Viewing a single comment thread. View all comments

JustaOrdinaryDemiGod t1_iub8fjh wrote

Like any language, if you are not used to hearing it, it sounds like jiberish. But once you learn it, it makes sense. There is a space between the dit and da in Morse code but at speed, you need a trained ear to hear it. Once you learn code, it is more like listening to music. Some words and phrases are repeated so often that it sounds like the entire word instead of each letter.

So experienced code guys can listen at 25 or 30 words per minute as well as transmit. It just takes alot of practice. I know these kind of guys and I'm an in pure amazement of what they can do. But they use it daily.

399

atomicsnarl t1_iubssbf wrote

Rhythm is a big part of Morse interpretation. From back in the WWII era, some Morse training was based on mnemonics for the letters. For example (from my Dad) with emphasis on the bold words:

F is .._. dit dit dah dit Payday to day

P is .__. dit dah dah dit The grand old bitch

and so on.

One of the openings for a general broadcast looking to make contact is CQ followed by your call sign.

C is _._. dah dit dah dit

Q is _ _._ dah dah dit dah (the inverse of F)

So CQ becomes: Can you hear me, answer my call

Which serves to show the pattern and remember the purpose of the letter combo!

And of course, the famous Beethoven's 5th Symphony opening:

V is ..._ dit dit dit dah -- V for victory! (WWII, remember?)

Most people can play Name That Song in however many notes. It's like that for Morse, and eventually whole words (the, and, or, go, etc.)

97

cjrs79 t1_iubwo67 wrote

I honestly do not understand this at all. Can you explain how these mnemonic devices work? For example: hot does “payday to day” hemp you remember that F is dit dit dah dit??

23

trbolexis t1_iubxsaz wrote

The bold letters are the DAH, the un-bold letters are the DIT. As for the word "answer", you have to dah for both syllables.

23

atomicsnarl t1_iubyjxe wrote

On the radio, how many songs can you recognize from just hearing the opening few seconds? It's like that. Some people can latch on to a phrase faster than just the dit dah sounds. If it works for you, it works.

15

Mox_Fox t1_iubxc96 wrote

I think it's just easier to link a letter to a phrase instead of a rhythm, even if they aren't related.

3

sirsmoochalot t1_iuc33mb wrote

Somehow, reading this has planted, "Shave and a haircut...Two Bits!" firmly into my brain!

7

drmalaxz t1_iudnc1h wrote

Swedish army telegraph training also used mnemonics like that, but with the added bonus that the first letter of the mnemonic was the letter it represented.

2

SnakeBeardTheGreat t1_iubu1e4 wrote

Also when you are"talking" with the same group of guys you learn how they each throw their key. Each is different like their tone of speech.

90

UncontrolableUrge t1_iubyabl wrote

Wartime intellegence included learning the "hand" of various operaters to trace movements, to distinguish false transmissions, and to try to fake transmissions.

75

DirkBabypunch t1_iuc7f6b wrote

Former submarine sonar operator on youtube is always talking about when they were following a target around, they eventually learned the differences between the drivers and such on each watch just by the differences in sound they'd hear.

It's amazing the amount of information trained people can glean out of enough noise.

49

thephantom1492 t1_iucabq6 wrote

Now, imagine what a computer can do. Provided that they have enough text, they can be pretty sure that you and that other person on another site is pretty much the same one, just by the style and typo you make.

15

DirkBabypunch t1_iucbfeo wrote

Yeah, but can they see why kids love the taste of Cinnamon Toast Crunch?

21

foonathan t1_iucdhox wrote

There was a test website that authenticated you based on the way you type your username and password. It appears to be offline though.

9

CWF182 t1_iucqndp wrote

It's called the "fist" not the hand. Source I still use Morse Code as a Ham Radio Operator.

2

UncontrolableUrge t1_iud28ro wrote

Do mid 20th century British writers use the same word?

