As a member of the SKCC, I try to be active each month for the "WES", the SKCC Weekend Sprint.
Weekends are often busy with other activities or family visits, but I always try to get at least a few contacts in the log.
What is the Weekend Sprint ? From the SKCC website:
The SKCC WES aims to bring together operators with different skill levels in a regularly scheduled, informal operating event lasting 36 hours. The event starts at 1200 UTC on the 2nd Saturday of each month and ends at 2359 UTC on Sunday. Participants can operate for the full 36 hours.
Of course, all contacts are made with a mechanical key, be it a Straight Key, Bug or Sideswiper (Cootie).
The August edition favours the use of a home built key, giving 5 bonus points for each QSO made with that key. So I had to think of a new key ...
After building a few Cootie designs in the past, I decided to build a new straight key, using my own teeth !
My own teeth, huh ?
Well ,not my actual teeth, but a 3D printed replica I got from my dentist. It was made at the occasion of a dental implant a few years ago.
I did have a varnished plank, that was a first test object when I aquired a router some time ago.
[ Sidenote: I used the router to make a Christmas decoration with 3 LED candles that used 3 AAA batteries EACH. I got rid of all the batteries by connecting all three candles to a 5V adapter, or it can also work on a powerbank. This was the result: ]
Now, how to make a straight key with that set of teeth. I took a few pieces of wood in my garage and started tinkering ... this is the result:
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| No springs attached ! |
