Sked Page is a free, real-time web application that helps SKCC members connect and schedule straight key CW QSOs with other operators. Think of it as your digital meeting place for arranging on-air contacts and chatting with fellow straight key enthusiasts.

Whether you're looking to work new SPCs, schedule a specific time for a QSO, or just chat with other SKCC members, the Sked Page brings our community together online. You can see who's currently active, send private messages, and coordinate your on-air activities all from one convenient location.

What You Can Do:

Chat in real-time with other SKCC members who are online
See who's currently online with their minutes of inactivity to gauge if they're actively monitoring
Send private messages to coordinate QSOs
View member information including name, SKCC number, QTH, and SPC, plus the distance and bearing from your grid square to theirs
Post a status line ("CQ 7.055") so everyone can see what you're up to
Get chimed, highlighted, or even emailed when a keyword or callsign you watch shows up (see Watch Alerts below)
Stay updated with SKCC announcements and events
Access from your computer or mobile device
Reach the main controls by keyboard, with screen-reader (JAWS) announcements for alerts, status changes, and errors; with a screen reader, use its link navigation to reach the reply, edit, del, and read links beside messages

2. Sign Up

Getting started with the Sked Page is easy! Since this is an SKCC member service, you'll need to be a current member to create an account. If you're not already a member, visit www.skccgroup.com to join our community.

What You'll Need:

Your current amateur radio callsign, as listed in the SKCC roster (capitalization doesn't matter)
Your SKCC number (digits only, no C, T or S suffix) so we can verify your membership
A valid email address for account verification
Your six-character Maidenhead grid square (for example DM79lv); four-character squares are accepted later on the Settings tab, but sign-up needs all six

The sign-up process takes just a few minutes. You'll type your email address and password twice to catch typos. After signing up, click the login link, then confirm your email address: use the Email me a code link and we'll send a six-digit code to your email address; enter that code on the page. It's fine to leave the page to go read your email, since the code still works when you come back (it expires after 15 minutes; just request a new one if it has). Until your email is confirmed you can read the Everyone tab but not post there (private messages still work). Once verified, you'll be ready to start connecting with other SKCC members online!

Don't worry - we'll automatically check that your information matches our membership database to keep the community secure and welcoming for all members.

3. Login

Once you've created your account, logging in is simple! Just use your callsign and the password you created during sign-up. Don't worry about capitalization or stray spaces around your callsign - we'll recognize it either way.

Login Information:

Callsign: Your amateur radio callsign (not case sensitive)
Password: The password you created (case sensitive; spaces at the start or end are ignored)

Forgot Your Password?
No problem! Click the Reset Password link, enter your callsign, and we'll send a six-digit code to your registered email address. Enter that code along with your new password (typed twice). The code is good for 15 minutes and belongs to the page that asked for it, so keep that page open while you check your email (if it reloads, request a new code). Resetting your password signs you out of every other browser or device. You'll be back online with your fellow SKCC members in no time.

A Note About Security:
We take your account security seriously and use modern password protection. Please choose a strong password and keep your login information private to help maintain a safe environment for all SKCC members. Once you log in, your browser remembers you for 10 days and the page logs you in automatically until you click Logout. After five failed logins within 15 minutes, further attempts for that callsign are refused until the window passes.

4. Using the Sked Page

Once you're logged in, you'll see the main Sked Page interface. It's designed to be intuitive: just start typing in the message box to join the conversation, and explore the different areas to find the operators you'd like to work. Here's what each area does to help you connect with other SKCC members:

4.1 Main Chat Tabs

Everyone Tab: The main chat area. Anyone who opens the Sked Page can read it, signed in or not; members with a verified email address can post, up to 2,000 characters per message. This is perfect for general conversation, announcing you're looking for contacts, or coordinating group activities.
PM Tab: Private messaging area that appears once you're logged in (with Enable PMs on in the Settings tab). You can start a PM by clicking on a callsign in the Active Users list, by typing a callsign in the PM section, or by picking one from your previous PMs listed there. Click read beside a PM to mark it (and the earlier messages in that conversation) as read; just opening the conversation doesn't, so unread conversations come back until you do.
Settings Tab: Your personal preferences and account settings. This tab gives you control over your Sked Page experience with options to customize notifications, appearance, and account information.

