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By Laws
Silent Key
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What is a Silent Key?
A silent key is a deceased amateur
radio operator; generally silent keys are identified with their call
signs in front of their names. The "key" is a reference to the
telegraph keys historically used to transmit information, and although
the telegraph key is now largely obsolete, its status is so iconic that
most people in the amateur radio community understand the reference.
Once a silent key is identified, his or her call sign is usually
released back into the pool of available call signs.
When an amateur radio operator dies, it may take some time for the rest
of the community to become aware that he or she is now a silent key. In
some cases, friends or family members of the deceased may communicate
this information, and in the era of the Internet, this has been made
much easier. In other instances, a prolonged period of radio silence
may prompt someone to look into obituaries or news reports which could
reveal the radio operator's fate.
Amateur radio operators may also become quite friendly with each other,
even if they never meet in person. It is not uncommon to hold a
memorial service over the radio, or to reprint an obituary or tribute
for a silent key in a radio operators' newsletter. Tributes to silent
keys may also include information about their lives beyond the radio,
to humanize them for fans who only knew them as voices.
You may hear a silent key referred to as an SK in Morse Code, although
SK can also signal "end of transmission." Some radio operators actively
keep their eyes out for silent keys, so that they can swoop in on
coveted call signs when they are made available.
Most amateur radio enthusiast clubs encourage their members to submit
reports of silent keys, so that these reports can be reprinted for the
benefit of the community. Government agencies which oversee the
issuance of licenses may also have forms for the purpose of reporting a
silent key so that his or her call sign can be released for use.
The
Stafford Area Radio Association Honors the following Silent Keys:
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