Straight Key Night: How to Join the January 1 CW Event
On the first day of every year, a different kind of event takes over the CW portions of the HF bands. Straight Key Night is not a contest, nobody keeps score, and the goal is simply to sit down with a straight key, or perhaps an old bug, and have a relaxed conversation in Morse code. This guide explains what the ARRL says about the event, when it takes place, how the exchange differs from a contest exchange, how the voting for Best Fist and Most Interesting QSO works, and how to prepare your key and your sending so that you enjoy it. All the event details come from the official ARRL page; check it before January 1 in case anything has changed.
What Straight Key Night Is
The ARRL page for Straight Key Night describes it as a 24-hour event that is not a contest, but a day dedicated to celebrating our CW heritage. Participants are encouraged to get on the air and make enjoyable, conversational CW contacts. The use of straight keys or bugs to send is preferred. There are no points scored, and the ARRL says that all who participate are winners.
That description is the whole point. In a contest, the aim is to exchange the minimum information at the highest rate. On Straight Key Night the opposite applies: slow down, make your own Morse sound human, and talk about the weather, your station, the key you are using and the radio you built in 1978. If you have ever wished that CW contacts were more than a string of 599 and a serial number, this is the day for you. Our guide to ragchewing includes ideas for keeping a conversation going.
When and Where
Straight Key Night is held every January 1 from 0000 UTC through 2359 UTC. Because it is defined in UTC, the event starts in the evening of December 31 in North America and runs until the evening of January 1, so a New Year’s Eve party and the first hours of the event overlap in some time zones. In 2027, January 1 falls on a Friday.
The ARRL says that all authorized amateur frequencies may be used, but activity has traditionally been centered on the HF bands. In practice, you will find stations on the CW sub-bands of 80, 40 and 20 meters and sometimes on 160 meters, with the best band depending on time of day and propagation. Tune across the CW segments, listen for slow, deliberate sending and answer someone who sounds like they are having fun.
Straight Key, Bug or Paddle?
The ARRL prefers straight keys or bugs, because the event is about the human hand. The table below summarizes the most common keys you will meet, and the general reference article on the telegraph key describes how these devices developed.
| Key type | How it works | Fit for Straight Key Night |
|---|---|---|
| Straight key | One lever; you make every dit and dah by hand | The classic choice and the heart of the event |
| Bug (semi-automatic key) | A mechanical device makes the dits automatically; you send the dahs by hand | Preferred by the ARRL alongside the straight key |
| Sideswiper (cootie) | A side-to-side lever that makes both dits and dahs by hand | Fits the spirit of hand sending |
| Paddle with electronic keyer | The keyer generates perfectly timed elements | Not preferred; the point is hand-formed characters |
If you only own a paddle, you can still join the fun, and you will find that many operators on the air are friendly toward newcomers. But if you can borrow or buy an inexpensive straight key, the experience is much closer to the intention of the event. Our guide to CW keys compares the types in more detail and shows what to look for when you buy one.
The SKN Exchange
There is no required exchange, but there is a tradition that tells other operators that you are taking part. The ARRL’s article on the event explains that, when participating, you should send the letters SKN before sending the signal report, instead of sending only the RST. That tells passers-by who may be tuning across the band that Straight Key Night is still going strong, and it lets participants recognize each other. A typical call might be CQ SKN, followed by your call sign, and a reply with the other station’s call sign, SKN, the signal report, your name and your location.
After that, the conversation can go anywhere. Common topics include the key you are using, your station, your age and how long you have been licensed, the weather at your location, and how the year is starting. The abbreviations are the ordinary ones used in CW conversation, which you will find in our guide to CW abbreviations and prosigns. If you want a refresher on reports, see our explainer on RST signal reports.
Voting for Best Fist
The one competitive element is a pair of votes. According to the ARRL, after Straight Key Night you send the Contest Branch a list of the stations you contacted, plus your vote for the best fist you heard. The vote does not have to be for a station you worked, because it is meant to reward good sending that you heard on the band. You can also vote for the most interesting QSO you had or that you monitored. The votes for Best Fist and Most Interesting QSO are tabulated and included in the results.
Entries must be received by January 31. You can send your information by email to the address shown on the ARRL page or by mail to the ARRL at its Newington address. Because the event uses a simple list rather than a Cabrillo file, you do not need contest software, and a plain text list is sufficient. The ARRL also invites you to post comments and photographs on its contest soapbox page, which becomes an online collection of stories and pictures. The terms of entry say that log contents are available to the public, all entries become the property of the ARRL, and entrants agree to follow the regulations of their national licensing authority.