4.2 Right Sidebar Panels

Active Users Panel: Shows all SKCC members currently active, each with their status line and their idle time - the number of minutes since they last moved their mouse or typed on the Sked Page. Click on any callsign to start a private message; hover over it (or Tab to it) to see that operator's name and details. When a status contains the word CQ, that word is a link to the Reverse Beacon Network showing that station's CW CQ spots from the last two hours; if the status also names a frequency (7.055, 7.055.5, 7055) or a band (40m), RBN is filtered to that band too.
Active SPCs Panel: Displays which states, provinces, and countries are currently represented by online members. Great for seeing if that SPC you need is active right now!
Member Lookup Panel: Type a callsign or an SKCC number and press ENTER to see that member's callsign, name, SKCC number, city, and SPC (or "Not an SKCC member").
Promo Cards: Below the panels, colorful promo cards call out SKCC news such as the new SKCCLogger or an upcoming hamfest. Click a card's title or its link to open it in a new tab, or its close button to dismiss it. A closed card stays closed in that browser until the card itself changes, or until you pick Show Closed Promo Cards in the Settings tab. The cards step aside on small windows and whenever the Active Users list needs the room, the lowest card first; as many show as the window has room for. Admins create them in the Announcements editor by ticking "Sidebar promo card" on an announcement, which then appears as a card instead of a banner line; the card text is plain text with no set length (a 2,000-character ceiling aside), line breaks are kept, and the card grows to fit it. Every saved announcement or card has a Dup link that opens a pre-filled copy right below it, ready to edit; only the event dates need picking again.

4.3 Header Information

Date/Time Display: Shows the current UTC time, with your local time beneath it - essential for coordinating QSO times across different time zones.
Announcements: Important SKCC news, upcoming events, and special activities are displayed prominently at the top. Once you close the announcements panel, it stays closed until an announcement is added or changed, which reopens it automatically. Reloading the page also brings it back.
Status Box: Type a short note in the status box ("CQ 7.055", "QRV for CSKM") and press ENTER, and it appears beside your callsign in the Active Users panel for everyone to see. Send an empty status (or press ESCAPE) to clear it. Statuses are limited to 100 characters, and other members' Watch Alerts can match on them - a great way to advertise event activity. A status set while you're inactive is saved and shows once you're active again.
Connection Status: If the page loses its connection to the server, a red "Status: Not Connected" appears here while it reconnects. The Active Users panel header shows how many members are active and how many connections the server has in total (visitors who aren't logged in included).
Chime Bell: A bell icon next to Logout shows whether the notification chime is on; a slashed bell means it's muted. Click the bell to toggle the chime (turning it on sounds the chime once). The same setting is available as the Chime checkbox in the Settings tab.
Logout: Signs you out of every browser and device where you're currently connected, not just this one.

4.4 Message Features

Callsign Highlighting: Your callsign is highlighted whenever someone mentions it in a message, and the notification chime sounds so you don't miss it. This is separate from Watch Alerts: mentions of you use the blue or teal highlight and a single ding, while your watch terms use amber and a triple chime, so you can tell at a glance (or by ear) which one fired.
Clickable Callsigns: Click the sender's callsign beside a message to quickly start a private conversation with that operator.
Edit, Delete, and Reply: Your own messages, in the Everyone tab and in PMs, carry edit and del links - edits update the message for everyone who can see it, and deletes remove it (press ESCAPE to abandon an edit). Other members' messages in the Everyone tab carry a reply link that starts a public reply with their callsign filled in, so it's highlighted and chimes for them. For a private reply, click their callsign instead.
Auto-Away: After 61 minutes without moving the mouse or typing on the Sked Page, you're automatically taken off the Active Users list so others know you're not monitoring; you stay logged in and still see the chat. You can also step away deliberately with the Go Inactive button, and return with Go Active or simply by sending a message in the Everyone tab.
Message History: The Everyone tab keeps recent messages only: at least the latest 300, with older ones removed automatically after a couple of hours, even while your page stays open. Private messages are kept for 30 days.