3

CWF182 t1_iudf5sm wrote

I don't know. But I've been a Ham since I was a kid in 1982 and I know many hams that were licensed in the early 60's. I've always heard it was someone's "fist" that was unique. However most operators since the early 80's use what is known as a "keyer" and a set of paddles. One paddle make the dit (dot) and the other makes the Dah (dash). The keyer makes perfect spacing for each letter and therefore makes you sound less unique but better and easier to copy. Also using an electronic keyer allows you to send much faster (>60wpm in some cases) than a straight key like you see in old movies.

3

MDWLRK t1_iudmp5b wrote

This is fascinating. To think you could hear some beeps and automatically come to the conclusion, “that sounds like so-and-so”. Technology is completely fascinating. Even old technology.

3

SnakeBeardTheGreat t1_iudyrbn wrote

MY ex FIL was a ham radio guy. In all the years he was on he never used voice always key.. Had his own little spot for his radios was always on at the same times to talk with his group of friends.

5

MDWLRK t1_iue2vya wrote

Crazy. It’d drive me insane not hearing voices

2

SnakeBeardTheGreat t1_iufjzc1 wrote

This is just another language that you learn. The dots and dashes are part of it. They are the voices that you hear. Do you text? You don't hear a voice then Just the one in you head as you read it.

2

MDWLRK t1_iugktaz wrote

Yeah, if I could learn another language. 🤣

1

LittleMetalHorse t1_iucmw4x wrote

I was in the last course in the British army to learn morse code. As a signaller, I had to pass a test at 8wpm (nothing by cold war standards, but pretty hard work for a beginner).

I spent 6 months listening to cassettes and practicing (and eventually passing the test) in the certain knowledge that I would never ever use Morse anywhere as the army had stopped using it. My own little Yossarian moment.

10

b_vitamin t1_iubvsgt wrote

Is Morse still in use?

9

wizard2278 t1_iubyxe0 wrote

Yes. Often used in emergency situations and by US a mature radio operators (HAMs). It is required for most of their radio operator licenses. It can be transmitted better than voice - less power and through more interference. Some even bounce signals off the moon and reach others in states. Many reach every state. Hawaii and Alaska are the hardest for those not located in those states.

Military folks use similar communications sometimes, I would guess.

11

DalbergiaMelanoxylon t1_iuc28lt wrote

Morse code is no longer required for a US amateur license, nor for a marine radio operator license. That only happened in the last 20 years or so.

14

wizard2278 t1_iuc6nzp wrote

You may be right. When I last checked, years ago, it was no longer required for the most basic license. The internet says no longer required, abut works better than voice in difficult conditions. Thanks for the correct, current information.

6

the_original_cabbey t1_iucfiov wrote

Wait… what? I’m studying for my Technician license right now and it’s still in the guidebook supposedly last updated in 2020.

4

teh_maxh t1_iucmc5l wrote

The technician licence hasn't required morse since 1990. There was an option to get limited HF access with a morse test, but if you just wanted 50 MHz and up, you could skip it.

3

achambers64 t1_iue7c4r wrote

If you’re using the 2020 book it’s out of date. The questions were updated in July 22.

3

bob3725 t1_iucl0j5 wrote

The Belgian HAM license now has a an extra symbol on the license when you passed the morse-exam. But it's not it doesn't change the callsign...

2

LittleMetalHorse t1_iucn5qu wrote

Used in IR signal flashes in my personal experience, very useful low tech IFF.

Also, as a pilot in East UK where there are (were?) Lots of airfields, a flashing ident beacon you could see from 10k out made it easier not to land at the wrong runway...

2

Chewable_Vitamin t1_iuby3qi wrote

Probably mainly just HAM radio hobbyists.

4

b_vitamin t1_iubyext wrote

I got downvoted even though they said they know folks who use it daily. Reddit is weird.

2

WW-Sckitzo t1_iuc05d6 wrote

Who still uses it daily? Is it in certain industries still? I've had a few courses on it over the years but SOS is about all I can do was always interesting as hell to me.

3

JustaOrdinaryDemiGod t1_iucvwtd wrote

>Who still uses it daily?