What Makes a Good Fist
A fist is the individual character of a person’s Morse sending. A good one is not about speed. It is about rhythm, spacing and clarity, and the operators who win votes are usually those whose code is easy to copy and pleasant to listen to. If you want yours to be one of them, work on these habits before January 1:
- Keep the timing consistent. A dah should be about three times the length of a dit, and the gaps between letters and words should be even. The commonest fault with a straight key is rushing the spaces. Practicing with a metronome or with a code practice program helps.
- Send at a speed you can control. A steady 12 or 15 words per minute sounds better than a hurried 25 with errors. Beginners often copy this speed more easily too.
- Leave a clear word space. Many listeners can copy individual letters but lose the words if you run them together.
- Do not hold the key down. A relaxed hand and wrist produce a smoother rhythm than a tense one.
- Listen to yourself. Record your sending and play it back. You will hear problems that you do not notice in real time.
If you need help with speed and technique, our article on learning Morse code and building CW speed offers a practice plan.
Adjusting Your Key
A straight key is a simple mechanical device, but small adjustments change how it feels. The two main ones are the contact gap and the spring tension. If the gap is too wide, your hand has to travel further for every element, which tires you and slows your sending. If it is too narrow, the contacts may chatter or close by accident. Spring tension has a similar trade-off: too light and the lever feels floppy, too heavy and the hand tires. Start with the manufacturer’s setting, then adjust a little at a time until the key feels comfortable for a long conversation.
Mount the key on a heavy base or a piece of wood so that it does not slide on the table, and place the whole arm on the desk so that you are not lifting it. A good chair and a sensible height matter more than most people expect. If you use an older key, clean the contacts and check that the wiring is secure. Finally, make sure that the radio’s keying circuit is set up correctly for a plain key line, and check how your transceiver’s break-in or semi-break-in delay is set, because a poorly set delay will clip the first or last element. See our article on full break-in and QSK for the settings.
Vintage Radios and Home-Built Gear
The ARRL’s story about the event notes that the number of entries has grown, and that many participants use it to test and show off vintage equipment. Some plug in their old bugs and join, and others simply enjoy the relaxed, CW-enriched setting. If you have an old transmitter, a restored receiver or a home-built rig, this is the day to put it on the air. Be careful with older gear, though: check that it is stable, that the signal is clean and that it does not splatter or drift beyond the band edge. Our article on key clicks and a clean signal explains what to listen for, because hard keying on older transmitters can produce clicks that disturb neighbouring stations.
Low power is welcome, too. Many straight key enthusiasts also like QRP, and a few watts into a simple wire can make contacts across continents when conditions are good.
Making the Most of the Day
Because the event lasts a full UTC day, you do not need to sit at the radio for 24 hours. A few simple choices make it enjoyable.
- Pick a time when you are fresh, and operate for an hour or two rather than forcing a marathon.
- Call CQ SKN at a slow speed, and answer calls at the speed of the caller.
- Keep a short note of the stations you work and any interesting details of the conversation, because you will want them for your vote.
- Take photographs of your key and your station for the ARRL soapbox if you like.
- Invite a friend who is learning CW to listen along.
Tips for Beginners
If you have only recently learned the code, Straight Key Night is one of the best days of the year to make your first CW contacts, because the operators on the air are there to talk rather than to race. Do not be afraid to say that you are new. Many experienced operators will slow down for you, repeat what you missed and enjoy being asked about their key. Keep a pad and pencil next to the radio, write down the call sign first, and ask for a repeat with a question mark if you did not copy something. Short exchanges are fine: a call sign, a name, a location and a thank-you is a complete and satisfying contact, and you can add more as your confidence grows. The most common mistakes are sending too fast, running words together and forgetting to listen before transmitting, and each of them is easy to correct once you know about it.
The Bottom Line
Straight Key Night is a 24-hour, no-score celebration of hand-sent Morse on January 1, from 0000 to 2359 UTC. Use a straight key or a bug if you can, send SKN before the report to show you are taking part, have a real conversation, and vote for the best fist you heard and the most interesting QSO. Send your list and votes to the ARRL by January 31. Work on your timing and your key setup beforehand, and the day will be as much fun for you as it is for the person who hears your sending.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is Straight Key Night a contest?
No. The ARRL describes it as a day dedicated to celebrating CW heritage. No points are scored, and the emphasis is on conversational contacts.
When does it take place?
Every January 1, from 0000 UTC to 2359 UTC. Check your local time, because the UTC day starts on December 31 in the evening in the Americas.
Which bands can I use?
All authorized amateur frequencies are allowed, although activity has traditionally been centered on the HF bands.
What does SKN mean in the exchange?
Participants send the letters SKN before the signal report so that others know they are taking part in Straight Key Night.
Can I use a paddle?
You can join with any key, but the ARRL prefers straight keys or bugs because the event is about hand-sent CW.
How do I vote and report?
Send the ARRL a list of the stations you contacted, your vote for the best fist you heard and your vote for the most interesting QSO, so that it is received by January 31.