AmateurRadio.com

Today I participated in another Polar Bear Moonlight Madness Event, but this time while deer hunting. Instead of the Yaesu FT-817 and the SGC "I've-fallen-and-can't-get-tuned-up" tuner, I packed the K1 and the venerable BLT tuner. Instead of the heavily modified Whiterook paddle I usually use afield, I was equipped with a homebrew straight key. I forgot how nice of a CW rig the K1 really is and how fun a straight key is. Surprisingly this was the first time I've used a straight key while operating on a hike or hunt. Even with cold, numb fingers I was able to send decent CW unlike when using an iambic paddle. Straight keying is quite a bit more forgiving of timing errors and the irregularity of straight keying is somewhat charming and gives the code more personality.