Amateur radio operators around the world. I know plenty of guys who never talk on the radio but do code daily. It's just a preference.

4

WW-Sckitzo t1_iuehenr wrote

That's awesome, my entire life I thought it was a dead/dying skill set; had no idea it was still in common use. Thank you!

1

SierraTango501 t1_iuemfdr wrote

Aviation still uses morse heavily in ground based navigation (VOR/NDB) identifiers.

2

Sedixodap t1_iufia6d wrote

It's still pretty pervasive in the marine industry, however most of the time the letters don't matter so much as what they mean. I've forgotten half of the alphabet, and definitely couldn't translate a sentence from the flashing light the way I was trained to, but I encounter at least one of the various single letter codes just about every day on the water.

Racons (radar beacons) transmit an identifying letter that appears on our radar, letting us visually identify important points of land. For example I can easily distinguish the entrance to the Fraser River from the sandflats at Robert's Bank because they have different letters.

Flashing morse A lights are used on fairway buoys to mark safe water.

Flashing morse U lights are used on oil rigs to signal a danger.

Morse O is the emergency signal for a man overboard. Every crew member knows where to go and what to do immediately upon hearing that signal.

Different morse sound signals can be used to indicate you're turning to port, starboard, overtaking a vessel, moving astern, or concerned about what the other vessel is doing - given the prevalence of radios only the last two seem to be used regularly, but if someone wasn't responding on radio it gives me a way of letting the other ship know what I'm about to do.

Similarly, others are used as fog signals to indicate what type of vessel you are and what your status is (for example I can tell a normal power driven vessel from a tugboat or vessel restricted in its ability to manoeuver).

And as the aviation guy mentioned, we've got some aviation electronics on board transmits our identification code when we're doing helicopter operations as a backup to help them find us.

1

das_goose t1_iuc4234 wrote

Honest question, who is still using Morse code and in what capacity?

2

JustaOrdinaryDemiGod t1_iucvzin wrote

>Honest question, who is still using Morse code and in what capacity?

Amateur radio operators. They use it in conversations and passing information on daily nets. You can tune around the spectrum and hear it 24hrs a day.

3

Hudwig_Von_Muscles t1_iuc8aq7 wrote

Just wanted to add that I grew up across the street from a WW2 vet who still used Morse code into the 90's. He would communicate with people all over the world. From how he described it, it was sort of like random connections but you could also dial up buddies.

There was, probably still is, some government agency monitoring those communications. Every time he spoke with someone he'd get a post card in the mail several days later listing the address and the length of the conversation.

2

Senpai_Pai t1_iuc8v4y wrote

Hey, thats super interesting! I have another question if you don’t mind. How would people be able to correct a mistake if they made one while using morse code? Would they Pause and start before the mistake and the listener would have to use context to make sense of it? And you know people using it daily as in their hobby or profession and if so what profession still uses morse code? Military?

2

fubo t1_iucgike wrote

> How would people be able to correct a mistake if they made one while using morse code?

........ (that's eight) is used to mean "error", and then just send the correct text.

4

UserMaatRe t1_iuca43j wrote

Not sure about Morse code, but early teletype terminals had special characters that would act as "backspace a symbol" or "backspace a word". I imagine it's the same thing.

1

HorseNspaghettiPizza t1_iud8p3x wrote

Who is still using it daily?

1

JustaOrdinaryDemiGod t1_iudcis3 wrote

>Who is still using it daily?

These two for one example....

And you also have Field Day operators

And various CW nets around the bands daily. Here is one example.

Code is alive and well. The guys who are fluent are awesome at it and it is amazing to watch.

1

HorseNspaghettiPizza t1_iuddg1j wrote

Interesting thank you

1

JustaOrdinaryDemiGod t1_iudilka wrote

In all seriousness, there is code in the air 24/7. Some guys just prefer it. When it comes to contesting, they can talk to way more people in bad conditions than you can with voice. It's an art form that it really amazing. If you want to see it first hand, the easiest time is during ARRL Field Day. Look it up and find a station near you to observe.

2