4.5 Settings Tab Features

Email Reset: Change the email address used for password recovery and Watch Alerts email. The new address takes effect as soon as you save it, but it starts out unverified: the next time you sign in you must validate it before you can post to Everyone. Use "Email me a code" there, which sends a code to the new address, and enter it. Watch Alerts email stops the moment you save; after verifying, turn "Email me on watch alerts" back on in each browser that had it.
Set Grid Square: Update your Maidenhead grid square location (4 or 6 characters, for example DM79 or DM79lv; a valid square is required to save). It drives the distance and bearing other members see in your callsign info, and it is shared with logging programs that read the Sked Page status feed.
Set On Air Name: Customize the name shown in your callsign info (the tooltip on your callsign and the PM tab header) in place of the name in the SKCC database, up to 100 characters. Leave it blank to go back to the SKCC database name. This is especially useful for clubs or operators who prefer a specific display name.
Password Reset: Change your account password. Enter your callsign and click Start; a code is emailed to the address on file. Enter that code together with your new password (twice) and Submit. The code is good for 15 minutes and you can request at most three in that time. A successful reset signs out every other session of your callsign. The same flow is available from the Reset Password link on the login form if you cannot sign in.
Test Notification Audio: Test the audio notification sound that plays when your callsign is mentioned or a new message lands in a tab you are not viewing. This helps ensure your speakers are working and the volume is appropriate. The test plays even while the chime is muted, and reports whether the sound could actually be played. It plays the single mention ding only; the Watch Alerts triple chime is a separate sound that uses the same speakers and mute setting.
Watch Alerts: Keep a personal list of keywords and callsigns that chime, highlight, and optionally email you when they show up. The full story, including the matching rules and email delivery, is in Watch Alerts below.
Enable PMs Checkbox: Control whether you take part in private messages. When disabled, your callsign appears grayed out to other users, indicating you're not accepting new private conversations, your own PM tab is hidden, and you cannot send PMs either. This setting is saved with your account, so it applies on every device.
Chime Checkbox: Uncheck it to mute all notification sounds on this device, both the mention ding and the Watch Alerts triple chime; tab flashes, unread counts, and highlights keep working. Checking it sounds the chime once as confirmation. The setting is remembered per browser, so you can mute the shack PC and keep your phone chiming.
Dark Mode Checkbox: Switch between light and dark themes for the interface. Dark mode is easier on the eyes during long operating sessions and in low-light environments. Dark is the default on a new browser, and the choice is remembered per browser, like the Chime setting.
Show Closed Promo Cards: Brings back the current promo cards you closed in this browser and says how many came back; as many show as the window has room for. Cards you closed in another browser are not affected, and the cards still step aside when the window is too small or the Active Users list needs the room.

4.6 Watch Alerts

Watch Alerts are managed in the Settings tab. Keep a personal list of watch terms (up to 20), and the page will sound a distinctive triple chime (different from the single mention ding), highlight the match, and announce it to screen readers when a term appears in another member's live Everyone message or status, or when a callsign on your list comes online (your own messages and status never alert you). Great for event keywords (for example CSKM during Canadian Straight Key Month) or for catching a friend arriving.

Alerts fire only while your Sked Page is open and signed in, and the list is stored in your browser, so each device keeps its own. Each term can be up to 30 characters.

4.6.1 How Matching Works

Matching is whole-word and ignores case, and multi-word phrases work ("CQ CSKM").
Letters, digits, and / count as part of a word and anything else separates words, so "14" matches "14.055" but "55" alone does not.
To match parts of words, put one * at the start or the end of a term (never both, never in the middle): VY0* matches every callsign starting with VY0 (including a VY0 station coming online), *55 matches 14.055, and K3Y* matches K3Y, K3Y/7, and K3Y/711. The * needs at least two other characters with it.

4.6.2 What You'll See and Hear

Watch matches are marked in amber, distinct from the blue or teal highlight on your own callsign, and pulse briefly as they arrive.
Matched words stay highlighted in the messages and in each member's status line in the Active Users list until you remove the term, and a watched callsign wears the amber marking in the Active Users list the whole time it's online, so a match you missed hearing is still visible at a glance.
Repeats are kept quiet automatically (a watched station reconnecting, or a busy keyword, won't re-alert every few seconds). Signing in gives a one-time chime and screen-reader summary of matching statuses and watched callsigns already online; old messages aren't included. Adding a term highlights matches already on the page, but chimes and email wait for new activity.

