE9AQM
SKCC —1629S
PRESENTATION OF THIRTY-FIRST SKCC MARATHON AWARD
SKCC is pleased to announce the 31st SKCC Marathon Award presentation to Dan Flanagan, #12995S.
Dan made his first marathon QSO on July 12, 2019 and confirmed his 100th on September 20, 2024. He joined the SKCC on November 11, 2014 and has earned his C, T, S, awards with several endorsements, his WAS, and now, the Marathon Award.
Dan began his radio hobby in 1968 as WN3KOC. He upgraded to General in December 1968, and Advanced in March 1969. During his four-year enlistment in the Navy (1969-1973) he upgraded to extra in July of 1972 after returning to the states after a tour of duty with the Naval Security Group in Edzell, Scotland where he operated with the callsign GM5ASI. Other callsigns used during his Navy tour included WA4ECY, Pensacola, Florida, and WA1EXP, Newport, RI.
After his military duty Dan went back to college under the GI Bill and obtained his electrical engineering degree. In 1977 his current callsign, W3DF was acquired in the 1970s version of the vanity callsign program. Dan has been an active CW operator on the HF bands continuously, except for a period from the mid 1980s to mid 1990s after he was married, and he and his XYL lived in an apartment and started a family. His 45 years of employment included DOD, NOAA, and NASA. For the past 8 years he has been a full-time amateur radio operator.
The Marathon Award was established in 2008 to recognize SKCC members who demonstrate their skill, talent, and love for ragchewing by completing 100 QSOs each with a separate SKCC member lasting 60 minutes or more. The first award occurred in 2014, and now has a total of 31 awardees. Consider joining in the fun and developing your ragchewing skills.
PRESENTATION OF THIRTIETH SKCC MARATHON AWARD
SKCC is pleased to announce the 30th SKCC Marathon Award presentation to Bill Spencer, #7091S.
Bill made his first marathon QSO on May 3, 2020 and confirmed his 100th on May 10, 2024. He joined the SKCC on September 10, 2010 and has earned his C, T, S, Yellow Maple Leaf, Prefix, Rag Chew, Triple Key, WAC, WAS (C, T, S), and now, the Marathon Award.
Bill began his radio hobby in 1959 as KN7HPO, in North Las Vegas, NV and upgraded to Conditional within a few months to be K7HPO. During his Navy days, he operated not only K7HPO/AM a lot, but operated the Special Services stations KH6AHQ at Barber's Point HI and KM6BI on Midway Island. Besides Navy traffic, he ran many phone patches for the crew from Vietnam.
After his Navy service he operated as K7HPO/4 from Memphis, TN while going to Memphis State University where he started his career in Television Engineering. He returned to Las Vegas for another 4 years where he enjoyed being the rare station and upgraded to Advanced. He left there to build a TV station on the island of St. Martin where he was issued the call PJ8HPO. He then went to the Washington, DC area where he worked at PBS. Living in Northern VA, he was issued the call WB4GIB. After 5 years he moved to Southern Virginia to work for CBN in Virginia Beach. Having an FCC office in Norfolk gave him the opportunity to upgrade to Extra and they issued him KY4O in 1980. He moved to Nashville, TN in1990 and retired in 2019 after 52 years as a TV broadcast systems engineer.
During his 65 years as an Amateur radio operator Bill has enjoyed many different aspects of the hobby. During previous sun cycles, when HF conditions were bad, he got into satellite communications and worked with AMSAT on AO-10. He was also part of a group that operated an ATV repeater in the Washington, DC Metro area.
Bill has used the same Navy Flameproof key that he was issued in his first squadron in 1964. That's 60 years and he did the bulk of his marathon QSOs with it!
The Marathon Award was established in 2008 to recognize SKCC members who demonstrate their skill, talent, and love for ragchewing by completing 100 QSOs each with a separate SKCC member lasting 60 minutes or more. The first award occurred in 2014, and now has a total of 30 awardees. Consider joining in the fun and developing your ragchewing skills.
Marathon Award Program Change - Award Plaques
A change has been directed by the SKCC Board for the plaque associated with the Marathon Award Program.
A member who achieves the Marathon award will have the option to receive a printable certificate or a special commemorative plaque. The plaque will be mailed to the member upon request. The Club will pay for plaques as long as funds permit. Members are invited to crown their achievement by making a donation, since the cost for a plaque plus shipping now averages $70.
