One of the oldest expressions in amateur radio is “silent Key”, referring to an operator who has passed away and is no longer heard. Historically, when a station ended a transmission using Morse Code, the prosign “SK” would be sent to signify they were going off the air. This would be the last thing heard by other stations from an operator who has died. Today, the saying is used of all deceased ham operators, whether they used Morse Code or not.
The people close to an operator will have taken part in the usual rituals that we use when someone is lost, but in a large ham community like Ventura County, not everyone was that close. But at the same time, a community is the total of its members, and when one is lost it affects the entire community.
The BORED Net controllers started in 2021 having a picnic in the fall to remember all of our SKs, especially those who had passed away in the previous year. We now make this an annual event and invite every ham in the county to participate. We hold a short net calling the missing operators and give people a chance to say anything they wish to about them. It has also been nice for family members of the people being honored to see their friends remembering them.
The 2021 picnic was held at Santa Rosa Valley Park near Camarillo. In 2022, Ed Zimmermann N6XEW offered his house and yard for the day. We’ll announce the 2023 location later in the year.