4.6.3 Email Alerts

Optionally, check "Email me on watch alerts (this browser)" to have matches emailed to your validated account address while the page runs unattended: leave the Sked Page open in the shack, walk away, and a match is emailed to you (or your phone, if your mailbox forwards there).

Like the term list, the email checkbox is per browser: turn it on in each browser that should email you.
Emptying your watch list pauses email until you add a term again; the checkbox stays on.
Each alert email names the browser, operating system, and IP address of the session that reported the match, so you can tell which of your devices sent it.
Email delivery is best effort: emails only send after the Sked Page tab has seen no mouse, keyboard, touch, or scroll activity for about five minutes (working in another window counts as being away), each open tab waits ten minutes before reporting the same term again, matches within a two-minute window are combined into one message, and there's a limit of 25 emails a day across all your devices.

4.6.4 Keeping an Unattended Page Alive

A computer that falls asleep quickly may never send email at all: the page only emails after sitting idle about five minutes, so if the machine sleeps before that, there's no window in which email can happen. Bump the computer's sleep timer if you want it to stand watch.
If the browser puts the sleeping tab out of action, alerts stop. Once every page of yours with email alerts on has disconnected or stopped responding (a frozen tab can take a few minutes to notice), the server waits about ten minutes and then tries to email you one "watch alerts went offline" notice (at most one every six hours, never while another of your email-enabled pages is still running, and never when you log out, uncheck the box, or empty the list yourself); telling your browser to always keep the site active (for example Chrome's Performance settings) avoids that.
The optional "Keep screen awake" checkbox (shown only in browsers that support it, and remembered per browser like the other settings) asks the browser to keep the display awake while the page is visible and you're signed in; check that it reports "Screen lock active.", since the browser can refuse or release the lock. It cannot keep a hidden, sleeping, or closed page running.

5. Solar Data

The Sked Page displays real-time solar data to help you assess current HF propagation conditions. This information is updated automatically every 60 minutes from https://www.hamqsl.com.

Understanding Solar Indices:

SSN (Sunspot Number): Count of visible sunspots. Higher numbers generally mean better HF propagation, especially on higher bands.
SFI (Solar Flux Index): Measure of solar radio emissions at 2800 MHz. The Sked Page shows values above 150 as good and 100 to 150 as fair.
A-Index: Daily average of geomagnetic activity. Lower is better - values below 10 indicate quiet conditions.
K-Index: 3-hour snapshot of geomagnetic activity. Scale is 0-9, with lower values indicating more stable conditions.

Color-Coded Indicators:
The solar data values are color-coded to help you quickly assess conditions:

Index	Good (Green)		Fair (Yellow)		Poor (Red)
Index	Light Mode	Dark Mode	Light Mode	Dark Mode	Light Mode	Dark Mode
SSN	> 100	> 100	50-100	50-100	< 50	< 50
SFI	> 150	> 150	100-150	100-150	< 100	< 100
A-Index	< 10	< 10	10-30	10-30	> 30	> 30
K-Index	< 3	< 3	3-5	3-5	> 5	> 5

Using Solar Data for QSOs:
These indicators help you make informed decisions about which bands to use:

High SSN/SFI: Better conditions on higher bands (20m, 15m, 10m)
Low A/K indices: More stable propagation, less signal fading
Poor conditions: Focus on lower bands (80m, 40m), which are less affected by solar activity

Remember that propagation is complex and these are just indicators. Local conditions, time of day, and seasonal variations all play important roles in HF propagation.

6. Handy Tricks

6.1 Zooming

The Sked Page uses fonts small enough to keep the page compact, but this can make it harder to read for some operators. All three major browsers (Chrome, Firefox and Edge) can zoom the whole page to make it easier to read. Zooming changes how much fits in the window, so some panels or controls may disappear; zoom out again if that happens.
To zoom in (make text larger), press Ctrl +. Press it again and again for even bigger text. Press Ctrl - to unzoom. Press Ctrl 0 to snap back to normal mode.
You may even find it useful to unzoom (less than 100% zoom) in some cases. If you have a very nice monitor, try unzooming to 90% and see how you like it.
Note: on a Mac, use the "Command" key (⌘) instead of Ctrl.

6.2 Emojis

You can copy emojis from this site and paste them into your messages: https://getemoji.com. 😁