More information can be found on the Marathon Award page.
Questions can be addressed to the Marathon Manager.
Thanks,
Cecil, K5YQF
1820
Two New SKCC Events!
The Straight Key Century Club is Excited to Announce Two New Operating Events.
Straight Key Sprint Asia (SKSA)
A two hour event, to be held on the second Friday of each month from 2200Z through 2359Z.
The inaugural event will be on September 9th. Please see the SKSA homepage for more details.
Our second new event will be Oceania QRS Saunter (OQS)
A 24 hour event will start on the third Saturday of each month from 0000Z through 1200Z.
The inaugural event will be on September 17th. Please see
the OQS homepage for more details.
What's New...
• Beginning in February 2023, WES Dates have moved to the Second Saturday of each month.
SKCC's Monthly Operating Events
Monthly Slow Speed Saunter:
Occurs on the first day of each month from 0000 - 23:59.
This is not a contest. The goal is to work slow speed operators @ 12 WPM or less. Please QRS.
Visit the Slow Speed Saunter Home Page for details.
Straight Key Sprint-Europe
The Monthly SKCC Euro-Sprint (SKS-E) occurs on the first Thursday of the month from 1900 - 2100 UTC with 15 minutes added on each end for QRS exchanges. The event time varies according to British Summer Time (BST). BST details can be found here TimeAndDate.com
Visit the SKSE Home Page for sprint details.
Weekend Sprintathon
The Monthly Weekend Sprintathon (WES) occurs on the second Saturday of each month @1200 through 2359 the next day (A total of 36 hours).
Visit the WES Home Page for details.
Straight Key Sprint - Asia
A two hour event, held on the second Friday of each month from 2200Z through 2359Z.
Visit the SKS-A Home Page for details.
Oceania QRS Saunter
A 24 hour event held on the third Saturday of each month from 0000Z through 2359Z.
Visit the OQS Home Page for details.
Are you new to CW?
Then check out our CW Beginner's Corner page. It has plenty of basic information about CW operations that will help turn those first CW QSOs from jitters to joy.
If you want personalized, on-air help, check out our Morse Elmers page. You'll find contact information for members who have volunteered to serve as CW mentors. Drop one an email to set up an on-air schedule. Or just visit the club's sked page. You'll see a list of members logged in and can use the page's messaging functions to reach a member to arrange an on-air contact.
You have lots of help available to you as you become more adept at using the original instant-messaging mode! You'll find links to the Beginner's and Elmer pages in the navigation column at left under Getting Started. The link to the Sked Page appears under SKCC Community.
Odds 'n' Ends
Looking For A Sked?
Visit the club's sked site at https://sked.skccgroup.com. It's a fun, friendly place. New members and beginners are encouraged to join! No commands to learn, no Mickey Moussing around with new software. The system simply asks you to provide some basic info about yourself and, presto, you get a list of all SKCC members looking for some CW fun! Can't get any easier than that! A hearty "thank you" to Mark, K7MJG, for developing the sked page. A link to it also appears under SKCC Community in the navigation column at left.
SKCC Files & Downloads Section
Looking for SKCC related software? Download club related software free. Programs like W5ZR's SKCC Awards tracker. If you are a software author and have club or CW related programs to contribute, please contact the webmaster@skccgroup.com See the Files and downloads under Member services at left.
What's an SKCC Elmer?
We have all faced the daunting task of firing-up the radio for that first CW contact. Now you can take that shaky, uncertain hand and turn it into a confident, firm fist with the help of our group of SKCC Morse Code Elmers. Simply click on the Morse Elmers link at left, choose from the list of Elmers, send him or her an email requesting a sked, and before you know it you'll be enjoying the thrill of sending and receiving solid CW.
SKCC Shopping Mall
So now you've joined SKCC, you have your mechanical sending device, radios, antennae, and other station accessories. But do you have the SKCC "look"? Here are some gift ideas you might think about when gift-giving/receiving time arrives. Why not stop by some of the vendors who are providing SKCC-related gear and do a little virtual window shopping?
For an SKCC name badge, stop by the SignMan of Baton Rouge, purveyor
of the SKCC badge shown at left. If you're interested in pinning one on your shirt pocket,
you can order an SKCC badge here.